Trek Boone as an allrounder: Why not?

[efixler]

I'm looking for a faster bike but I enjoy mixing dirt roads and gravel into my road rides. I like to ride longish rides and I don't want a super aggressive geometry.

A Boone riding 28s looks like a great option. Is there a reason I shouldn't?

[rnhood]

Its a good choice, if you race cross. Low head tube, no rack or fender mounts, limited 1X gear range - all good for racing cross. Otherwise, the Domane or Checkpoint are better options, especially if you ride mixed terrain, fast group rides and longer sojourns. These bikes have geometry more in line with typical road/gravel/credit card touring type riding. Fender/rack mounts, higher head tubes, wide 2X gear range, etc. But if you race cross, the Boone is your bike.

[John H.]

Trek Boone is a great bike if you don't need the room for tires that are wider than 35mm.
Does not take flat mount brakes- otherwise it is a nice bike.

I think the Boone is made from higher grade carbon than a Checkpoint.

[efixler]

Ah, I actually didn't realize that they were post mounts.

The Domane does look like a nice bike; the geometry, seems really upright -- reach/stack 374/575 in a 54 vs 383/562 for the Boone. On paper at least the Boone looks a lot like a somewhat lower/longer cousin of the Domane.

[chiasticon]

as long as you don't need rack/fender mounts, it's a great option. clearance for up to 38mm tires (claimed) means you can do all sorts of stuff with it; cross, gravel, dirt, singletrack, road, etc... I definitely know people who went that route with either it or the Crockett, selling their other cross bikes to have more clearance for all around use that includes gravel racing.

I haven't looked at the Domane geo numbers but I'd say if you only want road tires, that's likely a better route. if you want road tires and gravel/cross tires, the Boone would be better.

[Mikej]

The Boone’s high bb may feel odd -

[benb]

Since when do Domane's have rack mounts?

I have a 2016 Domane, it absolutely doesn't have rack mounts. It has some hidden fender mounts.. which look like they require care to get a fender that works... they're not the normal mounts I would expect to just throw SKS fenders on.

Upright/long-and-low is all in the eye of the beholder.. it's completely up to your personal torso:leg ratio. In my size the Domane is approximately 1cm shorter & 1cm taller.. I think I could make either bike work fine. I am really between sizes on these Treks anyway though.

I run 26s on my Domane because it's not really my bad road/gravel bike, it's my go-fast bike. But if you're only going to run 28s I wouldn't see why you'd choose a Boone over a Domane, if you're buying brand new and can get either one with Discs you can run 30s on the Domane too.

That's me, I'd probably choose a "gravel" bike over a "cross" bike anyway.

[chiasticon]

The Boone’s high bb may feel odd -it is about 1cm higher than the Domane. BUT wow the Domane has a low BB! 78 or 80mm drop is low.

for reference, my cross bikes are 63mm drop and road bikes are 68-70mm. I've ridden the cross bikes on the road a ton, and it's been fine.

so, to me: it's the 78-80mm of drop that would feel odd! :eek:

[Iansir]

I have had both Domane and Boone - both had hidden fender mounts. You need the eyelet kit from trek (comes with a new bike) in order to mount fenders.

Domane was great as long as it fits you - stack was too high for me. Boone geo felt a little strange to me - high BB I guess.

[benb]

I think I'm in the camp of liking low BBs...

IIRC my Domane has the lowest BB of any bike I've had, I don't think I've ever actually scraped a pedal on it but it is far and away the best descending road bike I've had.. totally on rails. Again might have to do with personal body geometry.. I'm tall, so my natural CG on the bike is probably higher than someone who is shorter, so maybe I feel the lower BB differently.

I don't go riding it through rock gardens though. Whereas my All City Space Horse I do occasionally feel the stupid and take it through a rock garden, and the low BB there is noticeable compared to a cross bike or MTB... I'm pretty good at keeping the pedals in the right place to avoid rock hits but they happen way more frequently on that bike compared to my MTB.

[Bentley]

So I have the Aluminum brother of the Boone, its great. Basically its an Emonda ALR (almost) that will comfortably accomodate 45mm tires on some Open Pro Rims so I know they have to be wider.

I love the Crockett, bought it cheap and I ride the hell out of it.

I know a guy (owns a big Trek Dealership) and his bike of choice is the Boone, he typically rides like 32's, I am sure he could go wider.

Ray

[efixler]

Thanks for the thoughtful and informed input.

Yeah, I noticed that the Domane has a super-low BB. Really interesting.

The Boone's BB _is_ a little higher than most road bikes (68), but not super duper high either.

Gotta get some test rides. It's challenging near me to find a shop where I can actually check these bikes out in person.

[MattTuck]

I'd also add that if you're riding gravel, you may enjoy riding a tire bigger than a 28. 32's seem like a good compromise if you're doing more than ~30% off pavement. IMO.

