Specialized, the Morgan Hill, CA-based behemoth of the American cycling industry, has laid claim to a number of wacky innovations over the years. They’ve done everything from the outlandish and impractical (check out its fUCI bike) to the practical and game-changing (like the original Brain shock, an inertia valve-operated rear shock). But the innovation, and subsequent bike, that the brand released today could be its wildest consumer-available technology yet.
The new Specialized Diverge STR, a gravel bike built for riding chunky dirt roads and technical trails, continues to blur the lines between road bike and mountain bike and comes kitted with something the Specialized engineers are calling rear Future Shock. It's a complement to the Diverge’s existing Future Shock, a shock-absorbing feature that lives in the head tube at the front end of the bike and works to soak up road vibrations. Rear Future Shock is entirely different—from the original tech as well as anything else on the market.