trailangel

All you guys look like riding kiddie bikes. they all look too small. Small, stiff, lighter, then buy better diaper shorts, so it doesn't beat you up so much.
7mm is kind of a short stem, isn't it?
Did I miss anything?

wthensler 

I went through the 56 versus 58 Domane several years ago. I'm a tad under 5'11", but have long legs. Bike Line in DE was nice enough to let me ride both, and I must have gone back and forth a number of times.

At the end of the day, I ended up with a 58, because I felt a little neck strain with the 56. I'm personally glad I went with the 58. I sit up tall, to be certain, but I love the relaxed fit (I'm almost 59). I shortened the 100mm stem to 90, it didn't really affect the handling characteristics.

I also have a Giant Defy 0, M/L, which is probably the equivalent of a 57 cm. Definitely lower up front and a bit more aggressive fit. I love both bikes!!

CJlift

FYI, I'm Asian 😎 tried fitting on 58cm frame but the reach is way too far and stack way too high

CJlift

I'm sure you will find it a lot more comfy riding your Domane, it's almost like riding on a flat rear tire

Kevindale

It sounds like you are more upright on the 58 cm bike -- that doesn't make sense to me. With the longer top tube, you should be more stretched out. That was my experience in deciding between a 56 and 58 CAAD 10. I liked feeling less bunched up on the 58.

wthensler 

Ya know what? It's weird, I think the Domane is so tall up front that I really don't feel more stretched out. As I mentioned, I'm not quite 5'11", so when I first went to the dealer, he said "you're a 56". When I hopped on, he looked at the space between my inseam and the bike, and said, "no, you're a 58".

I think either bike would have worked (I have always been 'between' sizes in most things). The 58 is plenty comfortable, so clearly if it were too big, I'd have known several thousand miles later. And at 59, a poorly fitting bike would become apparent rather quickly.

Kevindale

Yeah, I hear you. I'm 6' even, and the bike shop (following the trend of small frames with lots of seat tube exposed) tried to sell me on a 56. I rode both, and the 58 felt better, so that's what I bought. Then when I replaced the stock 44 cm bars with 40 cm bars (I'm thin) the bike suddenly was transformed, and fells fantastic now.

TKJava

I agree with your post here. I want to sit more upright these days due to my neck not wanting to bend upward for several hours any more. Regarding the person in the original post it was unclear to me if both the 56 and 58 were available to try. My preference in the situation of "in between sizes" would be to go larger which is against the grain of the current conventional wisdom. However as I mentioned I want to be more upright these days.

My last venture into buying a new bike was difficult since every LBS I visited did not have an XL/62 frame in stock, I'm 6' 3". The answer at all the stores near me was "research the bike you think you would want (that we carry) on-line and come in and order the size you think you need" which IMHO totally flies in the face of the LBS mantra of "The most important aspect of choosing a bike is fit". At all of the stores the bike I would order based on my own online research the bike would be mine fitting or not. I would love to be able to go to a store and find 3 different brands of bikes all in the size recommended for me and pick the most optimal. This for the most part is not possible.

Red7

Sorry to resurrect this thread but I could use some help as I'm in the same situation. I'm new to road bikes but been a long-time mtber (who always sizes down a frame size for a more nimble ride). I'm buying my first road bike and have been researching a ton online and realized I'm looking for an endurance/comfort geo bike. I'm 6' with a 32" inseam (pants) but after reading a post above I measured from crotch to the floor and am almost 35". My legs aren't long for my height and I'm proportionally balanced upper and lower body according to 2 of the shops I visited today.

Here's my experience so far:

1. Test road a Cannondale Synapse in 56cm because that's all they had and though it felt strange being stretched out on a road bike for the first time, it wasn't uncomfortable and the shop owner (long-time racer) said it looked like the right size plus they didn't have a 58cm.

2. I then went to a Trek dealer who had the 2018 Domane SL 5 (sweet bike by the way!) in a 58cm and he put me on a trainer and measured leg angles and knee over pedal spindle and was 100% sure the 58cm was correct for me. I felt way stretched out up top but comfortable in the drops and my hands did start to go numb a little riding around stretched out up top. The Trek guy said a 1cm shorter stem would make the bike perfect for me.

