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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6890
Location: Maine12/18/16 1:55 PM |
Endurance bike - Infinito v. Domane
Thinking of getting one of these - not sure if "endurance bike" is really a thing or a marketing concoction, but they both seem good bikes. I will be doing a 14 hour ride in April so I guess I can ponder "endurance" charactistics. I think I'll have the reach about 1 cm shorter than usual, maybe the bars a bit higher.
Leaning toward the Infinito, but I haven't ridden or even sat on either. I know Sparky liked the Infinito, but I'm not sure if anyone has ridden the new Domane with the Isospeed both front and rear. Has anyone?
Main advantage for me of the Domane is I can buy it from a good local dealer, whereas the Bianchi I'd probably have to mailorder. That's not too much of a problem as I think I can spec it OK other than the bar height, and I think I'd have them set it hIgn with spacers and then have it cut here if I wanted to lower it (there's a good shop here that doesn't sell bikes so they wouldn't be pissed:).
I could mail order a well equipped Infinito from either of the two CCs, Colorado or Competitive.
Any thoughts?
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henoch
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 1690
12/18/16 2:32 PM |
I have no opinion on either bike, but.... if the Bianchi isn't glaringly better (and it might be), then just the fact that you can get the Trek at your LBS would tip it in my mind.
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dfcas
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 2815
Location: hillbilly heaven12/18/16 5:19 PM |
I have not ridden either one so I can offer no advice. I have, however, always liked Bianchi.
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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6890
Location: Maine12/18/16 6:09 PM |
Me too
I also like Bianchi, though the only one I own is a '57. And as Henoch mentioned I also like the idea of buying through a local shop.
From what I've read they are both excellent bikes and I don't think I can go wrong. With the Bianchi I think there is one correct frame size where with the Domane it's not as obvious, but that can be sorted out. The Domane uses the decoupling to absorb shock, the Bianchi has the Countervail layup. I can't get the Domane in Celeste. :)
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dfcas
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 2815
Location: hillbilly heaven12/18/16 7:10 PM |
I've often wondered why Bianchi paints bikes a color other than Celeste.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/18/16 7:13 PM |
"not sure if anyone has ridden the new Domane with the Isospeed both front and rear."
I went to test ride one, and the one they had was the wrong size for me, maybe it is better this way.
Between the Disc Strong, the Madone, and now Addict Di2 upgrade in a little more than a year.. the wife is going to have an auction at some point..
I wonder if the 'endurance' front end geom if you need to use longer reach bars/stem is going to react well. My main reason the 59CM Infinito was a no go with 1CM shorter TT than the short side for me. Maybe the 61...
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Marc N.
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 457
Location: Israel12/19/16 12:48 AM |
Domane SL7
Dan-
I`ve been meaning to write my first impressions of the Domane, but wanted a few more rides before doing so. Rare and welcome rainy weather has kept me off the bike for 5 days, so the few rides I`ve had will have to do. For starters, take into account that a) at 128 lbs I am alot lighter than you so the ride will be different for me than for you, and b) I bought the SL7 which has both front and rear isospeed but the rear isn`t adjustable. I thought at my weight it was less significant, plus the SLR comes with a 11-28 while the SL with a 11-32 which is what I wanted. I also looked at the Bianchi, but here it is more expensive, and the reviews that I read claimed that once the road got anything worse than marginally poor, the bike was found lacking.
My Spectrum already had me relatively upright, so the two bikes are almost identical, and it was very comfortable from the word go. As good as the Spectrum is on poor roads, the Trek is noticeably better. I did a climb I am very familiar with, because I wanted to do the downhill. The last 2.5 kilometers of the downhill is on a poor surface, one that usually has me sitting up because of a certain lack of confidence. The Trek definitely absorbed the bumps better which resulted in a more confident feeling which enabled me to stay in the drops. Of course part of that could the the 28 tires, but seeing how this is the first time I have ever ridden with them, it is impossible for me to compare. BTW, the climb, which is 6 km. at 5.5% average, was still difficult...I sort of thought that the bike would go up by itself but such was not the case. I still had to pedal and work to get up that sucker. :-)
The bike feels fast...that is the best way I can put it It handles beautifully and after some fine tuning and putting my normal saddle on it, I saw an increase above my usual speed at what my HR indicated was my normal effort.
My Spectrum has a Campy 10 speed 13 -29 cassette, and I`m still not used to the difference between the two. Also I have some issues with both the feel of the shifters, and the location of the larger lever of the electronic shifting, but I assume that is just a matter of time.
Please feel free to ask about anything and I hope this helped.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/19/16 1:15 AM |
Marc, so the Roubaix was a no go? Did not see and eventuality in the thread you had started..
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Marc N.
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 457
Location: Israel12/19/16 3:08 AM |
Roubaix - Domane
While I have no doubt that the Roubaix is also an outstanding bike, what it came down to was aesthetics.... which bike "spoke to me" more than the other. When I saw the Domaine, I said to myself 'wow, this bike is stunning." With my subdued taste, I found the matte black with touches of blue impossible to resist. Along with the black brakes and crank, the bike has an almost stealth look. Also, like Dan, the Trek dealer is 2 minutes from me while the Specialized was an hour away. If the situation were reversed, maybe I would have bought the Roubaix, even though the Trek is a better looking bike.
Sparky - I was going to post in my original thread, but wanted to wait until I could write my first impressions.
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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6890
Location: Maine12/19/16 8:40 AM |
Thanks Marc/ eTap
That is helpful, and it is a pretty bike. I kind of swing back and forth.
On a related note, I see the top end Domane comes with eTap. Reviews seem good, anyone tried it or have opinions?
