Tuesday, July 31, 2012

2013 Trek Domane - Smooth is Fast


Almost all folks in the shop have had a chance to take the Trek Domane (Dough, Ma, Nee) out for a spin or two.  The comments on returning range from "not enough Os in smooth" to "I gotta get me one of these."  Trek released this bike as an endurance bike that gives riders wanting a comfortable and stable ride all they asked for while sacrificing nothing in bottom bracket stiffness.


All of this is accomplished by placing an isolated pivot just forward of the seat post.  This essentially allows shock transmitted from the rear wheel to be distributed laterally through the top tube rather than vertically up the seat post into the rider's spine.  I recently had the opportunity to test the 4.5 Domane over some of the rough roads south of Spokane with good results.  This bike will take everything rider and roads can dish-out and help avoid vibration and impact fatigue.  Let's put one thing to rest once and for all - one Spokane rider claimed that the bike felt like a wet noodle - baloney.  Stand-up, sit-down, sprint or climb - this bike efficiently transfers rider power into forward motion and in a hurry - period.


Rider fatigue is a funny thing - it results from exertion and road shock transmitted through the bike.  Until the Domane, riders had to choose stiffness over comfort - no more. Military Special forces have a mantra that Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast that help them stay focused and avoid jerky movements under high stress combat situations.  There is nothing slow about the Domane and its smoothness definitely makes it fast.    This bike just begs for long rides and Grand Fondo events.

This photo does not do justice to the massiveness of the chain stays and bottom bracket.
A new Domane owner came in after riding the bike over 250 miles in less than a week and described how he is faster on his longer rides since he is less fatigued toward the end of the ride than his current road bike.

Domane comes in both carbon and aluminum frame versions with various component configuration to meet most budgets from the 2 series up to the 6 series under Project One.  Come in and check it out for yourself - you wont be disappointed.

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