3. I then went to another Trek dealer who had the 2017 Domane S 5 or 5 S (only isospeed in the back) but they had it in both the 56cm and 58cm which was nice to go back and forth 2x each. The reach of the 56cm felt better up top but my arms were more bent in the drops which maybe felt a little less stable if I were bombing a hill. I felt a tiny bit more confined when pedaling but we kept raising the seat until it was fairly high/nearly maxed and that felt better. I then hopped on the 58cm and like the 58cm at the other shop, felt stretched out on the reach up top but more stable in the drops but again, I have no experience with road bikes so I don't know if feeling stetched up top on the 58cm is actually correct or if not having my elbows locked out when in the drops of the 56cm is actually correct. The 56cm felt more nimble when railing tight turns back and forth (kind of like my smaller mtb) compared to the more stable 58cm but I realize a road bike isn't for making super tight radius turns. The professionalism of the first Trek dealer was clear as day after going to the 2nd where they were nice but never took a single measurement nor gave me any insight on which size looked better. He gave zero input and said either would be fine.

4. I then went to a Specialized dealer and road a 56cm and 58cm Roubaix and it was about the same as the Trek in that the 56cm felt better up top but more sporty/nimble and possibly a bit more tight from the hips to the pedals (maybe what I was feeling is how it should have felt, plus the 56cm had 172mm crank arms vs 175mm on the 58cm so maybe it felt different because of the smaller circles since I’m used to 175mm cranks on my mtb). I wouldn't say my legs felt constrained when pedaling the 56" but maybe a bit more open with the 58cm but my arms definitely felt better with the 56. Oh, and the guy said that you shouldn't shorten or lengthen the stem with the futureshock because it's designed to work with the 100mm stem so he said I could try going down 1cm on the 58cm but it's not recommended which is why he said I really should go with the 56cm. After riding the Roubaix, one thing that was clear was that the Domane's isospeed was way nicer than the Roubaix's future shock which I could bob up and down at will. The Domane on the other hand, I could never feel anything moving until I later road a Trek without isospeed over the same cobblestone round about…at which point I was totally sold on the Domane!

5. I went to the sister store of the first Trek dealer and they only had the 56cm of the 2018 SL 5 Domane so this very experienced guy got me all set up on the trainer, again with measurements and tweaks and he said he had the seat at the very max that the seat cap would allow which made him think the 58cm might be a little better. He did say this one had the shorter seat cap so it could go higher with the other but then I'd be getting the seat a good bit above the bars. I road it and after having just road the Roubaix, knew that I 100% wanted the Domane and it is just so good about sucking up the bumps without ever noticing any movement in the seat or bars. I road a highend Emonda in a 56cm with carbon wheels and everything after the Domane over the same cobblestone and though the Emonda was surprisingly comfortable and rock solid, it really showed just how awesome the Domane is at sucking up the bumps. The comment by the Trek guy was, the bike looks a little small for you and I think the 58cm with 1cm shorter stem would be perfect. Funny cuz that's exactly what the first Trek guy said and both of these guys were the only ones to put me on a trainer and take measurements.

I personally felt smack dab in the middle where there were a couple things I liked better about the 56cm and a couple things I liked better about the 58cm. The 56cm with a 1cm longer stem (or slightly more rise) might make it feel perfect though the reach felt pretty good to me, or the 58cm with a 1cm shorter stem. I’m in the damn middle of these bikes.

Now here's the kicker.....I found a 2016 Domane 4.0 disk from a guy on Craigslist who was gifted the bike and only rode it 3 times (less than 50 miles total). The bike is literally brand new without a scratch on it and I can get it for $800 (it was $2100 new) but it's a 56cm. So, the 2 places that actually fit me to the bike both thought that the best option would be to go with the 58cm with a 1cm shorter stem and I tend to agree with them that this would probably give me the best fit because from my feet back, I felt better on the 58cm but didn't like the reach. However, was the difference enough to warrant spending $1200 more (the 2018 SL 5 was $2000)? That's kind of comparing apples to oranges though because the 56cm 4.0 disc has the TRP Hy/RD mechanical disc brakes and only the rear isospeed plus Shimano Sora groupset vs the SL 5 with dual isospeed, Shimano 105 groupset and rim brakes rather than disc and carbon seat post. For disc I'd pay $2500 but they'd be hydraulic disc brakes.

The deal on the 2016 4.0 disc is such a good one because I could buy pedals, road shoes, carbon seat post, new 28cm (30cm really) Conti GP4000 II tires and full Ultegra groupset for less than the SL 5 with rim brakes (but dual isospeed, though I don’t know if the front makes as much difference as the rear). But, the big question is if I could make the 56cm work when it appears the seat to pedals to handlebars isn't ideal compared to the 58cm with a shorter stem? My inclination was that I should slide the seat back a bit on the 56cm to open up the pedaling a tiny bit so it was similar to the 58cm but the guy who fitted me on the 56cm felt I needed to slide the seat forward a bit to get my knees over the pedals, hence why he thought the 58 would be better. He didn't say the 56cm couldn't work and agreed I was in between them but closer to the 58cm than the 56cm. If I had explained that I had a smoking deal on the 56cm it wouldn’t have surprised me if he thought it could be made to work for me but clearly thought the 58cm was best. Then again, I read so many posts like in this thread where people went smaller than recommended and it seems to work for them. I wonder if all of you who did that had a shop that really took the time to fit you and then still recommended you went smaller.