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Campyman
Joined: 14 Mar 2004
Posts: 52
Location: Wausau, WI12/19/16 10:18 AM |
Bianchi vs Trek
My current ride is a Trek Domane 6.9 which I built up with Campy Chorus 11sp Mech.
The 6.9 Frame/Bike is no longer avail. In the Domane line they have the SLR and the SL.
The difference being that the SLR has an adjustable Iso-Speed setup in the Seat tube and the standard Iso-Speed in the Head tube. The SL has the standard Iso-Speed in both the Seat and Head Tube.
I've ridden the SLR and it was an amazing ride. If the roads where you ride are bad the Iso-Speed is amazing. I wish I had waited for the SLR to be released when I picked up my 6.9 Frame.
Not up to speed on the Bianchi, but a friend of mine has one and likes it.
The most important thing is the Fit of the frame as you know.
I was poking around on You Tube and found a real cool video. Search You Tube for Domane: Go Anywhere, Do Anything
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/19/16 10:45 AM |
Marc, did you get to test ride the Roubaix? I am curious after offing my '14' SL4 disc in about six months what the post SL4 design netted.
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dfcas
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 2815
Location: hillbilly heaven12/19/16 12:07 PM |
"On a related note, I see the top end Domane comes with eTap. Reviews seem good, anyone tried it or have opinions?"
I've also read a lot of great reviews on eTap but have not ridden it. If I were to upgrade a bike at this point, I would go eTap.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/19/16 12:34 PM |
"I would go eTap"
I looked at it on the net when I was not netting the cost results on the Di2 direction. Being on a fixed budget the cost on the needed pieces scared me right off. Low and behold I got lucky on some barely used Di2 parts. Kinda like a certain person here that a Leslie fell in their lap for dirt just when they needed it to complete a goal. ;)
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Marc N.
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 457
Location: Israel12/19/16 12:47 PM |
Sparky - No, I didn`t test ride the Roubaix. The store was going to bring one for me to see, but they didn`t have one in stock in my size for me to try. If I recall, they were going to bring a 56 while I ride a 52.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/19/16 12:56 PM |
Thanks Marc,
So is your SL7 Disc brakes? Or did you decide to not go that direction? Did not see this data point in the thread, unless I missed it. ;)
Good luck and enjoy the new ride.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/19/16 1:05 PM |
Side Note: Reading on the internet it seems the SLR disc version has about 4mm more tire clearance/room. If that means a28mm Grand Prix 4000S would fit on wider rims, porkers like me might find this appealing in itself. And the press seems to indicate the non disc and disc frame weigh the same. Add in weight for brake system and wheel build of course.
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Marc N.
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 457
Location: Israel12/19/16 1:26 PM |
No disc
I decided against the disc brakes as considering where I live, and that unless I miscalculate, I never ride in the rain, it made zero sense. I`m not sure if it was the Trek or Specialized (or both) but in the disc version, the bike can even take 32 mm wheels. The Domane comes with 28`s. This was another thing in Trek`s favor...you can choose. The new Roubaix only comes with disc brakes.
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greglepore
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 1724
Location: SE Pa, USA12/19/16 1:37 PM |
Dan, everyone I know that has tried etap likes it. There is the open question of multiple batteries, but I guess if doing an extreme event you could take along a spare.
On a cost basis, Ultegra makes loads more sense, as the wiring only gets done once. But again, having spent a couple hours this weekend internally routing wires into a new set of bars, it might be worth it. Really only an issue though with newfangled aero bikes/aero bars with hidden wiring.
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dfcas
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 2815
Location: hillbilly heaven12/19/16 2:26 PM |
I'm waiting for Sram to take it downstream to Force or Rival level, or i'll buy a used bike with it on there.
It's nice that the front and rear derailleur use the same battery so you could just move one from the front to the rear in case of need.
Do frames spec'd with eTap have cable stops or are they drilled, or are they eTap only?
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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6890
Location: Maine12/19/16 2:59 PM |
Hmmm
A Domane with etap is starting to sound interesting, maybe I'll go talk to my "new" LBS (after my old one closed) about it. They have a pretty good selection, carry Trek, Cannondale, Cervelo, Seven.
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dfcas
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 2815
Location: hillbilly heaven12/19/16 3:23 PM |
11K.. yikes.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/19/16 3:24 PM |
I keep spying the $3k SLR frameset, The muted color schemed non hello look is appealing to me. That black with viper red stay accents is not to bad.
When it goes on sale for anything near $2k the Scott may get the 7800 back on it and sold off.
For now, I suspect the Di2 Addict to be my #1 for 2017. I also expect it to be stripped of Di2 15 minutes after I get home with a SLR Domane non disc Frame. ;)
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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2626
Location: Canberra, Australia12/19/16 3:34 PM |
When I wanted such a bike a couple of years ago, I purchased a Lynskey Sportive:
1. I like Ti frames
2. It has a threaded BB - I detest press-in BBs
3. It takes 30mm tyres - presently using Schwalbe S-One which measure out at 31mm, and there's room still for slightly larger
4. Available as either disc or rim brake version
I purchased just the frameset and built it up myself, but it's also available as complete bike.
ChainReaction regularly sell Lynskey frames at about 40% off.
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Marc N.
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 457
Location: Israel12/19/16 10:01 PM |
DC Rainmaker
Dan - You might want to check out DC Rainmaker. He has a pretty in depth review of the etap which might be of interest. If you are not familiar with him, he is a tech geek/athlete who the companies give their latest gizmos to to try out and write reviews of.
Sparky - Mine is the black and blue. It looks far better in person. The blue, or in your case red, is also on the fork and top tube.
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