Trek Domane 5.9 Ultegra Di2
gbrownzen
Posts: 18
I just got my first real road bike, after a couple of years with a 14kg hybrid and fat knobbly tyres, struggling up hills after my friends.
I started road cycling to help with leg pains and stiffness after a hernia op and it really helped. So this winter I started looking for something much lighter but not too aggressive, as I was used to the comfy seat and upright riding position but fed up with the weight. Since I was only road riding a proper road bike made sense but having briefly tried a Trek Madone 5.2 I knew that a too aggressive riding position would likely cause me problems.
The guy at my LBS suggested that the new Damone might be ideal for me, as the geometry was more endurance oriented and the isoflex gave a more comfortable ride, and we started looking at the 4.3 but to be honest, it didn't seem as light as I would have hoped for the money. A step up to the 5.2 and a proper road test followed and this was more like it. However, I was uncertain about the bright red and white scheme and once I heard about the electronic gearset on the 5.9 I knew I had to go for that one. I have always been a gadget freak! It also came with lighter wheels and saddle, which helped to justify the difference in price.
I picked it up a few weeks ago and the difference in weight is quite shocking, the hills are much less daunting now.
The bike was 7.4 Kg without pedals. I already had some SPD shoes that I had only just got used to (after riding poorly adjusted and agrevating my hernia repair) so I put some PD-A600 SPD pedals on, which are great and lighter than the alloy Ultegra SPD-SL pedals. Being able to walk in the SPD shoes is helpful and unclipping in any direction makes it less likely I'll fall.
So 290g for the pedals, a carbon bottle cage and a duotrap speed\cadence senor beautifully integrated into the frame made it 7.76 Kg in all.
Even with an underseat bag and pump it's still comfortably less than 8Kg, which is what I had been aiming for.
The Di2 is very nice, and I am slowly getting used to the changes and only occasionally going the wrong way up/down the gears. I'd love to get hold of the PC interface and change the rear to work the same way as the front, and also setup a multi-shift for 3 gears at a time to make it easy to compensate on the rear gears when changing the front gear. Unfortunately the LBS doesn't have the interface and I'm not sure it's worth £160 to me so I'm just getting used to the default settings at the moment. It's not that hard to tap the right button three times at the same time as tapping the left button once.
The Isoflex does seem to work very well, and the feedback through the front gives quite a contrast to how much the rear is cushioned. It makes the ride seem very smooth while the front still communicates how the road surface really is. Coupled with the 25C tyres the ride is defintely road bike not hybrid, but some of the edge is taken off it.
The biggest change is the way the bike shoots forward when I push hard. Being clipped into the pedals and the light weight seems to give much more forward momentum for the pedalling effort and it's really quite addictive.
I'm training up for a 54 mile charity ride in May and so far have got up to 20 miles but need to manage at least twice as long in the saddle before I can be sure to undertake the probably 4.5 hour ride.
We're having to pick and choose the days to go out (floods, snow, rain, cold) and suffering aches and pains as I get used to the riding position, mostly from my arms and chest from the weight on my arms. The regular exercise and some careful dieting has seen me lose a stone in a few months so another 6 Kg saved and it's hardly surprising that we are getting up the hills about 3 mph faster.
Cheers,
Geoff
I started road cycling to help with leg pains and stiffness after a hernia op and it really helped. So this winter I started looking for something much lighter but not too aggressive, as I was used to the comfy seat and upright riding position but fed up with the weight. Since I was only road riding a proper road bike made sense but having briefly tried a Trek Madone 5.2 I knew that a too aggressive riding position would likely cause me problems.
The guy at my LBS suggested that the new Damone might be ideal for me, as the geometry was more endurance oriented and the isoflex gave a more comfortable ride, and we started looking at the 4.3 but to be honest, it didn't seem as light as I would have hoped for the money. A step up to the 5.2 and a proper road test followed and this was more like it. However, I was uncertain about the bright red and white scheme and once I heard about the electronic gearset on the 5.9 I knew I had to go for that one. I have always been a gadget freak! It also came with lighter wheels and saddle, which helped to justify the difference in price.
I picked it up a few weeks ago and the difference in weight is quite shocking, the hills are much less daunting now.
The bike was 7.4 Kg without pedals. I already had some SPD shoes that I had only just got used to (after riding poorly adjusted and agrevating my hernia repair) so I put some PD-A600 SPD pedals on, which are great and lighter than the alloy Ultegra SPD-SL pedals. Being able to walk in the SPD shoes is helpful and unclipping in any direction makes it less likely I'll fall.
So 290g for the pedals, a carbon bottle cage and a duotrap speed\cadence senor beautifully integrated into the frame made it 7.76 Kg in all.
Even with an underseat bag and pump it's still comfortably less than 8Kg, which is what I had been aiming for.
