Originally Posted by
drewtk
And I don’t understand why the Trek paint is supposedly so fragile on the Domane for gravel. If that’s a concern, just install some clear bra on the bottom part of the downtube.
Yeah, it's a pretty ridiculous assertion by the shop. The Checkpoint does have the "carbon armor" on the downtube only, but if you follow any Facebook groups related to the Checkpoint, there are MANY instances of paint getting nicked up on the fork, stays, and elswhere on many Checkpoints. BOTH bikes will get nicked up by riding on gravel.
I would probably apply some strategic "helicopter tape" to vulnerable areas on my Domane if I planned to use it on gravel, however.'
And the front IsoSpeed, threaded bottom bracket, improved seat post situation, and other cool features of the 2020 Domane would put me firmly in that camp if I planned on doing a lot of road riding with the bike.