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Trek Emonda ALR first-ride review: Light and fast, but best on smooth roads

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

It wasn’t all that long ago that aluminum was considered largely obsolete as a frame material: too soft and heavy relative to carbon fiber, not as much zing or “life” as steel or titanium. But the material is nevertheless enjoying a strong resurgence, and Trek is the latest major brand to add fuel to that fire. The new Emonda ALR aluminum road family is reasonably competitive with carbon fiber in terms of weight and stiffness, and new manufacturing methods make it drop-dead gorgeous, too. It’s also comparatively cheap. But alas, there’s still a price to be paid.

The Emonda ALR by the numbers

On paper, it’s hard to argue with Trek’s new Emonda ALR.

At least as far as the scale is concerned, the Emonda ALR is nearly on-par with the carbon fiber Emonda SL. Claimed frame weight for the disc-brake is 1,131g, and 1,112g for the rim-brake edition — just 40g heavier than its fancier (and more expensive) cousin. And according to Trek, the Emonda ALR’s chassis stiffness figures aren’t far behind, either, thanks in no small part to the fact that its 300-Series Alpha Aluminum hydroformed tubes use nearly the same shapes as the upper-end Emondas.

Both rim-brake and disc-brake versions are on tap — naturally — and tire clearances are in-keeping with trends in the road space. Maximum official tire size on the rim-brake version is 25mm; 28mm for the disc-brake models. That sounds decidedly behind the times at first, yes, but keep in mind that Trek’s internal rating for maximum tire size is unusually conservative. Whereas most companies abide by international standards for clearance (at least 4mm of space on all sides of the tire at the closest point), Trek adds another 2mm on top of that, so comparing apples to apples, the rim-brake Emonda ALR will comfortably handle 29mm-wide tires, and the disc-brake bikes will fit 32mm-wide ones. Much better.

Handling-wise, Trek has carried over the same frame geometry as on the carbon Emonda models, which, in turn, were derived from the highly evolved figures of the long-standing Madone range. In other words, it promises truly neutral characteristics, with stable manners at high speeds, a seemingly contradictory willingness to carve through sinuous descents, and reasonable agility at low speeds without having the front end feel too floppy. Trek hasn’t changed its bread-and-butter road geometry much in ages, and that’s a good thing.

In terms of rider positioning, though, Trek will only offer the Emonda ALR in the tamer H2 fit with its slightly taller head tube. Riders who are specifically after a more aggressive posture will still need to look at the top-end Emonda SLR range.

Other features include partially internal cable routing (just through the down tube), 12mm front and rear thru-axles and flat-mount caliper interfaces on disc-brake models, quick-release dropouts and direct-mount caliper mounts on rim-brake models, PF86 press-fit bottom bracket shells across the board, tapered steerer tubes on the full-carbon forks, standard 27.2mm-diameter round seatposts with conventional external seatpost clamps, and a small pocket built into the non-driveside chainstay for Bontrager’s DuoTrap wireless speed and cadence sensor.

None of this sounds remotely groundbreaking. And the focus on stiffness-to-weight means there isn’t a smidgeon of aerodynamic shaping to be found here. There’s not a single mention of wind tunnels or grams of drag or yaw angles in any of Trek’s marketing collateral. In an ever-expanding world of sleek two-wheeled machines that are starting to look more like airplanes than bicycles, the Emonda ALR might seem like a throwback.

But oh, man, you just have to see the thing.

Invisible Weld Technology

The way aluminum bicycle frames are welded hasn’t changed much in decades. With few exceptions, tubes are mitered at the joints and held together in a jig for a close fit, and then the intersections are basically just melted together at high heat, with an additional bead of similar material — the weld bead — added on top for additional structural reinforcement. Sometimes welders take two passes over the joint, and sometimes it’s just one, and sometimes the bead is filed down for a smoother look. But by and large, the process is the same today as it was when people thought Jeff Bezos was nuts for thinking he could sell books over the internet.

Specialized legitimately moved things forward a few years ago with the introduction of Smartweld . Normally, those mitered aluminum tubes fit together kind of like how you would join empty rolls of paper towels together in a grade school art project, with the end of one tube carved out to fit tightly against the unaltered wall of the other tube.

But Smartweld is more like holding the bottom of two soda cans against each other. There’s a natural trough that the welding rod can fill, there’s more surface area to join together for better structural integrity, the weld itself is moved away from the areas of highest stress, the adjoining tube walls can be made thinner and lighter, and the resulting joint ends up more flush with the surrounding tube wall for a smoother finish. There’s more hydroforming work required to initially create that sort of interface geometry on the individual parts, but it’s a brilliant idea that Specialized has used to great effect.

Trek is now doing something similar, calling it “Invisible Weld Technology.” The concept is much the same, at least in terms of the weld joint geometry itself, but whereas Specialized moves the weld further up on the tubes, IWT uses the same weld location as a standard mitered joint.

