trek emonda alr 2018 geometry

Trek's Émonda ALR Disc Is a Sleek, Affordable Race Rocket

A smooth and stylee aluminum road bike that hauls ass at a great price

Price: $960 (frameset), $1,890 (complete with 105 build) Weight: 16.4 lbs (as tested) Style: Road race Drivetrain: Shimano Ultegra R8020 (as tested) Frame Material: Aluminum Tire clearance: 28mm The right bike for: Rider looking for a fast, and fast looking, road bike but doesn't want to pay carbon prices.

You’d be forgiven for mistaking the new Émonda ALR for a full-carbon race bike at first glance. But it's not carbon: This is Trek’s newest aluminum road racing bike. With other brands producing popular race-ready aluminum frames–such as Cannondale's CAAD12 and Specialized's Allez Sprint DSW–it’s no surprise Trek updated its ALR frames for 2019 .

The Émonda ALR's aggressive geometry and reasonable price (five models priced $1,360 to $1,890) are certainly targeted at the budget minded who still want a performance race ready bicycle and the option to purchase the frameset ($960) opens the door for budget-friendly dream builds.

Years of experience shaping and tuning aluminum, along with new alloys and manufacturing techniques, are allowing bike brands to offer aluminum frames that ride smoother than some carbon frames and cost less as well. With the new Émonda ALR, Trek hydroforms the size-specific tubes into complex shapes, which fit together so precisely that fabricators need less weld material to join them, which produces a sleek looking frames. The welds are so minimal, the Émonda ALR frame almost looks made of carbon.

On the pavement the ALR is no slouch. Overall, it's a smooth ride for an aluminum bike. The road buzz is damped, but on rough roads and longer rides it’s still apparent that this is an aluminum frame (the fork is carbon). Luckily Trek's engineers endowed the Émonda ALR Disc with room for wider tires (officially 25mm, but some 30mm tires should fit), allowing riders the option to smooth the ride with the addition of fatter rubber.

The minimalist welds make the Émonda ALR's headtube look almost like carbon.

Sensor Ready

The non-drive seatstay is provisioned for a Bontrager DuoTrap S sensor.

Magic Paint

The Purple Flip paint takes on different colors depending on the light.

Hidden From View

Housings and brake hose run inside the front triangle and out of sight.

Modern Standards

The Émonda ALR disc uses the flat mount caliper standard and 12mm thru axles.

The Émonda Family

The Émonda ALR is offered in two models (ALR 4 and ALR 5), and two brake options (disc or rim).

The ALR 4 ($1,680 disc, $1,360 rim) features a Shimano Tiagra 10-speed drivetrain, while the ALR 5 ($1,890 disc, $1,590 rim) comes with a Shimano 105 11-speed drivetrain. All other components are identical, which makes the decision-making process simple: Save 210 or 230 bucks, or spend the extra money to upgrade to an 11-speed drivetrain.

Trek also offers the Émonda ALR 5 Disc in a women's version . This bike features the same geometry as the unisex ALR 5 Disc (though the women's is offered in a 47cm and the unisex is not), but is equipped with a women's saddle, shorter stem, and narrower handlebar.

Trek also sells the Emonda ALR frameset in both disc ($960) and rim ($960) versions. The bike Bicycling received for testing was not a stock complete bike, but a flashy bike built up by Trek to celebrate the Émonda ALR's debut. The frame is shown in the Purple Flip colorway ( there's also a black option) and built with Shimano Ultegra mechanical shift/hydraulic brake groups, with high-end carbon Bontrager parts consisting of Aeolus XXX carbon wheels, XXX carbon seatpost, XXX carbon handlebar, and carbon-railed saddle.

A Lot of Bike for the Money

The real selling point of this bike is its performance-to-price ratio. The ALR frame looks an awful lot like carbon, rides great, and costs less. For $419 dollars less than the most comparable carbon Émonda SL model, the ALR 5 comes out swinging with a race-ready package for someone looking for a quality ride without the intimidating price.

The Émonda ALR frames are quite light also. The disc frame weighs 1,131 grams, while the rim frame weighs 1,112 grams. This appears to compare very well with the carbon Émonda SL frame (disc 1,149 grams, rim 1,091), however the Émonda SL frame weight includes part of the seat mast system.

The Emonda ALR frame features internal cable routing through the front triangle, provisioning for the Bontrager DuoTrap S speed and cadence sensor in the non-drive chainstay, press-fit BB86.5 bottom bracket, 27.2mm seat post, and tapered headtube. Disc models use 12mm thru axles front and rear, and flat-mount brake calipers.

Émonda Geometry

The geometry of the ALR is the same as most of the Émonda carbon line. Trek uses its H2 fit, which is geared toward the everyday rider. This geometry falls between the race geometry you'd find on a bike like the Specialized Tarmac, and the shorter, more upright geometry of an endurance bike.

I found the fit to strike the balance between comfort and race quite nicely. Trek's materials say the H2 geometry is a balance of stable-yet-responsive handling and as much as I get annoyed with marketing jargon, I would certainly have to agree with that.

I do wish Trek would also offer its most aggressive race geometry (it's called H1) in the ALR range (the H1 option is offered in Trek's Émonda carbon frames) for riders, like me, who prefer the lower, longer position it offers.

Émonda ALR Disc Ride Impressions

I can learn a lot about a bike by doing what I call the “up, over, and back” test. I take a bike on a ride that's very familiar to me: up the side of the mountain that's just out my door, down the other, and back again. Put to this test I discovered that, yes, climbing on the Émonda ALR still hurts the same as any other bike, so don’t expect any miracles in that regard. But the bike climbs quite well, while I wasn’t able to break any personal records, the bike still feels plenty at home when the grade pitches skyward. Our bike weighed in at 16.4 pounds, quite impressive for a aluminum bike with disc brakes.

After making my way over the top, the less painful/fun part of the test started. Next up, a high speed slightly twisty descent with fresh pavement. Here, the bike reacts predictably at high speeds without feeling terribly unstable even at speeds over 50mph; test passed. The bike is at home on twisty technical descents as well as wide open high speed rippers. While some riders still aren't sold on disc brakes, I’m a convert. Having the Ultegra stoppers affixed to the Émonda ALR was a welcome addition when it came time to not only stop but control speed into and out of corners, and the Émonda ALR feels solid under braking forces.

On the road it is immediately apparent that this bike wants to accelerate. Once out of the saddle, the Émonda ALR reacts quickly and feels well connected to the pavement. This feeling of snappy acceleration can be at least partially credited to the 1,380-gram Aeolus XXX 2 Disc wheels that came on our test rig. With that said, the ALR feels solid under load. During all out sprints the frame feels just as a race bike should and responds with every pedal stroke. On the flip side, this Émonda ALR test bike rode a bit stiffly, even with the high-end carbon wheels.

Still, the Émonda ALR has all the ingredients of a good bike—sleek looks, solid performance, and a easier to swallow price.

