My Next Bike

[Bristolian]

My current steed is a Specialized Allez Sport with 54cm frame from 2010 and there is nothing wrong with it mechanically. Indeed, I really like the bike but it has a fairly aggressive geometry which makes it both twitchy and a rough ride on the country roads where I live and ride. Decades ago this would have been my ideal bike but at nearly 70 years of age (and around 100kgs in weight) I have come to the conclusion that I need a more relaxed ride and maybe one that would allow me to do some light gravel routes too.

I have been looking around at what is available in the used market and found the Trek Domane AL4 (Gen 3) which I like the look of. The bike gets mainly good reviews with compliments on its smooth ride and versatility. On the face of it, it sounds like it could be the bike for me but according to Trek's website the Domane's 54cm frame is only suitable for riders up to 5' 9" ... and I'm 5' 10", which puts me into 56cm size in the Domane. The 56cm Domane frame is also very similar to the Allez.

Looking at the geometry of the frames I don't see what makes the Domane more likely to give a smoother ride - the differences are pretty small, except for the wheelbase. I thought that head angle was the main factor that determined the ride quality but the Allez has a slacker angle than the Trek so maybe I have that wrong?

I'm in a quandary, so can I ask; do we have any 5' 10" members here that have a Domane? If so, what frame size are you riding and how do you find the quality of that ride?

Thanks in advance for any and all comments

 

[Cycleops]

Why don't you try a gravel bike? Relaxed geometry and bigger comfier tyres.
I'm just over 6' and a bit older than you but not so heavy. My Specialized gravel bike is my main transport down here. Give one a try, I'm sure you'll like it.

 

[si_c]

You can usually compare geometry of two bikes at this website:

https://geometrygeeks.bike/compare/specialized-allez-sport-2010-54-1,trek-domane-al-3-2021-56-cm/

The 56cm Trek looks to be a very similar fit to the 54cm Specialized - the reach is 7mm shorter (saddle to bar distance - you can tweak this with a change of stem) and the stack is higher (a more upright, more comfortable position). The Seat tube is 25mm longer but given you are at the top end of what the Specialised size guide recommended likely means you'll just have less exposed seat post to get the position right. The wheelbase is slightly longer, which combined with the slacker head angle will generally make the bike feel more stable and less direct meaning the ride style is more relaxed and judging from your comment above probably what you are looking for.

I have a 2018 Domane ALR and even with narrow 25c tyres it's a really comfortable ride on the terrible roads we have here, I'd expect the one you're looking at to be more so given it came stock from the factory with 32c tyres and can take 35mm ones without mudguards. That extra rubber width is going to make a huge comfort difference alone compared to your current bike.

Checking the size guides it looks as though there is some overlap in how the Trek and Specialized frame sizes work for these bikes - which is why you should use geometry charts if you can. You're probably a good fit but still probably worth trying the bike out if you can agree this with the seller.

 

[Bristolian]

Why don't you try a gravel bike? Relaxed geometry and bigger comfier tyres.
I'm just over 6' and a bit older than you but not so heavy. My Specialized gravel bike is my main transport down here. Give one a try, I'm sure you'll like it.

Hi Cycleops and thanks for the suggestion. I tried a couple of gravel bikes at my LBS but would probably need a longer ride to convince myself that a 1x set-up would have the gear range to get me up some of my nemesis hills around here. There are a couple where I struggle to get my 30t chain ring and 34t lowest gear to the top. Food for thought though

 

[Bristolian]

You can usually compare geometry of two bikes at this website:

https://geometrygeeks.bike/compare/specialized-allez-sport-2010-54-1,trek-domane-al-3-2021-56-cm/

The 56cm Trek looks to be a very similar fit to the 54cm Specialized - the reach is 7mm shorter (saddle to bar distance - you can tweak this with a change of stem) and the stack is higher (a more upright, more comfortable position). The Seat tube is 25mm longer but given you are at the top end of what the Specialised size guide recommended likely means you'll just have less exposed seat post to get the position right. The wheelbase is slightly longer, which combined with the slacker head angle will generally make the bike feel more stable and less direct meaning the ride style is more relaxed and judging from your comment above probably what you are looking for.

I have a 2018 Domane ALR and even with narrow 25c tyres it's a really comfortable ride on the terrible roads we have here, I'd expect the one you're looking at to be more so given it came stock from the factory with 32c tyres and can take 35mm ones without mudguards. That extra rubber width is going to make a huge comfort difference alone compared to your current bike.

Checking the size guides it looks as though there is some overlap in how the Trek and Specialized frame sizes work for these bikes - which is why you should use geometry charts if you can. You're probably a good fit but still probably worth trying the bike out if you can agree this with the seller.

Hi si_c and thanks for your comments. I had managed to download the geometry charts for both bikes mentioned and agree there are some overlap between them. My local LBS doesn't have a Gen 3 Domane for me to try and the seller for the one I am looking at is about a 3 hour drive away. Logically, I think I should go for the 56 Domane - just have to find a decent one at a reasonable price

 

[Cycleops]

Hi Cycleops and thanks for the suggestion. I tried a couple of gravel bikes at my LBS but would probably need a longer ride to convince myself that a 1x set-up would have the gear range to get me up some of my nemesis hills around here. There are a couple where I struggle to get my 30t chain ring and 34t lowest gear to the top. Food for thought though

Yes, unfortunately the 1x crank is the 'in' thing. I've got a triple on mine. I suspect you like me are old skool and like that set up. Might be worth scouting around and trying to find an older model with a triple or double.
This is my AWOL.