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Trek Domane Road BIke Unveiled!

2013 Trek Domane endurance race road bike team radioshack nissan edition
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2013 Trek Domane endurance race road bike team radioshack nissan edition

Trek Bikes has unveiled the Domane, a high performance road bike designed for the Classics like Flanders and Roubaix.

Slotting alongside the Madone as a second “full race platform”, the Domane name means “the King’s Crown” in Latin and is pronounced doe-mah-nay. It’s also a nifty anagram of the Madone’s letters. As suspected, it’s built to be stable and comfortable (but still fast) compared to the Madone’s stiff, light design, and it’s been in development for three years.

The most visible new feature of the Domane is IsoSpeed, an insert that isolates the seat tube from the rest of the frame. Looking at the frame, the seat tube goes straight through the split top tube, neither tube directly touches the other. Between them is a decoupler with two round elastomer inserts that give the seat tube the ability to flex back and forth. Check the video and more after the break…

2013 Trek Domane endurance race road bike isospeed seat tube flex coupling

Click to enlarge and you’ll see the IsoSpeed coupler is very well integrated into the frame. At a quick glance, it looks like a solid, contiguous frame. Trek’s dealer literature says the IsoSpeed coupling should last the life of the bike without creaking, wear or degradation, but if something does happen, it’s a simple swap of parts without any special tools. We’ve learned that the entire IsoSpeed mechanism adds less than 100g to the frame, putting a full frame in around 1050g (claimed) with paint.

2013 Trek Domane endurance racing road bike seatmast and fork detail

Topping the seat tube is their no-cut seatmast, which Trek says lets them make the frame lighter since it doesn’t need to be reinforced to handle the stresses of a seat collar clamp. The fork also gets IsoSpeed technology and has a rather unique construction. It sweeps forward of the dropouts, which end up sitting down and back from the end of the fork legs. The design has 20% more fork offset than the Madone.

The Domane has what Trek is calling “Endurance Geometry” and the head- and seat tube angles, BB drop and other measurements are all new for them. Overall, it added around 3cm to the wheelbase and 1.3cm to the chainstays versus the Madone. Put it all together -more rake, curvier fork legs, longer wheelbase, new angles- and you have a formula for both stability and bump compliance.

Trek says your fit should be set up as normal, that there is no “sag” that needs to accounted for, and that riding position won’t be noticeably affected as the IsoSpeed system does its job.

Finishing off the touchpoints is Bontrager’s new carbon IsoZone handlebar with integrated, replaceable closed cell foam pads on the top of the bar and in the drops. The bar flares out slightly at the drops for a more ergonomic position, and it’s a short and shallow shape. Trek says the pads are a lighter overall solution than third party add-on gel pads or extra tape.

2013 Trek Domane endurance race road bike BB90 bottom bracket with di2 battery mount

The flip side of all that comfort is their Power Transfer Construction. The PTC starts at the front with their tapered E2 headtube, runs through a massive downtube to their extra wide BB90 bottom bracket and through the chainstays to the rear axle. The head tube is asymmetric -it’s wider on the sides than front and back- which Trek says keeps it stiff while minimizing weight.

2013 Trek Domane endurance racing road bike battery mount and wiring cable ports

That thing on the bottom of the BB shell is the battery mount for electronic drivetrains. The Domane frame is built with wiring integration in mind, but that mount is replaceable with a cable stop. Wire and cable entry ports (everything runs internally) are swappable, putting electronic or mechanical specific stops where they’re needed for a very clean look regardless of drivetrain choice.

The frame also uses their DuoTrap integrated speed/cadence sensor on the non-drive chainstay, which works on ANT+ and is completely hidden inside the frame.

To make sure all the comfort and speed don’t go to waste at on rough cobbles, there’s an integrated chain catcher on the frame to keep the drivetrain parts where they’re supposed to be. Two sizes are available to go with either standard or compact cranksets and has a small amount of adjustment by rotating it around the frame to get it as close as possible to the small chainring.

Another feature rides may want on bikes like this are fenders, and Trek says there’s adequate clearance for them. With the usual lineup of brakes, tire clearance is limited to 25c, but the frame itself has more room. We suspect as this model trickles down, some folks will put wider brakesets on and run fatter tires, particularly for harsher courses.

