Just in time for my Giro d’Italia 2020 and/or my birthday, the Treasury Secretary has sanctioned the purchase of a new bike for expeditions like that: a Trek Domane.
My Sensa Trentino CDX was purchased at the time as an excuse for not having a bike suited for ‘mountaineering’, or the occasional off road trip.
While it has served me well during my ‘Tour de France’ of 2017 and last year’s ‘Tour de Suisse’, I only occasionally took it to roads that would be inaccessible on a ‘normal’ road bike.
And to be honest, it’s probably a cross/gravel bike well suited for its purpose, but for 95% of my rides, it’s just not the right fit.
So, while I considered another Sensa, like the Giulia G3, last Friday, I immediately fell for the bike I encountered at Jean Habets – one of my favorite LBS’s in the South – the Trek Domane SL 5.
Trek’s Domane SL 5 Disc is all about smooth riding, speed and versatility.
The lightweight OCLV Carbon frame has both Front and Rear IsoSpeed to smooth out bumps in the road and reduce fatigue so you can stay stronger on long adventures. It has an upgraded Shimano 105 drive train, disc brakes for all-weather stopping power and an easy-access internal storage compartment for stowing ride essentials.
While I originally thought it was a matte black/grey-ish frame, I stood corrected, as it is actually matte/gloss nautical navy, i.e. blue 😂
I have a hard time distinguishing black from (dark) blue anyway, but this difference became very clear when the bike was taken of its stand.
I was allowed to take it for a spin around the block and even while it needs to be made ‘ride ready’, I could feel that this was a bike I was going to like.
And as it already has a ‘granny gear’ of 34×34, I should be good to go.
I have about a week left to break it in and do some fine-tuning if necessary, before we head to Italy.