Details aside, the result is visually stunning. For example, Trek has formed the head tube and top tube of the new Emonda ALR with the same shapes as the carbon fiber Emonda SL and SLR, and unless you look very closely, you can’t even tell where one part ends and the other begins; it’s truly seamless as far as your eyes are concerned.

Other areas of the frame are joined using more conventional welding techniques, and the Emonda’s press-fit bottom bracket shell is a far cry from the bulbous and hollow two-piece clamshell that Specialized uses on the Allez Sprint . But it’s important to note that Trek is just getting started with the IWT concept, and it’ll be very interesting to see where it goes from here.

Off-the-shelf, or build to suit

As good as the Emonda ALR platform sounds, Trek clearly isn’t interested in having it cannibalize sales from the carbon fiber Emonda families based on the build kits on tap. Just five complete models are available, all of which focus more on value than outright performance. Complete Shimano groupsets are featured throughout, along with hydraulic brakes for all disc-equipped models. The one exception are the Tektro brake calipers on lower-end rim-brake models, since Shimano doesn’t make a direct-mount caliper at that price point.

At the lower end are the Emonda ALR 4 and ALR 4 Disc, built with Shimano Tiagra and Bontrager Affinity TLR tubeless-ready aluminum clinchers. The rim-brake version costs US$1,360 / AU$1,500, and the disc-brake version (which won’t be brought into Australia) costs US$1,680.

At the upper end are the Emonda ALR 5 and ALR 5 Disc, built with the same Bontrager Affinity TLR tubeless-ready aluminum wheels, but with Shimano’s 105 groupset. Retail price for the rim-brake version is US$1,580 / AU$2,000, or US$1,890 / AU$2,400 for the disc-brake version.

There will also be a sole women-specific model, the Emonda ALR 5 Disc Women’s. Basic spec is unchanged, and it’s built with the same frameset, but touch points are altered to promote a better fit and feel. Pricing is the same as the standard Emonda ALR 5 Disc, but like the Emonda ALR 4 Disc, Trek doesn’t plan to sell it in Australia.

Trek still isn’t ignoring the performance potential of the Emonda ALR, either; there’s also a bare frameset available for riders that might want to do a higher-end build. Retail price is US$960 for either the rim-brake or disc-brake version, but neither will be imported into Australia.

Pricing and availability for other regions is still to be confirmed.

Bones, shaken

I rode a custom-built Emonda ALR for several hours on the roads surrounding Trek’s global headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin, where the rolling hills and seemingly endless expanse of sparsely populated roads provide plenty of opportunity to test a bike’s mettle. Rather than set us up on stock models, Trek went the DIY route, outfitting the frames with Shimano’s latest Ultegra mechanical groupset, low-profile Bontrager Aeolus XXX 2 carbon clinchers, 25mm-wide Bontrager R3 tubeless tires, and an assortment of Bontrager carbon fiber finishing kit. Total weight for my 52cm sample was just 7.4kg (16.31lb), without pedals, but with bottle cages and Blendr accessory mounts.

True to claims, the Emonda ALR felt satisfyingly stout under power, and plenty eager to squirt up short and punchy climbs. Front-end torsional rigidity is good, too, although not quite on-par with top-end carbon models, with some flex detected when you’re really wrenching on the bars.

As expected, handling is picture-perfect, like a well-trained horse that almost doesn’t require any physical input from its rider before doing exactly what you want it to. Set those numbers in stone, Trek.

But as pleasant as Trek’s home roads are, the asphalt is distinctly coarse and lumpy, and the pavement seams impossible to ignore. Trek has successfully showcased other bikes on this stage before, but for the Emonda ALR, it might have been better to choose somewhere with better-quality roads.

The Emonda ALR seems to put up a good fight against more expensive carbon bikes in terms of weight and stiffness, however it’s simply no match in terms of ride comfort. Even with the tires inflated to a modest 70psi or so under my 70kg body, the Emonda ALR offers a rough ride, with little vibration damping to speak of and plenty of impact harshness traveling up through the handlebar and saddle. If anything, it only highlights further the uncanny comfort of the new Madone .

That firm ride will certainly be viewed differently by different riders, and it’s important to note that frame compliance varies proportionally with frame size (and remember that I’m 1.73m tall, weigh 70kg, and ride a relatively small 52cm). Would a heavier and/or taller rider have a different experience? Maybe. But again, stiffness and weight still seem to me to have been the primary design objectives here, and frame compliance strikes me as falling further down on the list. Granted, switching to a more flexible seatpost and tires with more suppleness than the rather stiff-bodied Bontrager R3s of my test bike help, but there are limits to how much you can mask the inherent characteristics of a frameset. As is, the Emonda ALR wouldn’t be my first choice for a long day in the saddle on less-than-ideal road surfaces.

