# Holy Smokes Batman!!!!



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

I just got back from a lunchtime (okay so it went a little longer than expected) trip to the bike shop. I tested a 2013 Domane 5.2 they have on closeout. My goodness that is one incredible bike. I have owned a few (Felt F85, Cervelo R3, Specialized Roubaix) and tested a bunch over the years (including the Cervelo S5, S3, S2, R5, Venge, Caad 10, Tarmac, Felt F2, F6, Argon 18 Gallium, Litespeed C1, Crux, Ridley X-Fire, etc.) and that is easily one of the all-around best riding bikes I have ridden and some of most fun I have had testing a bike. 

I was expecting the comfort, which was pretty impressive man (I've never ridden a bike that felt more comfortable going faster over large bumps, cracks and potholes than it did going slower over them...it was crazy), but what really blew me away was how easily this bike accelerated in and out of the saddle and how it felt when climbing with urgency. This bike with low end wheels felt significantly better on climbs than my old Cervelo R3 with Zipp 101s and I can't think of a better compliment. It also felt as good as some aero/race bikes in the sprint and under wattage and that completely blew my mind. I now see why Nizzolo is sprinting on it full-time this year instead of the more "aero" and race oriented Madone. 

Before some of you pass judgment and say Trek makes inferior products or there are too many of these on the road, go try it and see for yourself. For my money and riding style, I don't know that there is anything better out there. One more test ride this week and I should have my mind made up and, after today, it will be tough to topple the Domane. Thank you to the folks that recommended it!


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## r1lee (Jul 22, 2012)

told you so.. it's a wonderful bike. Everyone who has test ridden one has walked away feeling the same way. 

can't wait till august till i get a Boone.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

r1lee said:


> told you so.. it's a wonderful bike. Everyone who has test ridden one has walked away feeling the same way.
> 
> can't wait till august till i get a Boone.


That looks nice as well and I now completely understand why they based the Boone and Crockett on the Domane platform. It's just a great bike.


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## Gaspasser1 (Jan 28, 2012)

Yes sir. Ridden about ten different bikes and the Domane was by far most comfortable yet still racy bike. Trek has done an outstanding job on this one!! I want the 6series P1 Domane.


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## Flieger67 (Oct 26, 2013)

Glad that you had a good ride. I think Trek has done a fantastic job on the Domane. 

I wonder if some people pre-judge the Domane and, because of the Isospeed design, expect a non-rigid, slow-accelerating frame. However, Trek clearly states that the Domane frame is stiffer than the Madone's. So with good wheels, there is no reason to expect sluggish performance on the Domane. 

I wonder if Trek would have a killer setup if they combined the Domane's design features with the KVF shapes of the Madone into a new model. Aero and comfort along with stiffness in one bike would be quite a combo.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Gaspasser1 said:


> Yes sir. Ridden about ten different bikes and the Domane was by far most comfortable yet still racy bike. Trek has done an outstanding job on this one!! I want the 6series P1 Domane.


I'm bouncing around the idea of going with a P1 as well vs. the 2013 5 Series closeout with 10 speed Ultegra vs. 2014 5 Series with 11 Speed Ultegra. It's a close call.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Flieger67 said:


> Glad that you had a good ride. I think Trek has done a fantastic job on the Domane.
> 
> I wonder if some people pre-judge the Domane and, because of the Isospeed design, expect a non-rigid, slow-accelerating frame. However, Trek clearly states that the Domane frame is stiffer than the Madone's. So with good wheels, there is no reason to expect sluggish performance on the Domane.
> 
> I wonder if Trek would have a killer setup if they combined the Domane's design features with the KVF shapes of the Madone into a new model. Aero and comfort along with stiffness in one bike would be quite a combo.


Agreed. I actually think I might ultimately go with a stiffer wheel on the Domane like a Mavic Cosmic, SLS, or SLR or Zipp 101 or Fulcrum Racing Quattro, etc. because of how nice the ride quality is and just get a cheap pair of 38mm Blade X carbon clinchers for days I want to ride a more comfortable aero wheel. I really like the Domane as is. The Madone is a beast as well, but I am not a fan of integrated brakes at the moment.


