Who rides the domane? Does the ISO speed decoupler make a noticeable difference in ride quality, or is it just a marketing thing? The emoda is really light, but I live on the prairies, so I won’t be doing any serious climbing. The domane will cost me a few hundred buck more, is it worth it? I am deciding between the emoda sl 6 vs domane 5.2. Any advice would be appreciated
just went through this exact decision myself. I ending up with the sl6. I liked the the ride of the emonda better. The domane felt a little softer and I didn’t like that.
Plus the geometry of the emonda suited me way better. I would have needed a 54 for the stack I wanted at 6’, decided on a 56 emonda. The lightness of the bike really wasn’t a factor as I don’t do much real climbing, either was lack of aero as I don’t race seriously.
Either way, both good choices. Have you ridden them both? If not, do that and pick the one that you like better.
Unfortunately I’m in a position where I can’t ride before I buy, so I’m buying blind.(getting a bike below cost is worth it, though) What exactly do you mean by soft? Not all the energy from pushing the pedals goes to moving the bike forward?
I think I would get the Domane, if it fits good. Stack and reach are pretty close between the two bikes, but the Domane has slightly more stack and slightly less reach.
I have an Emonda SLR. Great bike, I like it a lot. I would have gotten an SL, but they only make the SL with an H2 fit, and I really needed an H1. It was really tight between the Domane and Emonda for me too. They make a Domane with H1 geometry, and it was pretty hard to say “no” to that bike. Then I saw how cool the powder blue/viper red Emonda looked, and I had to have it.
Who rides the domane? Does the ISO speed decoupler make a noticeable difference in ride quality, or is it just a marketing thing? The emoda is really light, but I live on the prairies, so I won’t be doing any serious climbing. The domane will cost me a few hundred buck more, is it worth it? I am deciding between the emoda sl 6 vs domane 5.2. Any advice would be appreciated
I ride a Domane 5.2 and yes the decoupler makes a difference. I think that Cannondale has a similar idea in one of their recent bikes which actually has a suspension spring in it, Specialized jumped on the bandwagon with a concept similar to the Domane. Trek talks about it in terms of soaking up road bumps (which it does) but they don’t mention that it also moves a bit side to side which is nice when you are on the trainer. Disconnecting the seat tube from the rest of the frame has ride comfort advantages. It does “feel” softer than other Trek’s but that is probably the 25mm tires over the decoupler. There is no spring in the decoupler so that, in of itself, wouldn’t cause it to be noticeably less sharp than a Madone or Emonda. I bought mine last may, put many hundreds of miles on it, did a sprint, classic, olympic, and 70.3 on it in California, Minnesota, and Colorado. That was the bike I used to ride the triple bypass. I modified it by putting a Specialized Romin Evo saddle and a set of aero bars with hydration. Not once have I regretted my purchase. Sometimes I look at SC’s and I admit to having some jealousy, that goes away quickly when I realize I didn’t pay a combined $10-$11K to have more than one bike.
do you ride dirt ever?
I’ve got my eye on a domane 6 series disc but primarily for the braking when descending switchbacks (three rim blowouts last year :-p) and the suuuuuper wide tire clearance for rolling 30s on the rims for the dirt roads.
The description about the couple here is good. I just didn’t like the motion it provided. And surprisingly the emonda doesn’t ride harsh. And thay is coming from me riding chip seal 90% of the time.
Either way, make sure you know fit.
No, never ride dirt. I have a speed concept that I race on, this bike will be used for training only, so I can ride with my roadie friends, and spend less time on the trainer.
No, never ride dirt. I have a speed concept that I race on, this bike will be used for training only, so I can ride with my roadie friends, and spend less time on the trainer.
caad7 and take the savings to do an aero-fit with Jim@EroSports?
emonda
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I did a gravel race last year and one guy showed up with an Emonda SLR! I think he had 28s on it. Said it was great. He must not have been “cash limited.” I test rode one and it was a very lively and fun bike. I was bummed when the screamin’ deal I had lined up fell thru
I ended up getting my hands on a Domane Classics team issue bike last fall-- if you want an aggressive fit, it is lower and longer than the H1. I can fit a 32 mm cross tire up front, but I’m probably limited to a 30 in the back (stock Domane is more limited, unless you go disc). I do pretty much all my road training with 28s now for the cush ride, and I like the option of using it as a ridiculous gravel monster. I love it. It begs me to rack up the miles. That said, it is a quite a bit different bike than say the 5 series version.
No, never ride dirt. I have a speed concept that I race on, this bike will be used for training only, so I can ride with my roadie friends, and spend less time on the trainer.
I would definitely go with the Domane, it can do 98% of what the Emonda can do (realistically most bikes are within that envelope with each other) and it will hurt your a$$ less. You already have an aggressive race geometry bike, go to the “comfort” or “endurance” dark side, you will probably find yourself enjoying it.
For the record. The h2 geometry of the emonda does not count as an aggressive race geometry.
Who rides the domane? Does the ISO speed decoupler make a noticeable difference in ride quality, or is it just a marketing thing? The emoda is really light, but I live on the prairies, so I won’t be doing any serious climbing. The domane will cost me a few hundred buck more, is it worth it? I am deciding between the emoda sl 6 vs domane 5.2. Any advice would be appreciated
I LOVE my domane…
I was in the middle of IM training when my tri-bike fork broke… The first thing in my mind was WTF now I have to do 5hrs+ on my road bike that I haven’t touch in a coupe of months…
2hrs into the ride (with the domane) I said to myself: I forgot this thing is couch on wheels; ending up doing 6hrs and I came back feeling GREAT!
I’m interested in this comparison also. Does anyone have experience riding different Domane’s? Do the different grades of carbon make a noticeable difference in ride quality?
I just went through the same decision making process. I went with the domane.
Hey Zach- why SL6 vs. SL5? I certainly like the pricetag on the SL6, but are the components on the SL6 decent?
I got the sl6. Ultegra 6800 is a great group and compared to dura ace you’re not missing anything besides minor weight. The decision was easy for me as ultegra is a good group and I like the color schemes of the sl6 better.
I’m glad I got a Madone last year while they still had a good variety of Madone models, as opposed to Domane or Emonda. I’m sure they’re all nice bikes but I like having a bit of emphasis on aero.