As we already knew, a new Trek Domane endurance bike is coming soon - and now we know what it's going to look like, with Elisa Longo Borghini riding it to a stunning victory in the Roubaix Velodrome this afternoon.
Before Borghini's win, we spotted the new bike in a video posted to Trek-Segafredo's social media pages; and in all the photos and footage we've seen, it seems like rather than expanding out the IsoSpeed compliance system as we predicted, the opposite could be true.
It doesn't look like there's any decoupling at the head tube junction, suggesting the front IsoSpeed has been removed altogether. At the rear, the seat cluster is a different shape and the distinctive Domane MK. III seatpost looks to have gone.
The ability for the user, or their mechanic, in this case, to adjust the amount of compliance in the rear end has been removed. Trek has already taken this step with the Checkpoint gravel bike, explaining that not many people were actually using it.
It would therefore make sense that this is the case for the Domane.
This 'MK. IV' etching on the left chainstay is perhaps the biggest giveaway that it's the new version. As mentioned before, the current model is the third iteration, with the first Domane originally launching back in 2012 when Fabian Cancellera rode it to victory at Strade Bianche that year.
A final observation from our tech editor Mat Brett is that the brake hoses enter the frame right at the front of the head tube, in front of the fork steerer. On the existing Domane, they enter the head tube behind the fork steerer.
While Roubaix's cobbles need a fair bit of compliance to make the rider as comfortable as possible, this is still a bike race and the frame needs to transfer some serious power. The Domane's bottom bracket is a chunky one.
Like Deignan last year, Longo Borghini was running a 1X drivetrain. Note the chain catcher in the image above.
We have our own Liam Cahill on the ground at Roubaix, who between beers will be reporting back with more news from the cobbles as he spots it on the site and over on our Instagram page.
What do you want to see from the new Domane? Let us know in the comments as always.
A bit strict. After three pints and a curry, I may fail this test sitting on my bicycle!
I'm assuming that your invention of the paramedic having a Phd in biomechanical impact assessments is deep irony.
Secretary-General António Guterres has failed to provide such a proposal, instead telling the committee that “any upgrade to existing...
My thoughts...
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Your analysis is a bit melodramatic dont you think? Who is this mysterious "they" you refer to?
I would hope that that they're not so crazy as to physically assault someone that ignores them. That said, if one of them was, there'd be a slight...
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That's not my experience. I know multiple small towns and villages which are now far more pleasant as a result of a bypass....
One might hope that their Bike Bureau would do a spot: https://road.cc/content/news/bbc-launches-bike-bureau-netherlands-301081