[jtbadge]

I wouldn’t hesitate to run a Boone as a “one bike” but I think you’d want to build it up with a 2x drivetrain for road riding.

[chiasticon]

I have had both Domane and Boone - both had hidden fender mounts.I believe Trek dropped the fender mounts in 2018 for the Boone, and Crockett in 2019. if this is a priority to the OP, they should verify.

it's funny we're even having this conversation. used to be nobody thought twice about riding a cyclocross bike as their one bike; for touring, commuting, gravel, road, etc. most people that bought 'em never raced cross (or even knew what it was). tire clearance was less, and BB's were higher; and nobody complained about either. they just enjoyed the swiss army bike. but now we have gravel bikes and endurance road bikes muddying the waters... :bike:

[Gummee]

I wouldn’t hesitate to run a Boone as a “one bike” but I think you’d want to build it up with a 2x drivetrain for road riding.

This

I loved my Boone. Great ride. Light enough that you aren't giving anything up to the other guys, big enough clearance for my needs.

If I wasn't going all-in on the FNs, I'd buy another.

Post mount vs flat mount is pretty much a 'looks' thing. They both work great.

M

[John H.]

BB height is a red herring- You can't say "a bike is squirrellybecause it has a high bb"-
I generally like bikes with low BB's- My current Seven has 7.5cm of bb drop- But my last bike was a Scott with something like 68mm of bb drop- It also rode great.

[yinzerniner]

This

I loved my Boone. Great ride. Light enough that you aren't giving anything up to the other guys, big enough clearance for my needs.

If I wasn't going all-in on the FNs, I'd buy another.

Post mount vs flat mount is pretty much a 'looks' thing. They both work great.

M

Only thing with post vs flat, is that Shimano won't offer their road hydro groupsets with post mount, only flat-mount going forward. So you'll have to use the mountain non-series brakes if you go post. Also, post is a bit heaver as a total system, but only around 50-75g depending on series.

I basically use my 2018 Spec Crux as an all-arounder but not a commuter, so don't need fenders. With road tires and wheels it gives nothing up to a dedicated road bike. The newer Trek Boones should be similarly great, with even more comfort with the Isospeed.

[tombtfslpk]

I don't own a Boone, I'm a Crockett guy, one bike and a spare frame. I'd build a Boone as an all around bike though. Two sets of wheels....one road, one all purpose. That's what I have for my Crockett, it makes a great road bike. But....I'm pleased with the geometry.

Let's clear up a few things about the Boone:
The 2019 models do have direct mount brakes, and 20mm through axles.
The 2019 models do have a front derailleur mount, it's included with a frameset and should be available from a Trek dealer. It's not round, the iso-speed seat tube isn't round either.
I cannot vouch for the tire clearance on the 2019 bikes, but the skewer frames would clear 40mm in the rear and wider in the front.

Hopefully you will find a dealer to get a test ride. In your position I wouldn't want to make that decision based in mine or others recommendations.

[John H.]

But none of this should be a deal breaker- You can buy Shifters without calipers and you can buy post mount calipers by themselves.
And the post mount calipers are relatively cheap and function even better than the flat mount brakes-
By a set of XTR race calipers- They kick **s, I have run them with Dura-Ace 9170 levers- they work great and are light. Maybe not Nth degree as light as 9170 flat mounts, but their performance makes up for it.

Only thing with post vs flat, is that Shimano won't offer their road hydro groupsets with post mount, only flat-mount going forward. So you'll have to use the mountain non-series brakes if you go post. Also, post is a bit heaver as a total system, but only around 50-75g depending on series.

I basically use my 2018 Spec Crux as an all-arounder but not a commuter, so don't need fenders. With road tires and wheels it gives nothing up to a dedicated road bike. The newer Trek Boones should be similarly great, with even more comfort with the Isospeed.

[Gummee]

So you'll have to use the mountain **OR** non-series brakes if you go post. Also, post is a bit heaver as a total system, but only around 50-75g depending on series.
fixt

Having added the **or** you can probably use one of the new 4-pot brakes in the front if you want even more braking. I'm not sure if the caliper is cross compatible with the road lever, but I'll bet it'll work acceptably even if it officially isn't compatible

M

[TimD]

For a tall person intolerant of much saddle-to-bar drop, BB height (or drop) can be an important fit parameter. A lower BB requires less saddle height (from the floor), and therefore less saddle-to-handlebar drop, to achieve a given leg extension.

[yinzerniner]

fixt

Having added the **or** you can probably use one of the new 4-pot brakes in the front if you want even more braking. I'm not sure if the caliper is cross compatible with the road lever, but I'll bet it'll work acceptably even if it officially isn't compatible

M

Thanks for the edit, I definitely meant to put in "or" when describing the options.

And having to use non-series shouldn't be a deal-breaker unless someone's dead set on using all matching components or needs to make the purchase all at once.

