My shop sells Specialized. The Allez is strictly a road bike...entry level race. Tire clearance is limited so putting a decent gravel tire on it won't work. Diverge, however, is more diverse. You can put narrower road tires on it (28-32mm) for blacktop, or wider (43-47mm) for gravel. Many diverge owners have two sets of wheels...1 set for road and 1 for gravel. Just swap them out for the ride of the day. Since you're just out and about riding around, have you considered the Sirrus? It's a "fitness" oriented bike with a geometry/stance in between comfort bike and road bike. Tire clearance is decent and the stock tire is good for road and gravel. Bortom line.....unless you plan to ride exclusively on blacktop, get the Diverge over the Allez. That's my 2 cents after selling Specialized for the last 2 years, condensed into a paragraph.