Trek Domane SL6 Review | Editor's Choice 2019 | Cycling Weekly
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- čas přidán 18. 12. 2019
- The Trek Domane SL 6 enters Editor’s Choice 2019 thanks to its superb versatility and great spec that provides comfort over any endurance ride. I’ve done century rides, touring rides, fast paced group rides and the Domane SL 6 has never let me down. A reliable bike that was a pleasure to ride, the Domane SL 6 is well worth it’s place in this year’s Editor’s Choice.
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Have put about 200 miles on mine so far after getting it a few weeks back. Going from aluminum to this was just wow. I am not racing anytime soon so don't really care that it isn't the fastest bike out there but it is enjoyable and easy to ride which is all that matters!
great review. Great ride! Does everything he said it’ll do and then some! I get lots of compliments on my bike too.
I have the 2019 Domane SL6, and I love it. I train on the roads around town, then ride the gravel trails when time allows. Comfort on the bike was a must because of back issues. I was shopping for gravel bikes but I test rode this bike and was immediately impressed. I don't race, but I like the quality and performance that this bike offers. It was a big improvement when compared to my 16 year-old aluminum Cannondale road bike.
Great feedback - so many bikes out there to try and narrow down the search!! I was on Trek's website and if I'm reading it properly they are saying the weight without pedals is 20.5 lbs or about 9.3 Kg. The price in Canada is close to $5K - that seems an awful lot for a road bike north of 20 pounds if I'm honest. Is that accurate? My 2005 Specialized Allez Pro aluminum bike ready to ride...including pedals, seat-bag, and 2 full water bottles comes in less than that.
@@chrisgilligan4968 You'll have to weigh the cost of the Domane vs other bikes. But I chose the Trek because of the F+R Isospeed, Ultegra groupset, and the disc brakes. I paid $3,600 USD before taxes. I gave up having wider tires that are available with gravel bikes, and I preferred the slightly more upright position vs the SLR version. This bike is lighter than the gravel bikes, but it's done well on the trails with just a switch to appropriate 32mm tires. (I accepted the slight weight penalty for, hopefully, greater durability when riding on trails and carrying gear.)
I originally wanted a custom titanium bike (for durability and comfort) but this was actually less money.
What your local shop carries and recommends for you may be important, too, if you tell them where you ride most. I live in a very hilly area and this bike fit my needs very well. Good luck in your search!
One last thought: a test will let you know a lot. If you feel the difference compared to your current bike, good or bad, that should help you decide more than just comparing the specs.
@@douglastong3208 I hear you. I'm not really looking for a trail bike. I have a hybrid with 700c wheels that I could take into the forest if I felt like doing that - but I'm mostly a road rider. Certainly there is a lot more to ride quality than the weight of the bike I understand that - and I'm sure I can find an extra 3-4 pounds (truthfully 23-4) that I could lose off my own frame before criticizing the bike!! Watching review after review and they all sound great...but often the top spec bikes that they review are a completely different bike from the middle of the road spec that is more in my price range. Best bet I guess is to be patient and wait out this COVID-19 lockdown and then get out and start trying some bikes and see what is best suited to how I want to ride.
anything new is better than your 16yr old bike dude
@@fujitsubo Of that there is no doubt! But to get a bike with a good frameset and even Ultegra mechanical components you're dropping a ton of cash....if I'm going to spend a lot, I'd like to get the best option I can afford - not just one that will be better than my current ride. So many manufacturers all putting out great bikes both in terms of aero and lightweight bikes - too many to choose from!!
If you are thinking about a Domane, get it. You’ll love it. I have the SL5 and glad I decided on it.
Thanks, John. I’ve put in an order and expect it to arrive in a month or so.
What do you like about it over the SL5- did they make any changes e.g., for 2019? What is a good year to get one that is used. I saw a 2018 going for $1,800...but don't want to miss out if there were major updates after MY2018. It seems like this bike has about everything a non-pro road rider would ever want or need.
