I tested several bikes; Defy Advanced, Scott CR1 and all three Domane's 4,5,6. (only 'cause they had them at a Demo Day...definitely not in my budget).

For me, coming from a 10 year old Giant OCR2, the Domane was the best fit. I purchased a 4.3 last month and swapped out the wheels for my William's 30's.

It's a great bike. It climbs a billion times better than my Giant, is somewhat lighter, and the 105 group is fine. It's smooth on the good roads and decent on worst ones. Do keep in mind that I came from an alum frame so everything feels improved anyhow.

I'm not worried about the pivot point breaking. I'm confident Trek over-engineered the part.