Sorry this got so long but what do you think? I need to make a decision by Friday because I'm supposed to pick up the 4.0 disc Saturday unless I decide it's too small for me. Thanks so much!

Red7

Hmm, another thing I'm wondering about is how the crank arm comes into play. Over the past week I've come across several articles stating that road bikes don't need as long of crank arms as mountain bikes where we can use the extra torque for short bursts over a rock or up a steep trail section. These articles stated that road bikers should run substantially shorter crank arms than what is "normal". I'm not sure how true it is but it made me wonder if I were to get the 2016 Domane 4.0 and eventually upgrade to a Ultrega goupset, if going to maybe a 170mm chainset would keep me from having to slide the seat forward to put my knee right over the pedal spindle. Making smaller circles might help my knees and make the 56cm feel more roomy when pedaling, not that it felt uncomfortably tight.

PoorInRichfield

Red7...

Being a MTBer, do you know for sure that you enjoy road riding? If the answer is "no, I don't know", then I'd recommend getting the Craigslist bike for sure. That way, if you decide road riding just isn't for you, you're not out thousands of $$$ and you still have a nice bike. Bikes, like cars, depreciate radically the second they leave the dealership

If you decide you do like road riding, the Domane 4.0 is still a very capable bike and you'll have plenty of cash leftover to buy accessories as you mentioned. (BTW, here's a little secret in road cycling: It's NOT the bike! What will make you a fit, fast roadie is riding a lot of miles, not an uber-expensive bike!)

The Domane SL will probably be a tad more comfortable up front, but at a high price. Since the Craigslist bike is a disc bike, if you want more comfort, you should be able to get wider tires, perhaps 700x28 or maybe 700x32, and that'll make way more difference in comfort than the ISO decouplers.

Note that whether you buy new or used, the Trek dealer is still going to charge you for an extensive bike fitment, so you might as well go used so you have money left for the fitment. A true fitment should tell you if you need a longer or shorter stem and what length it should be for optimal fit. Being 6' tall like I am, you're stick in that gray area where you could fit on a 56 or 58, although the 58 is probably the preferred size when you have a choice.

Heck, the more I think about it, I can't think of many good reasons why you shouldn't just get the Craigslist bike.

As for the crank arm length, the reading I've done on the topic seems to state that it doesn't make much difference no matter what the length.

Red7

Thanks for your comments. They agree with everything I've been thinking about. The price is good enough on the 2016 Domane that I can buy it, use it this summer and then if I know I'm really getting into road cycling, I could probably sell it for about what I've paid.

Coming from a mtb background, I think comfort is going to play a big role in how much I enjoy longer road rides. So I'm thinking at minimum I want to get some better quality and wider tires but don't know how much better the 32mm would be than 28mm. The 2018 SL 5 had isospeed front and back and 28mm tires. I wonder if 32mm would give me a comparable ride without isospeed compared to 28's on the SL 5 with isospeed up front? I'm not sure if I could run 32mm with the stock wheels or if I'd need to go to wider wheels. Whatever upgrades I make to this bike I want to make sure that they are ones that I could move over to a new bike if I later upgrade so I could see maybe investing in some affordable carbon wheels at some point (maybe Far Sports or Yoeleo cheap but good quality Chinese).

I do think if I'm buying a new Trek in the future I will go with the 58cm as it does seem like the better size for me but I should be able to get this 56cm close in the meantime.

CJlift

Hi Red7,

You definitely need a 56 Domane, it's actually a 58cm version of those racy bikes out there with taller headtube+a bit shorter (1-2cm) top tube. It will fit you perfectly. FYI I'm 185cm tall and have the same inseam length as you.

I tried the 58cm Domane at local shop, it's just doesn't feel right with me. Too tall headtube, too relaxed for me

Red7

Thanks everyone. I did go with the 56 and glad I did!

Stormsedge

I debated between the 56 and 58 (5'10" with 33" inseam). Bought the 58 as a bit more upright. Rides great. Put a 70 stem on to make getting on the hoods more natural...may end up back on the original 100 eventually. A significant improvement from my old frankenbike. Looking forward to BS75 next month.