# P1: Madone vs. Domane



## Flieger67 (Oct 26, 2013)

Hello. I'm a first-time poster here and am interested in getting some opinions from people on this forum. 

I'm planning to order a P1 over the winter and am trying to decide between the Madone and Domane. I was wondering if any of you have ridden comparably-equipped Madones and Domanes. I understand the design and feature differences; however, I'm interested to find out what people are seeing for differences in speed and other characteristics when comparing similarly-equipped Madones and Domanes. Tires, groupsets and wheels can noticeably affect how a bike rides so I was wondering if anyone has been able to make an "apples to apples" comparison between the two frames. 

I'm currently riding a 2012 Madone 3.1 and was set on ordering a P1 Madone. However, my friends at the LBS are really strongly recommending the Domane over the Madone. I don't race and am 46 years old but have very good flexibility so a Madone doesn't represent a painful ride to me.

Thank you for your thoughts and time.


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## benhama (Oct 21, 2013)

Hi

I have just had a similar decision to make. I am the same age as you, but not so flexible! I also currently ride a 3.1 Madone with Dura-ace wheels. I've just ordered a 7 Series Madone with Dura-ace 9000 and RXL wheels. I find my current Madone very comfortable, and like the livelier handling. Put some 25mm tyres on if you want a little more comfort. I rode a Domane, and whilst it was nice I didn't find it as alive as the Madone. Furthermore the Madone has promised me an additional 25 watts. Yeah right  The link below was useful as well.

Domane vs. Madone Shootout - Bethel Cycle

I hope that helps.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

Not the first thread on this, Domane seems to be the clear winner.


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## Jon D (Apr 11, 2011)

Have your shop let you ride equivalent series of each. For me it's a Domane hands down but I want that geometry and fit.


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## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

I'm assuming you're looking at an H2 geometry. If so, for me it really comes down to the type of riding you do and the type of terrain you encounter.

If you deal mainly with good roads and/or a lot of climbing, I prefer the Madone. I just like the way it responds better.

If you are doing a lot of mileage and/or deal with less than ideal pavement, a Domane might be a better option. Set up correctly, it takes a bit of the road vibration away, which usually translates into less fatigue for me.

Really, the only way to know for sure is A/B them.

For me, I prefer the Madone (I would hope so, I have a 5-Series H1, a 5-Series H2, and a 6-Series H1 of various vintages). I do race, but I also spend a lot of time on less-than-ideal pavement (frost heaves, potholes...). Running 25c tires on 23mm rims generally takes the bite out of the road, even when my already weak bike handling skills fail me. I did spend a little time on a 5-Series Domane when they first came out, and was surprised how well the frame responded to power (for an endurance bike), but it just never floated my boat. YMMV.

Again, the only way to know is to demo a Domane and see if it works for you.


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## Flieger67 (Oct 26, 2013)

Jon D said:


> Have your shop let you ride equivalent series of each. For me it's a Domane hands down but I want that geometry and fit.


One of the guys there just put together a 4-series Domane for himself and has offered to let me borrow it. I'm planning to do that later this month if the weather holds. It won't be apples-to-apples with my Madone but I think it will be a useful experience.


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## Flieger67 (Oct 26, 2013)

benhama said:


> Hi
> 
> I have just had a similar decision to make. I am the same age as you, but not so flexible! I also currently ride a 3.1 Madone with Dura-ace wheels. I've just ordered a 7 Series Madone with Dura-ace 9000 and RXL wheels. I find my current Madone very comfortable, and like the livelier handling. Put some 25mm tyres on if you want a little more comfort. I rode a Domane, and whilst it was nice I didn't find it as alive as the Madone. Furthermore the Madone has promised me an additional 25 watts. Yeah right  The link below was useful as well.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the response. I had actually already seen that article. It's a pretty good comparison. 

By the way, the RXL's are what I put on my Madone. I really like them and have run them tubeless since I got them.


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## TrekJunkie (Oct 21, 2013)

Flieger67 said:


> Hello. I'm a first-time poster here and am interested in getting some opinions from people on this forum.
> 
> I'm planning to order a P1 over the winter and am trying to decide between the Madone and Domane. I was wondering if any of you have ridden comparably-equipped Madones and Domanes. I understand the design and feature differences; however, I'm interested to find out what people are seeing for differences in speed and other characteristics when comparing similarly-equipped Madones and Domanes. Tires, groupsets and wheels can noticeably affect how a bike rides so I was wondering if anyone has been able to make an "apples to apples" comparison between the two frames.
> 
> ...


I own both a Madone and Domane. Normally, I'd say go for the Madone, but reading your riding preference, you're probably better off with a Domane. You can't go wrong with either one to be honest.


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## Flieger67 (Oct 26, 2013)

TrekJunkie said:


> I own both a Madone and Domane. Normally, I'd say go for the Madone, but reading your riding preference, you're probably better off with a Domane. You can't go wrong with either one to be honest.


Out of curiosity, given that you own both models, do you find much speed difference between the two or are your bikes differently equipped such that it's hard to tell how much difference that there might be? I'm curious about the speed difference as I tend to push myself harder on solo rides than I do when riding with my friends and I'd be interested to know if I'd see a speed loss with a Domane versus my Madone.


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