Trek Domane 4.3 - Trigger's broom style upgrades

Paul 8v

As it is now, see below for before and pg 3 for more photos:





Bog standard spec on this, picked this up after much deliberating today. Really comfortable but also super stiff around the bottom bracket and very fast.

Please be kind with regards the the bar height, I have a lower back problem I'm waiting to be sorted out, not sure if it is disc or muscular yet but a slammed stem is not the way forward at the moment, at least I can ride it without it killing me and not being able to walk the next day!

declan1

I know I keep saying this, but have you tried it with a slammed stem? It usually solves lower back pain due to reasons I can't be bothered to explain at the moment.

Otherwise it looks awesome!

Paul 8v

Thanks, I'm really pleased with it, I'll try it both ways I think, first ride like this then one with it down and see what the difference is. I do get a bit of sciatica (Not sure how you spell it),pain when I'm bent right over but I can certainly give it a try

declan1

Paul 8v wrote:

Thanks, I'm really pleased with it, I'll try it both ways I think, first ride like this then one with it down and see what the difference is. I do get a bit of sciatica (Not sure how you spell it),pain when I'm bent right over but I can certainly give it a try

I get that as well. Sitting down for any period of time results in me getting shooting pains down both legs. It's really annoying!

When the bars are higher it results in more weight being placed on your lower back (as your body is more upright). When the bars are lower (and you have the right length stem) your body weight is more evenly distributed

Paul 8v

declan1 wrote:

Paul 8v wrote:

Thanks, I'm really pleased with it, I'll try it both ways I think, first ride like this then one with it down and see what the difference is. I do get a bit of sciatica (Not sure how you spell it),pain when I'm bent right over but I can certainly give it a try

I get that as well. Sitting down for any period of time results in me getting shooting pains down both legs. It's really annoying!

When the bars are higher it results in more weight being placed on your lower back (as your body is more upright). When the bars are lower (and you have the right length stem) your body weight is more evenly distributed

That does make sense to be fair, I suppose that is too a point though is it? I.e. if you went too far forward it would still kill you?

Graham K

Looked at these today, hoping to buy one in July when I get time to fart in peace (hectic 2 months ahead with minimal cycling time available)

Let us know how you get on with it.

declan1

Paul 8v wrote:

declan1 wrote:

Paul 8v wrote:

Thanks, I'm really pleased with it, I'll try it both ways I think, first ride like this then one with it down and see what the difference is. I do get a bit of sciatica (Not sure how you spell it),pain when I'm bent right over but I can certainly give it a try

I get that as well. Sitting down for any period of time results in me getting shooting pains down both legs. It's really annoying!

When the bars are higher it results in more weight being placed on your lower back (as your body is more upright). When the bars are lower (and you have the right length stem) your body weight is more evenly distributed

That does make sense to be fair, I suppose that is too a point though is it? I.e. if you went too far forward it would still kill you?

Yeah, you've got to get the balance right. Usually with the saddle fore/aft set correctly you select a stem so that you can't see the front hub as it's behind the bars (very rough guide). The hub is still slightly infront of the bars for me, but I feel really comfortable so I've left it (the saddle on my Viking has since been moved to the proper position (further back)).

Paul 8v

Took this out for a ride yesterday, really liked it, average speed is up about 1.5km/h quicker compared to the fixed wheel which is not bad considering my dodgy back has stopped me from riding properly for a while. Wasn't in anywhere as much pain as I normally would be and I'm impressed at how it handled over the dodgy roads around here (They like they have been carpet bombed by a B52)

Really stiff when you do decide to put the hammer down, no noticeable flex in the BB area, kind of the best of both worlds, fast and comfortable and because it is comfortable I can ride for longer.

Just need to get some pedals on there now, I'm trying to weigh up which would be best, SPD SL or LOOK. I had looks years ago, pre KEO but I have no idea about the modern ones. It seems like the cheap ones are lighter than the mid range!?

Also some wide fit shoes, I tried a Mavic wide and it wasn't wide enough!

ed_j

declan1 wrote:

I get that as well. Sitting down for any period of time results in me getting shooting pains down both legs. It's really annoying!

When the bars are higher it results in more weight being placed on your lower back (as your body is more upright). When the bars are lower (and you have the right length stem) your body weight is more evenly distributed

Depends what kind of pain. I get muscle pain in my lower back when I get back on the bike after a couple of weeks off, but that goes after 1 or 2 rides as my back strengthens.. And my position is slammed -17 style.

karama

Paul 8v wrote:

Also some wide fit shoes, I tried a Mavic wide and it wasn't wide enough!

My wide feet feels good in Northwave.

Paul 8v

karama wrote:

Paul 8v wrote:

Also some wide fit shoes, I tried a Mavic wide and it wasn't wide enough!

My wide feet feels good in Northwave.

