The new Trek Domane Disc ushers in the latest road bike stoppers on a bike that was all but made for such things.
The Domane, which we’ve reviewed here, uses Trek’s IsoSpeed coupler at the seat- and top tube junction to separate bumps and vibrations from the rider and create a suspension effect. The bike’s made for the Classics like Paris-Roubaix, with clearance for big tires…and this new version adds spacer for even bigger rubber and fenders than before.
It also adds 15mm and 12×142 thru axles front and rear, but, the rear’s able to be converted to standard quick release thru axles to work with the vast majority of wheels currently on the market. Brilliant!
UPDATED 5/114 – 8pm EST: Pricing, Spec and Wheels tech info added.
UPDATED 5/2/14 – 12pm EST: Correction on thru axles and additional info, including tire clearance added throughout post
The Domane Disc will initially be available in 4- and 6-series trims, which primarily means a difference in quality of OCLV carbon fibers used.
UPDATE: It also means the use of a seat mast design on the 6-series, which Royce Beckon, Trek’s assistant road brand manager says makes a massive difference in overall compliance compared to the 4-series’ standard seatpost design. The 6-series also gets their asymmetric steerer (ovalized just above the crown to be wider side to side than it is front to back, giving it better fore/aft compliance without hurting steering precision), full carbon fiber fork. That’s versus a symmetric standard carbon fork with alloy steerer on the 4’s.
UPDATE: While they mention room for bigger tires in the initial PR, we’ve been told the officially recommended maximum size is 25c in order to comply with CPSC and CE clearance guidelines. That said, you’re free to do what you want (at your own risk), and the pics suggest there’s plenty of room in there.
The Closed Convert Dropouts have been used on the Superfly hardtails, and now they make their way to the road, and to the front of the bike but only for the rear. Fork is 15mm thru axle only…which means new road disc wheels from Bontrager. Read on…
UPDATE: The fork also uses the Closed Convert dropout system, allowing for a switch between 15mm thru axle and standard quick release. Even better, the dropout inserts can be used on either side, letting you run the thru axle’s clamp on left or right, depending on your preference. For those new to disc brakes, the skewer/axle on the front is typically inserted from the right so the lever is opposite the disc brake caliper, a switch from standard rim brake setups.
As impressive as the top level Domane Disc 6.9 is, the 4-series is just as exciting for it’s $2,099 price point. So we’ll start with that:
TREK DOMANE DISC 6.9 SPEC
Retail on the Domane Disc 6.9 is $7,899.99 and is decked out with pretty much everything you’d want. The upgrade path on this bike is short, and certainly not rushed. And while almost 8K seems like (is) a lot, in this day and age for a top level rig, it’s pretty fair.
TREK DOMANE DISC 4.0 SPEC
What’s important to note here is that you get an OCLV carbon frame, tubeless ready wheels, the convertible dropouts and IsoSpeed tech with quasi-hydraulic brakes for just $2,099.99. That means a very budget bike that’s entire upgrade worthy as resources allow. The drivetrain would be at the top of our list since it’s apparently how they’re bringing it to market for so cheap: Sora 9-speed. Yes, nine speeds. Remember those?
Now, the bad news: If your local Trek Dealer hasn’t already ordered one, particularly the 6.9 series, word on the street is there will be a slight delay in you getting one of the more common sizes.
BONTRAGER AFFINITY ELITE TLR ROAD DISC WHEELS
Bontrager’s been doing road tubeless for quite a while, and now they have a fresh upper mid-level alloy wheelset to go with the road bikes. The new Affinity Elite TLR Road Disc use their stacked, straight pull spoke system at the hubs with asymmetric placement at the rims for better bracing angles and a stiffer wheel.
The hubs use interchangeable axle caps, with options available separately, letting them run on various bikes. Our guess is they’ll show up on the Crocket before too long. Which brings up an interesting point…this new Domane is their first road/cyclocross offering to get thru axles, but we suspect the ‘cross bikes won’t be far behind.
The rim is drawn from 6061 aluminum and measures 23mm wide (17.5mm internal) and is laced with DT butted spokes. Both are laced with 24 spokes. Claimed weights are 740g (front) and 915g (rear), putting the total at 1,655g. They’re 10/11 speed compatible and a Campagnolo freehub body is available separately. No rider weight limit.
