Every occasion we get to ride Trek’s Domane we're astonished anew by its capabilities. From the outset it’s like climbing aboard a suspension bike – or at least a cyclocross machine with large, low-pressure tyres. But that description doesn't do justice to the urgency that’s matched to its unerring comfort – on the tarmac it just conquers any and every surface texture, from billiard table-smooth to broken and potholed.
It should have no right to be this good, but ride one and you’ll see why Cancellara prefers the Domane as his year-round race bike, not just for the cobbled Classics. The key is the Isospeed Decoupler, which allows the essentially floating seat tube to pivot and flex freely at the top-tube/seatstay junction, and the similarly effective Isospeed fork.
For dyed-in-the-wool roadies brought up to believe that stiff and rigid means more speed, and cushioning is for wimps, the result is mind-altering. Not only is the majority of unwanted road vibration killed off well before it reaches you, but power transfer and handling finesse are completely unaffected. You get a blisteringly rapid race bike with more comfort, more grip and more confidence. It’s the true definition of endurance – a bike that looks after your muscles and contact points, so you remain fresher for longer, and can therefore ride further, faster.
ADVERTISEMENT
It really is a win-win situation. On short climbs, the Domane can punch with the best, and there’s no compromise on sustained gradients, but on the exposed, corrugated and heavily potholed gravel roads that comprise the high point of our test route, where winter had replaced dust with slimy mud – conditions only a ’cross bike should love – the Domane was never less than planted.
The ride quality with slick 25mm tyres inflated to 90psi felt more like 32mm tyres at 40psi. Control was never in question, slippy off-camber line changes and pothole weaving were simple, and rejoining rain-lashed tarmac we felt a level of trust in the Domane’s performance that enabled us to commit to technical corners with confidence.
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
via BikeRadar All the latest from BikeRadar.com http://ift.tt/1y3Lj2Y
No comments:
Post a Comment