This isn’t to say that I wasn’t impressed with the Emonda ALR overall. I’m a big fan of aluminum bikes in general, and I’m definitely excited to see Trek (and others) devoting more attention to the genre. The Emonda ALR is light and stiff, and an unquestionably good value from a mainstream brand. Privateer racers will unquestionably find much to like here, as will anyone prioritizing stiffness and low weight, and living in areas with good-quality roads.

But just as perpetual motion machines, fountains of youth, and fusion reactors are still the stuff of folklore, the Emonda ALR isn’t quite a tale of getting true carbon fiber performance at aluminum pricing. If you enter into the arrangement with realistic expectations of what you might be getting, you’ll probably be happy with it. And as always, a test ride is probably a good idea before signing on the dotted line.

As much as some of us might like to believe otherwise, material properties are what they are, and as good as the Emonda ALR is, you still don’t get something for nothing.

www.trekbikes.com Disclaimer: Trek provided flights, accommodations, and loaner equipment for this event, and has previously advertised on CyclingTips.

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ritte, salsa e-bike and more\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-titanium-brand-chandi-brings-decades-of-frame-building-experience-to-its-beautiful-bikes\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-titanium-brand-chandi-brings-decades-of-frame-building-experience-to-its-beautiful-bikes\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-titanium-brand-chandi-brings-decades-of-frame-building-experience-to-its-beautiful-bikes\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes\"}}\u0027>\n new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/ritchey-montebello-brings-steel-goodness-to-all-road\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/ritchey-montebello-brings-steel-goodness-to-all-road\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/ritchey-montebello-brings-steel-goodness-to-all-road\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road\"}}\u0027>\n the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tadej-pogacar-seizes-liege-bastogne-liege-with-dominant-solo-display\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tadej-pogacar-seizes-liege-bastogne-liege-with-dominant-solo-display\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tadej-pogacar-seizes-liege-bastogne-liege-with-dominant-solo-display\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display\"}}\u0027>\n tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"breaking: ncl pulling plug on 2024 season \u2018effective immediately\u2019","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/breaking-ncl-shutting-down-immediately\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/breaking-ncl-shutting-down-immediately\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"breaking: ncl pulling plug on 2024 season \u2018effective immediately\u2019\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/breaking-ncl-shutting-down-immediately\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"breaking: ncl pulling plug on 2024 season \u2018effective immediately\u2019\"}}\u0027>\n breaking: ncl pulling plug on 2024 season \u2018effective immediately\u2019\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/trek-carback-radar-rear-bike-light-challenges-garmin\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/trek-carback-radar-rear-bike-light-challenges-garmin\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/trek-carback-radar-rear-bike-light-challenges-garmin\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility\"}}\u0027>\n trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"poga\u010dar vs. van der poel: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge set for epic showdown","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/liege-bastogne-liege-showdown-can-van-der-poel-answer-when-pogacar-attacks\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/liege-bastogne-liege-showdown-can-van-der-poel-answer-when-pogacar-attacks\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"poga\u010dar vs. van der poel: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge set for epic showdown\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/liege-bastogne-liege-showdown-can-van-der-poel-answer-when-pogacar-attacks\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"poga\u010dar vs. van der poel: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge set for epic showdown\"}}\u0027>\n poga\u010dar vs. van der poel: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge set for epic showdown\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "}]' > >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>advertise >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>privacy policy >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>contact >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>careers >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>terms of use >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>site map >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>my newsletters manage cookie preferences privacy request healthy living.

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Trek Émonda ALR 5 2023

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

• Exceptional
• Not so good

The Trek Emonda ALR 5 uses the latest aluminium alloy Emonda frameset, with aero tweaks and a geometry that matches other high-end performance bikes in Trek’s line-up. It showcases the fact that this material still has a place on the racing scene, offering up the sort of stiffness and ride comfort found with carbon, although this build is far from light.

> Buy now: Trek Emonda ALR 5 for £1,999.99 from Triton Cycles

For more options and for different budgets, check out our guide to the best road bikes , from £300 to over £13,000…

I'm a big fan of aluminium frames. When done well, using the right tubing and wall thicknesses, and with well-thought-out geometry, it can result in a bike with excellent ride feel and great levels of feedback – everything a fast rider or racer wants. Trek has done an excellent job with this new Emonda ALR, which ticks all those boxes.

Even with the 25mm tyres pumped up firm, the aluminum tubing shows no signs of harshness, with an almost steel-like ride feel to it; there is a certain smoothness to it.

The frame is still incredibly stiff. Hard efforts out of the saddle don't show any signs of flex around the bottom bracket area, or anywhere else you might not want it. On the whole, it feels responsive and eager to get a shift on when you ask it to.