Ha ran into your CZcams channel
I’m still running my Domane 4.0 . I really LOVE this bike !
Just picked up a used SL6 same color even. Love it so far.
Just Bought one and love it.
my fav roadie was my first carbon bike, Trek 2016 Emonda, upgraded to Ultegra group
I just bought the sl4 yesterday. Tremendous value. I'm going to upgrade the chain set, but it'll do for the time being. Everything else is great
There's no big difference between models right, Just the components?
I love my domane sl6. I catch myself bringing this out more for longer ride than my bianchi oltre xr4 because of how comfortable it is.
I love mine too! Such a sweet ride. Easy on the eyes and seat bones too!
Wow, would you choose a domane over an infinito?
@@Professor5180 for the price difference of a same spec bike. Yes Countervail helps but not as great isospeed or the system specialized roubaix use.
The color and looks on the bianchi does look better.
Great video you guys really nailed all the points I’ve been loving about my SL5 2020 Domane.
There’s lots of focus on it being heavier but seriously you couldn’t tell as the comfort and aero features they’ve built in have made for the most enjoyable and fast riding I’ve ever had. At end of rides I’m finding I’m posting new top times on segments I’ve ridden more than 100’s of times even though I wasn’t working as hard as on my other bikes.
I’ve got the SL5, slapped some 32 Continental Gatorskins and I hardly feel road vibration, have stacks of confidence in the corners. A second hand SL6 wheel set bought from a mate is setup with Panaracer GravelKing SK 35s and widens the range of riding this bike can do.
Road bike & gravel bike sorted. Finally have my perfect bike and I highly recommend for anyone wanting an extremely comfortable road-bike for long rides, but is still quick in a group ride.
Is this video showing the 2019 or 2020 model?
(Even though it's called the 2019 editors choice)
David Boyce it’s the 2020 model, which was released in 2019. The hidden compartment under the bottlecage spot for reference.
Is it ok for regular gravel roads? Rough paths and cracked pavement. We have lots of rougher paved roads with maintained gravel where I live. I was looking at a pure gravel bike but I don’t need 2 inch tires. I have a mountain bike for that.
@Sam actually the things you mentioned are why I really enjoy this bike.
I commutes yesterday on a road I’ve ridden bikes with 25, 32, 35, 38 & 40mm tyres on. There are some nice smooth patches but on a particular downhill the road is quite rough. On the 25mm tyres I’d get out of saddle, go around if I could without swerving into lane. On the 32-40 it’s a rising level of comfort and I stay in saddle and ride over. Yesterday the 35mm Panaracers did the trick.
I took the bike along a river cycling road down to Kamakura from Tokyo experiencing wet roads, footpaths, potholes, dirt roads, farm roads, gravel, and having the option to run 35mm on and endurance bike changed the game and no need to slow down compared to skinnier tyres and the bike is faster on those type of rides than a mountain bike.
Although... I am starting to think how nice it’d be to have a mountain bike for Grinduro.
I upgraded the wheels on my SL 5 to the Bontrager Aeolus XXX 4 - really impressed
I have the SL4 in black (the only one I could,get hold of last year) and have upgraded from Tiagra to 105 with an 11-32 cassette. I also want tubeless with Challenge Strada Bianca tyres that make the bike even more comfortable. It’s a great bike.
Can’t wait to buy it sooner. Seems like a great bike
Great review, thank you!
I have the SL6 2021. Fabulous. I upgraded from 2015 Domane which is a lot lighter but i haven't lost any speed. Safer, more comfortable and great for commute. And I don't miss the DI2. I think I prefer the positive feel of mechanical set. The gears feel a little more widely spaced, but you get a 1:1 granny gear climber which is great for old legs.
Been eyeing this bike up of late. Not only the looks but geometry is key, colour is main, but the red and black I love also. Well done, like it, a lot😎👍
did you get it yet? I’m eyeing the all black stealth for my birthday next month.