Do the 4 piston brakes work with 160mm rotors? I know that flat mount really only works for two sizes at a time, and most if not all frames and forks account for 140mm and 160mm.

[benb]

Somebody mentioned you'd want to build it with a 2X drivetrain if it was your only bike.

I haven't looked but that might dictate buying a frameset.. Trek sometimes has ridiculously restricted options for some of these bikes.

The year I bought my Domane they had like 20 models of Domane from whatever... $2,000-10,000.

Not a single build had a 53/39 chainring setup.. totally ridiculous to have some many variants and not have one that would be more appropriate for racing when they were marketing Fabian Cancellara to the moon. :rolleyes:

I bought a frameset.. but for these kinds of bikes it seems you always end up paying more if you build up a frameset. Sure I have a power meter and I have Mavic wheels instead of Bontrager, I have my preferred Zipp bars instead of Bontrager, I didn't have to pay for a Bontrager saddle that would have gotten replaced with a Fizik. But I'm sure I didn't really come out ahead on money.

[Jaybee]

All the Trek CX models (Boone/Crockett) have SRAM 1x drivetrains. Which means SRAM 1x specific rear derailleurs. So a change to 2x means a new crankset (or pair of rings) a front shifter, and new derailleurs, front and rear, and maybe a new cassette.

Frame set might work out better, especially if you don’t want the Bonty cockpit pieces and wheels.

[efixler]

Again, thanks for the comments and discussions. This is great. It sounds like I'm not crazy.

If I did this, I'd get the frameset and do a custom 2x build from there.

There were a few comments about tire size. I'd probably be looking to run this with 28s most of the time since that seems the most general fast-paved-road-but-can-do-dirt-roads-too with.

Right now I have a Genesis Croix De Fer set up as an all-year-commuter and everything; dynamo hub, fenders, rack, 32s. I also have a 1986 Trek Elance 310 that I set up as a gravel bike with 650b/38s. I rode D2R2 on that bike, and it's great. Now I'm looking for a faster ride (and to keep the CdF permanently in winter mode). I want to go faster and do road rides with folks, but I also want to keep riding the places I like.

[Mikej]

it is about 1cm higher than the Domane. BUT wow the Domane has a low BB! 78 or 80mm drop is low.

for reference, my cross bikes are 63mm drop and road bikes are 68-70mm. I've ridden the cross bikes on the road a ton, and it's been fine.

so, to me: it's the 78-80mm of drop that would feel odd! :eek:

Yeah I don’t know why but I thought it was a 61mm drop-

[VTR1000SP2]

If 28mm is all you’re after, the Émonda Disc will clear 30mm tires which gives you another option.


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[quickfeet]

I personally have a 2018 Boone (new version) with two sets of wheels and have ridden it hard in cx races, then converted it to road only use this summer. It was awesome, no complaints as a road bike.

[chiasticon]

If I did this, I'd get the frameset and do a custom 2x build from there.

There were a few comments about tire size. I'd probably be looking to run this with 28s most of the time since that seems the most general fast-paved-road-but-can-do-dirt-roads-too with.well if you're only going to run up to 28's, not sure you should go with the Boone (as mentioned above). unless of course you just want a cross bike in your quiver too, which I get.

as far as running it 2x... you should talk to your shop. they may have one from last year, or can get one. the 2017 ones definitely had 2x options because I have a friend that bought one with 105, and I know there was an Ultegra option as well. BUT those also didn't have the Isospeed in the front or rear thru-axle...

[TimAZ]

Its a good choice, if you race cross. Low head tube, no rack or fender mounts, limited 1X gear range - all good for racing cross. Otherwise, the Domane or Checkpoint are better options, especially if you ride mixed terrain, fast group rides and longer sojourns. These bikes have geometry more in line with typical road/gravel/credit card touring type riding. Fender/rack mounts, higher head tubes, wide 2X gear range, etc. But if you race cross, the Boone is your bike.


You can put a compact road gearing on a Boone.

[TimAZ]

Trek Boone is a great bike if you don't need the room for tires that are wider than 35mm.
Does not take flat mount brakes- otherwise it is a nice bike.

I think the Boone is made from higher grade carbon than a Checkpoint.

OCLV 600 Series carbon. 2018 and newer Boone's are flat mount, and you can can a 38mm tire in the rear.

[DfCas]

Campy only offers flat mount so that’s what I must have.

[Gummee]

I wouldn’t hesitate to run a Boone as a “one bike” but I think you’d want to build it up with a 2x drivetrain for road riding.

When I had my canti Boone, if I had to pick one bike and only one bike, that woulda been it. Stick some go fast gears and wheels on it and go road racing. Stick some relatively fat tires on it and go ride gravel

Decently light. Decently stiff. Does lots of stuff fairly well.

...and that Isospeed doo-jobbie really does work

M