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## r1lee (Jul 22, 2012)

Flieger67 said:


> I wonder if Trek would have a killer setup if they combined the Domane's design features with the KVF shapes of the Madone into a new model. Aero and comfort along with stiffness in one bike would be quite a combo.


knowing that KVF is Trek's answer to aero. What I also have noticed that aero bikes are more compliant then their non aero counterparts. I think the reason the Domane might be stiffer is that it doesn't have KVF shapes. If they implemented it, it might lose to much of its stiffness and couple that with isospeed, the bike might feel to flexy.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Well fellas, I am about 90% sure I just settled on a P1 Domane 6 Series after going back and forth with the shop on prices. They offered a bit of a discount that will make it tough to beat the value. I plan on going with the Matte/Black/Dnister Black paint job (love that look), ultegra 6800, Race TLR wheels which I plan to upgrade as soon as the budget recovers, Race Lite Isozone handlebars, the two-toned black and white Race XXX Lite stem, a white Paradigm RL saddle (the stem and the saddle add a nice pop of color), and black R4 tires. I may have to go with cheaper wheels than I initially planned. Considering Fulcrum Racing Quattros, Zipp 30s, Mavic Cosmic Elite S, or something like that as of now. My other option is to keep the Race wheels as training wheels and add a cheap pair of Blade X 38mm carbon clinchers. If you know anything about any of those or other options in that price range, please let me know.

It will cost me about $1500 more than the price I was given for the 2013 5.2. Not bad when you consider I'm getting a better frame, 11 speed Ultegra instead of 10 speed and a paint job, stem, handlebar, and saddle I prefer.


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## JStrube (Dec 19, 2013)

I bought a barely used 4.5 and love it. Makes me dream of a really nice series 6 build. Only thing I hate is the seat. Too bad you can't buy without seat, or wheels, or whatever else you want out of someone else's catalog. Oh yeah, I hate the black and white color. Want something brighter. Love the ride though.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

JStrube said:


> I bought a barely used 4.5 and love it. Makes me dream of a really nice series 6 build. Only thing I hate is the seat. Too bad you can't buy without seat, or wheels, or whatever else you want out of someone else's catalog. Oh yeah, I hate the black and white color. Want something brighter. Love the ride though.


I hear ya. The 4.5 doesn't seem like a bad deal though man. As far as saddles go, I have been able to find really good deals on saddles on ebay if that helps. Find a brand you like and see if you can find one on a good deal in here or ebay. Don't sacrifice on the saddle brother.  Also, you actually can just buy the frameset through Project One and then go out and buy whatever other parts you want elsewhere. It usually ends up costing more and not less though (unless you are a super savvy and patient ebay and discount/closeout buyer). Some shops will also allow you to "trade-in" or give you credit for the stuff you don't like on your P1 build to buy something else you like more from the store.


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## Flieger67 (Oct 26, 2013)

JStrube said:


> I bought a barely used 4.5 and love it. Makes me dream of a really nice series 6 build. Only thing I hate is the seat. Too bad you can't buy without seat, or wheels, or whatever else you want out of someone else's catalog. Oh yeah, I hate the black and white color. Want something brighter. Love the ride though.


You can buy a frame and fork set for the Domane from Trek. I talked with my LBS about this very topic as my wife is thinking about doing just that later this year, as she has a great groupset, wheels and saddle on her current frame. We may go through Project One for her frame/fork to get a "fun" paint job for her.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Flieger67 said:


> You can buy a frame and fork set for the Domane from Trek. I talked with my LBS about this very topic as my wife is thinking about doing just that later this year, as she has a great groupset, wheels and saddle on her current frame.


Flieger, how is the ride on your 6 Series? Your bike and R1lee's are the ones that kind of inspired me to give the 6 Series a closer look.


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## Flieger67 (Oct 26, 2013)

Rashadabd said:


> Flieger, how is the ride on your 6 Series? Your bike and R1lee's are the ones that kind of inspired me to give the 6 Series a closer look.


I wish that I could give you some feedback. Living where I do, I've not had a day of decent, ride-able weather since my bike arrived. And last night didn't help, as we got 4 inches of snow and sleet. 