James Social Cycling got it! Absolutely love, love, love it!,
K-Mac Sorry man, this did not show up in my inbox, so reason for not coming back to you. But your comment this morning did🤔
I just bought one and it is back ordered until January ! I can’t wait to get it.
Got the Domane sl6 and it’s a really great bike. Expensive but it’s great 👍
I have this bike and it is wonderful. ❤️
Wish I have it too😢
Does anyone who uses their bike for gravel, have any sort of clear wrap around the frame? I can see that really nice paint job getting chipped up pretty fast on a gravel trail.
so when's the slr01 gonna come up?
I just got my hands on the 2020/21 SL7 frameset and cant wait to build it up. Got mine in the Aqua Blue/ Black colourway and I'm specing it with Untegra Di 2.
Mines in a size 56 but doing the stem/handlebars to my fit.. 400 width x 80 mm stem if I need more reach then i may go to a 90 stem but nothing bigger.
One of my big hated with the bike industry is they seem to spec 56 frames with the standard 42cm handlebars mates to either an 11 or 12 cm stem😱😱 that's way over kill in my books!! Big stems give me backaches and as my bike fitter says " if you get one bike and you feel anyway stretched, then your stem's too long "☝🏾☝🏾
I love my 2020 Domane SL7 it is so smooth even with 28mm tires
@TheRustyPeppers I am not into racing so I just enjoy riding and have no experience on a "race spec " bike. I absolutely love and enjoy my sl7 and find that I am looking for longer rides than ever before. To me it is very comfortable and does exactly what I want it to.
@TheRustyPeppers Enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine, I rode over 1000 klm in 4 weeks. Ride on!
As an old racer, how much slower is this one compared with their race model?
What about Domane SL5 for climbing?
I'm jealous of the little lever that opens the storage compartment, my checkpoint has that same compartment but you have to use Allen keys to remove it :(
It is a cool feature.
Nice place to put coins in there
Is it a big difference between the SL5 and SL6, worth the upgrade?
This thing changed my life.
Can you fit a pannier to this?
Not sure if I should get the Domane or the Emonda. My rides mostly consist of 60-70km rides and the occassional 160-180km. I live in Germany so the roads aren't the greatest but also not the worst.
I feel comfortable on my Cube Attain Race 2018, even after 180km it's basically just my legs that complain. Should I go for the speedy Emonda or would comfort be better after all?
For long rides I would go with the Domane. I figure you would benefit from the comfort vs speed and don’t get me wrong the domane is still fast. The isospeed really works and I would not trade my sl5 for any other model out there. Except for maybe the Emonda lol but I could never afford it. Hope this helps.
What’s the max tire clearance?
What’s the narrowest tyres you can run? Can you run 28mm?
Storage compartment like that should be mandatory! A great idea but will it work with a bottle cage on top?
It's got a quick release lever. Looks like you can pull the cover off even with a bottle cage mounted. I'm glad they zoomed in to show that.
Yes the bottle cage fits on top and does not interfere with the lever. Easily removable with the bottle cage on top.
If rain gets in there how far down will it fill the tubes?
Great video. How does it compare to the Roubaix?
id love to know too. i ride a several year old roubaix and im looking for a new daily roadie.
Which ever we have better then other
My favorite road bike was my litespeed tuscany.
It's basically an aero gravel bike! I like the older version better.
As someone who has a checkpoint SL6 I think it's funny how all treks models are kinda blending. They all are taking wide tire ranges , I think the domane can handle up to a 38 tire and checkpoint a 45 ... so if your doing 95%road and 5%light gravel the domane is great , but if you want to venture more offroad to heavy gravel or 2 track I would go checkpoint as I have loved its versatility
Gravel bike + 2 sets of wheels + 2:crank sets for me is the ideal solution.
Bought SL4 2020 just because of the color which best imho throughout the entire Trek's 2020 Domane range
The grey slate with red? I have my eye on that rig!!
@@mattcardarelli exactly its on tiagra but thats ok
My body height is about 168cm
and my inseam height is about 70cm
what size you suggest if i wanna take Domane SL6 ?