2013 Trek Domane endurance race road bike project one custom paint and build spec

The new Domane will be offered in two models, both using Trek’s top of the line 600-Series OCLV carbon fibers and construction. The Domane 6 Series Team Edition, pictured at the top of the post, comes in at $11,896.47 with Dura-Ace Di2. The other model is the custom one you can build in Trek’s Project One program, starting at $4,619.98 and shown above with the Ultegra Di2, aero wheels and a sweet orange-and-blue Bikerumor paint scheme (about $7,850).

Trek dealers will be able to order through Project One to stock whatever spec they want or get a preconfigured 6.2 Shimano Ultegra version. At launch, only the 6-Series level will be available, but we suspect it’ll trickle down to lower price point specs pretty quickly.

Video above is the backstory on the frame. Look for Cancellara to be aboard the Domane this weekend at the start of the Ronde Van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders), which runs Sunday, April 1 2012, and again shortly thereafter at Paris-Roubaix.

2013 Trek Domane endurance race road bike team radioshack nissan edition

A few glamour shots for you.

2013 Trek Domane endurance race road bike team radioshack nissan edition

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51 Comments
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Micktexas
Micktexas
12 years ago

I believe Cannondale and Specialized have been at it a while, nice of Trek to join the “plush” market.

Androo
Androo
12 years ago

Neat technology. A different approach to what Volagi has done with the ‘Longbow’ seatstays on the Liscio.

Haters are gonna hate and say it’s a dentist’s bike, but any way you slice it being more comfortable in the saddle over the long haul is going to make you a faster rider.

dave
dave
12 years ago

$11k? more like an orthodontist’s bike.

drew
drew
12 years ago

My shop sells both Specialized and Trek, and this might actually mean we can sell some Trek road bikes. The Madones ride worse than old Cannondale aluminum frames. Looks like they’re actually trying to compete in the endurance market (80% of our road bike sales are “endurance” bikes). I hope they make this in a more upright choice as well.

craigsj
craigsj
12 years ago

“Haters are gonna hate and say it’s a dentist’s bike, but any way you slice it being more comfortable in the saddle over the long haul is going to make you a faster rider.”

…within the limitations of rules that allow you to do almost nothing, you mean.

There are things you could do that would have a more dramatic effect on speed and comfort than this. Recumbent comes to mind. Suspension, alternative wheels and tires do as well. This seems hardly different than Volagi when viewed in that context. If you accept that real, meaningful advances will never be made then, sure, this is distinct from Volagi cosmetically. It’s the same otherwise.

Of course it’s a “dentist’s bike”.

BJ
BJ
12 years ago

Good to see it still uses Trek’s over built tube junctions to keep the weight up and look terrible. This will never sell like a Roubaix or Synapse, sorry Wisconsin

Joshua Murdock
12 years ago

… And yet, somehow, Trek still sells more bikes than any other bike brand. In fact, more than twice the amount than the second best selling brand.

Sure, people with a lot of money will buy expensive bikes; does that make you angry? Should they not be allowed to? If I was a fat rich guy I’d probably have one hell of a road bike that I put 50 mi on every month. There are probably people who are fast as hell that can afford bikes like this, too.

drew
drew
12 years ago

Kudos to Bike Rumor for getting the Latin pronunciation right BTW. Trek’s dealer materials say “Dough Ma Knee.” If this is how they want to say it, that’s their choice, but that’s not Latin and the pedantic a**hole in me will twitch every time they say it.

Thomas
Thomas
12 years ago

Domane offers two times more vertical compliance than the Roubaix giving it unmatched rider energy savings; all in a fuselage that is more than 100 grams lighter than the top of the range Specialized bike.

Micktexas
Micktexas
12 years ago

Just because Trek sells more bikes than anyone else, doesn’t mean they ride or fit well. reminds me, I need to make a dentist appointment.

Henry
Henry
12 years ago

One feature they don’t talk about is what looks like the carry over of the removable fender eyelets from the Fisher Cronus bikes. Looks like you can see the screw/plugs on the 3/4 rear view on the back of the fork legs. But can’t see them on the rear of the bike? Can you/Trek confirm that we’ll get this feature? And if so, why are they not mentioning that on the Trek website? For those of us that like to ride year round it’s only the coolest, most practical feature in carbon-bike-land!

BJ
BJ
12 years ago

can I see some numbers on Trek being the most popular brand? If so, that’s terrible… even their commuter and hybrid bikes are terrible compared to the competition.

G Richard Kreuter
G Richard Kreuter
12 years ago

I’m suprised that it doesn’t have disc brakes or a new light weight carbon clincher wheel set-like the Volagi!

