# 2013 Valence A1 VS Domane 2.0



## paceofmyown (Apr 27, 2014)

*GranFondo! Valence A1 VS Domane 2.0*

Hi! 
Aluminum is what I can afford and I`m hoping that strong legs will make up for the “carbon frame” difference. I can do 100K on a mountain bike (Norco Big Foot) regardless of terrain and elevation. This time I really need a comfortable ride on my first GranFondo.:thumbsup:

I’m leaning towards Domane because of its “IsoSpeed decoupler” – and I hope it`s a relaxing advantage while cruising after 5 hours on the road. Virtually identical in almost all specs except for Valence’s 105 drivetrain and Domane have Tiagra. 2013 Domane priced from $1489 to $1199; 2013 Valence A1 from $1450 to $999. 

I really appreciate concrete accounts of riding comfort between Domane 2.0 and Valance A1. If you think that $200 will make a comfortable difference, let me know. It`s my first road bike and I don`t want to regret it! Thanks! 
:aureola:


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## TrekGeek (Nov 8, 2013)

I have had the Domane 2.0 since November 2013 and have ridden 768km so far. I do love the comfort plus a bike fit would make this an great entry level bike. My only complaint were the stock tires which I switch for Michelin Pro 4 Endurance. I am using this bike for commuting and extended endurance rides around my area. The Tiagra drivetrain works fine as long as you maintain it. I have used this bike during light and moderate rain commutes and the bike handles the rough roads with comfort. I recommend you test riding a bike before making your final decision. Good luck!


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## bikerector (Oct 31, 2012)

Both should be a good choice. The performance difference from carbon to Aluminum is minimal/subjective so you're really not losing out on speed, maybe some comfort.

I'm biased to Norco since my sponsoring LBS using them, but he IsoSpeed tech would be a big selling point for me on the trek though I haven't actually ridden it. I've researched it because it's now on the Boone CX bike.

For your price range, the Norco C4 (carbon frame with tiagra drivetrain) retails for $1535 according to their website, compared to the $1430 of the aluminum domaine 2.0, list price on their website.

The carbon forks will make a bigger difference in performance than a carbon frame, in my opinion. I think carbon has a nicer ride quality but that's the subjective part. 

Test ride both if possible. I rode the BMC gran fondo that had something like the domaine in principal but achieved differently and hated it. Felt really unstable in the back end, almost like my FS mtb where when you pedal hard the back gives a little. Does what it's designed to do but not what I wanted for a road bike.


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## paceofmyown (Apr 27, 2014)

@ TrekGeek, thank you for your honest perspective and you have addressed my concern with the Domane drivetrain (Tiagra), so as long as it gets the job done I'm ok with it. I guess it all boils down to how well you take care of things eh. It's good to know that you have tried the Domane for more than 700K and that's more than enough to gauge the comfort level it offers during a long distance ride. Thanks! I just got to try it out and see how it feels like. I can't wait!:thumbsup:

@ bikerector - I agree when you said that the difference between aluminum and carbon is very subjective. I'm a Norco guy myself, started from Big Foot before going to Range 7.2 (used) - needless to say these legs got me up and down mountains and set to devour the hills on the road! There is only one way to find out, try both Domane and Valence and decide from there! Awesome! :thumbsup:

Let's go GranFondo Whistler 2015!


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## bikerector (Oct 31, 2012)

I would agree that tiagra is pretty nice, if that was your main concern. Having messed around with some of the lesser shimano drivetrains because there's more around my LBS in my size that I can mess around with, they feel pretty nice. I nice to ride them around the parking lot a little since I always toy with the idea of switching to shimano but I do enjoy my campy/sram mix on my road bike. CX bike might get a make over soon, realized how much I don't like having to hammer on the shifter to move across the whole cassette where the campy takes a lot of gears quickly when needed.

Norco's mtb's are sweet. I have a 2013 revolver 1 (when the revolver was still Full-squish) that has been awesome for fun mtb riding. Not the best racer since it climbs a bit iffy but if it's flat and fast or downhill it rocks. Pretty sure a remote lockout rear should have been high on my upgrade list but since I just had them tuned by Push it'll stay for a while. More of a roadie anyway but it's fun to haul azz down some single track every now and then.


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