E-Diverge

Last week should have been the start of a new season for me. Back to work and back on gravel on my own bike. I got injured so no work and no riding. But Specialized still delivered a bike for me to ride until it dies.

I ordered a Specialized Diverge E5 Sport. It had 2×9 Shimano Sora with mechanical disc brakes. Cheapest Diverge on our market but it got the Open Road Geometry, it got 12mm thru axles and flat mount brakemounts. A modern frame with cheap parts.

I will use the Sora gears and the Tektro mechanical brakes as I got it to be cheap and to be able ride long in salty slushy weather all winter or just commute to work. It will get fenders and studded tires too.

But I wanted to change a couple of things making it fit me better like a longer lower stem, a slimmer handlebar (40cm is my favorite) and I had a Sram Red22 crank laying around and a CG-R seatpost for some comfort.

As I don’t understand front derailleurs I mounted a Garbaruk 44t chainring I ordered last year for my Sequoia but never got use of it.

40cm handlebar is available in different types and shapes. I like the Specialized Shallow bend, or RHM as Deda calls it and Jimmie had a bar over:

With wheels it’s always nice to have a couple extra, can’t get enough of wheels. The original will be used with studded tires but my Roval SLX24 with Roubaix 30/32 tires isn’t used for my roadbike at the moment and they are a bit better than original.

Got a set of Time pedals from a colleague as my old ones broke in the crash. Now just waiting to get my rotoradaptors back and for a cool bar tape:

Me building a cheap bike ended like it used too. Saddle may be changed too. 8,1kg as on the picture so under 8,5kg finished. The weight will rise a bit then with fenders, orginal wheels and studded tires but without studs as long as possible. Pretty happy with my new winterbike 🙂 Now just rehab for my leg so I can use it, hopefully in a month…

E-Diverge like in E5 Diverge, no engine.

Touringstart

Me and a friend thought about going to the Rapha Clubhouse events in Malmö/Copenhagen this weekend but he cancelled it cause of the weather forecast. I thought of riding alone but when not finding any great places to stay and the weater seemed bad I changed my mind. Instead the plan became riding from my dad in Mullsjö to Stockholm. With a hotel stay in Norrköping after 200km of 380km in total.

Started with Henrik yesterday morning and after some headwind to Habo we got tailwind towards Jönköping. Got ruined pretty quick by a puncture for me by a big stone. Changed it quickly and then kept on in a descent tempo, a long way to go. In Jönköping we rode by Team Sportia and I got a new spare tube.

Henrik dragged me passed Kaxholmen before he turned back home. It was windy but not too much so went pretty good to Gränna. Where I took a look at Vättern and Visingsö:

Also met 4 ”real” touringriders with a lot of packing on their bikes. Kept on pedaling through Uppgränna and to Ödeshög where I had my first stop. A coke and cinnamon bun was the plan and then have a proper meal bit later. Found another tourer, on a Sequoia:

After Ödeshög it all started, looking like this:

Flat and big fields, and a lot of headwind. A lot of headwind. The speed went down and my legs had to push hard to even keep going. Took a lunch in Sjögestad after 140km. Then the wind never ended, got really tired after 170km and was really happy when I saw the flags of Circle K. Red Bull and Twix saved the last part 🙂

206,6km and I arrived at what made the ride a bit better:

A great Grand Hotel and a bathtub 🙂 Map and stats from day 1: Strava. Took some time to get out for some dinner I can say 😉 But got dinner, some candy and orange juice.

A bit later I slept and this morning it was up early to get as far as possible before the rain…

The wind didn’t change so it was a hard start when I got out of Norrköping. Never found the speed and the first 63km to Nyköping kept on forever. In Nyköping the rain started and I checked the map. 1st option was to ride all the 172km home. 2nd option was to ride to Södertälje and take the train which seemed like the best option it wasn’t for the rain. 3rd option was to ride to Gnesta who was closest with a trainstation which worked with a bike.

More or less rain all the rest to Gnesta, but the legs looked more brown in the wet:

After 110km, mostly in headwind I found the centre of good cycling and gravel, Gnesta:

Gnesta feels like the centre of great cycling south (but close) of Stockholm. A place you will come to, pass or ride from some time. If I would get a summer house I would like it to be close to Gnesta.

Map and stats: Strava

Lessons from this: Specialized Burraburra 10liter saddlebag worked perfect, headwind sucks, it’s so much more fun to ride in a group, visa-card touring can be great, this was a nice start of something good.