Thanks Karama, I'll give them a try

ricky1980

nice frame yo! love the stealth black 2 tone finish. very nice indeed.

get a bike fit tho also maybe want to invest in a good saddle if you ride a fair bit

Jon_1976

Nice bike and +1 on the Northwave shoes for wide feet.

RideOnTime

Now then...

Paul 8v

Stem has now been flipped so I'm going to give it a go like that for a while, tried a 40 mile ride at the weekend and I felt OK after that, only a tiny bit of back pain compared to my old fixie, I could only ride that for about 20!

Treating it to some Keo Max 2 pedals, elite bidon cages in the black with red accents and possibly a k edge for the garmin (Or an "out front")

Anyone else got any ides a for things that really need changing that aren't a very expensive set of wheels?

Lord Jimmy 7th

bike looked good when i saw you on it at the weekend, was struggling up those hills with you!

Paul 8v

Haha, yeah, seemed to be alright on the flat then everyone else was much quicker up the hills! Enjoyed the ride though :-)

Paul 8v

A couple of extras, gradually moving the stem down as my back gets a bit better, fitted a Fizik Arione CX, Elite Stealth cages and an Out front mount, getting there, next on the list is some Look Keo Max 2's and eventually some Carbon wheels...

declan1

That looks much better than in the first photos but that Arione is tilted down rather a lot!

Looking forward to seeing it with some decent wheels (you'll notice a huge difference)!

Paul 8v

I was trying to work out if the whole saddle was supposed to be flat or the front bit? If the back bit is level with the front then the thin bit actually points up?!

declan1

Paul 8v wrote:

I was trying to work out if the whole saddle was supposed to be flat or the front bit? If the back bit is level with the front then the thin bit actually points up?!

The overall saddle should be level - try placing a large hardback book on top to level the general top of it

Paul 8v

Thanks, does this look any better?

declan1

Paul 8v wrote:

Thanks, does this look any better?

Much better!

Is the bike as comfortable as they say? Someone I know who has one says it literally glides over everything!

Paul 8v

It really is a lovely bike, the roads are so poor round here I think I would have died on a Madone! It's still super stiff laterally as it has the same BB area as the Madone but has the flex where it's required, it's a great piece of engineering to be fair.

itboffin

Very nice bike but the saddle looks too far back, start in the middle of the rails if that puts your knees/feet in the wrong place you might need a seatpost with more setback and a longer stem.

I love my trek its only a 2008 1.7 Alu but its easily as fast and comfortable as any carbon bike I own.

enjoy 8)

Paul 8v

itboffin wrote:

Very nice bike but the saddle looks too far back, start in the middle of the rails if that puts your knees/feet in the wrong place you might need a seatpost with more setback and a longer stem.

I love my trek its only a 2008 1.7 Alu but its easily as fast and comfortable as any carbon bike I own.

enjoy 8)

That is probably me setting it up wrong to be fair! Will have a play, thanks for the advice guys :-)

ck101

To echo whats been said earlier I also suffer with Sciatica from a prolapsed disc.

I was riding around for the last year with my stem and handlebars pointing upwards. I also found that I was getting saddle sore after 60k or so despite a few saddle changes. After losing two and a half stone from mainly cycling I flipped my stem and took it down two spacers. Since this change I haven't had any issues whatsoever.

Paul 8v

Interesting to hear that, will try it a bit further down I think!

denniskwok

declan1 wrote:

Paul 8v wrote:

I was trying to work out if the whole saddle was supposed to be flat or the front bit? If the back bit is level with the front then the thin bit actually points up?!

The overall saddle should be level - try placing a large hardback book on top to level the general top of it

Your saddle doesn't HAVE to be perfectly level. A few degrees tilted backwards or forwards is perfectly ok as long as you're comfortable. I use a SLR XP and if I have it dead level, my nuts chafe when I use my drops. I've lowered the nose very slightly downwards and I'm now much more comfortable. Small adjustments to your saddle make a big difference.

Paul 8v

A few changes since last time, I've had a bike fit which was excellent (Cycle Evolution in Colchester), got proper road pedals (Look Keo Max 2) a Specialised Toupe saddle which is actually comfortable (Unlike the Fizik) and now my planet X Fat 45 wheels turned up. These are WIDE. So much so that the brakes need adjusting to even get the wheels to turn!

I've mated the wheels to some Bontrager R3 tyres which are essentially the same tyre as was on there but 160g lighter per tyre as I really liked the performance of the tyre, it instills a lot of confidence and I heard a few horror stories about the GP4000s I previously was going to fit.

Top cap has been sprayed yellow to match my Northwave shoes whilst I wait for a proper custom one from an artist friend of mine.

Last mod is an ultegra rear cassette (12-30) to replace the Tiagra one, again a large weight saving.

Sorry about the pic, was too dark to take in front of the garage door!

More mods planned in the future, when funds allow!

wheelie-bin

Looks A LOT better from 1st pics!