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The Takeaway: The up to date Trek Émonda ALR is completely fashionable, but easy and totally upgradable. Simply the best way an aluminum street bike needs to be.
That is Trek’s third era of the Émonda ALR. It’s the Wisconsin-based model’s tackle premium-level aluminum race bikes, a section largely dominated by Specialised’s Allez Sprint and the Cannondale CAAD sequence over the previous few years.
The Émonda ALR borrows its geometry (all the way down to the millimeter) from its a lot pricier (and lighter weight) carbon fiber model of the Émonda. This implies riders get the identical, confirmed, race-winning geometry of the a lot pricier carbon mannequin for round one thousand {dollars} much less.
Whereas the associated fee financial savings is perhaps probably the most engaging characteristic of the ALR for a lot of riders, the up to date aluminum body is the showstopper right here. Very similar to its carbon model, the Émonda ALR options a mixture of aerofoil (Kammtail) formed tubes together with extra conventional spherical profiles. Trek makes use of its 300 Sequence Alpha aluminum for the body, which weighs in at 1,257 grams (claimed), for a painted dimension 56cm. It’s mixed with a full carbon fork that provides 406g to the overall bundle. That is spectacular—weighing a mere 34g greater than Trek’s carbon Émonda SL variant of the body (which sells for $1,000 greater than the ALR).
The Émonda ALR body can be refreshingly free from proprietary requirements. The bike makes use of a T47 threaded backside bracket, a spherical 27.2mm diameter seatpost, and a very regular handlebar and stem mixture utilizing a 31.8 bar clamp and 1-⅛ steer tube. All of this stuff make the Émonda ALR an easy-to-live-with bike that may be upgraded and customised as riders see match.
Alloy-frame aficionados have divided opinions concerning the look of welds. Some favor to see the helpful work of the welder and the way tidy they’ll make the welds, whereas others favor to not see the welds in any respect. Followers of chunky welds shall be disillusioned as Trek employed its Invisible Weld Know-how on the Émonda ALR. This method creates an extremely seamless look to the body. At arm’s size (and significantly with the black body), riders can simply mistake the Émonda ALR for a pricier carbon bike.
One other huge change is on the Émonda’s entrance finish. Trek carried out an built-in cable routing setup that’s similar to the model used on the Allez Dash. This setup sees the cable housing and brake hoses run externally alongside the bar and stem after which enter the body by way of the highest headset bearing. This sort of integration has the benefit of permitting riders to simply swap stem lengths or handlebars whereas nonetheless reaching a reasonably clean-looking cockpit. Whereas Trek avoids the most important complications of cockpit customization with this cable routing resolution, like many different current street and gravel bikes, it suffers the added complexity and expense of routine service (equivalent to changing cables and housing or servicing headset bearings).
Not like high-end bikes with digital shifting—for the reason that Émonda ALR is just offered with mechanical shifting—there are double the cables routing by way of the headset. Bikes with comparable routing usually face extra fast deterioration in shift efficiency (in comparison with bikes the place issues are routed externally) as a result of tight bends the derailleur housing should make to suit into the area. It makes changing cables and housing a significant headache and expensive in case you’re not doing it your self.
In keeping with Cadence Biking Middle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, changing a single-shift cable on a motorbike with by way of the headset routing can price as a lot as $200 in labor. It is because retailers are inclined to cost for this work by the hour and the time it takes to finish this service varies based mostly on how sophisticated fishing the housing and cable is thru the body. To carry out the identical restore on a motorbike with externally routed cables, I used to be quoted a flat $25 labor cost.
Match and Geometry
The Émonda ALR options the identical H1.5 geometry that Trek makes use of on its Émonda and Madone carbon fashions. This geometry splits the distinction between the aggressive H1 match and the extra relaxed H2 model. That means {that a} majority of riders ought to be capable of discover a good using place no matter whether or not they need to be lengthy and low or extra upright.
Moreover, Trek affords the Émonda ALR in a whopping eight sizes. The smallest dimension 47cm body needs to be good for riders as quick as 5’0”, and the most important dimension 62cm matches riders as much as 6’5”, in line with Trek.
The ALR Construct
Trek at the moment affords just one full bike Émonda ALR construct. It options Shimano’s wonderful 105 11-speed mechanical groupset, together with a Bontrager alloy bar, stem, and seatpost. Rounding issues out is a pair of Bontrager alloy Paradigm SL wheels, that are very conventional with spherical J-bend spokes laced 2x however characteristic a 21mm inside width and are tubeless-ready. Nevertheless, riders must buy the mandatory gadgets to show them into tubeless wheels (together with tubeless-specific tires, valves, and sealant).
Trek costs the Émonda ALR at $2,300 for the entire bike and $1,200 for the frameset.
