New Trek Domane RSL finishes first and third at Paris-Roubaix Femmes
Just over a month ago, a range of new Trek Domane frames made a brief appearance on the UCI list. Brief though it was, it all but confirmed a new Domane was on the way. Although the bikes disappeared from the UCI list, we suspected we wouldn’t have to wait long to see the new bikes given the Domane’s Roubaix heritage.
Fast forward through the Spring Classics to the start line of the second Paris-Roubaix Femmes, and that suspicion has come to pass with Trek-Segafredo lining up on the new Domane. The bikes on show today all featured the TREK-067 UCI frame approval code, which we know from that brief UCI list appearance is the Domane RSL (Race Shop Limited).
While Trek is not making any official comments on the new bike just yet, there are some obvious design tweaks to the new Domane RSL. We got as close as we could to spot the subtle and some not so subtle updates to the frame design.
Perhaps the most notable update is to Trek’s ride smoothing seat tube IsoSpeed decoupler and the complete removal of front IsoSpeed. The IsoSpeed designs on the current Domane did an admirable job of taming poor and worn road surfaces for a smoother ride, but did contribute to the frame’s rather hefty weight. Furthermore, hidden inside the head tube, the front IsoSpeed required significant labour time and hence proved costly when the time came to have it serviced. The new frame drops the seat post mast on the current Domane, instead opting for a D-shaped post with a new take on its IsoSpeed decoupler. While Trek has cut the adjustable slider on the current frame, the new model does still feature this hex screw which may offer some form of adjustability… Up front it’s not only the IsoSpeed that has changed. Trek has moved the cable and hose routing to enter the top tube in front of the stem, rather than the behind the stem routing as featured on the current Domane.While the current model already enjoyed some aero tweaks, Trek has seemingly increased the Domane’s slipperiness yet again for the forthcoming bike. At the front, the head tube has grown much deeper for an improved aero profile. The down tube has a more pronounced flat back truncated design and the seat tube gets a similar update. Note the number one on the seat tube. Each Trek-Segafredo rider got a bike with their race number painted on the seat tube. This is Elisa Balsamo’s bike and she started with dossard number one. No dropped seat stays here, Trek has decided to stick with the same split stay running into the top tube design. Some of the race bikes featured Trek’s down tube storage box… …while others missed out. Chloe Hosking’s bike had the down tube storage box and what appears to be a bento box mount up top. Both versions of the bike had the same UCI code.The Domane now features this almost hour glass-shaped top tube design, perhaps adding stiffness at the head tube while allowing for some compliance and weight reduction at other parts of the frame. As suspected, Trek opts for its newest, lightest, strongest, 800 series OCLV carbon layup.
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By: Ronan Mc Laughlin Title: New Trek Domane RSL finishes first and third at Paris-Roubaix Femmes Sourced From: cyclingtips.com/2022/04/new-trek-domane-rsl-finishes-first-and-third-at-paris-roubaix-femmes/ Published Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2022 14:21:05 +0000
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