I can say that I rode a loaner 4-series Domane last November and I was very impressed with the Domane. Compared to my 3-series Madone, I thought that the Domane was just as fast for me and it definitely felt nicer/smoother over bumps and really rough pavement than my Madone, which has tubeless tires on it. The Domane is a tad bit slower in steering than the Madone but I think the tradeoff is worth it and that the Domane is still a very good-handling bike in its own. And one need not worry about stiffness with the Domane - Trek says the Domane is actually a stiffer frame than the Madone.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Flieger67 said:


> I wish that I could give you some feedback. Living where I do, I've not had a day of decent, ride-able weather since my bike arrived. And last night didn't help, as we got 4 inches of snow and sleet.
> 
> I can say that I rode a loaner 4-series Domane last November and I was very impressed with the Domane. Compared to my 3-series Madone, I thought that the Domane was just as fast for me and it definitely felt nicer/smoother over bumps and really rough pavement than my Madone, which has tubeless tires on it. The Domane is a tad bit slower in steering than the Madone but I think the tradeoff is worth it and that the Domane is still a very good-handling bike in its own. And one need not worry about stiffness with the Domane - Trek says the Domane is actually a stiffer frame than the Madone.


Sorry to hear that man, the weather has been crazy around here too. Yeah, the Domane is one bad mama jama.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

JStrube said:


> I bought a barely used 4.5 and love it. Makes me dream of a really nice series 6 build. Only thing I hate is the seat. Too bad you can't buy without seat, or wheels, or whatever else you want out of someone else's catalog. Oh yeah, I hate the black and white color. Want something brighter. Love the ride though.


Luckily I am small enough that I was able to buy a 2013 52cm Domane 4.5 WSD. When Trek first introduced the consumer versions of the Domane in the summer of 2012, they created a little catalog of the bikes. The metallic Rage Red seat tube was prominently displayed in that catalog and I fell in love. Then I saw that it was on the women's bike. Damn... I took a 54cm 4.5 (black & white) on a 40+ mile test ride and loved the ride that August but it took me half a year to save up the money for the bike. During that time I found that there is no difference in the geometry between the men's and women's versions so I got to buy the bike whose color I loved. I ended up choosing a 52cm one because the 54 comes with 172.5 cranks and I prefer 170s. My last two road bikes were 52s anyway so it wasn't a bad move. In fact, the bike fits perfectly without any changes...

And I am still in love with that metallic Rage Red.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

bradkay said:


> Luckily I am small enough that I was able to buy a 2013 52cm Domane 4.5 WSD. When Trek first introduced the consumer versions of the Domane in the summer of 2012, they created a little catalog of the bikes. The metallic Rage Red seat tube was prominently displayed in that catalog and I fell in love. Then I saw that it was on the women's bike. Damn... I took a 54cm 4.5 (black & white) on a 40+ mile test ride and loved the ride that August but it took me half a year to save up the money for the bike. During that time I found that there is no difference in the geometry between the men's and women's versions so I got to buy the bike whose color I loved. I ended up choosing a 52cm one because the 54 comes with 172.5 cranks and I prefer 170s. My last two road bikes were 52s anyway so it wasn't a bad move. In fact, the bike fits perfectly without any changes...
> 
> And I am still in love with that metallic Rage Red.


Hey, I am all about doing whatever works for you. It's your money and it's going to be your bike, so you should get one that you want to ride, plain and simple. One of the things I like about the Domane is that the paint schemes are simple enough that you can dress the bike up with components and wheels to personaize it a bit without it looking crazy.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Rashadabd said:


> Hey, I am all about doing whatever works for you. It's your money and it's going to be your bike, so you should get one that you want to ride, plain and simple. One of the things I like about the Domane is that the paint schemes are simple enough that you can dress the bike up with components and wheels to personaize it a bit without it looking crazy.


Agreed,

Everyone hates the Black/White one. It really looks good when you see them in person. I love my Domane.


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## r1lee (Jul 22, 2012)

tihsepa said:


> Agreed,
> 
> Everyone hates the Black/White one. It really looks good when you see them in person. I love my Domane.


Trek's website is literally the worse at displaying their color choices, probably the worst in the business. It's amazing the amount of people who I talk to think the exact same thing, that their bikes look so much better when you see it live.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

r1lee said:


> Trek's website is literally the worse at displaying their color choices, probably the worst in the business. It's amazing the amount of people who I talk to think the exact same thing, that their bikes look so much better when you see it live.


I couldn't agree more. Their bikes look so much better in person.


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## Neb (Sep 8, 2012)

r1lee said:


> Trek's website is literally the worse at displaying their color choices, probably the worst in the business. It's amazing the amount of people who I talk to think the exact same thing, that their bikes look so much better when you see it live.