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Trevor Raab is the staff photographer for Runner’s World and Bicycling , a CAT 1 cyclocross racer, and, occasionally, a product reviewer for the Test Team. He fits the typical “how I got in to bikes” story: his dad introduced him to mountain bikes when he was a kid, then he had a  stint as a skateboarder in high school, and since 2011 he’s been riding every sort of bike he can find.

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Trek Emonda ALR first-ride review: Light and fast, but best on smooth roads

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

It wasn’t all that long ago that aluminum was considered largely obsolete as a frame material: too soft and heavy relative to carbon fiber, not as much zing or “life” as steel or titanium. But the material is nevertheless enjoying a strong resurgence, and Trek is the latest major brand to add fuel to that fire. The new Emonda ALR aluminum road family is reasonably competitive with carbon fiber in terms of weight and stiffness, and new manufacturing methods make it drop-dead gorgeous, too. It’s also comparatively cheap. But alas, there’s still a price to be paid.

The Emonda ALR by the numbers

On paper, it’s hard to argue with Trek’s new Emonda ALR.

At least as far as the scale is concerned, the Emonda ALR is nearly on-par with the carbon fiber Emonda SL. Claimed frame weight for the disc-brake is 1,131g, and 1,112g for the rim-brake edition — just 40g heavier than its fancier (and more expensive) cousin. And according to Trek, the Emonda ALR’s chassis stiffness figures aren’t far behind, either, thanks in no small part to the fact that its 300-Series Alpha Aluminum hydroformed tubes use nearly the same shapes as the upper-end Emondas.

Both rim-brake and disc-brake versions are on tap — naturally — and tire clearances are in-keeping with trends in the road space. Maximum official tire size on the rim-brake version is 25mm; 28mm for the disc-brake models. That sounds decidedly behind the times at first, yes, but keep in mind that Trek’s internal rating for maximum tire size is unusually conservative. Whereas most companies abide by international standards for clearance (at least 4mm of space on all sides of the tire at the closest point), Trek adds another 2mm on top of that, so comparing apples to apples, the rim-brake Emonda ALR will comfortably handle 29mm-wide tires, and the disc-brake bikes will fit 32mm-wide ones. Much better.

Handling-wise, Trek has carried over the same frame geometry as on the carbon Emonda models, which, in turn, were derived from the highly evolved figures of the long-standing Madone range. In other words, it promises truly neutral characteristics, with stable manners at high speeds, a seemingly contradictory willingness to carve through sinuous descents, and reasonable agility at low speeds without having the front end feel too floppy. Trek hasn’t changed its bread-and-butter road geometry much in ages, and that’s a good thing.

In terms of rider positioning, though, Trek will only offer the Emonda ALR in the tamer H2 fit with its slightly taller head tube. Riders who are specifically after a more aggressive posture will still need to look at the top-end Emonda SLR range.

Other features include partially internal cable routing (just through the down tube), 12mm front and rear thru-axles and flat-mount caliper interfaces on disc-brake models, quick-release dropouts and direct-mount caliper mounts on rim-brake models, PF86 press-fit bottom bracket shells across the board, tapered steerer tubes on the full-carbon forks, standard 27.2mm-diameter round seatposts with conventional external seatpost clamps, and a small pocket built into the non-driveside chainstay for Bontrager’s DuoTrap wireless speed and cadence sensor.

None of this sounds remotely groundbreaking. And the focus on stiffness-to-weight means there isn’t a smidgeon of aerodynamic shaping to be found here. There’s not a single mention of wind tunnels or grams of drag or yaw angles in any of Trek’s marketing collateral. In an ever-expanding world of sleek two-wheeled machines that are starting to look more like airplanes than bicycles, the Emonda ALR might seem like a throwback.

But oh, man, you just have to see the thing.

Invisible Weld Technology

The way aluminum bicycle frames are welded hasn’t changed much in decades. With few exceptions, tubes are mitered at the joints and held together in a jig for a close fit, and then the intersections are basically just melted together at high heat, with an additional bead of similar material — the weld bead — added on top for additional structural reinforcement. Sometimes welders take two passes over the joint, and sometimes it’s just one, and sometimes the bead is filed down for a smoother look. But by and large, the process is the same today as it was when people thought Jeff Bezos was nuts for thinking he could sell books over the internet.

Specialized legitimately moved things forward a few years ago with the introduction of Smartweld . Normally, those mitered aluminum tubes fit together kind of like how you would join empty rolls of paper towels together in a grade school art project, with the end of one tube carved out to fit tightly against the unaltered wall of the other tube.

But Smartweld is more like holding the bottom of two soda cans against each other. There’s a natural trough that the welding rod can fill, there’s more surface area to join together for better structural integrity, the weld itself is moved away from the areas of highest stress, the adjoining tube walls can be made thinner and lighter, and the resulting joint ends up more flush with the surrounding tube wall for a smoother finish. There’s more hydroforming work required to initially create that sort of interface geometry on the individual parts, but it’s a brilliant idea that Specialized has used to great effect.

Trek is now doing something similar, calling it “Invisible Weld Technology.” The concept is much the same, at least in terms of the weld joint geometry itself, but whereas Specialized moves the weld further up on the tubes, IWT uses the same weld location as a standard mitered joint.

Details aside, the result is visually stunning. For example, Trek has formed the head tube and top tube of the new Emonda ALR with the same shapes as the carbon fiber Emonda SL and SLR, and unless you look very closely, you can’t even tell where one part ends and the other begins; it’s truly seamless as far as your eyes are concerned.

Other areas of the frame are joined using more conventional welding techniques, and the Emonda’s press-fit bottom bracket shell is a far cry from the bulbous and hollow two-piece clamshell that Specialized uses on the Allez Sprint . But it’s important to note that Trek is just getting started with the IWT concept, and it’ll be very interesting to see where it goes from here.

Off-the-shelf, or build to suit

As good as the Emonda ALR platform sounds, Trek clearly isn’t interested in having it cannibalize sales from the carbon fiber Emonda families based on the build kits on tap. Just five complete models are available, all of which focus more on value than outright performance. Complete Shimano groupsets are featured throughout, along with hydraulic brakes for all disc-equipped models. The one exception are the Tektro brake calipers on lower-end rim-brake models, since Shimano doesn’t make a direct-mount caliper at that price point.

At the lower end are the Emonda ALR 4 and ALR 4 Disc, built with Shimano Tiagra and Bontrager Affinity TLR tubeless-ready aluminum clinchers. The rim-brake version costs US$1,360 / AU$1,500, and the disc-brake version (which won’t be brought into Australia) costs US$1,680.

At the upper end are the Emonda ALR 5 and ALR 5 Disc, built with the same Bontrager Affinity TLR tubeless-ready aluminum wheels, but with Shimano’s 105 groupset. Retail price for the rim-brake version is US$1,580 / AU$2,000, or US$1,890 / AU$2,400 for the disc-brake version.