The only real fly in the ointment is the slightly lacklustre wheelset and the weighty tyres fitted as standard. Both take the overall shine off the performance, and contribute to the all-up bike weight of 9.1kg on our scales, so it's not exactly nippy off the line compared with bikes a kilo lighter.

Swapping the Bontrager tyres out for some Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport Rs that were in for review dropped 320g from the overall weight, and helped to show just what this bike is capable of. Not just in terms of weight, either, but also better rolling resistance and grip.

The better grip lets you get the best out of the geometry, which is designed to be on the racy side without being overly aggressive. It's a nice balance.

On fast descents you can fling it into the corners and it'll hold its line without feeling twitchy or nervous. In fact, it feels pretty planted, but not at the cost of responsiveness or nimbleness thanks to the sub-metre wheelbase.

It's a confidence-boosting bike, easy to ride even if you aren't giving things your full attention. You don't have to be 'on it' the whole time to ride the Emonda quickly; it'll just as easily let you cover big miles without issue.

Though the ALR has kammtail tube sections, and Trek makes some aero claims, I wouldn't say it feels exceptionally quick in a straight line; it doesn't have the sort of wind-cheating properties of properly aero carbon bikes.

That said, thanks to the riding position that's achievable given the reasonably low stack height, you can certainly get a shift on if you are trying to get out of the wind. It's certainly a bike you can race on, or just ride quickly without any competition involved.

Frame and fork

Trek uses its own range of aluminium grade tubing, which in the ALR 5's case is "ultralight 300 Series Alpha". And thanks to the hydroformed shapes, and what Trek calls invisible weld technology, it looks very much as smooth and shapely as many carbon frames on the market, especially around the head tube area.

That smoothness is enhanced by the integrated cable routing, directed in through the head tube and headset before passing into the frame and exiting just below the bottom bracket.

The welding only has a smooth appearance around the front area and the top of the seat tube, though; move further down where there are bigger loads being applied, such as at the bottom bracket, and the welds are much more pronounced.

The rear of the frame actually has quite a traditional look about it, with mainly round tubes and seatstays that aren't overly narrow or heavily profiled, like you might find manufactured from carbon.

You won't find any integrated seatclamps either, with the Emonda getting a round post and a clamp that sits externally.

As for finishing touches, it's just bolts for two bottle cage mounts and nothing else. This is a performance race bike after all.

Tyre clearance is quite limited for a modern road bike at just 28mm. That's not a huge problem for me – 28mm is the maximum I use for this kind of bike – but with many of the opposition being able to take 30mm or even 32mm now, it's a little bit on the back foot.

The carbon fork, an Emonda SL, blends smoothly into the frame and provides all the stiffness required for hard cornering without suffering from any kind of understeer at all.

For the bottom bracket Trek has specced a T47, a switch it made a little while back. In a nutshell, it uses the larger dimensions of a press-fit system, but the bearings are threaded into the frame rather than being pressed. This provides the stiffness and performance benefits of a press-fit system without the creaking issues that can result if dirt gets in between the cups and frame due to poor manufacturing tolerances.

Geometry-wise, the Emonda ALR 5 uses Trek's H1.5 Race measurements, a balance of angles and dimensions that give the bike a performance edge without going too far into the twitchy, hard-to-handle realm of race bikes. It's the same as used on the higher-end carbon Emonda models.

Even though Shimano is 'charging' ahead with its electronic groupsets, and we've seen 105 Di2 become 12-speed, there is still a lot of life left in this mechanical setup. The shifting is great, with crisp and clean gear changes, and the shape of the levers lets your hands sit naturally and comfortably.

In terms of ratios, the ALR 5 comes with a 50/34-tooth compact chainset mated to an 11-30 cassette. That's a good spread of gears for all kinds of performance riding, with a 50x11 giving more top end than most people need, along with plenty of climbing gears at the lower end, providing you are reasonably strong and fit.

The hydraulic braking performance is top notch too. With 160mm rotors front and rear, you can get it to pull up from high speed to zero with just two fingers whenever you want.

Finishing kit

Trek's in-house component and accessories brand, Bontrager, supplies all of the finishing kit found on the ALR.

The handlebar and stem are both standard alloy components with nothing flash when it comes to their design, but they do the job just fine.

The Comp VR-C bar has a 124mm drop, which is shallow enough that it can be used without the bend in your back needing to be too extreme. The overall width is matched to the frame size.

The seatpost is alloy too, 6061 grade, and is 27.2mm in diameter. It comes with 8mm of offset and on this size bike it is 330mm in length.

The Verse Comp saddle is a little too plush for my liking; I prefer something with less padding for fast riding, but saddles are very much a personal choice. You might get on with it just fine.

Wheels & tyres

As for the wheels, the Paradigm SLs are tubeless ready, and for a wheelset on a bike at this price point they aren't too bad in terms of weight at a claimed 1,800g.

