First look: Trek Émonda ALR a lightweight racey alternative to carbon
A stunning sparkling purple paint job on an alloy frame with s Shimano Ultegra disc brake build and Bontrager carbon hoops
The Trek Émonda ALR is evidence the full weight of the American bicycle manufacturer is behind making alloy as lust-worthy and fun to ride as possible. This sparkling purple speed machine in for review is built with a Shimano Ultegra groupset, Bontrager cockpit and Bontrager Aeolus carbon wheels.
Trek has built the frameset of the new Emonda ALR with hydroformed aluminum. The 300 series Alpha Aluminium, as Trek call it, is made by injecting fluid into cylindrical frame tubes and forming precise shapes for the framesets tubing to improve ride quality, reduce weight and give the bike an attractive race-bike look. The fork is carbon.
The hydroformed aluminum headtube.
After paint is applied, it's hard to identify the joints are even welded.
The formed downtube has an attractive grey Trek logo.
The bottom bracket is well built up for stiffness.
Internal cable routing on the Trek Emonda ALR.
The purple paint is stunning in the light.
The alloy frame is finished off with a top end build with a compact Shimano Ultegra groupset. Bontrager’s race-ready Aeolus XXX 4 clincher wheelset gives the bike a racy personality that really brings out the best the alloy frame has to offer.
In the process of making the hydroformed aluminum tubes, which are designed to fit smoothly together, Trek have been able to reduce the amount of weld material required to hold the bike together. This allows the frame to have larger continuous surface areas increasing strength and reducing weight. The geometry of the Emonda ALR is Trek’s H2 fit which is intended to sit in the middle of the spectrum between ultra-racy and endurance. A 56 Emonda ALR rim weighs in a 1112 g and at 1131 g for the disc model.
The Ultegra hydraulic disc brake shifters
A 50-35 compact crankset for this build.
The rear Ultegra derailleur.
The Ultegra rotors.
The carbon Aeolus XXX 4 wheelset.
The very eye-catching curves of the frame are finished with an iridescent Purple Flip paint that sparkles in the light. Stay tuned for a full review of the Trek Emonda ALR.
