I’m deciding between two bikes for commuting to work on. I’m new to cycling but in my testing I find these curved handlebars(don’t know the name) to be more comfortable to ride than traditional straight ones.
The two are:
[Trek DOMANE AL2 gen 4](https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/road-bikes/performance-road-bikes/domane/domane-al/domane-al-2-gen-4/p/41587/?colorCode=red_reddark)($1200), [Trek DOMANE AL3 Gen 3](https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/road-bikes/performance-road-bikes/domane/domane-al/domane-al-3-gen-3/p/33082/?colorCode=blue_black)(Discounted, $1300)
I’m a bit of a newbie when it comes to this so I’m wondering what is the main differences?
by Expensive_Raccoon123
1 Comment
These are called “drop bars”. The idea behind them is that you can get down really low and be more aerodynamic, but the reason a lot of people find them more comfortable is that you can put your hands in several different positions so you aren’t stuck in the same posture the whole time.
If you’re new to cycling, I’d be absolutely *shocked* if you could feel any difference between these two bikes, besides the fact that one has 8 rear gears and the other has 9. They aren’t identical, but they’re the same geometry (meaning they’ll put your body in roughly the same position) and roughly the same overall quality.
They can both fit a rear rack, which is great for commuting because it means you can fit panniers if you want them! Domanes are pretty nice–I worked at a Trek dealer in a road-biker town for a while and they were one of the most popular bikes we sold.
That said, at the end of the day it’s your decision, but you might be over-biking for a commute. Domanes are *sort of* designed/marketed more toward straight up road riding, meaning going out on a ride for the sake of riding, generally without any more cargo than a granola bar and a water bottle. These bikes are at their most comfortable when you’re riding pretty hard, and a lot of people generally ride slow-ish and steady on commutes, so you might end up with more fatigue in your hands and butt than you would with a less road-racey bike.
If you plan on road riding for fun alongside your commuting, either of these–genuinely a coin flip–would be a really good choice. But if you’re only commuting on your bike, I think you’d be paying some extra money for functionality and quality that you won’t get much use out of.