Price: $960 (frameset), $1,890 (complete with 105 build)
Weight: 16.4 lbs (as tested)
Style: Road race
Drivetrain: Shimano Ultegra R8020 (as tested)
Frame Material: Aluminum
Tire clearance: 28mm
The right bike for: Rider looking for a fast, and fast looking, road bike but doesn't want to pay carbon prices.
You’d be forgiven for mistaking the new Émonda ALR for a full-carbon race bike at first glance. But it's not carbon: This is Trek’s newest aluminum road racing bike. With other brands producing popular race-ready aluminum frames–such as Cannondale's CAAD12 and Specialized's Allez Sprint DSW–it’s no surprise Trek updated its ALR frames for 2019.
The Émonda ALR's aggressive geometry and reasonable price (five models priced $1,360 to $1,890) are certainly targeted at the budget minded who still want a performance race ready bicycle and the option to purchase the frameset ($960) opens the door for budget-friendly dream builds.
Years of experience shaping and tuning aluminum, along with new alloys and manufacturing techniques, are allowing bike brands to offer aluminum frames that ride smoother than some carbon frames and cost less as well. With the new Émonda ALR, Trek hydroforms the size-specific tubes into complex shapes, which fit together so precisely that fabricators need less weld material to join them, which produces a sleek looking frames. The welds are so minimal, the Émonda ALR frame almost looks made of carbon.
On the pavement the ALR is no slouch. Overall, it's a smooth ride for an aluminum bike. The road buzz is damped, but on rough roads and longer rides it’s still apparent that this is an aluminum frame (the fork is carbon). Luckily Trek's engineers endowed the Émonda ALR Disc with room for wider tires (officially 25mm, but some 30mm tires should fit), allowing riders the option to smooth the ride with the addition of fatter rubber.
Fools You
The minimalist welds make the Émonda ALR's headtube look almost like carbon.
Sensor Ready
The non-drive seatstay is provisioned for a Bontrager DuoTrap S sensor.
Magic Paint
The Purple Flip paint takes on different colors depending on the light.
Hidden From View
Housings and brake hose run inside the front triangle and out of sight.
Modern Standards
The Émonda ALR disc uses the flat mount caliper standard and 12mm thru axles.
The Émonda Family
The Émonda ALR is offered in two models (ALR 4 and ALR 5), and two brake options (disc or rim).
The ALR 4 ($1,680 disc, $1,360 rim) features a Shimano Tiagra 10-speed drivetrain, while the ALR 5 ($1,890 disc, $1,590 rim) comes with a Shimano 105 11-speed drivetrain. All other components are identical, which makes the decision-making process simple: Save 210 or 230 bucks, or spend the extra money to upgrade to an 11-speed drivetrain.
Trek also offers the Émonda ALR 5 Disc in a women's version. This bike features the same geometry as the unisex ALR 5 Disc (though the women's is offered in a 47cm and the unisex is not), but is equipped with a women's saddle, shorter stem, and narrower handlebar.
Trek also sells the Emonda ALR frameset in both disc ($960) and rim ($960) versions. The bike Bicycling received for testing was not a stock complete bike, but a flashy bike built up by Trek to celebrate the Émonda ALR's debut. The frame is shown in the Purple Flip colorway ( there's also a black option) and built with Shimano Ultegra mechanical shift/hydraulic brake groups, with high-end carbon Bontrager parts consisting of Aeolus XXX carbon wheels, XXX carbon seatpost, XXX carbon handlebar, and carbon-railed saddle.
A Lot of Bike for the Money
The real selling point of this bike is its performance-to-price ratio. The ALR frame looks an awful lot like carbon, rides great, and costs less. For $419 dollars less than the most comparable carbon Émonda SL model, the ALR 5 comes out swinging with a race-ready package for someone looking for a quality ride without the intimidating price.
The Émonda ALR frames are quite light also. The disc frame weighs 1,131 grams, while the rim frame weighs 1,112 grams. This appears to compare very well with the carbon Émonda SL frame (disc 1,149 grams, rim 1,091), however the Émonda SL frame weight includes part of the seat mast system.
The Emonda ALR frame features internal cable routing through the front triangle, provisioning for the Bontrager DuoTrap S speed and cadence sensor in the non-drive chainstay, press-fit BB86.5 bottom bracket, 27.2mm seat post, and tapered headtube. Disc models use 12mm thru axles front and rear, and flat-mount brake calipers.
Émonda Geometry
The geometry of the ALR is the same as most of the Émonda carbon line. Trek uses its H2 fit, which is geared toward the everyday rider. This geometry falls between the race geometry you'd find on a bike like the Specialized Tarmac, and the shorter, more upright geometry of an endurance bike.
I found the fit to strike the balance between comfort and race quite nicely. Trek's materials say the H2 geometry is a balance of stable-yet-responsive handling and as much as I get annoyed with marketing jargon, I would certainly have to agree with that.
I do wish Trek would also offer its most aggressive race geometry (it's called H1) in the ALR range (the H1 option is offered in Trek's Émonda carbon frames) for riders, like me, who prefer the lower, longer position it offers.
Émonda ALR Disc Ride Impressions
I can learn a lot about a bike by doing what I call the “up, over, and back” test. I take a bike on a ride that's very familiar to me: up the side of the mountain that's just out my door, down the other, and back again. Put to this test I discovered that, yes, climbing on the Émonda ALR still hurts the same as any other bike, so don’t expect any miracles in that regard. But the bike climbs quite well, while I wasn’t able to break any personal records, the bike still feels plenty at home when the grade pitches skyward. Our bike weighed in at 16.4 pounds, quite impressive for a aluminum bike with disc brakes.
After making my way over the top, the less painful/fun part of the test started. Next up, a high speed slightly twisty descent with fresh pavement. Here, the bike reacts predictably at high speeds without feeling terribly unstable even at speeds over 50mph; test passed. The bike is at home on twisty technical descents as well as wide open high speed rippers. While some riders still aren't sold on disc brakes, I’m a convert. Having the Ultegra stoppers affixed to the Émonda ALR was a welcome addition when it came time to not only stop but control speed into and out of corners, and the Émonda ALR feels solid under braking forces.
On the road it is immediately apparent that this bike wants to accelerate. Once out of the saddle, the Émonda ALR reacts quickly and feels well connected to the pavement. This feeling of snappy acceleration can be at least partially credited to the 1,380-gram Aeolus XXX 2 Disc wheels that came on our test rig. With that said, the ALR feels solid under load. During all out sprints the frame feels just as a race bike should and responds with every pedal stroke. On the flip side, this Émonda ALR test bike rode a bit stiffly, even with the high-end carbon wheels.
Still, the Émonda ALR has all the ingredients of a good bike—sleek looks, solid performance, and a easier to swallow price.
3 Inexpensive Essentials For Your New Bike
Track Your Rides
Adjustments On The Go
Topeak Mini 10
It's easy to carry and has a tool to fix common issues
$17 | Competitive Cyclist
Great for Midride Flats
Park Tool Mini Pump
Will fit in a jersey pocket or a bag to get you going again
$20 | Competitive Cyclist
Trevor Raab is the staff photographer for Runner’s World and Bicycling, a CAT 1 cyclocross racer, and, occasionally, a product reviewer for the Test Team. He fits the typical “how I got in to bikes” story: his dad introduced him to mountain bikes when he was a kid, then he had a stint as a skateboarder in high school, and since 2011 he’s been riding every sort of bike he can find.
