🚲Domane Upgrades Worth Doing
Upgrades I made to my Domane this year — what was actually worth the money (1st pic is final)
I’ve had my Gen 3 Trek Domane since 2021 and rode it basically stock for years.
This year I finally started upgrading things, and after actually putting miles on everything, I figured I’d share what made a noticeable difference and what was more of a “nice to have.”
My top 3 upgrades are easily the EliteWheels ENT 3.0 wheels, Continental GP5000 All Season 32mm tires, and Garmin rear radar. Those are the three I wouldn’t want to give up.
1. EliteWheels ENT 3.0 — absolutely worth it
This was probably the biggest overall upgrade to the bike.
I went from the stock Domane wheels to the ENT 3.0s and the bike just feels more responsive. Acceleration/pickup is noticeably better, and paired with the GP5000s the whole bike feels faster and more lively.
I went with the 38mm depth instead of the 50mm, and I think that was absolutely the right decision for me. Do I think the 50s look better? Yeah, I love the deeper-wheel look. 😂 But I really don’t like getting pushed around by crosswinds, and stability and confidence were more important to me than going with the deeper option.
The 38s still look lovely on the bike, give me the benefits I was looking for from a carbon wheelset, and I feel much more comfortable with them when the wind picks up. No regrets about choosing the shallower depth.
For the price, I’ve been extremely happy with them.
2. Continental GP5000 AllSeason 32mm — possibly the best bang-for-the-buck upgrade
I actually put the GP5000 AllSeasons on before I got the new wheels, so I was able to feel what the tires alone changed on my stock wheels.
The difference was immediate.
The bike rolled better, pickup felt quicker, and it just felt like I was wasting less energy getting the bike moving.
I rode my first 100K on the 32mm GP5000 AllSeasons while I was still using my stock wheels, so I had a pretty good opportunity to evaluate the tires separately from the wheel upgrade.
If someone asked me where to spend money first, I’d probably say good tires before expensive wheels.
3. Garmin rear radar — non-negotiable for me
I’m currently using the Garmin Varia RearVue 820, and radar has become something I genuinely don’t want to ride without.
Knowing a vehicle is approaching before I can hear it—especially with wind noise—is incredibly useful. I actually didn’t even know New York City bus was behind me yesterday because they’re electric now and if I didn’t have the radar, I actually would have emerged over.
There are cheaper ways to pair radar too. I used the Cadence app on my phone and thought it was fantastic, so you absolutely don’t need a dedicated Garmin computer just to get into radar.
The Varia 820 + Edge 840 combination is great, but radar itself is the important upgrade.
Everything after those three falls into either fit-specific or “nice to have” territory for me.
Zipp SL 70 XPLR handlebars: Probably not worth the money purely as a performance upgrade for me. I did need to go from a 42cm to a 40cm bar after my bike fit, so changing the bars made sense. I have idk speed up front too so I don’t think it really made a difference
PRO Stealth saddle: Worth it for me, but this is completely fit-dependent. After my bike fit, my previous saddle wasn’t working for me. The Stealth’s shape and increased flare solved an actual problem, so I consider this more of a necessary fit correction than an “upgrade.”
Garmin Edge 840: Very nice to have, but definitely not necessary. I was genuinely impressed with the Cadence app on my phone before getting the Garmin. The 840 gives me a dedicated screen, navigation, radar integration, data, etc., and I love having it—but I wouldn’t tell a new cyclist they need to immediately spend hundreds on a bike computer. I also think the iGPSport BiNavi Air and BSC500 with the bell 🔔 are excellent alternatives.
Favero power meter pedals: Also firmly in the “nice to have” category. I really like having power data and it’s useful for understanding my effort and training, but they’re absolutely not necessary to enjoy riding or become a stronger cyclist. 160 hours of battery life and no nonsense setup are AMAZING and totally worth over all other pedals IMHO.
So after upgrading a bike that I rode stock for several years, my ranking would be:
🥇 Continental GP5000 AllSeason TR 32mm — biggest bang for your buck
🥈 EliteWheels ENT 3.0 38mm — biggest overall change to how the bike feels
🥉 Garmin rear radar — biggest safety/awareness upgrade
If I were starting over with a stock road bike tomorrow, I’d spend money on tires → radar → wheels before worrying about carbon handlebars, power meters or an expensive cycling computer.
Curious what everyone else’s “I would immediately buy this again” upgrade has been.
Cheers ☕️