# Trek Domane: First Ride Review



## Lawfarm (Jun 4, 2010)

I just posted up a detailed review and initial photo shoot here on the blog. 

The peeps that I borrowed the bike from posted their initial thoughts here...

For those who are too weary to click through:

North Central Cyclery's thoughts:
"We took it out for some test spins on a brick road nearby once we got it built. At first, I wasn’t impressed. I was excited to open it up and see what the bike felt like and, standing up, I though to myself “this feels just like my Madone”. But then I sat down. That’s when the Domane becomes something totally “other”. For kicks, I got my speed up and took my feet off the pedals. (As an aside, I looked awesome doing this. Imagine a 30+year old man, sun on his face, beard flapping in the spring breeze, riding a $4500 road bike down the road with his feet in the air – and try not smiling). Once I let my weight rest on the saddle alone, I felt it – well, what I mean is that I didn’t feel it. The road went smooth. My hands were on the top of the bars, cushioned with the new fork, new Isozone h-bar padding, and cush Bontrager Gel Grip tape. It was like, in that moment, someone had taken 20lbs of pressure from my tires. Then, coming to my senses, I put my feet back, grabbed the hoods, and I was back on a stiff and fast road bike. The tires were back up to 110, and I was moving.
And this was in the first mile.
Taking it out the next morning, other riders commented on the sproingyness™ of the seat tube. They wondered if it felt like it was costing me energy. The ride went well and I didn’t feel the bike took any extra effort. On a second ride a few days later, I felt like I had settled into the bike better and found it to be much more comfortable and just as quick as my Madone."

My thoughts:
"Here’s my guesstimate: Serious racers will stay away from the Domane unless they’re riding the cobbles. In races like the TdF, they’ll keep riding traditional road bikes. In races like Flanders, they’ll sport Domanes. For those of us mere mortals out there, the Domane will find eager riders who are looking to have something quick and responsive when out of the saddle, but not terribly punishing when cranking out a century (or even a shorter ride). I worry that there will be Domanes assigned to live under huge stacks of headset spacers and riser stems…and I think that will be a waste of some truly great talent that the bike has. I think the value of the design is not just in riding cobbles…it’s in taking the buzz out of chip seal roads, taking the edge off of tar cracks and little potholes, and otherwise making a fast, skinny-tired road bike a bit more tolerable on a day to day basis–without giving up anything in the city limits sprint."

You've gotta click through for the pics though!


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## dougrocky123 (Apr 12, 2006)

*Thanks for pics*

And the writeup! I went to my Trek dealer yesterday and they hadn't seen one yet. I may get the new handlebar for my 5.2 when it becomes available but will wait to see if the bike trickles down to the 500 series carbon.


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## Lawfarm (Jun 4, 2010)

dougrocky123 said:


> And the writeup! I went to my Trek dealer yesterday and they hadn't seen one yet. I may get the new handlebar for my 5.2 when it becomes available but will wait to see if the bike trickles down to the 500 series carbon.


That would be interesting to see...I'm not sure how the technology would work with a different modulus carbon.


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## Chris-X (Aug 4, 2011)

Thanks for the review.


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## marzocchiz2 (May 18, 2009)

I wish they would add the Domane to the review list!

Anyways I picked up the Domane 5.2 a few weeks ago, I realize this thread was started a few months ago though. On my first test ride I was looking for the worst pavement in the area, I was actually riding on the wrong side of the street just so I could hit more cracks and potholes. This frame actually lives up to its claims of soaking up bumps. I had such a good time while riding over the gnarliest asphalt and concrete because it didn't feel like I was. The lady at the bike shop even commented on giddy I looked when I pulled up the door at the end of the test ride. My old bike was a Cannondale CAAD9 w/SRAM Force, all comparisons are to that. I swapped out the Domane's stock Bontrager Race wheels for Bontrager Race X Lites, the rest is stock Ultegra. I don't have a fish scale but judging by hand the Domane and Cannondale are about the same weight. On the Domane old rough pavement feels like freshly paved asphalt, cracks are much less noticeable, pot holes don't feel as bad. My average speed is about 33% faster on my 12 mile after work ride on the Domane. I think it's because I'm able to stay seated and keep pedaling at a constant cadence, where on the Cannondale I'd have to stand up for rough sections, throwing my cadence off. I can spend more time thinking about how I'm pedaling vs how I'm going to get around a rough section. My after work ride starts out with a few small hills, about 100' gain in altitude over 2 miles, a few miles of flat then about 1000' climb over 3 miles followed by a just as steep descent with lots of twists and finished over flats with a small climb at the end. The Domane feels very stable at high speed, some times a little too stable, it can feel hard to get it to lean into a tight turn at very high speeds but I've never run into a situation where I can't make the turn I need to. When I get out of the saddle to really push on the climbs I only detect the smallest amount of flex as I hear the faintest sound of the chain rubbing on the front derailleur when my right leg is mashing the pedal, the Cannondale had much more chain rub and that was a stiff frame! I don't feel any flex in the front end, it is very solid but the front definitely doesn't absorb as much of the bumps as the rear end does. On my longer weekend group rides I don't feel beat up like I did on the Cannondale, at the end of the ride I feel like I could do another.