Their shallow rim depth doesn't bring a huge amount of speed to the party, but they are stiff enough for spirited riding, and durability doesn't look to be an issue.

As I've already mentioned, the tyres fitted aren't the best from a performance point of view. They are heavy at over 800g a pair, and with a limited thread count they have quite a 'dead' feeling to them.

Durability and reliability aren't an issue, so they are good training tyres, but they just hamper performance. An upgrade here will bring dividends to overall speed, with better rolling resistance and grip.

The ALR 5 is priced at £2,350, which is similar to Cannondale's highly regarded CAAD 13 : an aluminium road bike with a lot of pedigree. (Mat tested the CAAD13 Disc 105 in 2020.)

The latest model is similarly specced with a 105 groupset and alloy mid-depth rims, so it's no surprise to see a price virtually the same either: £2,300.

Specialized's alloy superbike, the Allez Sprint Comp , takes many cues from the carbon fibre Tarmac SL7 . Liam was impressed with it overall when he tested it last year , and Jamie has bought a frameset, which you can see in our YouTube video comparing it against the ALR 5 . It's much higher priced than the Trek, though, at £2,900, with a 105 groupset and DT Swiss wheels.

Merida has a range of aluminium Sculturas, with the 400 being the most expensive. It too comes with a 105 mechanical groupset and an alloy wheelset, but costs much less at £1,775.

The ride quality and geometry of the ALR 5 makes it a bike I'd highly recommend if you want to race but don't have a massive budget, or you just want a bike you can ride fast without getting beaten up, even on long rides. It's priced in line with key competition like the CAAD13 and is cheaper than the Allez Sprint Comp by quite a long way. Some might baulk at that price for an alloy bike, but there is no denying it has the characteristics to back it up.

The tyres hold it back a bit, but underneath is a comfortable alloy road bike with a great performance

road.cc test report

Make and model: Trek Émonda ALR 5

Size tested: 56cm

About the bike

List the components used to build up the bike.

Hub front Bontrager alloy, sealed bearing, CenterLock disc, 100x12 mm thru axle

Skewer front Bontrager Switch thru-axle, removable lever

Hub rear Bontrager alloy, sealed bearing, CenterLock disc, Shimano 11-speed freehub, 142x12 mm thru axle

Skewer rear Bontrager Switch thru-axle, removable lever

Rim Bontrager Paradigm SL, Tubeless Ready, 24-hole, 21 mm width, Presta valve

Tyre Bontrager R1 Hard-Case Lite, wire bead, 60 tpi, 700x 25 c

Max tyre size 28c

Drivetrain -

Shifter Shimano 105 R7020, 11-speed

Front derailleur Shimano 105 R7000, braze-on

Rear derailleur Shimano 105 R7000, short cage, 30T max cog

*Crank Size: 47

Shimano 105 R7000, 50/34 (compact), 165 mm length

Size: 50, 52

Shimano 105 R7000, 50/34 (compact), 170 mm length

Size: 54, 56, 58

Shimano 105 R7000, 50/34 (compact), 172.5 mm length

Size: 60, 62

Shimano 105 R7000, 50/34 (compact), 175 mm length

Bottom bracket Praxis, T47 threaded, internal bearing

Cassette Shimano 105 R7000, 11-30, 11 speed

Chain Shimano 105 HG601, 11-speed

Max. chainring size 1x: 48T, 2x: 53/39 (Shimano), 48/35 (SRAM)

*Saddle Size: 47, 50, 52

Bontrager Verse Comp, steel rails, 155 mm width

Size: 54, 56, 58, 60, 62

Bontrager Verse Comp, steel rails, 145 mm width

*Seatpost Size: 47

Bontrager Comp, 6061 alloy, 27.2 mm, 8 mm offset, 250 mm length

Size: 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62

Bontrager Comp, 6061 alloy, 27.2 mm, 8 mm offset, 330 mm length

*Handlebar Size: 47, 50

Bontrager Comp VR-C, alloy, 31.8 mm, 100 mm reach, 124 mm drop, 38 cm width

Bontrager Comp VR-C, alloy, 31.8 mm, 100 mm reach, 124 mm drop, 40 cm width

Bontrager Comp VR-C, alloy, 31.8 mm, 100 mm reach, 124 mm drop, 42 cm width

Bontrager Comp VR-C, alloy, 31.8 mm, 100 mm reach, 124 mm drop, 44 cm width

Handlebar tape Bontrager Supertack Perf tape

*Stem Size: 47

Bontrager Elite, 31.8 mm, Blendr-compatible, 7-degree, 70 mm length

Bontrager Elite, 31.8 mm, Blendr-compatible, 7-degree, 80 mm length

Size: 52, 54

Bontrager Elite, 31.8 mm, Blendr-compatible, 7-degree, 90 mm length

Size: 56, 58

Bontrager Elite, 31.8 mm, Blendr-compatible, 7-degree, 100 mm length

Bontrager Elite, 31.8 mm, Blendr-compatible, 7-degree, 110 mm length

Brake Shimano 105 hydraulic disc

Brake rotor Shimano RT70, CentreLock, 160 mm

Rotor size Max brake rotor sizes: 160mm front & rear

Tell us what the bike is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about the bike?