The Di2 is very nice, and I am slowly getting used to the changes and only occasionally going the wrong way up/down the gears. I'd love to get hold of the PC interface and change the rear to work the same way as the front, and also setup a multi-shift for 3 gears at a time to make it easy to compensate on the rear gears when changing the front gear. Unfortunately the LBS doesn't have the interface and I'm not sure it's worth £160 to me so I'm just getting used to the default settings at the moment. It's not that hard to tap the right button three times at the same time as tapping the left button once.
The Isoflex does seem to work very well, and the feedback through the front gives quite a contrast to how much the rear is cushioned. It makes the ride seem very smooth while the front still communicates how the road surface really is. Coupled with the 25C tyres the ride is defintely road bike not hybrid, but some of the edge is taken off it.
The biggest change is the way the bike shoots forward when I push hard. Being clipped into the pedals and the light weight seems to give much more forward momentum for the pedalling effort and it's really quite addictive.
I'm training up for a 54 mile charity ride in May and so far have got up to 20 miles but need to manage at least twice as long in the saddle before I can be sure to undertake the probably 4.5 hour ride.
We're having to pick and choose the days to go out (floods, snow, rain, cold) and suffering aches and pains as I get used to the riding position, mostly from my arms and chest from the weight on my arms. The regular exercise and some careful dieting has seen me lose a stone in a few months so another 6 Kg saved and it's hardly surprising that we are getting up the hills about 3 mph faster.
Cheers,
Geoff
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Comments
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Very nice!
Do you mind me asking how much you payed for them scales?
Road - Dolan Preffisio
MTB - On-One Inbred
I have no idea what's going on here.0 -
gbrownzen wrote:declan1 wrote:Very nice!
Do you mind me asking how much you payed for them scales?
Not at all, about £8 on Amazon.
Geoff
Just curious - I just got one exactly the same (apart from the logo) from Tesco for £8 literally 20 minutes ago!
Do you find the bike comfortable with the bars that high up? I find that the higher up my bars are, the more back pain I get!
Road - Dolan Preffisio
MTB - On-One Inbred
I have no idea what's going on here.0 -
Thats a real nice looking bike you have there my friend - enjoy it
SteveCanyon Ultimate CF SLX 7.0
Cube Crossteam Hybrid0 -
That's a cracking looking bike!FCN 3 / 40
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Very nice that, enjoy.0
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declan1 wrote:Do you find the bike comfortable with the bars that high up? I find that the higher up my bars are, the more back pain I get!
No, in fact quite the opposite, my back is fine but my chest and arms suffer a day or two after a ride. I guess I need to build up some upper body strength as I'm used to a bolt upright riding position, and suddenly having some more weight on my arms is tiring my upper body muscles.
This is what I was used to (with road tyres on to try and improve performance) ...
Just been out this morning for around 16 miles or so, lovely morning and nice to have dry roads. Average speed is creeping up bit by bit as the road conditions improve.
Here's the spec, for anyone interested in the details ...
Colours Trek Black/Trek Charcoal
Frame 500 Series OCLV Carbon, E2, BB90, performance cable routing, DuoTrap compatible, Ride Tuned seatmast, IsoSpeed
Fork Trek IsoSpeed full carbon, E2
Frame fit Endurance
Wheels Bontrager Race Lite, Tubeless Ready (1,518g claimed for the pair)
Tyres Bontrager R3, 700x25c (200g claimed each)
Tubes Bontrager RXL tubes (68g actual each)
Shifters Shimano Ultegra STI Di2, 10 speed
Front derailleur Shimano Ultegra Di2, braze-on
Rear derailleur Shimano Ultegra Di2
Crank Shimano Ultegra, 50/34 (compact)
Cassette Shimano Ultegra 11-28, 10 speed
Saddle Bontrager Affinity Race Lite, titanium rails (222g claimed)
Seatpost Bontrager Ride Tuned Carbon seatmast cap, 20mm offset
Handlebar Bontrager Race Lite IsoZone, aluminium, VR-CF, 31.8mm (318g - 338g claimed)
Stem Bontrager Race X Lite, 31.8mm, 7 degree (124g-149g claimed)
Headset Integrated, cartridge bearings, sealed, aluminium, 1-1/8" top, 1.5" bottom
Brakeset Shimano Ultegra brakes w/Shimano Ultegra STI Di2 levers
Grips Bontrager Gel Cork tape
Extras Vanishing mudguard mounts
Shimano PD-A600 SPD pedals (290g actual for pair)
And a few close up pictures ...
Cheers,
Geoff0 -
The saddle looks tilted down rather a lot. That will cause more weight to be placed on your arms/hands.
It is such a good looking bike though!
Road - Dolan Preffisio
MTB - On-One Inbred
I have no idea what's going on here.0 -
Love the dark colours they've used on the di2 matches the frame really nicely.
Where the seatpost meets the frame also looks really nice.0 -
No idea why people slag off big manufacturers products, that just oozes quality. Hope you enjoy it!0
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declan1 wrote:The saddle looks tilted down rather a lot. That will cause more weight to be placed on your arms/hands.
It is such a good looking bike though!
