Gravel bike with flat bar now "invented"

ultrazenith

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The boffins in the bike industry have just invented something totally new, building on their gravel bike innovation of recent years: the flat bar gravel bike. With a frame made of metal instead of plastic.

The Diverge EVO has been penned to push the limits of what was previously considered achievable on a gravel bike. Boasting flat bars and a more progressive geometry layout, it offers a slacker, 70-degree head angle, a five millimetre lower bottom bracket and an additional 30mm longer reach over the regular drop-bar model. It will be available in two guises, Expert and Comp.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/specia ... d2VBHPrJsg
 
Doesn't this all get a bit tiresome?

"The rhetoric behind Future Shock hinges around what Specialized calls axial compliance. By positioning the shock above the headtube, the engineers have been able to create a rigid platform that promotes better compliance, performance and response - suspend the rider, not the bike."

Is that basically a Girvin Flexstem then? A floppy hinge with a rubber doorstop that dynamically
changes the riders position over every bump :facepalm:
 
They'll be adding knee joins and elbow joints to act as suspension to your body next. Also a floppy hinge, but with an 'AI controlled feedback loop' damper attached.
 
Next they'll find gravel riders need short travel suspension forks, maybe with 65 mm of travel, and fluorescent lycra for the riders because it makes you go faster.
 
Re:

I think it's the 5mm lower bottom bracket that will really take us to the next level of performance. I used to yearn for a fractionally lower BB and had to run part worn tyres at a couple of psi below the recommendation try to achieve it. No more!
 
Re:

This is symptomatic of how the MTB scene has been for a number of years. Too many 'standards', too many different niches, too many heads up own arses. Winds me up.
 
Re: Re:

RickTheUncivil":1dy8teve said:
I think it's the 5mm lower bottom bracket that will really take us to the next level of performance. I used to yearn for a fractionally lower BB and had to run part worn tyres at a couple of psi below the recommendation try to achieve it. No more!

That's right. The price of this luxurious performance increase is:

"With pricing pegged at £2,399 for the Expert and £1,599 for the Comp, the Specialized Diverge EVO is expected to go on sale in the UK in late June."

I'm just dumbfounded how this can be justified. :?
 
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