Since the middle of July when I completed my first gravel ride, I’ve now knocked out over 350km on the Specialized Diverge. As part of that undertaking, I’ve started making some upgrades to customise it.

Removing items

• LED light
  Not needed, I’ll add it back on if I’m planning riding in the evening/night
• Bell
  Not needed as my Garmin 1050 bike computer has a bell
• Dork disc
  Not needed, I’ve never dropped a chain into the rear spokes & they rattle on gravel

Adding items

• Bottle cages
  Two bottle cages for hydration
• Saddle bag
  Tire plugs to help tubeless sealant if it struggles, tire levers & a spare tube (just in case)

Replacing items

New tires

Specialized Diverge Elite E5 come with an entry level Specialized Pathfinder Sport mixed use gravel tire. They have a solid smooth middle track like a road bike tire with light tread on the shoulders and were 38mm wide.

I’ve replaced them with a set of Continental Race King 50mm, which are a high performance race mountain bike that rolls fast, has excellent puncture protection & superior grip as it has a more aggressive tread pattern.

The Specialize Diverge Elite E5 has a recommended max tire size of 47mm, but an absolute maximum tire clearance of 50mm. The Continental Race King 50mm on the standard rim actually measure 50mm with calipers. The typical recommendation is having ~5mm of clearance between the tire and the frame to allow for rim flex, tire deformation and space to help clear rocks and mud. The Continental Race King in 50mm redues that gap to ~2mm in places.

Power pedals

A couple years ago I added a set of Favero Assioma power pedals to my road bike, which have been a game changer for training. I also find being able to use the combination of heart rate, perceived effort and power, you can understand how your body is performing on a given day and adjust effort accordingly.

In the case of gravel bike, I’ve added a set of Favero Assioma Pro MX-2 dual sided pedals. While my road bike uses a directional Shimano SPD-SL cleat, the gravel pedal use a non-directional Shimano SPD cleat which allows you to clip into the top or bottom of each pedal. Not necessarily adding to the bike, but it did also require an additional pair of shoes with SPD cleats.

Pending

• Bike computer mount
  I have a plastic bike computer mount for my Garmin 1050, but it is clips on beside the handlebar clamp and bends around to put the computer in the middle. Simply for aesthetics, I’d like to find a mount that can fit into the handlebar clamp itself so it is completely centered.
• Chain waxing
  Currently I use Silca chain oil on all my bikes which works great. I’m shocked by just how much dirt and dust is attracted to the chain, so will likely look into getting a chain waxing kit in the future.