Trek says, "The Émonda ALR 5 gives you the sleek looks of carbon without the sticker shock. Its advanced alloy frame is built to perform, and pairs with disc brakes and a reliable Shimano 105 drivetrain to give it the race-ready edge."

It's a smooth looking bike with an excellent ride quality, and plenty of stiffness.

Where does this model sit in the range? Tell us briefly about the cheaper options and the more expensive options

The range is topped with the ALR 6 at £3,150 and starts with the ALR 4 at £1,750. A frameset is available too, from £1,150.

Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork?

It's a high-quality aluminium frame that looks smooth, just like a carbon fibre offering, and the fork is stiff enough for hard riding.

Tell us about the materials used in the frame and fork?

The frame is made from Trek's 300 Series Alpha aluminium while the fork is full carbon fibre.

Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork?

The geometry is on the racy side, but just backed off enough to not create a twitchy speed machine.

How was the bike in terms of height and reach? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size?

The height and reach figures are fairly typical for a race bike of this size.

Riding the bike

Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality.

Yes, the alloy frame has a great ride quality.

Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?

With the oversized bottom bracket shell, and stiff tubing where it needs to be, all is fine in this respect.

How did the bike transfer power? Did it feel efficient?

Power transfer is good throughout the frame and fork.

Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? If so was it a problem?

How would you describe the steering? Was it lively neutral or unresponsive? On the quick side.

Tell us some more about the handling. How did the bike feel overall? Did it do particular things well or badly?

It has fast handling, but not so much so that it becomes twitchy or difficult.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's comfort? would you recommend any changes?

I wasn't a huge fan of the amount of padding on the saddle, although it is a decent shape.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's stiffness? would you recommend any changes?

I found the wheels fine for out of the saddle efforts, and the same with the handlebar – I didn't detect any flex when really pulling on it.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's efficiency? would you recommend any changes?

A change of tyres would improve overall efficiency a lot, by dropping weight and improving grip.

The drivetrain

Tell us some more about the drivetrain. Anything you particularly did or didn't like? Any components which didn't work well together?

Mechanical Shimano 105 is still an excellent groupset, with awesome shifting performance and braking power.

Wheels and tyres

Tell us some more about the wheels.Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the wheels? If so what for?

Decent enough wheels for the budget, and not too bad a weight overall.

Tell us some more about the tyres. Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the tyres? If so what for?

Entry-level tyres from Bontrager; an upgrade would benefit the bike immensely.

Tell us some more about the controls. Any particularly good or bad components? How would the controls work for larger or smaller riders?

Personally, I'd change the saddle for something less padded, but on the whole, for the money it's a decent spec.

Your summary

Did you enjoy riding the bike? Yes

Would you consider buying the bike? Yes

Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Yes

How does the price compare to that of similar bikes in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The similarly specced Cannondale CAAD13 Disc comes in a few quid cheaper at £2,300, but Merida's aluminium Scultura range stops at £1,775 even though you get a 105 mechanical groupset and a spec similar to that of the Trek. Specialized's Allez Sprint is considerably more, though.

Use this box to explain your overall score

Thanks to the quality that can now be achieved by modern aluminium frames, this is a lovely bike to ride, with easily enough stiffness to match that of carbon machines in the real world. It is weighty, and it could do with a few component tweaks, but for the performance it delivers, for the money, it's very good.

Overall rating: 8 /10

About the tester

Age: 44   Height: 180cm   Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike   My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years   I ride: Every day   I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

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As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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>£2k for an aluminium frame?! In the same price bracket, actually cheaper, you can get a carbon frame for that money. Trek seems to be poor vfm really....

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Or steel (if you want). Having become quite inured to these prices, I was slightly shocked recently to see you can get a well-regarded steel-framed 105-equipped ride for £1000 less than this Trek. Not exactly the same sort of bike but - hydraulic brakes apart - you have to wonder where the price difference comes from. www.cyclinguk.org/cycle-magazine/bike-test-cannondale-synapse-sora-and-s...

Coming back to cycling after a number of years off I was shocked at the cost of bikes and in the end plumped for a £500 Triban RC500 from Decathlon, which I'm sure a lot of folks will turn their noses up at, but it's a great bike and does everything I need. But now I'm looking at a better bike the vfm range is incredible. Have to say Ribbles range is looking very attractive.....

I tried one in Decathlon couple of weeks ago and thought it was a great bike especially for the price, now 600 quid I think.