There will also be a sole women-specific model, the Emonda ALR 5 Disc Women’s. Basic spec is unchanged, and it’s built with the same frameset, but touch points are altered to promote a better fit and feel. Pricing is the same as the standard Emonda ALR 5 Disc, but like the Emonda ALR 4 Disc, Trek doesn’t plan to sell it in Australia.

Trek still isn’t ignoring the performance potential of the Emonda ALR, either; there’s also a bare frameset available for riders that might want to do a higher-end build. Retail price is US$960 for either the rim-brake or disc-brake version, but neither will be imported into Australia.

Pricing and availability for other regions is still to be confirmed.

Bones, shaken

I rode a custom-built Emonda ALR for several hours on the roads surrounding Trek’s global headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin, where the rolling hills and seemingly endless expanse of sparsely populated roads provide plenty of opportunity to test a bike’s mettle. Rather than set us up on stock models, Trek went the DIY route, outfitting the frames with Shimano’s latest Ultegra mechanical groupset, low-profile Bontrager Aeolus XXX 2 carbon clinchers, 25mm-wide Bontrager R3 tubeless tires, and an assortment of Bontrager carbon fiber finishing kit. Total weight for my 52cm sample was just 7.4kg (16.31lb), without pedals, but with bottle cages and Blendr accessory mounts.

True to claims, the Emonda ALR felt satisfyingly stout under power, and plenty eager to squirt up short and punchy climbs. Front-end torsional rigidity is good, too, although not quite on-par with top-end carbon models, with some flex detected when you’re really wrenching on the bars.

As expected, handling is picture-perfect, like a well-trained horse that almost doesn’t require any physical input from its rider before doing exactly what you want it to. Set those numbers in stone, Trek.

But as pleasant as Trek’s home roads are, the asphalt is distinctly coarse and lumpy, and the pavement seams impossible to ignore. Trek has successfully showcased other bikes on this stage before, but for the Emonda ALR, it might have been better to choose somewhere with better-quality roads.

The Emonda ALR seems to put up a good fight against more expensive carbon bikes in terms of weight and stiffness, however it’s simply no match in terms of ride comfort. Even with the tires inflated to a modest 70psi or so under my 70kg body, the Emonda ALR offers a rough ride, with little vibration damping to speak of and plenty of impact harshness traveling up through the handlebar and saddle. If anything, it only highlights further the uncanny comfort of the new Madone .

That firm ride will certainly be viewed differently by different riders, and it’s important to note that frame compliance varies proportionally with frame size (and remember that I’m 1.73m tall, weigh 70kg, and ride a relatively small 52cm). Would a heavier and/or taller rider have a different experience? Maybe. But again, stiffness and weight still seem to me to have been the primary design objectives here, and frame compliance strikes me as falling further down on the list. Granted, switching to a more flexible seatpost and tires with more suppleness than the rather stiff-bodied Bontrager R3s of my test bike help, but there are limits to how much you can mask the inherent characteristics of a frameset. As is, the Emonda ALR wouldn’t be my first choice for a long day in the saddle on less-than-ideal road surfaces.

This isn’t to say that I wasn’t impressed with the Emonda ALR overall. I’m a big fan of aluminum bikes in general, and I’m definitely excited to see Trek (and others) devoting more attention to the genre. The Emonda ALR is light and stiff, and an unquestionably good value from a mainstream brand. Privateer racers will unquestionably find much to like here, as will anyone prioritizing stiffness and low weight, and living in areas with good-quality roads.

But just as perpetual motion machines, fountains of youth, and fusion reactors are still the stuff of folklore, the Emonda ALR isn’t quite a tale of getting true carbon fiber performance at aluminum pricing. If you enter into the arrangement with realistic expectations of what you might be getting, you’ll probably be happy with it. And as always, a test ride is probably a good idea before signing on the dotted line.

As much as some of us might like to believe otherwise, material properties are what they are, and as good as the Emonda ALR is, you still don’t get something for nothing.

www.trekbikes.com Disclaimer: Trek provided flights, accommodations, and loaner equipment for this event, and has previously advertised on CyclingTips.

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\u2018even with roubaix legs i cannot follow poga\u010dar\u2019\"}}\u0027>\n mathieu van der poel realistic about quest for monument sweep: \u2018even with roubaix legs i cannot follow poga\u010dar\u2019\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good looking","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/cadex-race-integrated-bar-first-look\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/cadex-race-integrated-bar-first-look\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good looking\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/cadex-race-integrated-bar-first-look\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good looking\"}}\u0027>\n the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good looking\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"time to plan your next trip: 5 companies with new bike bags at sea otter","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/gravel\/gravel-gear\/new-bike-bags-at-this-years-sea-otter\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/gravel\/gravel-gear\/new-bike-bags-at-this-years-sea-otter\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"time to plan your next trip: 5 companies with new bike bags at sea otter\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/gravel\/gravel-gear\/new-bike-bags-at-this-years-sea-otter\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"time to plan your next trip: 5 companies with new bike bags at sea otter\"}}\u0027>\n time to plan your next trip: 5 companies with new bike bags at sea otter\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-titanium-brand-chandi-brings-decades-of-frame-building-experience-to-its-beautiful-bikes\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-titanium-brand-chandi-brings-decades-of-frame-building-experience-to-its-beautiful-bikes\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-titanium-brand-chandi-brings-decades-of-frame-building-experience-to-its-beautiful-bikes\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes\"}}\u0027>\n new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/ride-the-rockies-canceled-due-to-low-registration-future-uncertain\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/ride-the-rockies-canceled-due-to-low-registration-future-uncertain\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/ride-the-rockies-canceled-due-to-low-registration-future-uncertain\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain\"}}\u0027>\n ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/sea-otter-randoms-riser-handlebars-nifty-racks-and-tubes-arent-dead\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/sea-otter-randoms-riser-handlebars-nifty-racks-and-tubes-arent-dead\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/sea-otter-randoms-riser-handlebars-nifty-racks-and-tubes-arent-dead\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead\"}}\u0027>\n sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tadej-pogacar-seizes-liege-bastogne-liege-with-dominant-solo-display\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tadej-pogacar-seizes-liege-bastogne-liege-with-dominant-solo-display\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tadej-pogacar-seizes-liege-bastogne-liege-with-dominant-solo-display\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display\"}}\u0027>\n tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/trek-carback-radar-rear-bike-light-challenges-garmin\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/trek-carback-radar-rear-bike-light-challenges-garmin\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/trek-carback-radar-rear-bike-light-challenges-garmin\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility\"}}\u0027>\n trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/ritchey-montebello-brings-steel-goodness-to-all-road\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/ritchey-montebello-brings-steel-goodness-to-all-road\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/ritchey-montebello-brings-steel-goodness-to-all-road\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road\"}}\u0027>\n the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/highbar-wants-to-revolutionize-your-helmet-straps\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/highbar-wants-to-revolutionize-your-helmet-straps\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/highbar-wants-to-revolutionize-your-helmet-straps\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps\"}}\u0027>\n highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/haro-buzzard-rivette-road-gravel\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/haro-buzzard-rivette-road-gravel\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/haro-buzzard-rivette-road-gravel\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what\"}}\u0027>\n haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"key takeaways: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge 2024","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/key-takeaways-liege-bastogne-liege-2024\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/key-takeaways-liege-bastogne-liege-2024\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"key takeaways: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge 2024\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/key-takeaways-liege-bastogne-liege-2024\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"key takeaways: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge 2024\"}}\u0027>\n key takeaways: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge 2024\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"kona bikes bails on sea otter classic with no explanation","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/kona-bikes-bails-on-sea-otter-classic-with-no-explanation\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/kona-bikes-bails-on-sea-otter-classic-with-no-explanation\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"kona bikes bails on sea otter classic with no explanation\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/kona-bikes-bails-on-sea-otter-classic-with-no-explanation\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"kona bikes bails on sea otter classic with no explanation\"}}\u0027>\n kona bikes bails on sea otter classic with no explanation\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"sea otter randoms: limited edition saddle, updated ritte, salsa e-bike and more","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/sea-otter-randoms-limited-edition-saddle-updated-ritte-salsa-e-bike-and-more\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/sea-otter-randoms-limited-edition-saddle-updated-ritte-salsa-e-bike-and-more\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"sea otter randoms: limited edition saddle, updated ritte, salsa e-bike and more\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/sea-otter-randoms-limited-edition-saddle-updated-ritte-salsa-e-bike-and-more\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"sea otter randoms: limited edition saddle, updated ritte, salsa e-bike and more\"}}\u0027>\n sea otter randoms: limited edition saddle, updated ritte, salsa e-bike and more\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "}]' > >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>advertise >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>privacy policy >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>contact >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>careers >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>terms of use >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>site map >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>my newsletters manage cookie preferences privacy request healthy living.

