Trek Domane AL 2 Gen 4
£1,050 A lot of bike for the pricetag
Weight 10.6kg (58cm) Frame Alloy Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Claris R2000 8-speed (11-32t, 50/34t) Brakes Tektro MD-C550 mechanical disc Wheels Bontrager Paradigm SL, alloy rims Finishing kit Elite alloy stem, Comp alloy seatpost, Verse Short saddle, all Bontrager; Specialized Comp alloy bar, Bontrager R1 Hard-Case Lite 700x32c tyres
The Trek Domane AL 2 Gen 4 is the latest aluminium version of the brand’s endurance road bike platform. The cheapest model in Trek’s new range, the AL 2 Gen 4, on paper, has a very similar specification to the closely-priced Specialized Allez and Cube Attain Pro (the ‘2’ in its name refers to the component spec level). It has one eye on light gravel, and comes with a full suite of fittings for the commuters and bikepackers among us.
Fully featured frame
The frame is built using Trek’s 100 Series Alpha aluminium, paired with a full carbon fork, and the frameset is claimed to weigh around 225g less than the previous generation Domane AL. The sloping toptube design with slim seatstays hints towards comfort, but the head-tube is notable for its muscular profile, which should give good front-end stiffness and sharp handling. There’s ample clearance for 38mm tyres (without mudguards). The chassis is certainly kitted out for long days in the saddle, boasting mounts for full mudguards (including a removable seatstay bridge), a pannier rack and Bento box on the top-tube. The Domane features full internal cable routing through the headset for a sleeker look, although it does make maintenance more fiddly.
Frame geometry is out of the endurance bike playbook. On my size 58cm test bike, the 72° head angle is a degree slacker than on the Specialized Allez, promoting steadier steering responses. The 73° seat angle should serve to pitch the rider over the bottom bracket more, for efficient power transfer, and the 425mm chainstays are identical to the Allez. Notably, the standover height is just 796mm – over 2cm lower than either the Allez or Cube Attain Pro – which does help when you’re swinging a leg over the top-tube.
The Domane AL 2 sports a latestgeneration 8-speed Shimano Claris drivetrain, including crankset. The compact chainset and 11-32 cassette should offer all the gear range most riders will need on the road. Tektro’s C550 mechanical disc brakes feature two-piston actuation – where both pads move – which should result in increased power compared to single-piston systems (which have one static pad).
As for rolling stock, the Bontrager Paradigm SL tubeless-ready wheels have a 21mm internal rim width that will support wider rubber than specced here. The 32mm Bontrager R1 tyres inflated to 33.2mm at 80psi. They aren’t tubelesscompatible, though. Finishing kit is all Trek or Bontrager (Trek’s components brand), and the saddle follows the trend for short-nosed saddles on pricier road bikes (its surface is a bit slippery, though).
The Domane AL 2 Gen 4 is the smoothest-riding bike of the 2024 Bike of the Year budget bike cohort, by a noticeable margin. No doubt, much of this is down to it having the widest tyres (increased volume allows lower pressures to be run, increasing ride comfort and grip), but the frame also feels extremely composed over broken tarmac. As a bike to simply hop on and ride, it’s very forgiving, and didn’t require much adaptation of my riding style for me to feel confident pushing the limits of my modest talent when cornering.
The steering responses are stable rather than sharp, but that’s welcome on your first road bike, an easy-going commuter, or a steady winter mile-muncher. Despite the relatively docile handling, I was also impressed with how readily the Domane AL would accelerate when I put the effort in. The geometry is more endurance focused than the Specialized Allez or Cube Attain Pro, which meant I tended to spend more time in the saddle, but when I did rise up to give it the beans (or get in the drops and push the pedals harder), the reaction was surprising – grin-inducing, even.
Sorted shifting
The Shimano Claris drivetrain, despite having bigger jumps between gears on its 8-speed cassette, feels very efficient when clean and indexed properly. The downside with Claris is you’re locked into using mechanical disc brakes (or a hybrid system), which simply don’t offer the type of performance of hydraulic brakes. At this price, such a specification is to be expected, though, and shouldn’t concern you if you’re just getting into road cycling. However, I noticed the Tektro C550 brakes performed slightly better here than on the Allez and Attain.
The frame can also route hydraulic hoses (as seen on the £1,700 Domane AL 4 Gen 4), so this is a viable upgrade path if you’re also willing to swap to a drivetrain with hydraulic-compatible levers. This would be worthwhile, in my view, as the frameset’s behaviour indicates that there’s plenty of potential to unlock.
This could be many people’s ideal first road bike: it’s easy to ride with no notable performance issues for the price.
“The AL 2 is the smoothest-riding bike in its cohort, by a noticeable margin – much of this is down to the wide tyres”
Verdict The Domane is adaptable, cost-effective and offers plenty of upgrade potential