Hornet99 wrote: which I'm sure a lot of folks will turn their noses up at

Anyone who does that is a fool. https://road.cc/content/review/decathlon-triban-rc-500-disc-road-bike-25...

Hornet99 wrote: >£2k for an aluminium frame?! In the same price bracket, actually cheaper, you can get a carbon frame for that money. Trek seems to be poor vfm really....

Your starting point is that aluminium is necessarily inferior to carbon. I'm not sure that's always true.

While this seems expensive for a 105 11-speed bike, it's a Trek and they don't sell bikes cheaply. The ALR 4 with Tiagra is currently £1,575 (reduced from £1,750). That's quite a difference for one extra cog on the cassette. The frameset is £1,150. A Specialized Allez Sprint frameset is £1,800.

These brands spend a lot on marketing, sponsorship and R&D and that money has to come from somewhere. I wonder how the Trek ALR compares to a Giant Contend SL, Cannondale Synapse or Ribble Endurance AL.

If you compare it with the £4,500 Cervelo Soloist reviewed last week which has a low-spec wheelset, so you're looking at £800 or more on top to get something it deserves (no-one buying a Soloist will want those stock wheels). I'd suggest that is a far bigger rip-off.

There is talk of an oversupply of some models so there may be discounts if you shop around.

No mention of that colour scheme! 

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Trek's Émonda ALR Disc Is a Sleek, Affordable Race Rocket

A smooth and stylee aluminum road bike that hauls ass at a great price

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.

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.

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Trek Emonda ALR

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I thought I would post a few photos of my 62cm Emonda ALR. Full 105. Vision Wheelset. Easton EA90 stem (0 degree). Specialized Hover bar. FSA Carbon seatpost. Easily running Gatorskin 28mm.  

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Good looking bike! Where are you riding it too?  

Thanks. My route goes from paved road, to bike path, to chip/seal, to pothole rough country dirt/gravel type stuff. I was between the Domane and the Emonda. So far so good.  

acckids said: ....... Good questions. Questions that I have had too. Unfortunately I have spent a lot of money making my "fit" work. I even went for a professional fit and it was of no benefit. Click to expand...

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Trek Émonda ALR 5 review

The new alloy Émonda remains a great alternative to carbon

Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Simon von Bromley

Smooth ride quality; confident handling; easily customisable; Shimano 105 groupset continues to impress; wide range of sizes

Low-end tyres slow the bike down; uninspiring wheels

The Trek Émonda ALR is the American brand’s take on the premium aluminium race bike.

Now in its third generation, the Émonda ALR takes the recipe of the 2021 Trek Émonda but substitutes carbon fibre for aluminium.

This helps cut cost significantly, but (as we’ll come to later) doesn’t noticeably impact performance much.

The Trek Émonda ALR 5 (£2,325/$2,300) is the base model in the 2023 Trek Émonda ALR range, offering a suite of relatively affordable components alongside a frameset and groupset worthy of future upgrades.

As with most bikes at this price point, not every stock part sparkles, but the Émonda ALR 5 nevertheless impresses as an alternative to identikit carbon race bikes .

Trek Émonda ALR 5 frameset

As with the latest Specialized Allez Sprint , the updated aluminium frameset is the headline act on the Émonda ALR.

Like its carbon sibling, it features a mix of round tubing and truncated aerofoil – or ' Kammtail' – shapes.

The frame is constructed from Trek’s 'ultra-light' 300 Series Alpha aluminium, while the fork is made from carbon fibre.

Trek says a painted, size-56cm Émonda ALR frame weighs 1,257g, while the fork is said to weigh 406g.

That’s just 34g heavier than Trek’s Émonda SL carbon frameset (£2,950), which uses Trek’s second-tier carbon layup (Ultralight 500 Series OCLV Carbon) and has a claimed weight of 1,245g and 384g for the fork.

If you wanted to drop any serious weight from the frame, you’d need to step up to the Émonda SLR frameset (£4,900), which features a 760g frame and 381g fork.

The Émonda ALR frame is built using Trek’s ‘Invisible Weld Technology’, which (as the name suggests) helps hide the tube joints for a more seamless look.

Those at the rear dropouts aside, the resulting welds are certainly less prominent than those on the Allez Sprint or Cannondale CAAD13 .

The new Émonda ALR frameset also uses a T47 threaded bottom bracket .

Improved aerodynamics

At the front end of the frameset, Trek has adopted an integrated cable-routing solution similar to that on the Allez Sprint and Cervélo Soloist .

This sees the gear cables and brake hoses route externally of the handlebar and stem, and enter the frame through a slotted headset top cap.

This and the aero tubing are claimed to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the Émonda ALR compared to its predecessor, although Trek doesn’t offer any specific figures to quantify this.

Though I’d prefer Trek to be up-front about the magnitude (or otherwise) of any potential performance boost, I suspect most prospective buyers won’t be overly fussed.