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2018 Trek Bikes Émonda ALR

Stack and reach vs. category trend.

The Bike Insights Upright/Aggressive scale is based on analysis of a bike’s proportions relative to similar sized bikes in the same category.

Trek Émonda ALR 6 2018 Review

Does it still count as aluminium, or is it on another level? The Trek Émonda ALR 6 is the highest-quality aluminium racer in Trek’s portfolio. Its striking, authentic pro design will seduce you, but can the performance keep up with the superb looks?

For an overview of the test fleet head to the main article: The best aluminium road bike you can buy – four bikes under € 2,500 in review

For the 2018 season Trek presents a versatile version of the Émonda. We’re intrigued by the fact that there are two carbon versions of the Émonda — the SL 4 and the SL 5 — which are actually cheaper than our aluminium test bike. Does the higher price of the aluminium model mean it also performs better?

The frame of the Émonda ALR 6 is made of 300 Series Alpha Aluminium. According to Trek this is the highest-quality aluminium in their line-up, and it allowed them to build the lightest aluminium frame ever designed by Trek. Like Specialized’s Rider First concept, the hydroformed tubing of the Trek is adapted to each individual frame size to ensure a balanced performance across sizes. Trek usually divides their geometries into H1 and H2 riding positions.

Whilst the frames with H1 geometry are slacker and longer, the H2 geometry makes for a more upright, yet sporty, riding position — and the ALR 6 is based on this. The 86.5 mm-wide bottom bracket housing is wider than standard BSA versions and is designed to make for a stiffer ride — especially when pedalling out of the saddle and on powerful startups. As a special feature Trek integrates their in-house Bontrager DuoTrap sensor into the left chainstay. This can be connected to all common cycling computers via ANT+ or Bluetooth technology and measures both cadence and speed. The Trek also features a complete Shimano Ultegra R8000 drivetrain and aerodynamically-optimised Bontrager Aeolus Comp wheels with deep 50 mm rims. Whilst the frame has enough room to accommodate tires of up to 28 mm, Trek delivers the ALR 6 with a set of Bontrager R2 Hard-Case Lite 25 mm tires. Bontrager’s 27.2mm carbon seatpost and Pro aluminium cockpit complete the spec. The ALR 6 weighs 8.13kg in a size 56 and costs € 2,299, which is just € 200 less than the ROSE XEON RS with Ultegra Di2.

The Trek Émonda ALR 6 in detail

Drivetrain Shimano Ultegra R8000 Wheelset Bontrager Aeolus Comp Tubeless Ready Brakes Shimano Ultegra Tires Bontrager R2 Hard-Case Lite Weight 8.13 kg Price € 2,299

The geometry of the Trek Émonda ALR 6

The Trek Émonda ALR 6 feels comfortable straight away. The conservative riding position of the H2 geometry relieves your neck and back muscles without giving you the feeling of sitting on a randonneur. The nimble acceleration of the ALR 6 tells us that the heart of a genuine racer is hiding under the matte black paintwork. The Trek picks up speed rapidly, but struggles to keep up with the much lighter ROSE or the superb acceleration of the Cannondale. It’s when you’re riding on your own and fighting against the wind that the ALR 6 shows its true strengths.

   But that is an aluminium bike, right?

The sporty yet slightly upright riding position leaves plenty of room for movement, whilst the aerodynamic wheels deliver maximum speed in the flats. On rough tarmac you’ll also enjoy the perks of the filigree seatstays. Even though the frame of the Trek doesn’t offer as much compliance as the ROSE, the highly flexible carbon seatpost conveys good levels of comfort even when riding long distances. The mechanical Shimano groupset shifts with precision — and although the clicking noise of the shifter echoes through the tubeset and carbon fairing on the alloy rims, this noise makes you feel like a pro. As soon as the road gets steep and you begin to climb, the stiff BB area withstands even the most powerful out-of-the-saddle power bursts. The nimble character really impressed us on the uphill, but unfortunately the handling feels unbalanced on descents — here you really notice the relatively long head tube and the short top tube. The rear-heavy weight distribution requires a proactive riding style and a firm hand to control the “light” front end on fast descents. If you ride the Trek within its comfort zone, you can relax and cruise down the hill with confidence. Whatever speed you’re carrying, Shimano’s Ultegra brakes will impress you with tons of power and great modulation. The craftsmanship on the Trek is top-notch, so good in fact that it will take you a while to believe it’s actually made of aluminium. The overall look combined with the gorgeous wheels can easily compare to bikes which are twice as expensive. We believe that a complete internal-cable routing setup would suit the gorgeous overall aesthetics much better than the partial routing Trek used.

Conclusions

The Trek ALR 6 is a fast, nimble racer with superb all-round characteristics. If you’re unlikely to sign up for sprint races, but are looking for a lively, well-specced bike for long-distance marathons, the Trek might be just what you’re looking for. If you’re after a pro look at a fair price, this is a very exciting option.

