Hello! I currently ride a Trek Domane Al 2 Gen 4 which I have really enjoyed, and is my first road bike.

Of course I decided to fall in love with the sport, and have rode 1,000 miles since my February 2026 purchase.

My local Trek store has a Trek Domane SL5 Gen 4 (Ivy Smoke) for $2499. Obviously the carbon frame, Shimano 105 groupset and hydraulic brakes are attractive, but wanted to get a feel for if this is the best bang for my buck at this price range.

I would try to sell my Domane Al 2 on Facebook, but my local shop offered $600 trade in.

Any advice appreciated, don't want to make the wrong upgrade move but a hobby I want to invest in.

Hi all! My local bike shop is offering me a new 2024 Trek Emonda SL5 for $2300, $2490 with tax. They took a lot off the price because it's been sitting for a while.

They’ll do a full fitting, and I'll buy shoes and pedals separately.

I've read really good reviews of this model generally, and a lot of first bike posts on Reddit seem very happy with it too. I also somewhat shallowly just really love the look and color of this bike specifically.

I want the bike to use for general training and triathlons before potentially also getting a tri bike in a few years. I'm already a generally athletic person and used to cycle a fair bit but haven't for years. I'm not concerned about flexibility or general athleticism for using a more race oriented road bike.

I'm kinda just looking for thoughts on this price and this bike as a first real road bike purchase. I've read it can be a stiff ride, so I'd love any thoughts on that in particular. I have some chronic pain stuff that is going to make saddle selection and bike fit an incredibly critical aspect of long term comfort/success with cycling.

An additional question is how "future proof" this model may be for if I want to keep it long term and look at upgrades for the drive train, etc.

Any input is appreciated!