Anybody out there riding, or have ridden a Trek Emonda SLR. Thoughts?

[TimAZ]

Thinking about dropping in on one, but wouldn't mind hearing from any Paceline people out there. I work for a Trek retailer, but have never been on any of their bikes.

[ultraman6970]

IMO you are asking in the wrong place :D

[TimAZ]

I thought that might be the case. It's not a Moots, or a Serotta.

[carpediemracing]

I have a number of teammates on them. They love them, to the point that they have sold off bikes to keep them. I couldn't give you specifics though.

I'd edit your original post to say that you're getting a discount and not specify what it is exactly. It's really protection for your own job, really.

[kramnnim]

Local friend has one...he rode 100+ centuries on it last year. Had issues with the stupid BB90 design...the hole for the bearing is too large, bearing moves around and creaks and makes the hole bigger, etc. Then it cracked in the BB area. The replacement from Trek is 100+ grams heavier.

[TimAZ]

I have a number of teammates on them. They love them, to the point that they have sold off bikes to keep them. I couldn't give you specifics though.

I'd edit your original post to say that you're getting a discount and not specify what it is exactly. It's really protection for your own job, really.

Cheers.

[carpediemracing]

Cheers.

:beer:

[Heisenberg]

Thinking about dropping in on one, but wouldn't mind hearing from any Paceline people out there. I work for a Trek retailer, but have never been on any of their bikes.

Yo Tim,

The new 2016 Domane Race Shop looks AMAZING. Geometrically speaking, of course.

<3

Nate

[roguedog]

Hmm.. rode the Trek Emonda S for a few days as a rental. Was excited to try but I was happy to be back on my own bikes when I got home. It didn't feel gee whiz wow enough for me to want to plunk down money for all the reviews I'd read.

Not sure how diff the S is from the SLR but there's my non-professional opinion.

[R332]

Had one and loved it! A seriously top-shelf machine. As good or better than my Addict LTD, custom Firefly Ti, custom Guru, Colnago, etc. Don't let the mass production haters turn you off - the Emonda SLR is up there with the best of the best!

[kgreene10]

I had an SLR 9 and so do several of my teammates. It is incredibly light and agile. The steering is fantastically crisp and allowed me to dive into corners notably harder. It's a very stiff frame and you can feel it. See the James Huang review. With a touch more comfort, it would have been the perfect race bike for me. In the end, I decided to pass it to someone else and just took delivery of a Madone 9 that will also better suit the local terrain.

For the record, the SLR is hand built in Waterford.

[TimD]

This may not go over well.

In mid-March I took delivery on a lightly-used 2015 Emonda SL, 62cm H2 fit. I stripped my Ottrott ST and built up the Trek with the parts (6800, 240S / HED Belgium, 240S / RR415, 25mm Michelins). Initially I had a couple of issues with the BB90 BB but once I gave up on the SRAM Force crank (which combines bearing preload and crank arm fixture in one fastener) and replaced it with a 6800 crank I had no problems.

I've been out on it six times for about 200 miles. I will just say it is great. Really great.

It is light (<17 lbs and far from weight-optimized), stiff in the right ways, very comfortable, very stable, very precise, very responsive, and confidence inspiring all in one package. Fits great. The finish is great. Bike is dead quiet.

I have not bombed any really big hills yet but so far the handling is as good or better than any bike I've been on, with the possible exception of the 61cm Peg Marcelo (with Ouzo Pro) I had for a while.

The Ottrott is a handcrafted a work of art with a show car finish. I was psyched when I bought it and rode it far and wide. But it was custom for someone else and was never a perfect match for my size and weight distribution. Over time I looked at lots of bikes - I really wanted a Parlee Z5 but could not convince myself the fit would work - then finally decided to give the Trek a try, based on what I'd read about it and because the price was right at $1100.

I have not looked back. I don't think I'm going to look back. So far the Trek seems like a better bike overall, for me. The Ottrott is not for sale yet but I'm not sure why I'd keep it, other than that it is massively cool and irreplaceable. It hangs in the basement, a first world problem if there ever was one.

The Emonda is niche-marketed as a 'climbing bike' but it is way more than that, IMO. Say what you want about Trek but they have really thought this one out and have produced a great product. Is it perfect? No - I could do without the seat mast, but I understand why they did it and it has worked just fine so far - but I cannot identify any specific thing they could improve. It will definitely fit 28mm tires, and might even fit 30mm tires... And if you need a frame even larger, they have it in 64cm too!

My $0.02.

[Gummee]

I've been anti-Trek for lots of years. They've always been mid-level at best. ...including when a certain Texan rode their stuff.

In the last few years, Trek's really stepped up their game. The new Madones, Emondas, and Domanes (WTHeck?! They don't own a typewriter with any other letters?!) are all great bikes. Ditto with my Boone.

Worth a look.

M
(not that I can sell any of y'all a bike, but I *do* work for a Trek dealer)

[Black Dog]

I will not argue that the Trek bike handle well and are stiff, light, compliant etc... I can not get over the fact that they choose to run the rear brake cable into the right side of the top tube. This creates an unnatural bend in the rear brake cable coming from the handlebars. There is really no good reason to do this. This seems to be a trek thing and they may no longer do this, I hope.

[Cicli]

I will not argue that the Trek bike handle well and are stiff, light, compliant etc... I can not get over the fact that they choose to run the rear brake cable into the right side of the top tube. This creates an unnatural bend in the rear brake cable coming from the handlebars. There is really no good reason to do this. This seems to be a trek thing and they may no longer do this, I hope.

Depends,
I run my brakes moto style. That routing would be perfect.

[Black Dog]

Depends,
I run my brakes moto style. That routing would be perfect.

True, moto or old school Italian style would be perfect for this.

[54ny77]

i know a couple guys that have the slr and they rave about it.

mind you, they were raving about their xyz big bike co. top tier production rig the year prior, and the same situation the year prior, and so on...

that, in a nutshell, i'm guessing is trek's (or any other xyz big bike co.) market: whoever wants to buy the latest & greatest.

makes me wonder where all the unsold unloved slr's will go next year. :confused:

[ceolwulf]

Depends,

I run my brakes moto style. That routing would be perfect.



Yes. This is a strong point in its favour for me.

[stien]

I can't comment directly on the ride of the SLR, but the geometry is awesome (I have two ALRs in the family, same geo). Super stable yet dive bombs corners. It's a super bike and if you can get a deal on it, I'd go for it. We have Parigi Roubaix and Strada Bianca tires on there, so gobs of clearance.

[dziehr]

I ride a 62cm SLR, H2 fit. It's a joy to ride (and look at). Noticeably more comfortable than my Madone from 2011 and just as stiff. The finish quality is very, very nice.

[jwalther]

If I could afford an SLR, I'd buy one. Making due with my SL.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s216/jeffw63/5DCAA3C6-DB27-4E10-8C7D-0E21838C569B_zpspkpzfo4j.jpg (http://s153.photobucket.com/user/jeffw63/media/5DCAA3C6-DB27-4E10-8C7D-0E21838C569B_zpspkpzfo4j.jpg.html)