Dear Diary: My 2020 Trek Domane SL7 Must Go on a Diet

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PoorInRichfield
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 9:38 pm

by PoorInRichfield

While I really like my 2020 Trek Domane SL7, much of what I like about the bike also makes a bit "portly". As such, I'm going to use this post to document my plan to reduce the weight of the bike a little over time, like when funds allow or when parts wear-out and need to be replaced with a lighter version.

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In putting my bike on a diet, I don't want to reduce it's functionality in any noticeable way. For example, I'm not putting 21mm tires on it just to save weight :wink: So here's the plan so far...
  • Crankset - (Done) - While not really done for weight savings reasons, I changed-out the factory Ultegra R8000 175mm cranks for 165mm cranks as an experiment with shorter cranks.
  • Fork Tube - (Done) - Fork tube was cut shortly after buying the bike. I didn't want to poke my eye out!
  • Handlebars - (Done) - I bought the bike used with 40cm Bontrager XXX Aero Handlebars, so I guess that weigh saving mod is "done" even though I probably wouldn't have done this mod if this bars weren't already on the bike.
  • Seat - (Done) Stock seat is ~300g and while the quality is good, it just wasn't working for me despite all the padding. After trying several saddles, I've settled on a SQ Lab 612 Ergowave Carbon at 148g.
  • Seat Post Mast - (Done) - Was able to swap the long 20mm offset seat post mast with the shorter version for a savings of ~10g.
  • Brake Rotors - (Done) - Converted front and rear rotors from 160mm Ultegra center-lock rotor to 140mm XTR rotors which included removing the spacer on the rear of the bike to shave even more grams (front spacer must stay though.)
  • Chain - (Done) - Per another thread here on WW, the Shimano XTR 12 speed chain will apparenlty work on my bike and is lighter than what came on the bike.
  • Tubeless Valve Stems - (Done) - The previous owner had super long 70mm tubless valve stems on the bike for reasons I don't understand. I purchased 44mm Lindaret Titanium valve stems to drastically cut the valve stem length. As it turns out, the titanium stems don't really save any weight. :?
  • Wheelset - (Done) - I love the Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3V wheelset that came on the bike and have repurposed them as my secondary, gravel-specific wheels. Current wheelset is a set of Light Bicycle WR50 custom build wheels with a "holeless rim" wheelset so I don't need rim tape to go tubeless and DT Swiss 240 hubs with the new EX36 freehub body which is lighter than previous models.
  • Patch Kit / Tools - The tube, the Bontrager BITS multi-tool, and all the other stuff I have stored in the downtube is a bit hefty. I ditched the spare tube and CO2 for the Lezyne Pocket Drive ($30) mini pump which fits easily into the hole in the Domane downtube and is a quality pump for a pretty small price.
If you're a Domane owner and going through the same process, post-up your plans as well!

As an update, the photo below shows one of the main reason why I opted to start with a bike that prioritized comfort over weight. Not all the road I ride look like this, but a good portion of them do :(

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Current state of the bike as of August 2020... Bike weights just under 18.5 lbs with pedals, bottle cages, tubeless setup and a few Blendr mounts. After having put over 1,750 miles on the bike so far this year, I've loved every ride. This is by far the best bike I've every owned, even if it's not the lightest.

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Last edited by PoorInRichfield on Sat May 13, 2023 1:41 pm, edited 17 times in total.

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AnkitS
Posts: 1456
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2019 5:03 am
Location: Santa Cruz, CA

by AnkitS

Those Lindaret valves look cool but what is the advantage of ti for valves? I just weighed my 80mm orange seal versavalves that were lying around and they weigh the same as the 44mm version of the Lindarets.

PoorInRichfield
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 9:38 pm

by PoorInRichfield

icantaffordcycling wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 1:21 am
Those Lindaret valves look cool but what is the advantage of ti for valves?
Probably not much.

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

PoorInRichfield wrote:While I really like my 2020 Trek Domane SL7, much of what I like about the bike also makes a bit "portly". As such, I'm going to use this post to document my plan to reduce the weight of the bike a little over time, like when funds allow or when parts wear-out and need to be replaced with a lighter version.