As for the difference between 500 and 600 series frames, I am of the understanding that in "key" areas the carbon is the same. I assume "key" means intersections and the seat tube but I don't have anything to prove that. I didn't test ride a 600 series (I don't test ride bikes that are out of my price range) but I did pick one up with Di2 for weight comparison and it was noticeably lighter than my bike.

The bottom line is, the Domane is a great bike that makes riding more enjoyable and comfortable.


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## gaspasser (Aug 27, 2011)

Thanks for the great review! I've seen one and it's a beauty---hoping to test ride next week.


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## thehook (Mar 14, 2006)

I had the good fortune off being able to ride a Domane. In July while I was staying on Alpe D'Huez this year.

I had the bike for one day to hammer it as much as I wanted. It was a rental. And was equipped with Ui2. I rode the bike flat out down Alpe D' Huez. It was very stable. I had it almost up to 50mph and not a twitch! I rode it on the valley roads Briascon--Bourg D'Asion.And back up the Alpe to the summit. In the morning before the descent of the Alpe I was leaning all my weight on the saddle ( 200 lbs) and the seattubbe would move maybe 3-5mm? It was perfect on the climb. Putting all the power down to the road when standing. Very responsive! While seated and climbing I thought I could feel the "suspension". But the bike just felt like it went forward with no lag or loss in power. The electric shifting was really nice and worked flawless. The bike was totally stock with Ultegra wheels and all Bontrager components. It did feel noticeably heavier then my Tarmac only when picking the to up. On the road I did not notice the weight. In the next year or so I might be looking for another bike the Domane is currently sitting in first place on my list.


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## RyleyinSTL (Aug 6, 2012)

I've been shopping for an upgrade the past few weeks. I road a half dozen bikes in the so called "endurance" category. All of them have been smooth, comfortable, stable and responsive....but nothing can seem to compare to the Domane 5.2. It just did everything better. The bikes ability to remove bumpy roads when your arse is in the saddle is a complete marvel.


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## Newnan3 (Jul 8, 2011)

Your write up is missing a side profile pic.....


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## asha (Aug 18, 2012)

I picked up my P1 domane about a week ago.
Let me tell you, i think this thing is out of control, very stiff thru the frame but so much comfort compared to my previous rides.I got mine with sram force as opposed to the ultegra groupset with bontrager rxl wheelset and the frame is in a matt/gloss black ( im not big on the whole fluro colors that trek have avaliable ).The bike is a lot faster than it initially feels, and I get off after a few hours on the bike feeling in great shape. Im exactly the buyer they are after mid 30s with a shot back, however I was down to a roubaix or the domane, had a weekend on both and am pumped that I know i made the right descision for me !!!:thumbsup:


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## r1lee (Jul 22, 2012)

I recently got a tcr advanced sl3 and it's a great bike. But I really like the concept of the domane. My lbs will have a model in my size in the next few weeks and they're going to lend it to me for th weekend. Quite excited.


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## brianb21 (Jul 21, 2010)

My new domane will be here soon. I am very excited and looking forward to it.


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## marzocchiz2 (May 18, 2009)

I forgot to mention the slow feeling of the bike, it only lasted a couple rides though, it must be how smooth it rides, it tricks you into thinking you're not going as fast as you think you are.


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## rentlef (Jan 2, 2012)

I have about 800 miles on my P1 matte black/gloss black Domane. I went with Ultegra Di2 and love the bike. It climbs very well and handles great on the descents. I am having to get use to the Bontrager saddle.


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## gaspasser (Aug 27, 2011)

Yesterday I rode the '12 Madone and a '13 Domane, each with SRAM Rival. The Domane was amazing at absorbing road bumps/vibrations and I tried to hit every visible imperfection. IMO it has two negatives that will keep me from buying it: 1. The BB is very low to the ground causing me to frequently scrap a pedal while grinding through sharp turns. 2. I noticed significant flex in the frame while trying to accelerate quickly on flats and also while standing to mash up a hill. It's a beautiful bike but not for my $4-6k.

On the other hand I really liked the Madone. Very nimble, responsive, and solid riding the same route. If I go Trek it's the one I'd choose. They had a '13 model on display and it looks fantastic--not available to test ride at present, however. The integrated brakes are pretty cool, especially the rear which is nearly hidden behind the chain rings.


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