Make no mistake, Trek’s alloy version of its top race bike is one classy looking steed. The first thing that strikes you about the Émonda ALR is its mightily impressive hydroformed frame construction, with the outer ribs of the top tube flowing into an equivalent raised shape on the head tube.
The hydroformed main tubes swap orientations, taper and flatten along their length, and the welding is very smooth. The down tube is ovalised across the very wide BB86.5 bottom bracket, making the slim, round seat tube look tiny by comparison.
- High: Ride quality, comfort, weight
- Lows: Tyres could be wider and grippier
- Buy If: You want a cultured aluminium frameset with near carbon performance at a sensible price
The rear dropouts are cowled and so organic-looking that it’s hard to believe they aren’t formed from carbon. They look to be curvy castings with hollow ends, imperceptibly welded to the stays over a thick internal alloy tube, creating a solid bond. Trek calls this Invisible Weld Technology, and says it increases strength and requires less material at each join, which is certainly borne out at the dropouts.
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The chainstays are asymmetric, clearly wider on the non-driveside, and incorporating a DuoTrap S speed and cadence sensor that's compatible with any ANT+ or Bluetooth receiving device. There’s no bridge behind the bottom bracket, leaving lots of space that would probably accept up to 28mm rubber, brake calipers permitting, instead of the 23mm fitted. All external cabling simplifies maintenance, lowers construction costs, and keeps water out of the frame.
The immediate riding sensation is, well, immediate. The Émonda ALR has a wonderfully smooth feel, and from the first out of the saddle effort, we knew it was going to be a quick ride.
For those of a bendy, racy persuasion, the position on the tops and hoods could be a little limiting. It’s not excessively tall, but Trek’s H2 head tube fit is deliberately more relaxed to reduce potential neck and back strain. On our 56cm model it measured 170mm, and for an equivalent frame size, is 15mm taller than the BMC Teammachine ALR01 we tested alongside it.
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