Domane 2.3 or 4.3 ?

Mattsar

Good day!

I use to have trek shift 3 .
I did more than 1200 km on it . I feel its too heavy!
Last week I did my first 100 km ride in 5 hours! ( I know it's too long time )
I'm feeling that cycling become a passion and addictive for me .So I decided to go for the next level and buy a road bike .

Afrer reading and searching here and there I narrowed down my options to trek Domane 2.3 or 4.3 .

I can afford both of them.

So, my question is :

Is it okay for a beginner to start with a full carbon frame bike ( domane 4.3 ) ?

Or should I start with domane 2.3 ( aluminum frame with carbon fork ) ?

I was reading and found some people say that beginners might crack their carbon bikes and they should start with aluminum frame .

Is that right?

Please help me make my decision .

P.S. : I'm 180 cm and100 kg

Thanks in advance.

markhewitt1978

You are not a beginner.

Even then there's no reason not to go for the carbon frame if you can afford it. It's overall a better bike and it'll be nicer to ride.

bomster

Go for the carbon. Will be a better bike to upgrade from in the future if you feel the need.

iron-clover

Go for the carbon model- then you get the actual benefit of the iso speed decoupler as it was designed to be used, and if you get the alloy version you'll only want to go for the carbon version anyway- buy cheap and buy twice.

When you do buy the carbon version, get yourself a decent torque wrench set (not too expensive from Wiggle) and some fibre paste and you'll be all set 8)

stanthomas

I can only guess that thing about beginners cracking carbon frames has to do with crashing, and even then more relevant to MTB. There's nothing on a Domane 4.3 that will crack even if you are a bit heavy handed with an Allen key - alloy steerer and seatpost so no need for torque wrenches or gritty paste.

The Domane is a really nice bike that really does ride as smoothly as the reviews say. Only one piece of advice to offer - try before you buy. Domanes (all except the Koppenberg) are rather high at the front and some people (me) have likened the fit to a Dutch shopping bike. Much depends on whether you're long in the leg or in the back.
For someone describing themselves as a beginner, starting with the right size will have a much greater influence on your enjoyment of the bike than carbon or aluminium.


Just Googled Trek Shift 3, and 100km in 5 hours is pretty good going. The comparatively upright position (for a race bike) of the Domane will probably feel just right but in every other way a 4.3 will be a revelation. Go for it.

Elfed

Carbon all the way, there really isn't a comparison no matter how you dress it up!

Mattsar

You guys are awesome!

Thank you everyone for the nice words and for your recommendations .

I'll stick to your advices and I will go with 4.3 .

Thanks again !