– Integrated DuoTrap Sensor – Pro look – Top craftsmanship

– Partly external cable routing – Undefined front end in threshold handling

Uphill | Downhill | Sprint

For more info head to: trekbikes.com

All bikes in test: Specialized Allez Sprint Comp | Cannondale CAAD 12 105 | ROSE XEON RS Ultegra Di2

This article is from GRAN FONDO issue #009

GRAN FONDO Cycling Magazine is published in a digital app format in both English and German. Download the app for iOS or Android to read all articles on your tablet or smartphone. 100% free!

Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of GRAN FONDO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality cycling journalism. Click here to learn more .

Words: Photos: Valentin Rühl

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Trek Émonda 2018 range: lightweight all-rounders now disc equipped

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The Trek Emonda is the featherweight, all rounder in the brand's stable and the recently released 2018 models are the lightest yet.

The carbon bikes within the Trek Emonda range come in two standards: the SL and SLR – the latter being the lighter of the two. Both frame standards now come with the option of disc brakes.

>>> Trek bikes: which model is right for you?

The range also contains lightweight aluminium bikes in the Emonda ALR collection, though the only 2018 version currently available is the Shimano Ultegra equipped Trek Emonda ALR6.

2018 Trek Emonda: lightest ever and disc brake equipped

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

The newest Trek Emonda SLR frame comes in at 650g, in a size 56cm, with the disc version tipping the scales at 665g. The slightly heavier SL versions are still hardly hefty, at 1091g and 1146g with disc brakes.

>>> Trek Emonda SL6 review

For 2018, Trek also increased the tyre clearance of the Emonda SL and SLR models to 28mm – going as far as to say that this addition, along with disc brakes, made the bikes fully capable of gravel and adventure riding duties. This is quite a claim on a bike that’s been tried and tested for pro racing by Trek Segafredo riders.

To cater for racers after adequate power transfer, developers of the lightweight frame have ensured that it continues to remain stiff.

Indeed, the newest 2018 model is said to be stiffer than previous versions across the frame, head tube, bottom bracket thanks to the use of the OCLV carbon layup which has been tested extensively by pro riders.

Trek Emonda Reviews

• Trek Emonda SL5
• Trek Emonda ALR 6
• Trek Emonda SL6 2018

Alberto Contador's Trek Emonda SLR

Special features of the Trek Emonda SL and SLR

The disc models use a flat mount system. The non-disc brake models come with Trek’s own rim brakes: Bontrager Speed Pro Brakes.

They say these direct mount, tuneable rim brakes are lighter than other options. At 95g thanks to their hollow arms and titanium components, this is hard to argue with.

In terms of computer technology, Trek has centralised it all into its cockpit. Accordingly to the company, "Blendr Integration" seamlessly mounts Bontrager's cycling computer, Ion bike lights or even Garmin computers directly to the handlebars.

All of the bikes in the Emonda range also boast a ‘ride tuned seatmast’ which is created to be light whilst promoting comfort, dampening out rough roads.

The SLR models are lighter than the SL bikes, and use 700 Series OCLV carbon as opposed to 500 Series OCLV. They also feature ‘Control Freak Cable Management’ which allows for shifter and brake cables to be housed through the frame and they’re available with a Project One custom pain job.

Whilst the Emonda is race tested, most built bikes come in the H2 fit, which is the slightly more relaxed geometry when compared to more aggressive H1. However, SLR frames are available with H1 fit if you choose the 'Race Shop Limited' version.

Trek Émonda SLR weights and technical specs:

• Émonda SLR frame = 640g
• Émonda SLR disc frame = 665g
• Émonda SLR fork = 313g
• Émonda SLR disc for = 350g
• 28c tyre clearance
• H1 and H2 fit possible
• Specs from Emonda SLR6 with Shimano Ultegra at £4,400 to Emonda SLR9 in Shimano Dura Ace Di2 for £8,500

Trek Émonda SL weights and technical specs:

• 500 series OCLV carbon
• Trek SL frame = 1019g
• Trek SL disc frame = 1149g
• Trek SL fork =313g
• Trek SL disc fork = 350g
• Émonda SL 5 (women's model) fork = 436g
• Women's model available as Émonda SL 5
• Specs from Emonda SL4 with Shimano Tiagra at £1,500 to Emonda SL7 with Shimano Dura Ace Di2 at for £4,400

TrekÉmonda ALR:

• 300 Series Alpha aluminium
• Specced with Shimano Ultegra on the ALR6 for £2,000

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Trek Emonda ALR long-term review

Matthew’s dream alloy eTap build

Matthew Allen / Immediate Media

Matthew Loveridge

Stunning finish, light and lively feel, low weight, intuitive eTap shifting

Disappointing SRAM brakes (later upgraded to Shimano Dura-Ace), firmer than expected front end

Trek’s Emonda ALR is the affordable aluminium version of its lightweight climber’s bike, a dainty alternative to the aero dreadnought that is the Madone .

Trek kindly lent me a frameset and I built it up with SRAM RED eTap and some choice finishing kit from Ritchey. Read on for full details of the build, my thoughts on how it turned out, and video of the bike in action.

• I want to build the world’s nicest Trek Emonda ALR
• Trek’s new Emonda ALR Disc is lighter than its SL carbon counterpart

Trek Emonda ALR long-term review update #2 — final conclusions

I chose the Emonda because I wanted to prove that alloy bikes can be beautiful, desirable things . I think I’ve succeeded.

The ALR passes the look-back test: when I’m walking away from it, I glance back over my shoulder, because it’s downright handsome and its svelte lines give me that fizzy feeling I look for in a bike.

It’s a bike that turns heads and one that people seem to assume is carbon thanks to its luxurious finish.

I’ve enjoyed using SRAM eTap too. While it’s now the ‘old’ version, it remains a very elegant design. I love the minimalism of a bike without gear cables and I really like the simplicity of the shifting arrangement — SRAM deserves kudos for taking a clean-sheet approach to the design rather than simply grafting electronic switches onto DoubleTap shifters.

I appreciate how easy it is to change gear from different hand positions too. In the drops, it’s possible to shift using your knuckles, which is handy on fast descents when you want to maintain a safe grip.

From the hoods, I sometimes click the shifters using my ring or little fingers when I’m climbing out of the saddle.

Incidentally, I’ve now had the opportunity to ride the latest RED eTap AXS groupset too (on a 1×-equipped bike, so I could only assess rear shifting) and, while there is a noticeable improvement to the overall smoothness of the shifting, it’s not night and day. The original eTap remains a bloody good groupset, one I’d happily have on my own bike.

Overall I’ve been very happy with my final build, but I’ve been mulling what I could have done differently.

I think if I were starting from scratch I’d choose a skinny round bar for a bit more front-end flex, and also because that way I could have fitted SRAM’s Blip remote switches, giving me an extra set of shift buttons on the tops.

Inertia meant I didn’t end up switching wheels, but a wider set of rims for more tyre volume would have made sense, and might have been a better match for the 28mm Veloflex rubber.

I didn’t have any particular issue with these tyres — and they look lovely — but I prefer lower pressures (60 to 70psi) and the supple ‘open tubular’ construction seems to favour old-school, tub-like high pressures.

