Originally Posted by
Up North
Trek Domane is best endurance design I've seen yet. Take one for a test ride and see for yourself.
No. The Domane has a split personality and not a very good design. This is my opinion. The bike is inordinantly harsh in front and soft and springy in back. It feels disconnected. OP, a better bike is the Emonda if you like Treks. I don't like the one bolt seat mast on any Trek and why I stay away.
To me, the best endurance bike is the Roubaix but not the latest SL4 which has a very stiff rear triangle. It rides more like a Tarmac. So I like the SL3 Roubaix.
The big discriminator for me is the crappy seat posts that come on many bikes including the Domane and Cannondale. Specialized puts a std. 27.2 diameter post on their bikes other than the Venge which allows you to run the post you prefer which for me is a 2 bolt post with the setback I prefer.
I believe the SL5 Roubaix will be the bike to get as no doubt they will tame the rear triangle stiffness. Similarly, I suspect that Trek will resolve the front end harshness of the Domane by incorporating what they did with the Emonda which gives the bike what many describe as a magic carpet ride.
Btw, OP...a bike to consider if you are a speed guy is a S2 or S3 Cervelo. It has the ride of an endurance bike...or close to it, but is very aerodynamic and the geometry won't break your back. A great bike...but also has a crappy proprietary one bolt seat clamp which is also a shame.
PS: what Paul stated above about the Roubaix being twitchy is absurd. It is 'thee' most stable handling bike I have ever ridden including high speed descending. The bike handles like it is on rails and every test review says the same thing.
Spesh Engineer's review of the SL4 Roubaix...every inch of the bike is thoughtfully designed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YfP70Na6ws