All Seasons Cyclist

Two years ago I purchased a Trek Domane 5.9 Carbon Fiber Endurance Race Bike and after just one ride I thought there was no way possible for Trek to improve on that bike! One of the biggest selling points for the bike was that Fabian Cancellara (a.k.a. Spartacus) used this bike for the most painful pro bike race in Europe, the Paris–Roubaix (a.k.a. The Hell of the North). The Paris–Roubaix is a 157 mile race that takes place in northern France and large sections of the race is over cobble stones—making it a ride that can tear apart both cyclists and their machines. Trek developed the Domane as an endurance bike—it is a race bike that can help you endure rough roads, even cobble stones, with ease. I live between Chicago and Milwaukee and the roads in our area are horrible (like most of the upper Midwest). Our brutal winters cause even a new blacktop road to crack, crumble and disappear during the spring thaw—and the Trek Domane is the perfect road bike to ride over this mess.

As I mentioned in my last article, my 2013 Trek Domane frame was damaged by a component failure and Trek was kind enough to give me a new frame under their fairly generous warranty program. However, since my frame was two years old Trek did not have that exact frame available, so they upgraded me to a much more expensive 2015 Domane 6.9 Disc frame (thank you Trek!). I rarely take a stock bike home from the local bike shop—so in this article I would like to tell you about some of the upgrades I made. All of these changes were suggested to me by Grant Mullen, mechanic extraordinaire at Zion Cyclery in Zion, Illinois.

The most expensive part of this project was the new wheelset (rims, hubs, spokes). Since the new frame was designed for disc brakes I was going to have to buy a new wheelset. I would have been very happy with the standard Bontrager Affinity Elite Disc wheelset (142×12 rear, 15mm front), but unfortunately it was out of stock. In fact, at this time of the year it was rather difficult to find anyone who had a compatible wheelset in stock. Fortunately, we were able to obtain a much lighter (i.e., more expensive) wheelset from Industry Nine Components. Their i25TL Disc wheelset comes with Torch Road system disc hubs laced with 24 Sapim CX Ray straight pull spokes. For the “weight weenies” among us, this wheelset weighs a mere 1455 grams!

Since my new frame was designed for disc brakes we decided to forego the standard Shimano RS785 hydraulic disc brakes and go with the Spyre SLC dual piston mechanical disc brakes (with a 160mm rotor). This set has Carbon actuation arms for maximum weight savings (156g per caliper). I wanted disc brakes for two reasons: First, I often get caught out in the rain and standard caliper brakes don’t stop too well when wet. Second, I am a big guy (borderline Clydesdale) and a fast descent from the hills can be downright scary—disc brakes provide a lot more stopping power for larger cyclists!

My two-year old bike had the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groupset (front and rear derailleur, shifters, crank) were still in great shape, so we kept them. This groupset provides the smoothest shifting you’ve ever experienced on a bike—even while climbing. In addition to smooth shifting, this unit also provides automatic trimming on the front derailleur. Since the bike was in the shop anyway, a new cassette sprocket (11-28T) and chain were also installed.

I live in an area where there is a lot of broken glass on the road so I had a new pair of Continental Gatorskin tires installed (700x25c with a 180 tpi carcass). However, Grant suggested I use their hardcase tires for even better protection. These tires offer triple flat protection: a Kevlar belt provides puncture resistance, anti-pinch ribs stop pinch flats, and bead to bead woven construction dramatically reduce your chances of cutting your sidewalls.

The Trek Domane has a cut-out in the frame so you can add a Bontrager DuoTrap Digital Speed And Cadence Sensor—since the sensor fits into the frame there is no added aerodynamic drag (and no ugly cable ties). Two years ago I bought the older DuoTrap sensor which was ANT+ compatible, but a few months ago I upgraded to the new Bluetooth model (I will review this product in the near future). The Bluetooth model is compatible with the Wahoo RFLKT Bike Computer and the Cyclemeter iPhone app (the greatest iPhone app ever made).

It took Grant nearly four hours to put my new bike together, but before he was done he had fellow mechanic Duwayne Moss wrap my handlebars. Duwayne has a reputation for turning bar tape into a work of art (when I try to wrap my handlebars it always looks like it was done by a three-year-old with ADD who had been drinking Red Bull). My favorite tape is the Lizard Skins DSP Bar Tape—this 3.2mm tape is made with DuraSoft Polymer (DSP) and provides a comfortable surface for your hands even on Century rides. It also allows you to keep a grip on your handlebars during a rainstorm!

The 2015 Trek Domane 6.9 Endurance Race Bike with disc brakes retails for around $8,300 and is only sold by authorized Trek dealers. I know that is a lot of money for a bike, but if you ride on rough roads you will never regret buying one.

As I left home to watch Grant put my bike together my dear wife suggested that I wear a T-shirt that she had bought me at Christmas (but had not yet worn). The front of the shirt, in very bold type, says, “I promise honey, this is my last bike.” The back of the shirt has a photo of a hand with the fingers crossed. My wife knows me very well.