50 / 52 ?
thankyou
I'm 168cm and my inseam is 79. I have 52 Domane SL 5 and it's perfect size for me. Initially I was going to take size 50, but the seat tube with max. extracted seat post was still too short for me. But for you, size 50 will be perfect. And because of your short legs you would not be able to sit on saddle of the size 52 because of seat tube being as it is. I hope this helps.
And by the way...this bike is something else, with its "iso" something it dampens the vibrations of the not so perfect roads to the point that you're thinking "is this for real", bike is super stable, is fast and is so unbelievably comfortable. It does have a pound or two more than other bikes of this kind or class, it does cost a couple hundreds more than other bikes of this kind or class, but the moment you push on the pedals you forget it and never remember it again. And it looks just beautiful. Period.
I'm 5'2" and have a 50. It really depends on the inseam but there are charts for typical bike sizes by your height. You lbs should be able to size you up and get the right size bike for you.
K-Mac thanks. Yes I found those charts but I am in between sizes I guess (180cm and 81.8 inseam). So doubting a 54 or 56. The 56 seems to have a higher stack/reach ratio than the 54. Any thoughts or advice? Think the 56 but...
mebunzing the best thing is try it out. Straddle or stand over the bike and you should have a little clearance between you and the bike without touching anything. It really hard to say without doing that. If your legs are longer or shorter that factors in as well as your reach to the handlebars once seated. - I helped someone buy a bike based on his height. Turns out he’s miserable on it and needs to go down a size. - Your lbs should let you try both sizes and then you decide based on comfort. Bikes aren’t a one size fits all. Once you are dialed in it’s an amazing ride but if it’s off, it can be painful and even cause injury too.
K-Mac thx KMac. You are right. Thing is that I consider buying second hand via internet. Thanks. Regards
Cyclocross is only 33mm, this fits 38mm so alot more than just "cyclocross tires"!
True, generally speaking gravel tires are far wider than XC ones
I just bought one.... comments coming soon 😀👍
How's the honeymoon period?
First impression?
Comparison to the previous bike you had?
Major ballage @ 4:55. Confronting
If Treks road bike were cars.
Domane=Bentley Continental GT
Emonda= Alfa Romeo 4C
Madone=Mclaren 600LT
Gravel bike + 2 sets of wheels + 2:crank sets fir me is the ideal solution.
4:12, good luck with that.
Just get an emonda disc and use 30mm tyres for comfort... My 2016 older version w rim brakes fits 28mm easy
Its not only about tyres for comfort. Geometrics make a huge diffrence(e.g. Reach and Stack ratio)
Treks are so heavy. the 56 cm SL6 weighs 9.30 kg or 20.51 lbs.
it's like 1 whole kg heavier than the old domane
Damn
Does SL stand for same level of compliance? 😂
NERDS.. But a great frame, quality parts out of the factory.
Feeling Privileged to be able to ride a bike that costs $3x my first car in highschool.
Seriously whacked set up…. Hills, with ease.
Only compliant, it feels a bit over the nose on downhill (I also treat it like a gravel bike.)
I wish, I had forwarm braces, for those long road miles. And are trigger, lateral breaks to much to ask……
SICK BIKE, best street goer I’ve ever ridden…
G
Can't find a 56 or 58cm anywhere! (
@JR Black,red and white in 56/58 either out of stock or coming soon in UK
To say this bike can do anything and go anywhere because it comes with 32mm tyres is such BS. 😂
I have one bike with 35mm and one with 25mm and I wouldn't take the bike with the 35s on a group ride on the road.... I'd get left behind. The one with 35mm is good... but I still get into things I can't handle on 35mm.
Also more adjustable bikes is not an advantage because I find in my life that if I have more options i don't use them. For example, my car has a button that lets me choose the suspension stiffness... but I never use it, I just set it to M and drive. It's the same with bikes. If I want a bike to be a stiff race bike that's what I will buy. If I Want a gravel bike that's what I will buy, because the bike that sits in the middle is bad at both. 🤷🏻♂️
Oh and the price! I could buy 3 bikes, a Super stiff road, a touring or gravel bike and a MTB... and they wouldn't be bad bikes. Actually £3,200 gives you a lot of options.
