Trek Domane AL5 Suitable for Touring

[hospengr]

My 5 year old Trek 520 frame broke off just below the clamp on the seat tube.  Ugh!  Trek is covering it under warranty, but...  there are no frames to be had - anywhere.  My LBS is talking me into "upgrading" to an aluminum frame Domane.  It has eyelets for the rear rack, but none for the front.  I would have to mount a front rack with P-clamps.  It has hydraulic disc brakes, and Shimano 105 components.

Anyone have any experience with the Domane?   LBS says it is robust, and will take the beating of a cross country tour.  Let me know!

[aggie]

Old Man Mountain has a rack that attaches to a thru axle.  If the Domane has thru axles you should be able to get racks for the front and rear.  Old Man Mountain sells the thru axles you can order at the time you order the racks.  They claim you can put up to 70 lbs on the thru axle mounted rack.

[driftlessregion]

While waiting for the new frame why not have the venerable 520 frame repaired? It's one of the advantages of steel frames. A shop such as Yellow Jersey http://www.yellowjersey.org/service.html can do it. Don't be put off by Andy Muzi's weird website. He is a genius.

[Pat Lamb]

That's a weird place for a frame to break, how did it happen?  I'd have expected that the seatpost would have reinforced the seat tube to prevent such a break, unless you'd ignored the minimum insertion mark on the seatpost.

IIRC the Domane comes with a carbon fork; I would not recommend P-clamps on a carbon fork.  You probably don't want to put 70 pounds on the front, but the OMM rack aggie recommended would be an option.

Could you clean up the seat tube near the break to the point that you could use a seatpost collar (e.g. https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=102478) to ride the old 520 frame?

[staehpj1]

That's a weird place for a frame to break, how did it happen?  I'd have expected that the seatpost would have reinforced the seat tube to prevent such a break, unless you'd ignored the minimum insertion mark on the seatpost.

I thought the same.  Seems like an odd place to fail.  A too small diameter seat post might be another cause.

IIRC the Domane comes with a carbon fork; I would not recommend P-clamps on a carbon fork.  You probably don't want to put 70 pounds on the front, but the OMM rack aggie recommended would be an option.

Yep.  Or just a bar roll or large handlebar bag and skip the front panniers. 

Could you clean up the seat tube near the break to the point that you could use a seatpost collar (e.g. https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=102478) to ride the old 520 frame?

Looking at pictures of 520s some have quite a bit of seat tube above the top tube and some almost none or none at all.  Maybe it depends on model year?  Frame size too?  Anyway, if it had enough seat tube left above the top tube, that could be an answer.  It might require extending the slot in the seat tube a bit to allow for clamping down on the seat post.

[hospengr]

Thank you all for your responses, and I have to say I agree with everyone!  Aggie, thank you for the OMM recommendation.  I received my OMM Classic Rack yesterday, along with the Domane, and I mounted it with no issues. 
Driftlessregion, Pat Lamb, and others who suggested repairing the 520, as soon as I get it back from the LBS (providing Trek does not want it returned), I will take it to a specialty welder and have the collar welded back on to the tube, and then I will have two touring bikes, or one touring, and one gravel, depending on how you look at it. 
Oh, BTW, the seat post was inserted at least 8 inches into the seat tube, so minimum insertion was not an issue.
Finally, on my long distance tours across country, I do need to take four panniers, so front and back racks are essential. 
Thanks again everyone - your feedback was extremely valuable!
Ed C