Image

In putting my bike on a diet, I don't want to reduce it's functionality in any noticeable way. For example, I'm not putting 21mm tires on it just to save weight :wink: So here's the plan so far...
  • Fork Tube - (Done) - Fork tube was cut shortly after buying the bike. I didn't want to poke my eye out!
  • Handlebars - (Done) - I bought the bike used with 138mm Bontrager XXX Aero Handlebars, so I guess that weigh saving mod is "done" even though I probably wouldn't have done this mod if this bars weren't already on the bike.
  • Seat - Stock seat is ~300g and while the quality is good, I'd prefer a different shape. Getting a carbon railed seat at ~150g should be do-able.
  • Brake Rotors - Front and rear rotors are 160mm Ultegra center-lock rotors. I recently sold a Trek Boone 9 I built with 140mm discs and never had braking issues, likely because I only weigh 165 lbs and don't ride mountains. The plan is to go to 140mm rotors, perhaps Shimano XTR rotors which are slightly lighter than the same sized Dura Ace rotors. In addition, reducing the rotor size removes the spacer on the rear of the bike (front spacer must stay though.)
  • Chain - Per another thread here on WW, the Shimano XTR 12 speed chain will apparenlty work on my bike and is lighter than what came on the bike.
  • Tubeless Valve Stems - (Done) - The previous owner had super long 70mm tubless valve stems on the bike for reasons I don't understand. I purchased 44mm Lindaret Titanium valve stems to drastically cut the valve stem length and cut the weight a little.
  • Wheelset - I love the Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3V wheelset that came on the bike, but would like a second set of "fast wheels". As such, I've been scouring the Light Bicycle web site and plan to build a light yet wide wheelset. The plan is to build a "holeless rim" wheelset so I don't need rim tape to go tubeless and DT Swiss 240 hubs with the new EX36 freehub body which is lighter than previous models.
  • Patch Kit / Tools - I'm still debating if I need a spare tire with my tubeless setup, which is stored in the downtube compartment. The tube, the Bontrager BITS multi-tool, and all the other stuff I have stored in the downtube is a bit hefty. Would would be lovely is if there was a light-weight version of the tool kit that comes with the bike. Maybe someday (for a million dollars!)
If you're a Domane owner and going through the same process, post-up your plans as well!
Small suggestions:

-Fork tuve expander and top cap. Get a Carbon-Ti for both. You’ll save a ton of weight there and relatively cheap.
-Stem swapped to Extralite.
-Ari or carbon bolts for the cages and get some 9grm cages. A few based on budget to choose from.
-Pedals. If you are not emotionally tied to a particular brand, Time XPro 15 in Ti are the lightest there is, fantastic, and super comfortable as well.

Not gonna mention wheels or tires as you have plans for those already.

AnkitS
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Location: Santa Cruz, CA

by AnkitS

dgasmd wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:33 am
-Pedals. If you are not emotionally tied to a particular brand, Time XPro 15 in Ti are the lightest there is, fantastic, and super comfortable as well.
aliexpress speedplay - 159g
xpedo thrust sl - 164g
time xpro 15 - 174g

I am sure there is some ww option significantly lighter than all of these.

SilentDrone
Posts: 254
Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2017 5:55 pm

by SilentDrone

Switch to DA Di2 should save around 400-500 grams. If you don’t want to swap out the entire group swapping the cranks will get you a big savings.


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ryanw
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by ryanw

icantaffordcycling wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:49 am
dgasmd wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:33 am
-Pedals. If you are not emotionally tied to a particular brand, Time XPro 15 in Ti are the lightest there is, fantastic, and super comfortable as well.
aliexpress speedplay - 159g
xpedo thrust sl - 164g
time xpro 15 - 174g

I am sure there is some ww option significantly lighter than all of these.
Dulight Speedplay - 142g
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PoorInRichfield
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 9:38 pm

by PoorInRichfield

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, guys!
dgasmd wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:33 am
-Fork tuve expander and top cap. Get a Carbon-Ti for both. You’ll save a ton of weight there and relatively cheap.
Got a link to this? I'm not familiar with what a "Fork tuve expander and top cap" is. Note that I'm in the USA... seems like a lot of products mentioned here on WW are more common in Europe were I'm guessing a lot of you are from.