At lower pressures the Veloflexes' soft sidewalls were a bit floppier than I’d like, something that’s noticeable with quick changes of direction.

I can’t really fault the Emonda for the money. It isn’t as good as a £3,000 superbike frameset but it punches way above its weight, and looks stunning to boot.

If I were changing one thing about it, I’d prefer a threaded bottom bracket for long-term ease of maintenance, but I didn’t have any problems with the BB86 press-fit. (As it happens, Trek has been making moves back towards threaded bottom brackets , although it remains to be seen if bikes such as the ALR will make the switch.)

I’m going to miss the Emonda ALR — it’s been an absolute pleasure riding a bike that so perfectly embodies the best qualities of aluminium as a frame material.

Trek Emonda ALR — the highs

The Emonda is born for climbing and that’s really where it shines. Heading uphill there’s little to distinguish it from a much more expensive (or carbon) bike. It’s lovely and stiff and, in this build, super light too.

I know I keep banging on about the looks, but that really is a major selling point for the ALR as far as I’m concerned.

The purple-flip frame is gorgeous and a sympathetic build lets it shine. I love the aesthetics of minimalist climbers’ bikes so that’s what I was aiming for when I chose a wireless groupset and low-profile wheels.

How your bike makes you feel is hugely important, and the Emonda feels special to me because I chose everything on it and built it exactly how I wanted.

Trek Emonda ALR — the lows

SRAM releasing a brand new version of my groupset in the spring cut me deep but, once I’d pulled myself together, I remembered that first-gen eTap is still great.

From a riding perspective, my lowest point was likely the 100km ride I did in March. It came after I’d been off the bike for months for family reasons and, as a result, I was woefully unprepared for the 1,700m of climbing.

Not even the Emonda’s ultra-low gearing could save me, and I fell apart like cardboard in the rain.

The bike itself hasn’t suffered any real problems. A minor shifting issue was easily resolved, while a spot of creaking under load was cured by a judicious application of grease at the rear dropouts.

Previous updates continue below.

Trek Emonda ALR long-term review update #1

It’s been a quiet month for the Emonda between time away and unpleasantly damp weather, but I’ve taken steps to address my one real concern with the bike: the brakes.

The rather generic looking S-900s, SRAM’s sole direct-mount offering, have proved to be a disappointment. That they’re a non-series option perhaps reflects the fact that even SRAM doesn’t consider them groupset-worthy — I certainly don’t think they’re RED-equivalent and I’ve been wanting to replace them since my first ride on the ALR.

My disregard for brand purism should be pretty clear by this point, so I’ve doubled down with it and fitted a set of Dura-Ace R9100 brakes in place of the S-900s. Yes, I’m trolling you. Shall I get some Campagnolo wheels to complete the effect?

The Dura-Ace brakes (product codes BR-R9110-RS and BR-R9110-F if you’re geeky about that sort of thing) are near enough exactly the same weight as the S-900s at 300g, but it’s not mass I care about here.

I haven’t had the chance to test them out properly on the road yet, but even on the workstand it’s obvious that they’re much stiffer, with a more defined bite when you pull the levers gently and less visible flex when you squeeze them hard.

From a pure vanity standpoint, they’re also much nicer looking than the SRAMs, even if they do clash horribly from a brand perspective.

Brakes aside, I’ve not changed much on the Emonda, and while I’m still vaguely mulling wheel options, I don’t feel compelled to make any more big upgrades for the time being.

My most memorable ride on the bike so far was a hilly 56km in the wonderful and aptly-named Peak District. Not far, I hear you cry! But somehow that distance took in almost 1,100m of climbing, vindicating my decision to choose very low gearing.

I’m looking forward to putting more miles on the lovely purple ALR, watch this space.

Trek Emonda ALR build and spec — original post

I’ve already taken a detailed first look at the Emonda ALR’s frameset which you can read here . Suffice to say, it’s made of metal and it’s a very lovely looking thing. At 1,203g including its hanger, cable guides, bottle-cage bolts and seat collar, it’s also reasonably light.

I chose to build the ALR with SRAM RED eTap because I’ve long wanted to get to know the groupset properly. I love the clean-sheet approach SRAM took when it went wireless and I was hugely impressed when I first tried eTap, but I wanted to spend more time actually using it day-to-day.

I opted for super-low gearing by road standards because experience tells me that I wouldn’t regret it — I’m no gear masher.

Of course, since building this bike, SRAM has launched its updated RED and Force eTap AXS 12-speed groupsets. When the news broke I immediately started feeding the Trek into the nearest woodchipper but then I remembered that the bike industry launching new products doesn’t actually render my current kit unrideable .

Incidentally, SRAM doesn’t make a RED direct-mount rim brake, instead it offers the non-series S-900, so that’s what I went with. More on those later…

Finishing kit: Ritchey riches and a hot mess of other things

I chose Ritchey finishing kit because it’s consistently impressed me with its feel and finish.

The WCS Carbon Streem bar is particularly nice (and expensive), with slightly swept wing-profile tops that are very comfortable.

The one issue it presented is that I couldn’t figure out a neat way to mount eTap Blip shifters on the tops as I’d originally intended, so I ended up not using them.

The FlexLogic seatpost is similarly attractive and has a flippable head which gives you a wider-than-normal range of setback adjustment.

The rest of the build is a bit of a parts bin special, using components I had lying around.

The low-profile Shimano Dura-Ace C24 clinchers are an old favourite, albeit ones that are looking a bit dated with a narrow rim profile. I’ve also mislaid the matching skewers, so the bike is currently wearing a set of FFWD QRs.

The saddle is a Specialized Power which, after many, many miles, I still can’t decide if I prefer over my old love, the Romin. Oh, and I had to have tan-wall tyres, because of course I did .

So yes, it’s a SRAM-equipped bike with Shimano wheels and mismatched accessories. Purists, avert your gaze.

Trek Emonda ALR full specification

• Sizes (*tested): 50, 52, 54*, 56, 58 60, 62, 64
• Weight: 7.0kg (including pedals, two bottle cages, Garmin out-front mount)
• Frame: Emonda ALR Ultralight 300 Series Alpha aluminium, Invisible Weld Technology
• Fork: Emonda full carbon
• Shifters: SRAM RED eTap
• Derailleurs: SRAM RED eTAP
• Cranks: SRAM RED 50/34t
• Wheelset: Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 C24 clincher
• Tyres: Veloflex Master 28mm
• Brakes: SRAM S-900 direct-mount
• Bar: Ritchey WCS Carbon Streem 40cm
• Bar tape: WCS Race
• Stem: Ritchey WCS C220 100mm (later changed for 120mm)
• Seatpost: WCS Link Carbon FlexLogic seatpost 27.2×350mm
• Saddle: Specialized Power
• Pedals: Speedplay Zero Stainless
• Accessories: Arundel Stainless bottle cages

Trek Emonda ALR geometry

• Head angle: 73.0 degrees
• Seat angle: 73.7 degrees
• Chainstay length: 410mm
• Seat tube: 540mm
• Top tube: 543mm
• Head tube: 155mm
• Bottom bracket drop: 70mm
• Wheelbase: 981mm
• Stack: 555mm
• Reach: 381mm

Why did I choose this bike?