Trek confirmed that the Émonda ALR will obtain an replace to 12-speed 105 within the close to future. Sadly, Trek representatives haven’t advised us how a lot it should price or the entire specification checklist. (However for reference, a 12-speed 105-equipped Domane AL 5 sells for $2,000)
Experience Impressions
Aluminum street bikes usually have a popularity for being overly stiff, harsh, and low-cost (in a foul means). Nevertheless, these traits are usually not discovered on fashionable and well-engineered aluminum frames. (And it’s such a pervasive stereotype that my colleague Matt Phillips wrote a whole column about it.)
Whereas some bikes lean into elements of that popularity (the Allez Dash is an unapologetically stiff-as-hell criterium racing machine), the Émonda ALR takes a barely totally different method. Because it’s modeled after the carbon Émonda (a motorbike largely meant to win mountain levels in Grand Tour races), the ALR is designed with all-day consolation in thoughts. This makes the general journey extra relaxed and cozy in comparison with the Allez Dash and needs to be a plus for a lot of riders.
Even when some would possibly contemplate 11-speed 105 outdated (as a result of current launch of the 12-speed 105 R7100 components), Shimano’s 105 R7000-series drivetrain is a superb and well-proven groupset. The 11-speed group has exact and crisp shifting entrance and rear and likewise impresses with highly effective braking on the wheels and wonderful management of the levers.
In distinction, probably the most disappointing a part of the Émonda ALR’s construct package is its tires. Which might be absolutely the very first thing I improve. The Bontrager R1 wire-bead street tires weigh 360g per tire and are very a lot included to assist meet the Émonda’s value level. They make the bike really feel sluggish in a straight line whereas additionally not serving to to foster any cornering confidence. A swap to even a mid-range tire from any of the most important tire manufacturers will in all probability drop round 30-40g of rotating weight per wheel and dramatically enhance the journey high quality of the bike.
I discovered the remainder of the ALR’s Bontrager ending package completely serviceable. The seatpost, stem, and saddle have been nothing flashy however did the job. The handlebar has a reasonably traditional feeling bend, drop, and attain. Better of all, if any of those inventory gadgets don’t be just right for you, it’s easy to swap any of them out for a most well-liked model.
Out of the field, I discovered the Émonda’s journey high quality fairly good however maybe a bit on the agency facet. Reducing the tire strain to round 68-72 psi vary enormously improved the consolation. And as soon as I swapped to a set of Continental GP5000 tires, the Émonda ALR actually started to shine on the street.
There’s nothing gimmicky concerning the Émonda ALR. It’s a traditional street bike within the easiest sense of the time period. Using it for the primary time felt acquainted and reassuring. The geometry didn’t require me to regulate to the bike—I might simply get on and go. Even on that first journey, I felt like I might dive into corners with the peace of mind of realizing what the Émonda ALR would do once I leaned in. The geometry was an ideal mixture of stability and responsiveness with a splash of that springiness that good steel bikes have.
On flat and rolling terrain, the Émonda ALR is correct up there with virtually any non-aero street bike of the previous few years. Its dialed geometry makes it a pleasure to descend on, and the body has the correct snap to be a very great climber.
What holds the ALR again on the uphills, although, are the inventory wheels. At 1,800 grams, they’re not as heavy as some wheels on bikes on this value vary, however they only really feel mushy and unresponsive. After upgrading the tires, a brand new set of wheels can be my subsequent buy for the Émonda ALR.
One side of the Émonda ALR that feels a bit dated for a street bike made in 2023: Trek caps the bike’s most tire clearance at 28mm. In follow, there’s sufficient room to comfortably run 30 and even 32mm tires (relying on the tire and rim mixture). Nonetheless, I’d really feel higher with a bit extra official wiggle room, particularly because it’s gotten tougher to foretell the measured width of varied tire and rim combos.
General, the Émonda ALR will get far more issues proper than it does improper. Whereas it is easy to nitpick issues like its tires and wheels, Trek makes use of these elements to get the Émonda ALR to its modest value. And the ALR is up there with a few of the greatest aluminum race bikes. It’s an impeccably completed and completely well-designed aluminum bike that’s only some grams heavier than its mid-tier carbon model. Plus, the Émonda ALR shares geometry with its pricier siblings and makes use of no proprietary requirements or elements. With the ALR, Trek made a motorbike that nails all of the issues which have at all times made me love aluminum race bikes.
Check Editor
Check Editor Dan Chabanov acquired his begin in biking as a New York Metropolis bike messenger however rapidly discovered his means into street and cyclocross racing, competing in skilled cyclocross races from 2009 to 2019 and successful a Grasp’s Nationwide Championship title in 2018. Previous to becoming a member of Bicycling in 2021, Dan labored as a part of the race group for the Crimson Hook Crit, as a coach with EnduranceWERX, in addition to a contract author and photographer.
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