PoorInRichfield
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 9:38 pm

by PoorInRichfield

SilentDrone wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:38 am
Switch to DA Di2 should save around 400-500 grams. If you don’t want to swap out the entire group swapping the cranks will get you a big savings.
Yeah, if DA Di2 wasn't so over-the-top expensive I'd go that route. This is my first Di2 bike and for the time being, I'm just content I was finally able to afford Ultegra Di2 :wink:
dgasmd wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:33 am
aliexpress speedplay - 159g
xpedo thrust sl - 164g
time xpro 15 - 174g
At the moment I have two pedal sets: Ultegra SPD-SL and XTR SPDs. One is for when I'm road riding and the other is for when I might be doing some trail or gravel riding and want to be able to walk like a human when not on the bike :P According to Competitve Cyclist, I see the Ultegra SPD-SL pedals are 255g, so that certainly is an area to consider in the future... but probably not a priority as a pedal change would involve a shoe change and have a lot of issues finding shoes that fit my large, wide feet :(

JMeinholdt
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Location: Topeka, KS

by JMeinholdt

PoorInRichfield wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 1:07 pm
Thanks for all the suggestions so far, guys!
dgasmd wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:33 am
-Fork tuve expander and top cap. Get a Carbon-Ti for both. You’ll save a ton of weight there and relatively cheap.
Got a link to this? I'm not familiar with what a "Fork tuve expander and top cap" is. Note that I'm in the USA... seems like a lot of products mentioned here on WW are more common in Europe were I'm guessing a lot of you are from.
Fork tube expander and top cap.

http://www.carbon-ti.com/products/heads ... d-expander

This isn't a purchase link, but an information link.
Wilier Cento10AIR - SRAM Force AXS - Road/race
3T Exploro - SRAM Rival AXS XPLR - Gravel
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hannawald
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by hannawald

PoorInRichfield wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 1:22 pm
SilentDrone wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:38 am
Switch to DA Di2 should save around 400-500 grams. If you don’t want to swap out the entire group swapping the cranks will get you a big savings.
Yeah, if DA Di2 wasn't so over-the-top expensive I'd go that route. This is my first Di2 bike and for the time being, I'm just content I was finally able to afford Ultegra Di2 :wink:
dgasmd wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:33 am
aliexpress speedplay - 159g
xpedo thrust sl - 164g
time xpro 15 - 174g
At the moment I have two pedal sets: Ultegra SPD-SL and XTR SPDs. One is for when I'm road riding and the other is for when I might be doing some trail or gravel riding and want to be able to walk like a human when not on the bike :P According to Competitve Cyclist, I see the Ultegra SPD-SL pedals are 255g, so that certainly is an area to consider in the future... but probably not a priority as a pedal change would involve a shoe change and have a lot of issues finding shoes that fit my large, wide feet :(
With road pedals you can have same shoes. So you can use your road shoes for ultegra/look/time/speedplay (with adapter provided with pedals)

Jackofallgrades
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:15 am

by Jackofallgrades

PoorInRichfield wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 1:22 pm
dgasmd wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:33 am
aliexpress speedplay - 159g
xpedo thrust sl - 164g
time xpro 15 - 174g
At the moment I have two pedal sets: Ultegra SPD-SL and XTR SPDs. One is for when I'm road riding and the other is for when I might be doing some trail or gravel riding and want to be able to walk like a human when not on the bike :P According to Competitve Cyclist, I see the Ultegra SPD-SL pedals are 255g, so that certainly is an area to consider in the future... but probably not a priority as a pedal change would involve a shoe change and have a lot of issues finding shoes that fit my large, wide feet :(
You wouldn't have to change your shoes, just the cleats
Cannondale SSEvo3 'Atticus' - 7.2kg
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JMeinholdt
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by JMeinholdt

When talking pedals, everyone should remember that you have to account for the total system weight. While Speedplay pedals themselves may be near the lightest of the bunch, the cleat system adds a lot of heft over other systems.

Also, I don't know about you all, but I flat out refuse to change my cleats each time I change bikes. I have the same pedal system (Shimano) installed on all of my bikes so that I can interchange shoes and bikes readily.
Wilier Cento10AIR - SRAM Force AXS - Road/race
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g32ecs
Posts: 815
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:50 am

by g32ecs

Im doing the exact same thing on my SL5, head over to the Domane thread

viewtopic.php?t=156485

Summary: the frame is just too heavy for a pure WW. You must accept this wont be at the "regular" roadbike level upon purchase.

And yes, I knew this thing was going to be a tank, but this won't be my road bike anyway
Last edited by g32ecs on Tue Jun 09, 2020 2:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

PoorInRichfield
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 9:38 pm

by PoorInRichfield

g32ecs wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 2:56 pm
Summary: the frame is just too heavy for a pure WW. You must accept this wont be at the "regular" roadbike level upon purchase.
Agreed. But even chubby bikes deserve a love :lol: I know my bike won't ever been "light", but once again, if I can reasonably reduce the weight by a pound or two w/o sacrificing all the great features that make a Domane a comfortable road bike, I'd like to do it.

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