I’ve been boring people about how good aluminium bikes are for a while now, so it felt like it was time to put my (hypothetical) money where my mouth is.

I really liked the Emonda ALR when I reviewed the first generation model a couple of years ago so the news that there was an updated model designed for my beloved direct-mount brakes got me all in a lather.

I cleave naturally to spindly climber’s bikes rather than rolling billboard aero machines. I’m not built for speed on the flat and my weight means I get blown around on deep section rims anyway.

The fact that the Emonda is sold as a frameset (as well as complete bikes) and comes in a gorgeous purple-flip paint option was very much the cherry on top.

Trek Emonda ALR initial setup

Building a bike with eTap was a welcome novelty. With the derailleurs and shifters bolted on, it’s a process that’s more akin to pairing a Bluetooth speaker with your phone than conventional cable routing. Only the rear brake cable needed to be fed through the frame.

I did manage to break the tiny support shim that sits behind the front derailleur with what I thought was minimal force, but otherwise it was largely trouble free.

I cut the fork to allow for 30mm of headset spacers and with 20mm under the stem, I haven’t seen fit to move it up or down so far.

My intention was always to take advantage of the clearance the Emonda’s direct-mount brakes offer to fit decent sized tyres, and I’ve been running those lovely 28mm Veloflex Masters at around 60psi front / 70psi rear.

I actually set the bike up with latex tubes initially, but immediately destroyed one through incompetence and latex’s preternatural ability to get trapped by a tyre bead. That leaves me with a butyl tube at the back and latex one up front, a sort of rubbery mullet setup that probably won’t ever catch on.

Emonda ALR ride impressions so far

The new ALR is the same taut, lightweight machine I remember and with this dream spec, it’s properly lively. Climbing on a bike as light and stiff as this is a delight and my choice of gearing means I can winch up the nastiest of inclines.

I don’t know if it’s my memory playing tricks or the fact that I now live somewhere with pretty awful roads, but the ride quality isn’t exactly what I was expecting.

The Emonda ALR’s back end is delightfully smooth but the front is firmer than I recall, enough so that on fast descents with a bit of broken tarmac I’ve found myself holding back ever so slightly to maintain composure.

I’m honestly not sure why this is. Was my choice of super-stiff aero bars a mistake? Am I going soft? I need more time to work this out.

I also need to check my hanger alignment because my shifting seems to be very slightly out, but overall the eTap groupset has been a delight so far. The two-paddle shifting is very intuitive and I get on well with the shape of the hoods.

I’m genuinely disappointed with the brakes however. My experience with Shimano and Campagnolo direct-mount calipers has been nothing but positive, but the S-900s feel like a phoned-in afterthought.

Even leaving aside the generic looking finish, a squeeze of the lever produces visible caliper flex and they just don’t have the solidity and modulation of, say, Ultegra direct-mount brakes. I expected better, SRAM.

If it sounds like I'm feeling negative towards the Emonda, don't get me wrong. It's a delightful thing and I'm very much looking forward to putting more miles on it.

Trek Emonda ALR upgrades

While I’m very fond of the Dura-Ace clinchers, a wider, more modern set of wheels would be an obvious upgrade and could add a smidge more comfort. If I do upgrade, I’ll stick with something fairly low profile as I feel it suits the aesthetic of the bike.

The biggest surprise with my build has been those S-900 brakes. They’re remarkably bad and, in keeping with the parts bin theme, I’m very tempted to swap them for Shimanos, although I’m not certain if the lever pull would be optimal.

Should I mix groupsets? Should I seek out some ridiculous weight weenie specials instead? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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• Trek Émonda ALR 5 2018

Bike summary

Bike components.

Ultralight 300 Series Alpha Aluminum, Invisible Weld Technology, E2 tapered head tube, DuoTrap S compatible, BB86.5

Suspension Fork

Émonda carbon, carbon E2 steerer

Rear Derailleur

Shimano 105

Front Derailleur

Shimano 105, braze-on

Shift Levers

Shimano 105, 11 speed

Shimano 105, 11-28, 11 speed

Shimano 105, 50/34 (compact)

Bottom Bracket

Press Fit BB86.5

Not included

Bontrager Tubeless Ready

Bontrager R1 Hard-Case Lite, 700x 25c

Bontrager Elite, 31.8mm, 7 degree, w/computer & light mounts

Bontrager Race VR-C, 31.8mm

Bontrager tape

Integrated, cartridge bearing, sealed, 1-1/8? top, 1.5? bottom

Bontrager Montrose Comp, chromoly rails

Bontrager alloy, 2-bolt head, 27.2mm, 8mm offset

Bike geometry

About this model.

Émonda ALR 5 completes the Trek Emonda model. Trek released 251 bikes variations of this model so far. Check out the entire range from 2018 of this model, by clicking this link .

Model range prices

The most economical model, the Trek Émonda 650 2018 has a starting price of 1049 $ . Trek Émonda SLR 9 2018 on the other hand is the most expensive at 11499 $ .

Make sure you wear a helmet on every ride, and that your bike performs well. In short, this means checking the tires, brakes, and chain to make sure everything is in good working order.

Race bikes average price

If you want to purchase a solid Race bike, it is important to know that the average cost is 3350 $ . However, paying less money than this amount doesn’t mean that you couldn’t get a great Race bike. To make sure you don’t pay a higher amount than normal for your bike, always do some components analysis and read reviews.

Furthermore, if we have a quick look at this model’s cost, we can see that at its release date the price was 1679 $ . Comparing this to the average Race bike price, we see that the price is 99.52 % lower .

Race bikes average weight

Race bikes have an average weight of 6.82 kg (15.04 lbs) . An easier bike will give you a big advantage in climbs. However, a heavier bike can gain speed when you descend.

Trek Émonda ALR 5 it’s weighing 8.47 kg (18.67 lbs) . At this weight, is much heavier than average. To sum up, it’s 24.19% heavier than the average weight of Race bikes.

Émonda ALR 5 components

Fork material.

When it comes to the fork, this bike has a carbon one, so, its weight is considerably lighter than one made out of steel. However, they cost a bit more than steel forks.

Wheels size

When leaving the production line, the Émonda ALR 5 model has 700c aluminum wheels. These wheels are the most used kind for road bikes in general. However, these wheels don’t perform so well when passing over obstacles.

When you want to stop the bike in time, the brakes are vital. The Émonda ALR 5 has Rim brakes. Rim brakes are cheaper than hydraulic brakes, and also easier to maintain. However, you could spend a little extra and get a bike that has hydraulic brakes.

Trek Emonda models from 2024

Trek emonda models from 2023, trek emonda models from 2022, trek emonda models from 2021, trek emonda models from 2020, trek emonda models from 2019, trek emonda models from 2018, trek emonda models from 2017, trek emonda models from 2016, trek emonda models from 2015.