Meromasta
Meromasta
12 years ago

@BJ: Here’s some numbers if you want:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/01/bikes-and-tech/the-torqued-wrench-industry-apes_20323

Looks like you’re in the minority when it comes to your opinion of Trek. If their products were inferior, I highly doubt they would be the top selling brand.

John
John
12 years ago

BB90? When are they going to admit what a joke that is.

James
James
12 years ago

Looks like a long overdue adaption of the technology used in the (Trek owned) Klein Reve. It should ride like a dream.

reynard
reynard
12 years ago

BB90 is a joke? What’s the issue with it?

jaas
jaas
12 years ago

haters gonna hate.

Rice
Rice
12 years ago

They spelled “domain” wrong.

JT
JT
12 years ago

Sweet bike. Do you think a kidney would pay for this?

Thomas
Thomas
12 years ago

Fenders will work (Same mounting like the Fishers had). You can also get Carbon wheels under Project One along with parts from Shimano, Campy, and Sram.

Androo
Androo
12 years ago

@Meromasta

That’s just US sales, though. Giant is far and away the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. Or at least “quality” bicycles (there are Indian and Chinese companies that make way more bikes than anyone else, but you wouldn’t want to ride them).

That link you posted cites 720,000 bikes in the US market for Trek and only 320,000 for Giant, but Giant sells 5 million worldwide. Trek doesn’t have nearly the same international presence.

These days Giant also makes a lot of the frames for many of the famous brands around the world…

dan
dan
12 years ago

They’re the top selling brand because of Lance de pants and the high volume bikes they sell are rec bike or low end road/mtn, that spend most of their time sitting in a garage. If you put out enough bait people will bit, even if it’s complete crap. At least there are less logos then normal. But come on slam that stem.

JESUS CHRISTO
JESUS CHRISTO
12 years ago

Every company’s biggest volume is in the low end. Giant, Specialized, Trek, Shimano, Sram, etc

JDub
12 years ago

We could all stand to ride more and type comments less!

Wolber
Wolber
12 years ago

Trek’s success has very little to do with Lance, and a whole lot to do a comprehensive dealer support network. I’ve sold Trek, Specialized, Giant and Cannondale, all for a long time, and I can promise you that Trek offers absolute the best customer service in the industry (at least in the US). Their online ordering system (Dexter) is totally modern and works flawlessly, and you can have almost any bike in their catalog within three days. Project One is a huge hit, one that Giant and Specialized are scrambling to figure out how to copy. Bontrager branded products, the ones that Trek dealers are essentially forced to carry in order to qualify for certain price structures, are almost without exception very well-designed, of a high quality, and priced competitively to similar products. In some instances, such as Bontrager tires, they are actually industry leaders. All of this means that dealers are extremely happy with Trek, and this is why they sell so many damn bikes.

Personally, I ride a Cannondale.

axf
axf
12 years ago

I know it’s a road bike but I’m thinking this would be great technology for a soft tail 29er mtn. bike.

Killa
Killa
12 years ago

‘They spelled “domain” wrong.’ Bahaha, m*****, if you only listened to the video, it’s said ‘dough ma knee’…
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA……

RED
RED
12 years ago

Watch the seat tube flex around and then consider…. chafing! 😉

MissedThePoint
MissedThePoint
12 years ago

LOL. Are these comments from insiders taking part of the joke, trying to get people to believe it?

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
12 years ago

Curved fork legs for compliance? Where did you get that crazy idea?! “this is the bike I want to ride” translated means “my contract is good right now”. Not hating just stating (facts).

ChadQuest
12 years ago

I’d like to get a frameset, swap my parts, and do some double century test rides and see whats up, i like what i see for sure.

Saxeville Bob
Saxeville Bob
12 years ago

Wolber is spot on. Trek’s success has more to do with it’s support of it’s dealers than anything else. Dealers know that when they put a customer on Trek that they are going to have the full backing of the company if anything ever goes wrong. Couple that with the fact that they have historically strong inventory levels (since they are one of the few bike companies financially strong enough to do so) and dealers know that special orders can be shipped at nearly a moment’s notice. Further note that they deliver consistently excellent products up and down the product line and it’s easy to see why they sell more quality bikes in the US than any other company.

I’ll need to ride a Domane before I judge whether or not I’d pay the sticker price, but with the number of 40+ riders in the sport now, there is clearly a market that will grow. And frankly, based upon my past purchases with Cannondale and Specialized, I would much rather put the Trek at the top of the wish list. So long as ride quality is the same or better I will ALWAYS go there first. And if others are dumb enough to rule it out “because it’s a Trek” I’ll enjoy chuckling at your absence on Tuesday night group rides while your bike is in the shop while the wrench is awaiting a return phone call from the manufacturer….days after you dropped it off.

