# Which bike to buy?



## gpooba (10 mo ago)

Hi all,



New to the forums here. I need some advice from you seasoned riders. I am a 60 yo female who took up road cycling 3 years ago when I bought my first "real" bike, an entry level Trek Domane AL3. You can imagine my joy in riding it after having nothing but Wal-mart bikes prior. I did my first Fondo later in that year (only the 37 mile one but I was pretty proud of myself). Well, I am ready for an upgrade. I do want to stay with Trek as I do love their bikes and we have an amazing trek store and service dept. I was originally going to go with a Domane SL 6 or SLR 6 since if is a good comfortable endurance bike but after talking to some riders I met on Strava, they said I should consider the Madone. They said I really wouldn't be sacrificing comfort because of the isospeed decoupler but would have a faster bike on straight and downhill areas. Okay, my problem? There are NO new Trek road cycles to buy ANYWHERE. The soonest one can be delivered from ordering is May 2023. I mean everything from a SL5 to a SLR 9 are not available. 



So I started looking at used bikes and i found a few. There are 3 I am considering:

2021 Madone SL 6. 54 cm. Stock except saddle (Prolongo Kappa Evo) and tires (Conti Grand). $4200

2019 Madone SLR 6 Project One 52 cm. $4900

2021 Domane SL 6 52 cm. Stock $3700



All are higher than blue book but I figure that will be the norm where there is no stock available anywhere plus with today's inflation, I suspect bikes will be going up in price once they are available. As you might have noticed 2 bikes are 52 cm and 1 is 54. That is also a little dilemma for me as well. My domane is a 50 cm and it is too small (I bought it off the showroom floor). I did have some issues with neck and hand numbness riding long rides. I am 5,5" with an inseam of 30.25". By measurements, it looks like the 52 is ideal but could easily do the 54. what are your thoughts on that? As far as the bikes, is it worth going with the lighter weight of the SLR? or will it negligible for my riding? I. mostly ride on the trail of the coeur d alenes (80 miles mostly flat pavement) and the centennial trail which connects northern idaho to washington (flat and gentle hills). I will also be looking for roads with a bit more hilly area to train in. 



Any advice is welcome. If none of these sound good, I can keep looking. I'm not in a big hurry but not sure I want to wait another full year+



Thank you!


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

gpooba said:


> Hi all,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


H brand sub-forums do see some traffic but you’ll get a lot more feedback faster if you copy and paste this into a new post on the General Cycling sub-forum. You will get a tone of responses there.


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## gpooba (10 mo ago)

thank you! will do!!


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## [email protected] (Jan 7, 2019)

I'll throw my 2 cents in here regarding the Domane/Madone debate.

The Domane is known as an endurance bike, with a geometry that is going to help keep muscle fatigue lower and comfort higher for long-distance rides. IsoSpeed on the front and rear create pivot points for the bike to soak up vibrations before making their way to your body. It is still our team's favored bike for the cobbled of the Roubaix which is historically known for being rough (see Lizzie Deignan's Domane and the blood on the bars - ouch). If your ride preference is primarily focused on comfort over top speed performance, the Domane is an ace of a bike. 

The Madone is considered our ultimate race bike - aero, sleek, light, and fast. Luckily though, it does have the IsoSpeed decoupler like the Domane, but only on the rear. This helps with some muscle fatigue, but you'll still be rigid on the front. The Madone would be a slightly more aggressive geometry right out of the box as well - hence why it is our favored race bike!

As for sizing, I'd consider the 52cm over the 54cm.


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