I was checking out the blue smoke color for a project one bike on the project one website, which makes it look terrible. Thinking I could just check it out in store, I went to the LBS. They had a whole wall full of the color swatches and the blue smoke swatch turns out to be a transparent blue sheet....which gives me an idea of the tint, but does absolutely nothing for getting an idea of what the bike will look like. 

They did have a red smoke mountain bike, so I was able to see how the tint interacts with the frame underneath, but it was unfortunate that I couldn't see how it'd look on a bike.

That being said, the color combo's on the project one don't reflect very well with the bikes I did see in the shop. Not too helpful a tool in terms of absolute color matching, but I guess it's nice to visualize how the relative color combos would work.


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## JStrube (Dec 19, 2013)

I have the black/white Domane 4.5, hate the color scheme. Wife has the WSD red version, LOVE hers. I think I might dress mine up with some screaming yellow bar tape, something, anything...


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

I sell Treks, so I have seen that black/white bike every day for the past eighteen months. It isn't ugly, but I am sick of black color schemes on bikes - it has been way overdone these days. I am also a child of the sixties and seventies, so I love metallic paint schemes... while that gloss black is okay, I can ride all day and never stop loving that metallic red top tube sitting right under me.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

We've got a wall full of black Domanes and Madones too...it's getting a little old. We bought some of the P1 bikes from Trekworld just to have some color on the floor. Weird paint combinations, but at least they're not black holes on wheels.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

Good point, cx... I am sure that black and white bike looks a lot better when it is not surrounded by an s-load of other black bikes. Me? I am very happy with my red/white one... though I keep playing with project one to see what other cool paint schemes I can some up with.


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## Neb (Sep 8, 2012)

Anyone happen to have a good picture of the blue smoke color? Searching online hasn't been very fruitful, it seems it's a common term


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## JStrube (Dec 19, 2013)

Local dealer has a La Pierre in white/red/black. That is gorgeous. Trek dealer had a solid yellow P1, it was interesting, but if I spent that much money, I wouldn't want solid yellow. Didn't have any pizzazz like my wife's white & red.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

JStrube said:


> Local dealer has a La Pierre in white/red/black. That is gorgeous. Trek dealer had a solid yellow P1, it was interesting, but if I spent that much money, I wouldn't want solid yellow. Didn't have any pizzazz like my wife's white & red.


I say go with the one you enjoy riding more based on whatever criteria you select.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

JStrube said:


> I have the black/white Domane 4.5, hate the color scheme. Wife has the WSD red version, LOVE hers. I think I might dress mine up with some screaming yellow bar tape, something, anything...


I think a lot can be done to dress abike up with bar tape, hood color, and saddle color choice. I have seen some people do some nice things with those. The two-toned/dual color bar tape by some companies can create a cool effect as well.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tre...iw=1183&bih=764#q=two+toned+bar+tape&tbm=isch

https://www.google.com/search?q=tre...w=1183&bih=764#q=dual+color+bar+tape&tbm=isch


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## JStrube (Dec 19, 2013)

Great idea. I went looking for the new Selle bar tape, guess it isn't widely available yet. That's OK, I'm headed to Sea Otter in April, I'll buy something cool there.

I love my Domane, no regrets. Now to get the motor tuned up!


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

JStrube said:


> Great idea. I went looking for the new Selle bar tape, guess it isn't widely available yet. That's OK, I'm headed to Sea Otter in April, I'll buy something cool there.
> 
> I love my Domane, no regrets. Now to get the motor tuned up!


Lol...


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## nigel91 (May 16, 2012)

My SSL is berry/white/black/silver Project One - the bit of red around the steerer tube and forks looks awesome with the white. And you guys are right, on the website the colors look really flat, I wouldn't have picked berry based on that.

If your LBS has a Project One paint swatch set up always best to look at that.

My ultimate color scheme would be super dark red with super dark blue logos, so maybe in 3 or 4 years when mine is worn out I'll get a Madone 8.9 disc brake with Dura Ace Di3 12-speed


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## Flieger67 (Oct 26, 2013)

nigel91 said:


> My ultimate color scheme would be super dark red with super dark blue logos, so maybe in 3 or 4 years when mine is worn out I'll get a Madone 8.9 disc brake with Dura Ace Di3 12-speed


That sounds good although 12-speed is so 2016...


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