BBB
BBB
12 years ago

The best suspension system / comfort (speed) enhancer on bikes are pneumatic tyres.

“Comfort” road bikes are wasted on people who run 23mm tyres at full pressure and cycle on bad surfaces (UK…) similarly to folks riding full suspension bikes with 40-50 PSI in their tyres 😉

Mike C
Mike C
12 years ago

“Trek’s dealer materials say ‘Dough Ma Knee.'”

Total PR gaffe — “Hey, when you gonna win that race?” “Domani…” Trek sales material pronunciation is equivalent for “lazy” Italian stereotype.

MissedThePoint
MissedThePoint
12 years ago

Nomade must’ve been taken by some one else.

Sylic
12 years ago

I’m shocked by how many negative Trek haters are commenting. Seriously folks: you don’t see Cannondales winning 9 Tour de France titles!

Madones ride GREAT – light weight, responsive, and stiff. How many of you have competed?

Beef the Biker
Beef the Biker
12 years ago

I find that the main differences between the top brands is their selling styles. Trek wants only Trek to be sold at the shops who carry them specifically. If you look at the LBS’s who carry Trek, the large majority are Trek only, or Trek + a boutique brand. If you’re buying the top level product it doesn’t matter what name is on it, it will likely ride beautifully and be the greatest bike you’ve ever owned.

I sell Specialized (among other top level brands) though my job and find Wolber’s comment wonderful. I think all his comments about the Bontrager selection of products can be translated to Specialzed’s Roval line (plus their mountain tires are the best out) or many of Giant’s in house branded components. Each manufacturer who’s worth a damn has killer warranty policy, if you think different your probably a shitty dealer for them.

Ultimately the best thing to do is go to your dealer and ride the bikes your interested in. I think Trek’s dealer style makes their bikes sell well considering who looks at their bikes, those truly passionate about cycling will go to the other shop which allows the comparison of your top level bike to that of a competing manufacture (Trek’s style of super-stores allow none of this).

Gino
Gino
12 years ago

I think this is briliant and should sell like hotcakes!… I like how they have gone with a more stable geometry aswell… the Madone was a little lacking there

Devo
12 years ago

I keep wondering when Cane Creek is going to re-into a svelte version of the Thudbuster ST, say maybe an offering with 20-30mm of “compliance”, and hopefully a seatpost under 300gm. Effectively offering a smooth ride for most any road bike.

good stuff tho.

I’m very curious.

Chuck
Chuck
12 years ago

The Volagi Liscio Longbow design merely lengthens the seat stays and thus allows them to deflect a little more. The seat tube to top tube joint is still a fixed joint. The Domane design is critically different, with the seat tube to top tube connection being a pivoting joint, and relies on deflection of the whole seat tube/seat post combination.

MTB
MTB
12 years ago

Ride reviews are out from velo news. Sounds very positive.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/bikes-and-tech/first-ride-impressions-of-the-new-trek-domane-from-a-ride-on-flanders-cobbles_211584

Tyler, are you going to get the Domane from Trek to test ride?

Rich
Rich
12 years ago

HAHAHA…Trek…”quick” warranty. HAHAHA. How funny. Waiting for Specialized to “call you back” when you call them for a warranty issue is total BS. Trek is horrible about warranties. I’ve waited for 3 plus months for a customer to get a frame warrantied by the big “wonderful” Trek. If you have to “wait for specialized to call you back” you’re doing it wrong. Way wrong. I’ve never had anything but super fast and hilariously friendly customer service from Specialized and I tell every customer I speak to about bikes that Specialized is the only company to buy a bike from. Customer service, warranty, and their products are unparalleled in the industry. Dexter having “ample inventory” is only the case because they overproduce everything they make and blow out their product at the end of the year to the consumer (screwing over dealers who have bought their product at full dealer cost already and couldn’t sell it because it isn’t competitive). Case in point, almost every one of their mid level mountain bikes still has avid juicy brakes, caged bearing headsets, and weighs about 2 to 5 lbs on average more than a comparable Spec or Cannondale model. They are hard to sell unless you only sell Trek, which more and more Trek dealers are having to do.

