Wanna upgrade but not empty the coffers

Help! can anyone advise please?
I have a 5-year old Specialized Diverge E5 Comp with an 11-36 gear set which is great on roads but hopeless off road. Love the bike, but after 5 years tech has moved on and my bike parts are increasingly knackered. Can keep throwing £350pa on it to keep enjoying the approx 1500-2000 miles pa I ride ..... or do I bite the bullet and upgrade? If so what to, that will tick most boxes at the same time? Have been into 4 bikes shops over past couple of months and each pumps their own profit generators ...so not feeling I am getting the advice and recommendations I need. Don't blame them, just I'm not feeling the love in what they suggest!
What I would like is similar frame (58) plus riser handlebars, 700x38c tyres, plus a bike with a few more legs - a hybrid with hydraulic brakes allowing me to continue to do road cycling and the occasional fun sportifs ... and also to be able to ride on some off-road tracks through local forests and lowland hills (but not MTB/tech riding standard/inclines). Ideally 2 x 10 speed that betters 11-36 for the steeper hills (I am neither young nor light, sadly - I may be fat but identify as thin!).
Does this mean I should look at a gravel bike (i.e. just upgrade to an Sp E5 Elite type bike), or should I look to just replace parts with more modern components using my existing frame (i.e. probably spend a little less and have a more tailored upgrade)? Indeed, should I now only look at 11-51 gear sets?

Crux, Grail something of that ilk. It won’t be 10speed though.

but after 5 years tech has moved on

That's what the industry wants you to think...
The diverge is perfectly fine to upgrade, it will easily fit 38c tyres and some Deore disc brakes will already be a big upgrade.
Show us some photos

Thanks GoatandTricycle and kjlem.
Yes I perfectly understand retailers pumping their preferred brands - their prerogative to do so, but you have to kiss a lot of frogs that way to get a balanced reliable view!

after 5 years tech has moved on

For frames? Nah. 2018 diverge should have thru axles and either flat or post mount brakes. These are pretty much the standards you need if you want an easy life.

Just throw on a new chainset (a grx 600 double will get you will get you a decent ratio of 30 to 36 if you keep a 36 tooth cassette at the rear, which should be ample for spinning up the steepest hills) and some hydro brakes/ levers. Stick in the fattest tire the frame can handle and you’ll be golden.

^ This a thousand times this ^

I ride a lot of hills and for a lot of time so my preference these days is always lower, lower, lower.

46/30 GRX crankset with either an 11-36T road cassette or 11-42T MTB cassette. Most of the time I ride the 11-42T on the road too. People sook about big jumps between cogs but that's what varying your cadence is for (SS FG forum after all). I only care about small jumps when TTing.

Always hydro brakes spits at cable discs

Bigger tyres and if you can afford it, I'd have a set of road wheels and a set of gravel wheels setup so you can swap between the two quickly (ie. same size and same cassette on each for least faff).

The frame itself is almost certainly a waste of money upgrading (says the guy that just bought a Crux).

The frame itself is almost certainly a waste of money upgrading

Why?

Thanks for the inputs Eejit, Chaley and hippy

Because it functions as expected as is.

Oh I misunderstood, I thought you meant this frame is not worth the upgrades (of the parts)

No, the contrary. The frame is fine. My mate has one. I like 'em.

If you've worn out components then definitely swapping to some fresh stuff will make a marked difference and the rest is just how I'd roll.

which is great on roads but hopeless off road.

Thats every gravel bike.

Buy an MTB.

Thanks hippy & amey

Thats every gravel bike rider

ftfy

and here's the exception that proves the rule?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX4V0F4e6Ss

How every grav grav rider feels riding down the towpath.

Yeah keep the frame, upgrade brakes to hydro if they aren’t already. Posh wheels and new tyres.

Triggers broom

Thanks Alf0nse - and all - for great recommends.

Gawd ... good video .... but a tad out of my range!

2x11 speed hydros, 40t cassette and big enough derailleur , sub compact crankset. Cheaper and more capable than a brand new bike

Thanks v much.

If you want to go 1x you could slap this on https://www.sigmasports.com/item/SRAM/Rival-GX-Eagle-eTap-AXS-Mullet-HRD-Groupset/TP9H#reviews (just seen this is out of stock, but they are out there), a nice set of wheels/tyres and it’ll still be cheaper than a new bike.

stop teasing, show us a pic of your current bike!

I'm guessing you currently have drop bars, but you mention swapping to risers?
if that's the case then you have plenty of options on gears, and hydro flat bat brakes are pretty cheap for a decent Shimano set.

your biggest decision IMO is going to be deciding which bars and grips to go for, and you will likely want to swap out the stem, as going from drops to flat bars will change the reach.

Heh heh ... bike porn attached!
I already have risers, not drops. The reason for the E5 comp also to have the slight vibration suppressor in the stem.

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Thats actually really close to what you describe that you are looking for.
Just get a different crankset and some hydro brakes and new grips. Perhaps a new saddle too (and does it really need to be all the way back?)