While the US firm has a huge range that covers virtually all areas of cycling, Trek road bikes fall into road cycling reviews three families: Madone, Emonda and Domane. There are also the Checkpoint gravel bikes and a couple of cyclocross models.
Madone has an emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency, Emonda is all about lightweight, Domane has a focus on comfort and ride quality and Checkpoint (disappointingly not Daemon to keep with the anagram theme) is for dirt roads and mixed-surface riding. There are many models at different price points within each of those categories.
2021 Trek Emonda SLR Project One – 1.jpgSome of the higher end bikes are available through Trek’s Project One(link is external) (above) that lets you choose the components you want and even the paint scheme.
The Emonda (pronounced eh-mon-dah) is the lightweight Trek road bike and the carbon-fibre Emonda SLR and Emonda SL frames have had huge updates for the 2021 model year, whereas the aluminium Emonda ALR is unchanged.
The carbon-fibre Emondas are disc brake only platforms. You can still buy an Emonda ALR frameset that takes rim brakes, but complete bikes are disc brake only.
Back in June 2020, Trek announced new versions of both the Emonda SLR and the Emonda SL, adding features designed to improve aerodynamics for the first time, including tube profiles shaped to reduce drag.
The top-level Emonda SLR has a frame that weighs a claimed 698g, made from a new material that Trek calls OCLV 800 Series. The brand says that the Emonda SLR is 60 seconds per hour faster than its predecessor on flat roads, and 18 seconds per hour faster going up an 8% gradient (get details on those claims in our news story).
All of the Emonda SLR and Emonda SL bikes are now built to Trek’s H1.5 geometry, which is designed to be efficient while remaining accessible and comfortable for most riders.
New Bontrager Aeolus wheels and a one-piece Aeolus RSL VR-C handlebar/stem are central to the range.
Previous Emondas featured Trek’s BB90 bottom bracket system with the bearings pressed into the BB shell, but all the new Emonda SLR and SL models use T47, which is a threaded design that the brand already uses on its Domanes.
There are five Trek Emonda SLRs in the 2021 range, starting with the Shimano Ultegra-equipped Emonda SLR 6 (£6,000, above).
The two top models in the Emonda SLR range, each at £10,700. The Emonda SLR 9 (above) is equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace components while the Emonda SLR 9 eTap has SRAM’s Red eTap AXS groups.
Buy if: You’re after a fast road bike with a focus on light weight… and now aerodynamic efficiency too.
The Emonda SL is identical to the Emonda SLR from a frame shape perspective; it uses the same tube profiles and the same geometry, the only difference being the composite used. Whereas the SLR uses 800 Series OCLV Carbon, the SL features 500 Series.
This makes a significant difference to weight: the Emonda SL’s frame is 1,142g and the fork is 380g – a total of 459g heavier overall.
The Emonda SL bikes also use a separate handlebar and stem rather than the one-piece Aelous RSL VR-C handlebar/stem.
There are five Trek Emonda SLs for 2021, ranging from the £2,500 Emonda SL 5 – with a mid-range Shimano 105 groupset – to £5,800 for the Emonda SL 7 eTap – that’s SRAM Force eTap AXS.
When we reviewed the £3,700 Trek Emonda SL 6 Pro (above) here on road.cc we said, “the latest iteration of the Trek Émonda focuses on aerodynamics more than ever before, which makes this SL 6 Pro one very quick and efficient road bike. The stiff frameset offers a firm yet fun ride, while the component choice keeps the weight down to exploit that stiffness on the climbs. It’s a very good all-round package.
All of the SRAM-equipped Emonda SL and Emonda SLRs are fitted with Quarq power meters.
Buy if: You’re interested in a quick, lightweight road bike with the aero efficiency of the Emonda SLR at a lower price.
Emonda ALR
The Emonda ALR frame is among the very best aluminium options out there at the moment. Although the frameset is available in a rim brake version, complete bikes are disc brake only. Each of them gets a full-carbon fork.
2021 Trek Emonda ALR 6 Disc
There are thee rim brake Emonda ALR bikes in the range, each based on the same 300 Series Alpha Aluminium frame with virtually invisible welds and a tapered head tube that helps to provide accurate steering.
The Emonda ALR 4 is the cheapest model at £1,600. This gets you a Shimano Tiagra groupset with virtually everything else coming from Bontrager.
If you can afford more, the £2,000 Emonda ALR 5 is tempting with its Shimano 105 groupset. That looks a great buy.
When we reviewed a previous version of this bike we said, “The Emonda ALR 5 Disc is one of those bikes that manages to be greater than the sum of its parts. Check out the spec sheet and everything says that it should be solid, but the ride quality is comfortably above that. If you’re expecting a harsh ride you’re in for a lovely surprise here.”
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