Kvasir
Regular
- Location
- Wisconsin, USA
I am new to this forum and hoping that this is the proper area to post a review of my brand new Trek Domane SL7. Today was the first day where the weather was warm enough to get out for a ride. It also is my very first day on my Domane! So, here goes, if you’re interested...
The SL 7 lives up to and exceeds every expectation I had for it. It makes me feel bad I hung on to my old bike for so long. This is one fun ride!
It’s quicker than I thought. By that I mean it is quick to turn by comparison. It took me by surprise as I accelerated to start my ride this afternoon. As I pedaled out my driveway, it almost threw my off as I made a left on to the street. It turns much sharper than expected. I could also make 90° turns coming off hills much faster than on my old bike. There is one turn in particular where the fastest I could make the turn is about 18 mph and I would always brake before going into the turn. Made the same turn at 24 mph without braking at all. I was totally comfortable doing it.
It is also a much faster ride. My average speed today is 2.4 mph faster than on the Moots. And this was my very first ride of the season. I’ll be smoke’n by August!!
The electronic shifting is everything it is cracked up to be-fast, quiet and logical. I did have some issues downshifting which I attribute to the gloves I was wearing. Sometimes it is difficult to find that inside right paddle. I also kept trying to swing the brake lever to down shift instead of using the inside paddle. That’s just habit from by old bike.
I was pleasantly surprised by the ride. I don’t know exactly what I anticipated. I kind of thought it would be mushy like my old mountain bike but it was perfectly stiff, which I’m glad of, with the ISOspeed softening big jolts rather than eliminating them. The big (HUGE!) difference is in the wider softer tires. They really smooth out chatter and vibration without any speed penalty. I’m amazed. I ran them at 90 psi which seemed a good compromise from the 85 psi that the bike fitter recommended and the 95psi-100psi I was considering. Think I might drop it down to 85 psi just to see how it affects speed and ride.
The Speedplay pedals are awesome. I really like them, especially the amount of float. The only negative here is that I would occasionally rub against the chain stays which is probably due to the booties I was wearing to keep my feet warm.
The overall fit seems good. I didn’t ride that far but I didn’t get a sore back afterwards which is where I usually get hit. I also noticed a little twinge on the inside of my left knee post ride which could indicate the need for an adjustment or, more probably, working muscles that haven’t been worked since late October. I also found myself pushing my butt back on the saddle quite often to get my sit bones where they belong. Here again, I was wearing extra layers which could affect fit.
Overall I am pumped. You know how sometimes you get buyers regret. I’ve bought skis, made a couple of runs and wondered why the heck I spent the money. They just weren’t right for me. None of that here. I’m totally pleased and really anxious to put on the miles.
The SL 7 lives up to and exceeds every expectation I had for it. It makes me feel bad I hung on to my old bike for so long. This is one fun ride!
It’s quicker than I thought. By that I mean it is quick to turn by comparison. It took me by surprise as I accelerated to start my ride this afternoon. As I pedaled out my driveway, it almost threw my off as I made a left on to the street. It turns much sharper than expected. I could also make 90° turns coming off hills much faster than on my old bike. There is one turn in particular where the fastest I could make the turn is about 18 mph and I would always brake before going into the turn. Made the same turn at 24 mph without braking at all. I was totally comfortable doing it.
It is also a much faster ride. My average speed today is 2.4 mph faster than on the Moots. And this was my very first ride of the season. I’ll be smoke’n by August!!
The electronic shifting is everything it is cracked up to be-fast, quiet and logical. I did have some issues downshifting which I attribute to the gloves I was wearing. Sometimes it is difficult to find that inside right paddle. I also kept trying to swing the brake lever to down shift instead of using the inside paddle. That’s just habit from by old bike.
I was pleasantly surprised by the ride. I don’t know exactly what I anticipated. I kind of thought it would be mushy like my old mountain bike but it was perfectly stiff, which I’m glad of, with the ISOspeed softening big jolts rather than eliminating them. The big (HUGE!) difference is in the wider softer tires. They really smooth out chatter and vibration without any speed penalty. I’m amazed. I ran them at 90 psi which seemed a good compromise from the 85 psi that the bike fitter recommended and the 95psi-100psi I was considering. Think I might drop it down to 85 psi just to see how it affects speed and ride.
The Speedplay pedals are awesome. I really like them, especially the amount of float. The only negative here is that I would occasionally rub against the chain stays which is probably due to the booties I was wearing to keep my feet warm.
The overall fit seems good. I didn’t ride that far but I didn’t get a sore back afterwards which is where I usually get hit. I also noticed a little twinge on the inside of my left knee post ride which could indicate the need for an adjustment or, more probably, working muscles that haven’t been worked since late October. I also found myself pushing my butt back on the saddle quite often to get my sit bones where they belong. Here again, I was wearing extra layers which could affect fit.
Overall I am pumped. You know how sometimes you get buyers regret. I’ve bought skis, made a couple of runs and wondered why the heck I spent the money. They just weren’t right for me. None of that here. I’m totally pleased and really anxious to put on the miles.