Thanks, I just took a very close look at the saddle angle, but it is very hard to tell as it is contoured and is slightly recessed in the middle. I tried a spirit level on the seat but it depended on where exactly I put the level. There is a gap at the back and the middle drops slightly then the front rises slightly before curving off again. On the whole, it did seem to slope slightly down. I had my stem flipped yesterday to raise the bars further while I get used to it. Then I went out for just over an hour, trying not to lean heavily on my arms, but when I got back my upper chest was stiff up near my arm pits.
I might try and adjust the angle back a bit, as I would like to ride it more and want to put the stem back flat as soon as I can.
Cheers,
Geoff0 -
gbrownzen wrote:declan1 wrote:The saddle looks tilted down rather a lot. That will cause more weight to be placed on your arms/hands.
It is such a good looking bike though!
Thanks, I just took a very close look at the saddle angle, but it is very hard to tell as it is contoured and is slightly recessed in the middle. I tried a spirit level on the seat but it depended on where exactly I put the level. There is a gap at the back and the middle drops slightly then the front rises slightly before curving off again. On the whole, it did seem to slope slightly down. I had my stem flipped yesterday to raise the bars further while I get used to it. Then I went out for just over an hour, trying not to lean heavily on my arms, but when I got back my upper chest was stiff up near my arm pits.
I might try and adjust the angle back a bit, as I would like to ride it more and want to put the stem back flat as soon as I can.
Cheers,
Geoff
A good technique is to find a perfectly level part of your house. Place a large book over the saddle, then the spirit level on top of that.
Road - Dolan Preffisio
MTB - On-One Inbred
I have no idea what's going on here.0 -
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clarkey cat wrote:if you dont have a spirit level you can download one for free on to your smartphone!
oh0 -
gbrownzen wrote:declan1 wrote:Do you find the bike comfortable with the bars that high up? I find that the higher up my bars are, the more back pain I get!
No, in fact quite the opposite, my back is fine but my chest and arms suffer a day or two after a ride. I guess I need to build up some upper body strength as I'm used to a bolt upright riding position, and suddenly having some more weight on my arms is tiring my upper body muscles.
Geoff
The ache in my chest seems to have been mainly to do with my HRM strap rather than the bike or saddle angle. I stopped wearing it and now have no long term aches from increasingly longer rides, so I seem to have adapted to the bike very well so far. Did a fast 35 miles yesterday, the longest ride I've ever done by far, and was pretty wrecked afterwards but today I feel pretty much OK.
Cheers,
Geoff0 -
Lovely looking bike! I can't decide whether to go for a Domane or a Cannondale Synapse.....................................................................................................
Waterford RS-14
Trek Domane SL6
Ridley Noah SL
A woman can never have too many bikes!0 -
Glad you're enjoying your 5.9 - so am I. Had our road bikes (Giant OCR1) stolen from our garage just before Xmas and replaced it with the D 5.9. Changed wheels to Ultegra 6700 (grey) & bars to shallow drops to match my ex-OCR - and love it. Acceleration is amazing compared with the Giant and as a 60 yr old, I didn't want a twitchy Madone whilst sitting in the pack at 45 kph (as we did this morning). Just need to flick the 34 T chainring from the compact crank and replace with a TVA 39 and then it will be perfect !
Colour is great and the Di2 is just the best. Ridden 2700 klms since end of Jan and still occasionally go the wrong on the cassette - but never a missed change - its so easy to set up and use - and the duo trap works well too.
Needless to say the new bikes live in the house.0 -
Being new to this forum (and relatively new to modern day road cycling within the last 12-18 months), I couldn`t help but post a reply to this old thread. I have been in that minefield of deciding which new endurance/sportive bike to buy and have spent hours and hours reading many useful (and entertaining) threads and doing my own research as well as talking to bike experts. I eventually decided on the 2015 version of the Trek Domane 5.9 with full Dura Ace (mechanical shifters) after testing out the 5.2 for a goodly number of hours. The 5.2 had full Ultegra and was a delight but as I was looking for a wheel upgrade it was going to work out at only another £500 for the 5.9 and I actually preferred the grey/stealthier look - although the orange/black on the 5.2 was certainly growing on me. My "beginners" bike was a Cube Peloton Race with 23mm tyres which I have loved and cherished but the Domane is a dream by comparison. I am no spring chicken and will not be winning any prizes for my cycling efforts but I regard the money as well spent. I know I could have gone for other bikes, perhaps with more kudos or appeal, but this Trek Domane 5.9 is a sheer delight and I am so very happy with it.
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clarkey cat wrote:if you dont have a spirit level you can download one for free on to your smartphone!
A spirit level isn't needed, iPhone app or digital level. The most accurate way is to place a long straight edge on the saddle and measure from each end down to the floor. When both measure the same, the saddle will be perfectly parallel with the floor.
I use a 6' spirit level as the straight edge, but ignore the bubble and use the above method.
Gorgeous bike!!0