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In 2018, after visiting Suzdal I visited Vladimir, which was the capital of Russia from the mid-1100s to the early 1200s, when it was sacked by the Mongols and never fully recovered its importance (Moscow took over). Like Suzdal, Vladimir is one of the cities in the Golden Ring. Unlike Suzdal, Vladimir is a real city.

The bus terminal also sold an array of useful products, like the cologne "Sasha" and C3PO-sponsored "Durasell" batteries.

In the center of Vladimir, one of its most important monuments is the "Golden Gate" shown below. It used to serve as a gate to access the city, which of course by now has grown completely around it. The current version is a reconstruction. The original gate was replaced in 1795 after being deemed to be in too poor a condition to maintain.

Close to the Golden Gate is the Trinity Church, which was constructed right before the Russian Revolution. Next to the church, workers are building what looks like a fountain.

Up a street from the Golden Gate is the following old water tower, which has an observation deck on the top and houses a historical museum about Vladimir below that: the photo is from 1880 and the carvings with moveable pieces on the inside were made from a single piece of wood.

Near the water tower I saw the following well-dressed local on the left in a cafe. On the right, a family is carrying blue bags from Vladimir Zhirinovsky's political party. Someone was running around giving out these free bags of party swag (must have been some election coming up). He approached me and I made it clear I had zero interest.

On Bolshaya Moskovskaya ("Big Moscow") street is a tobacco store named after Sherlock Holmes.

Off that street is a Museum of the Spoon. Its entrance is the door in the first photo below. Note the blind person eyeglass symbol, and below that a button for people in a wheelchair to be let in. It is admirable for the museum to make itself accessible to the handicapped, but if they were really committed to this they should find a better location: the museum is down a steep and bumpy asphalt road that even able-bodied people need to walk along carefully! A better view of the road than what I show in the photo is at Google maps here .

According to the museum's website (in Russian), it opened in 2015 and has the biggest spoon collection in Russia. The second photo below has a spoon with a hole in it; this is what you use if you are on a diet. A lot of the spoons in this small museum are part of spoon collections that different companies once sold. If your grandmother ever got spoons from the Franklin Mint, there is probably a copy of them here.

At the Soho Pub Steakhouse (that's Soho as in London, not New York), the menu shows where all the parts of a steak come from: sirloin, flank, and so on. I knew what part of a cow a rib steak comes from, but some of the other information was new to me.

In a park where artists could sell their work, one guy displayed the carving below. It is a parody of the painting shown after it, which everyone in Russia knows. The painting is called "Bogatyrs" (the Russian analogue of knights) and hangs in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

At a museum near the park I found 15-puzzles with removable pieces for sale and bought one of them (I wrote about another one on the page about Suzdal ).

Georgievskaya street, a pedestrian area, was rebuilt in 2016 with new brick paths, new benches, new building facades, and a few bronze statues. Here is one of the statues: a 19th century fireman outside the local fire station. (A news article about its installation is here if you know Russian.) This is interactive, since if you push the wooden handle up and down, a stream of water comes out of the hose that the statue is holding.

A kiosk off this street had the following Trump-era US currency holder for sale.

By far the most interesting tourist activity in Vladimir is a visit to Borodin's blacksmith shop, where you can forge your own nail if you visit on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Before the lesson began, I tried on the chain mail and helmet in the waiting area, shown below. The mail weighs almost 50 pounds, with its main pressure being on the shoulders. Taking it off made me feel so much lighter!

Behind the chain mail and helmet above is a shield. In Russian, the word "shield" is щит (shcheet). There is an Uzbekistan power company Щит Энергия (Shcheet Energiya) which translates its name into English not as Shield Energy, but as Shit Energiya. I am not making this up. You can see their name in English at the top and bottom of a Wayback Machine copy of their 2018 homepage . Strictly speaking, Shit Energiya is an LLC, and that abbreviation is translated into Russian as OOO, so the full name in English is the more impressive OOO Shit Energiya, as you can see at the top of a Reddit page on Engrish . In 2014, Ben Stiller visited the Russian late-night talk show Evening Urgant and, without knowing Russian, participated in a skit where he had to guess what presents different children asked him about in Russian. A child asked to get a shield, and Stiller was astonished by the word he (thought he) heard. This skit was posted to the show's YouTube channel here , but that link stopped working for me after the show was shut down in February 2022. I found an archived copy of the skit on Facebook here (the part about the shield starts at 1:55).

For some reason, the waiting area also had a copy of a "Felix" pinwheel calculator. The name is from Felix Dzerzhinsky, who organized a factory to create them based on an earlier model (see here ) while he wasn't busy killing people. The Felix calculator at the blacksmith is on the left, and a shinier version I found at the Computer History Museum in California a few months later is on the right.

Here are the blacksmith's forge (furnace), anvil, and work tools.

The lesson (or "master class") was led by Alexei Borodin, who began by discussing the important role of blacksmiths in the era before mass production of consumer goods. They made everything a household used that was metallic: pans, utensils, keys, horseshoes, scales, nails, iron wheel tires, etc. After discussing a minimal set of tools a blacksmith would use, he asked "What else does a blacksmith have to use?" "The head!"

This metal decorative piece took him 2 months to create.

Below, our instructor discussed weighing heavy and light items; the metal scale on the right is over 100 years old.

Now he heated up a metal rod to demonstrate for the audience how to make a nail.

He hammered the end of the rod to get a sharp tip, cut off the end, and hammered the top of the tip (with the rest of the nail held in place in a bar called a nailheader) to create a nailhead.

It was now time for people in the audience to make a nail. Everyone else who wanted to do this was a child, and I let them go first. After putting on an apron and holding a hammer, it looks like I know what I'm doing, from forming the nailhead to cooling it off in the bucket of water (quenching).

Behold my off-centered nail!

Alexei Borodin giving a version of his lesson on YouTube. He starts instructing the first "apprentice" at 26:25, and hammering begins at 28:30.

Here is Yuri Borodin's lesson on YouTube.

The last place I visited in Vladimir was a monument to Prince Vladimir (on the horse) and St. Theodore near the Assumption Cathedral. At sunset there were amazing lights and clouds behind the building.

• Rider Notes

2018 Trek Émonda ALR 5

An aluminum frame race bike with upper mid-range components and rim brakes.

Manufacturer Price

For This Bike

View more similar bikes →

Based on frame geometry and build specs.

A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

Émonda ALR 5

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Last updated 15 February Not listed for 2,256 days

• Émonda ALR 5

• Phone: +90 (212) 875 19 08
• E-Mail: [email protected]

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• Aluminium Frames for Safety and Security
• Aluminium Conservatories
• Metal Panel Sheet Claddings
• Aluminium Entrance Frames
• Glass Structures
• Complementary Items
• Lightweight Steel Structures
• Human Resources OPEN

Project Description

Project name:, year of construction:, contractor:, total quantity:.