Haselsmasher

I'm considering a 2020 Domane.

Does anyone happen to know if there's any sort of drainage or ventilation in the storage compartment in case moisture gets in there?

Thanks.

Jim

August West

There is a weep hole on the bottom side of the bottom bracket shell that would allow water to drain out. Not going to provide much ventilation though. You could always take the compartment door off for a day or two to allow it to dry out if water did get in.

I love the storage compartment with its flat kit storage. It has allowed me to get rid of my saddle bag and mount my blinkey light on the seat post knuckle which makes for a very clean look.

Haselsmasher

Awesome. Thanks. I'm most concerned about having some way for water to exit. I'm not concerned about moisture as a general problem. I live in CO. In life here we're typically more focused on how we can add moisture to our lives (in our houses, on our skin). It just occurred to me if water actually got in (riding through puddles, washing, rain, etc.) is there a reasonable way for it to not just have it sit there. It sounds like there is.

Thanks a lot!

Jim

AdkMtnMonster

Aren’t you more worried about water getting inside your top tube or fork where the cables enter? Oh, nooo...

ckindt

Haselsmasher

Well - you raise a good point! I only thought about it from the standpoint that, when that cover is off, it's such a huge hole. LOL But you're right - there are numerous places for water to infiltrate.

It's good to hear there's a weep hole.

Jim

jpescatore

I don't buy bikes very often, and I have a 2017 Domane SL6 that I love. That storage compartment is so cool, I've almost considered doing a trade-in!

Haselsmasher

Thanks for the response. ^^^^^

Great to hear you like your '17. I'm so eager to give the Domane a test ride! It never fails - all of January the weather has been decent enough to ride - no snow and acceptable temperatures. What happens as soon as I realize I want to do a test ride: Snowstorms and many days in a row with temps below freezing.

jfranci3

I have a Checkpoint with a DI2 cover. It'll get damp on occasion. The cable ports aren't water tight for example. I bet water really only enters the frame during washes, so you're probably OK on rides. For things that you don't want wet, they're either small (money/phone) or big (gloves,sub sandwiches). I recommend getting a small frame bag (Apidura racing ; Shimano Discovery, Topeak something) . If you go this route, get side exit bottle cages (Elite Cannibal).

jpescatore

I love that Domane - I'm not a racer, more a long distance recreational and touring rider. The Isospeed dampers made the ride noticeably different/better to me when I did my test rides (in a warm February!) along with the SL6 basr and padded bar tape. My first carbon and disc brake bike - I'm big fans of both now.

The only downside has been the need to pay more attention to care for the carbon frame - not clamping the top tube on my work stand, using torque wrenches, having a press in bottom bracket, etc. Always rode steel bikes before this.

Two minor nits that Trek seems to have fixed:

• The plastic cable guide on the bottom bracket kept snapping, about every 1500 miles or so. First, fix was under warranty, Trek OKed bike shop fixing second one outside of warranty. Third time the bike shop said "Trek sent us replacement guides, we'll put one of the new ones on for free." That one has lasted 2 years now.
• I sprung for the DI2 rpm/speed sensor. Kind of annoying to replace the battery - have to remove the rear wheel, though maybe folks with smaller hands can reach between the spokes Plus, the rubber band mount for the crank magnet lasted about as long as the cable guide - I ended up just gluing a magnet on the crank. I think someone said Trek improved the rubber band for the larger cranks, but don't know.

Seattle Forrest

I use fire to dry mine out.

HTupolev

One of the guys I ride gravel with carries a firesteel in his toolkit. I've never seen him use it, but I guess airing out a bicycle storage compartment is as good an application as any.

Haselsmasher

Today I test rode the Roubaix Sport (mostly 105) and the Domane SL6 (Ultegra).

The Roubaix rode better than I thought it would. I thought I'd feel the FutureShock in the handlebar but I didn't. It's a nice bike. Handled well.

I thought the Domane rode better. Just a bit softer overall. I'm assuming the wider tires (32s on the Domane and 28s on the Roubaix) contributed to that. The Ultegra shifting seemed a bit snappier. Cable routing is much cleaner on the Domane.

I realized while riding the Domane (didn't occur to me while on the Roubaix) how much I instinctively ride around obvious bumps in the road. (Such as asphalt that has been built up around the edges of a manhole cover.) I'm sure I learned that because on my 12 year old Roubaix one gets quite the shock. But I took some of them on purpose and the Domane handled them really well. Bumps.....not sharp jolts.

Although I haven't actually pulled the trigger yet - I'm confident I will soon.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Jim