You get 12-speed Force eTap AXS, a great set of carbon clinchers and a few hundred extra grams (plus a wad of cash in your pocket). Gaining altitude just feels easier relative to something heavier and/or less rigid than what Trek has produced here.I know, I know. I fit 32mm tires in the Émonda with ease.And though all models do use a seat mast, it’s a no-cut variety with lots of adjustment range.Trek did offer its top-of-the-line race bikes in the aggressive H1 geometry for riders seeking an ultra-long and low geometry, or H2 which was an endurance fit. Thankfully, Trek’s Project One program gives you more than a few options for choosing something more subtle, and according to Trek’s figures, a shocking percentage of high-end customers go the custom route.
Aiding the Émonda’s team was supercomputing horsepower.
And it means that you can make any bike with a round bar and traditional stem significantly more aerodynamic by merely installing the Aeolus.
They had been one of the loudest voices saying, ‘We need the lightest-weight, stiffest bike possible.’ And now they started coming back saying ‘We need those things, but we also need the bike to be faster in order for us to be really competitive.’ ”It is (comparatively) easy to make a light frame, it is easy to make a stiff frame, it is easy to make an aerodynamic frame. Instead of routing the lines internally through the handlebar and stem, the Bontrager Aeolus RSL cockpit on the Emonda SLR tucks the brake hoses and derailleur housings (or wires) into channels molded on the underside of the bar and stem. It’s more of a hot-air balloon on the climbs rather than an anchor — especially on steeper pitches — and there’s a tangible sense of efficiency when you push on the pedals. Just don’t forget to bring a multi-tool with you on rides.In case you were wondering, the Emonda isn’t really meant to go slow.The Bontrager Aeolus RSL integrated cockpit is pleasantly shaped and comfortable to hold. Photo: Trek Bicycle Corporation.Whether you want a really big and bold logo, or a more subtle treatment, you can have it your way through Trek’s Project One custom program. If you prefer a more traditional cockpit, it can be run with a standard bar and stem with 1⅛-inch steerer clamp.Front and rear thru-axles are standard 12x100 and 12x142mm, and the wheels employ a standard dish. There’s no expected date for other brands like Wahoo, either.There’s a firm limit to how far you can turn the bars, but there’s generally little need to turn them farther to the side than this, anyway.The steerer tube has a complex, three-sided profile.Swapping headset bearings will unfortunately be a slow process on the new Emonda, which makes the fact that there isn’t a supplemental seal between the fork and head tube even more disappointing.The non-driveside chainstay features a pocket for Bontrager’s DuoTrap wireless speed and cadence sensor.A chain watcher is built into the base of the seat tube.Several Bontrager saddles have mounts on the back of the shell to attach a rear-facing daytime running light.Trek says a substantial percentage of high-end buyers opt to go through its Project One custom program.We want CyclingTips to be that place for you.
Some lightweight bikes I’ve ridden — especially ones with lightweight wheels — can feel nervous or jittery when charging down descents, but that’s certainly not the case here. Actual weight for my 52 cm sample without pedals or accessories was a feathery 6.81 kg (15.01 lb), complete with a SRAM Red eTap AXS wireless electronic groupset, Bontrager’s new Aeolus RSL 37 lightweight carbon clincher wheels, the new Bontrager Aeolus RSL one-piece carbon fiber handlebar-and-stem, a carbon-railed Bontrager Aeolus Pro saddle, and 25 mm-wide Bontrager R4 320 tires.The new Trek Emonda isn’t any lighter or stiffer than the old one, but it’s supposedly quite a bit more aerodynamic – a neat trick considering it still looks very normal.Just as you’d expect, the bike is a superb climbing companion.
Yes, it’s visually perhaps not quite as clean as fully internal setups, and yes, you can feel the housing a bit when you wrap your fingers around the bar tops (which, on my sample, were only partially wrapped, although I’d personally opt to wrap the bars the usual way for a surer grip and improved comfort).
This model is £2,700. 13% off View Options & Buy. According to Trek, it’s the “faster everywhere” bike.Trek has been moving toward this hourglass-like head tube profile for much of its road range recently.The straight-bladed fork wears aero tube shapes as well, but is still pretty light.Trek’s new OCLV 800 carbon fiber blend is lighter than OCLV 700, yes. Several new Emonda models will come with revamped Bontrager Aeolus aero carbon clincher wheels, too (and you can read about those The truncated airfoil tube profiles are somewhat subtle, but apparently effective.According to Trek, if you were to take two identical riders, each putting out 350 watts, and put one on an old Emonda and the other on the new one, the one on the new Emonda would have a minute lead after an hour — on flat ground, that is. Both wheels are disc brake only (only Center Lock interface), tubeless compatible, use DT-Swiss internals, have no rider weight limit, and come with a lifetime warranty.Though the new Émonda is clean and integrated looking and uses high-performance standards, it is also remarkably rider-friendly.