Sweet design concept though. I’m impressed that they’re finally trying again. Trek does have some interesting technology. ABP is great, but the EX platform hasn’t changed (even tubing shape) since it was introduced in 2007. Cool. You can buy a brand new 2007 EX bike painted a new color with “modern” components for even more than you could when it first came out. Oh yeah, they crack. And you have to wait (sometimes months) for a new frame/stay/module. BUT…it does work..way better than the previous EX frame.

A road bike with a pivot though…that doesn’t make me feel too comfortable. Road bikes make noise already. Introduce a pivot. I dare you.

sallygotherboneon
sallygotherboneon
12 years ago

Was Fabien riding this one in Flanders yesterday? If so it’s probably why he flatted, and also broke his collarbone. Trek bikes suck. They’ve paid the pros to ride them and they’ve had countless race-proven flaws time after time. Did anyone count the number of Treks that got flat rear tires in last year’s TDF? I didn’t, but it seems like they were happening all the time. Thank god the riders on them are top notch so they can make it back to the peloton.

I used to sell Treks and while the dealer support they have on the back end is decent (by dealer support I’m speaking of the programs they have in place to make their IBDs profitable in the short term), their warranty department blows. We went through at least four different overworked warranty reps in about two years. The entire time they made us jump though way too many hoops before warranting products that we all knew were broken. Mainly seatposts, seatpost clamps, road and mountain wheel sets, and BB issues on Madone 5 and 6 series frames. So glad I’m out of that game now. They’ve got tons of money to throw into marketing and sponsoring pro teams, but their product gets worse every year. They’re turning into Schwinn and we’ll probably start seeing them in Target soon.

MTB
MTB
12 years ago

sally,
Fabien broke his collarbone going over a water bottle at the feedzone (lost control of his bike and went down). I’m sure it could have happened to anyone on any bike at that situation.

Maybe, you should try a test…….have someone hand you a feed bag, while you’re going 15-20 mph with one hand out to grab the bag and go over a water bottle with one hand on the handlebar.

Let me know how you perform.

Where do all these people w/ idiot comments come from?

Vengeful
Vengeful
12 years ago

This nonesense about Trek warranty and innovation is hogwash. I have personally sold customers new road frames when Trek took months to decide if there failed frames were warranties or not. Specialized hands down take care of customers better than any company I have dealt with in 30 years of shop ownership.

They have consistenly copied everything from paint schemes to decals to now roubaix type dampening. A few years ago they trotted out those elastomers to put in the handlebars, since frame-mounted elastomers were already taken and protected.

Now “new, propriertary endurance geometry”

Yawn.

Spencer
Spencer
12 years ago

I ride a BH G5. I have had a Madone, super6, system6, SL3 Tarmac and my BH is the dreamiest of them. I work in the industry, (duh) and rode the Domane this weekend. Yes, a short period- but wow. This is only up for discussion because you haven’t ridden it. Ride it; if you still say it is crap- remove the stick from your @$$ and ride it again. Wow.

simmo
simmo
12 years ago

I’m into my 3rd carbon road bike from Trek and purchased a 5.9 last year and a 5.2 the year before (the bottom bracket kept wearing out on the 5.2 and TREK kindly replaced the frame for me, it was not cracked but they gave me the benefit of the doubt and warranty replacement arrived in 10 days).

Rolling past my local trek dealer I spotted a Domane 6.2 in the window, curious I test rode one for 20 mins and went back and dropped the money on it. It is the best bike I have ridden in my life full stop. Perfect for the nasty bumpy roads where I live, the geometry is very good, its so comfortable, its stiff, climbs well, descends even better and you can nail it in the turns, riding under everyone else who has to run wide at speed while I can hold my line is awesome and I have been able to up my km’s simply because I can stay on the bike longer. Needles to say the 5.9 has been sold.

Hat’s off to Trek for this excellent bike I’d recommend it to anyone. No I’m not a highly paid professional or a Trek bike shop employee, I’m a average person who loves bikes, have owned a few from various manufacturers over the years and couldn’t give a hoot what brand is on the bike or what factory its made in. Go ride one compare it to a Roubaix (there is no comparison IMHO), until then say nothing because you don’t know squat!

Simmo

yawn
yawn
12 years ago

My guess is that the ones sneering that it’s a “dentist’s bike” are 24-year old losers who work at the local coffee shop (they got fired from Starbucks from being hungover every time they came into work), who can’t afford a nice bike, who couldn’t keep up with most biking dentists if their life depended on it, and spend more time making snotty, condescending quotes on the internet than they do either cycling or trying to find a job that leaves them with $75 leftover after paying their 1/5 share of rent. (Thank God for those roommates).

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