The Trek Domane is not what it once was.
Cast your mind back to around 2015, when gran fondos – or sportives – were all the rage among keen amateur cyclists. Road bike ranges were easy to comprehend thanks to the distinct three-way category split: lightweight, aero, and endurance.
The Trek Domane had been in existence for two years at this point, and like the Specialized Roubaix, Cannondale Synapse or Giant Defy, was fast becoming synonymous with the ‘endurance road’ category. Gravel was still an up-and-coming neo pro, while Allroad was trademarked by Audi.
The original Domane was fitted with something Trek calls an Isospeed decoupler at the seatpost. Put simply, this allowed the seatpost to flex independently from the frame, retaining pedalling efficiency while adding comfort. For Domane version-two, which launched in 2016, Trek took this concept and ran with it. That Isospeed was given a sliding adjustment to allow riders to tailor their ride quality to their preference, and a second Isospeed was built into the handlebar, decoupling the handlebars from the buzz of the road, adding comfort at the front too.
Domane version three launched in 2020 and at first glance remained largely the same formula as the last. It retained the adjustable Isospeed and continued to be all about comfort, just with a sharper focus on aerodynamics, but when you look a little closer, I believe it marked a step change in the Domane’s character. With tyre clearance ballooning to 38mm, the Domane was among the most progressive endurance road bikes available.
Some would liken it to what we now know call an ‘all-road’ bike; the halfway-house between road and gravel, able to handle well-graded gravel paths, but without giving up too much speed on the road.
For 2023 and version four, Trek has really signalled this change of direction. It has gone back to basics on the Isospeed front, with a reduction in weight and a refinement of the aerodynamics. However, the 38mm clearance remains, the geometry continues to focus on comfort, and the result is a bike that’s really tough to categorise on paper.
Is this still an endurance road bike? Or is it an all-road bike? Is it a do-it-all superbike? In order to find out, I spent a few months with the bike, taking it on all sorts of ride, short and long, smooth and gravel, wet and dry, and even on the indoor trainer.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…