I agree. I use my Domane with 25MM tires for my road rides ( a couple of years old) and a T-labs ti bike for gravel for the reasons you stated and what is the bs about a 1:1 ratio being great for bike packing; load a bike and do some steep hills and you need much lower gearing than 1:1
@reginald scott may i know what brand/model and tyre pressure u put on your 25mm and 35mm?
Reginald Scot it’s best all around. Buy one do it all and free up storage space in your apt./garage.
$3,000-plus for a bike and you don't even get a bell or streamers on the handlebars.
Vee Cee but you do get the lookers admiration that warms your heart.
Checkpoint SL6 is more versatile than the Domane SL6.
I stopped the video when I noticed the 3T styre cable routing from the top... c'mon it's horrible... 🙈
Agreed, like a broken nose on a supermodel...the main thing preventing me from getting one is that cable routing...
@@Barrygee Customers and Retailers still complain about that from ages but 3T don't want to listen.
@@alb.1911 seems like it would be an easy thing to fix and make it look better...it must be costing them sales because it’s so ugly
@@Barrygee Yes, just put a hole on the front of the frame like everyone does. I will buy one when they fix this shit, I like the Strada.
@@alb.1911 even if they put the cables down the front of the stem like on the Emonda it would be better
Yea this bike costs more than my car 🤣
Jon Richardson it’s worth it! 🤩
The price...... :( very very veeeery high
Higher than a good motorbike.
i bought a 2019 domane sl6 last year. It was adequate last year. It's not a bad ride, just not smooth like all the hype. It's not better than my old 2008 cannondale synapse. This year, it's turned into a money pit and the crappy bontrager replacement parts make it worse. Maybe it's worth some money in scrap. Makes me want to stop biking.
David F sorry you got a lemon. Don’t give up biking because of it. Ride the 08 or trade in for something different.
Close your eyes and taking hands off the bars would be a mistake
Codox why is that?
...while going decent... 😂 LOL
Return policy
It looks like a bianchi bike.
No thank you. I already have a car that's almost too expensive to keep up 🤷🏻♂️
I wonder how much trek payed him because the bike is a brick
Leave it to cycling weekly to crosschain in a focal point of the video at 0:26.
I wish they had reviewers who knew how to ride 🤦🏻♂️
Gotta be in the big ring no matter what if you're riding for photography!
Don't believe in any sort of suspension in road bike
32c tyre is enough even on a goddamn stiffest frame
Trek fired a rider because of his pro-Trump tweets Never buy a Trek
The storage compartment is near useless. It’s literally just a hole in the frame. Anything you stuff in there is just going to fall down to the bottom bracket area. Once seen in person, it’s fairly obvious a poor design.
Radek it’s just a big hole in the downtube, which is nothing but a solution in search of a problem.
Stuff the inner tube in it (down the hole I mean) and there you go: you can fit another inner tube in their pouch (that comes with a bike) and push it "up" the tube, together with the tools, gels, money, keys...all the things that we stuff in our pockets otherwise.
Right now I have 2 inner tubes (1 up and 1 down the tube), 1 co2 canister, 1 co2 mini pump, 3 plastic tyre levers and multi-tool in it. I don't use pouch as it just takes up the space. And when I go for a ride I put my money, keys, 2-3 gels.... I don't have to keep those things in my jersey pockets as it is so annoying as well as having a bag under the seat.
So for just a "big hole in the downtube" I think it's pretty awesome :-)
thebelly925 I like the secret compartment. It works as intended.
disk breaks are dangerous. rim breaks are much better.
Brakes....😉
no; I have high end bikes with both and the discs are far superior, especially on long down hills most certainly in the wet.
JLP Design care to elaborate why?
Hopefully someone like you will buy my rim brake bike that's for sale. :)
Why do you say that?!