Lester Perry | Mon 15th Mar 2021 13:58
This bike takes preconceptions about road e-bikes and leaves them in its dust.
The Domane + HP is one of the new breed of electric assisted road bikes that not only gives you some extra watts, but incorporates many technologies that cross over from Treks’ core road bike range.
Pedalling up to speed is a cinch, with the Bosch Speed Performance motor supplying smooth power to the drive train, no jerking, surging or dead-spots. Simply pedal as hard or soft as you like, select an appropriate level of assistance from the motor via the Bosch Kiox head unit and you’re on your way. As with most e-bikes, they reward a smooth, quick cadence, the ideal range on this one seems to be 85-100rpm. To achieve this you’ll still need to be using your gears, taking notice of changes in gradient and shifting accordingly, just like a normal road bike.
Outside of the electrical mechanics of the bike, there’s notable tech that’s carried over from the regular Domane chassis. Notably, Iso-speed, offering increased (and adjustable in the rear) compliance at the saddle and handlebars. This compliance gives you more comfort by absorbing bumps in the road which is made possible by some tricky design work by the trek team and the use of their 500 series OCLV carbon fibre throughout the frame and fork.
The drivetrain is the solid and proven Shimano GRX 11-speed including derailleur, chain, cassette, brakes and shifters, while Praxis takes care of the Cranks. A single front chainring keeps things simple, the shifting feels snappy and positive, and utilising this Gravel focussed groupset should increase its lifespan vs. a lightweight road-focussed one.
My only gripe on the component front is the handlebar, this could be partially personal preference, but my feeling is the bike would be better served with a bar that flared out more down on the drops, helping to stop the bars hitting your forearms when down in the drops. Outside of the bars, nothing really stood out as negative. The addition of a modern styled “short” saddle was a nice touch and should suit most riders well, it would seem gone are the days of needing the saddle upgraded off the shop floor.
My commute to work is pretty well spot on 30 km each way. When you combine getting lunches made, kids out the door and the rush to get myself to work, more often than not there’s not the time needed to cover the distance to the office, and I’m once again confined to the car. On the occasion I do commit to the pedal to work, I usually have to allow about an hour to get it done. Sure it’s doable, but with a reasonably lumpy route to the office, I’m having to hammer at a fair rate to get to the office on time. A good day aboard the road bike sees me average 32kph or thereabouts. Arriving to work after an effort like that leaves me a crumpled mess, slumped at the desk for most of the morning, and then there’s the ride home to think about for the remainder of the day!
Enter the Domane + HP. With assistance capped at 45km/h (i.e. the bike stops assisting once you reach 45) there’s plenty of speed and power on hand. My first ride was from the office to home, again usually in the region of 1 hour of hard graft (and more if it’s windy). Pulling away from the traffic lights out front of our Frankton office I clicked up through the assistance levels to TURBO (is there really any other option?!) riding it like the normal road bike I snapped through the gears and watched the speedo quickly ramp up to 45, I was putting in as much effort as I would have to reach 30km/h on my regular bike but going so much faster.
In town, you easily zip along with the traffic which is quite a different feeling from cruising normally where you feel more vulnerable. Obviously when going faster, things happen faster, and drivers don’t expect to see a cyclist moving at that sort of speed so I’ve found I need to be even more attentive and pre-empt vehicles movements even more than normal.
There’s a sharp pitch as my commute leaves town dubbed “Chinamans Hill” (I’m sure there’s probably a more culturally appropriate name now but I sure can’t find it) on my Road Bike to get up here at anything more than jogging speed requires a fair effort, particularly painful after a day sitting at a desk. Aboard the Domane, shift a couple of gears lower (ie easier) and I’m maintaining around 35+km/h up the pitch, still putting in a reasonable effort myself but getting up the climb much quicker.
Outside of the usual features (speed, cadence, distance, time etc) the Kiox adds in a couple of great features if you’re a bit more fitness focussed or trying to achieve a particular workout while riding. On the Speed screen there’s a colour bar that represents how much effort you’re putting in, and how much assistance the motor is adding. It's a cinch to pair with a Bluetooth heart rate monitor, and coupled with the Power screen which gives a readout of the wattage you’re putting in, if you’re aiming to work in a particular zone, or simply confirm that, yes, you are putting in work then it’s a handy feature. I’ve actually been surprised when I’m watching the Power screen that I’m putting out similar power to on my usual bike but going a whole lot faster, this brings me to an interesting point.
An e-bike like this is literally useful for the entire spectrum of riders. A newby can ride with their fitter and faster mates, dialling their assistance level to allow them to sit at a suitable speed to still be getting a workout while riding with friends. Same applies for a rider who’s been a keen cyclist but can no longer maintain the hours on the bike to keep them fit enough to keep up with friends, their once a week outing can still be a fast, fun affair with mates aboard a road e-bike.
Someone hoping to use cycling to aid in weight loss can sit in a low, fat burning heart rate zone even when things get hilly (which would otherwise normally push their heart rate out of this zone). A more experienced rider could use the bike to cruise their lengthy commute and save their legs for their main workout the following day (or even that evening), or do structured training amongst the hills where it would usually be tougher to maintain the necessary efforts without blowing out, dialling up or down assistance depending on what their workout calls for.
All said and done the Domane+ is a pretty impressive and versatile piece of equipment. If you’re looking to level the playing field, speed up your commute, or even drop a vehicle this could be just the ticket!
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