Thinking about future upgrades. I've been eying the emonda alr 5 and domane sl5, both rim brake versions. I'm a recreational rider but want a bike that can grow with me. I have a bike that works fine now but I'd like to possibly do some century's in the future. I'm mid 40s and I'd consider myself athletic. I like the lighter weight and sportiness of the emonda but can't look past the domane for the supposed better ride comfort. I also think the 11/32 cassette would be a nice option too. Anyone with experience with these two I'd love to hear it.

How athletic are you? If you are light and flexible the Emonda should be fine. It will also depend on the road conditions and terrain where you ride.

I just bought a Domane SL5 with discs. Didn’t necessarily want discs but now that I have them I love them. I’m 64 and enjoy the smother ride from my old Trek aluminum Pilot 2.1.

I'm fairly athletic, not light though. I usually stay around 215. I keep thinking the Domane will be much better for comfort.

I'm sure I'd never notice the difference weight wise going from rim to disc. I've heard the disc are the way to go. Looks like for trek as of 2020 that's gonna be the only way to go anyway. So I guess it'll most likely be a disc bike unless i find a previous year for sale.

I do feel more confident descending at higher speeds with the discs.

Go with the one that looks better.

The rest is just marketing.

^This.
I have an ALR5 and an SL6 disc.
I prefer the Emonda. It will take 30mm tyres which will give a nice ride if that is what you want.
Maybe the Domane rides a little softer with iso-speed blah blah but there isn't much in it so I prefer the simpler, lighter, and better looking Emonda.

Thank for the responses. That alr5 is really growing on me. Everytime I go in the lbs I find myself drawn to it.

This is absolutely correct. whatever one gets you off the best is the one you want.

Go with the purple Emonda. The level of ride comfort isn't going to be appreciably different between the two, quite honestly -- the Domane is just going to be more upright. That might make it more comfortable if you have back issues, but if you don't, it's just going to sit you up in the wind more. Your choice of tires, shorts, gloves, and shoes will have more to do with your all-day comfort than the marketing/geometry of the bike.

As you get into riding more, you'll get more fit, lose a bit of weight and be happy you bought the racier bike.

By the way, you can change the cassette to whatever you prefer/need -- in fact, if you're dropping coin on a new bike, ask the shop to change it for you. They should do so without question or extra charge.

Really good advise, thank you. I am noticing more and more I feel like I could get lower on my current ride.

You should experiment with your position a bit first then. If your stem is already slammed, try a 17 degree one, maybe a tad longer even.

A good shop will swap out the stem on a new bike, like the cassette.

Why will the Domane make you sit more upright?
I have both bikes and both set up with the same fit.
Yes, there is a bit more stack on the Domane but that doesn't mean it is out of the range of adjustment required to get the desired fit.

I haven't slammed it. It's still on its highest setting. I just got fit on the bike at the first of the month. But the more I ride, the more i feel like i could go lower. I'm gonna take it slow and let my body adjust a little at the time.