The Émonda ALR isn’t attempting to compete with the best aero road bikes , and the cables and hoses have likely been hidden for aesthetic reasons as much as performance ones.

As I’ve explored before, the performance gains from fully internal cable routing are fairly small and the downsides (such as more complex headset servicing ) can be irritating.

This style of solution does at least allow for a wide range of easy adjustments for bike fit purposes, though, and there’s no denying it lends the bike a premium, modern look.

In fact, it was notable how many admiring comments the Émonda ALR 5 attracted during testing, from cyclists and non-cyclists alike.

While the ‘Azure to Living Coral Fade’ paintjob wouldn’t be my first choice, if you like getting attention for having a 'cool bike', it would seem this is a solid option.

What about mudguards?

One notable omission from the Émonda ALR is mounting points for mudguards or fenders .

While dry-bottom obsessed riders, such as my friend and colleague Jack Luke , have cried foul and made their misgivings on this subject clear, I’m not sure it’s a huge loss.

It’s true that tastefully hidden mounts, such as those on the Trek Domane SLR , don’t add much weight or detract from a bike’s looks when not in use.

However, it’s also fair to say the Émonda ALR (like the Allez Sprint) is intended to be a race bike and – for better or worse – most road racing bikes don’t have mudguard mounts these days.

In any case, if you want an aluminium road bike for year-round riding, Trek also offers the Domane AL , which has a plethora of mounts available for mudguards, extra bottles and more.

Trek Émonda ALR 5 geometry and handling

The Trek Émonda ALR 5 adopts the same H1.5 geometry featured on the latest carbon Émonda and Trek Madone SLR .

This sits in the middle of Trek’s previous pro-style H1 and more relaxed H2 fit geometries. It means most riders should be able to customise the front end to get their preferred fit – whether that’s long and slammed or shorter and more upright.

In terms of its overall aggressiveness, the Émonda ALR sits between the Allez Sprint and CAAD13.

With 391mm of reach and 563mm of stack on my size-56cm test bike, it’s a little higher and shorter than an equivalently sized Allez Sprint.

While the head tube angle is shared with the Allez Sprint at 73.5 degrees, the Émonda ALR has 3mm more fork trail, which slows down the handling slightly.

Overall, the Émonda ALR’s handling still feels light and nimble, though just a touch more mellow than the Allez Sprint’s.

It’s also notable that the Émonda ALR frameset is available in eight sizes, from 47 to 62cm, compared to six sizes (from 49 to 61cm) for the Allez Sprint.

Trek Émonda ALR 5 build

As with most bikes at this price, the Émonda ALR 5’s build is somewhat of a mixed bag.

Trek has wisely specced Shimano 105 R7000 , the Japanese brand’s highly rated 11-speed workhorse groupset.

You get climbing-friendly 50/34-tooth chainrings up front, paired with a short-cage rear derailleur and an 11-30 tooth cassette.

Finishing kit is by Bontrager (Trek’s in-house wheel and component brand), in the form of a basic aluminium seatpost, stem and set of round handlebars.

While it lacks a posh carbon seatpost, the use of a round, 27.2mm post means aftermarket upgrade options are plentiful.

It’s the same story up front – no surprises or odd standards, just a 1-1/8in steerer and a 31.8mm handlebar clamp.

In an era when the use of proprietary parts on road bikes seems to be ever increasing, such simplicity and wide-ranging compatibility feels like a breath of fresh air.

In terms of wheels and tyres, Trek has specced a set of basic Bontrager alloy wheels paired with 700x25c Bontrager R1 Hard-Case Lite clincher tyres.

While the alloy Bontrager hubs and round spokes are fairly run of the mill, the Bontrager Paradigm SL rims are at least tubeless-ready and have a healthily wide, 21mm internal rim width . This helps plump the tyres up to around 28.5mm at 70psi/4.8 bar.

Trek Émonda ALR 5 ride impressions

Out on the road, the Émonda ALR 5 is an easy bike to get along with.

It has a marginally more relaxed personality than the Allez Sprint, but for many this will be a plus (the Allez Sprint is very racy).

Like that bike, though, the Émonda ALR belies its 9.04kg weight, feeling quick to respond to inputs and generally easy to manoeuvre.

Shimano’s 105 R7000 groupset remains as impressive as ever. Shifts are slick and fast at both ends, with excellent braking.

Unsurprisingly, the low-end Bontrager tyres disappoint compared to the best road bike tyres currently available, and make the bike feel sluggish when trying to ride fast. Upgrading these alone would likely do wonders for the whole package.

The Bontrager finishing kit is nothing flashy, but it all does the job and can be replaced easily if you have particular tastes or bike fit requirements.

The only part I didn’t get on with was the Bontrager Verse Comp saddle. It has a lot more padding than I’m used to and I quickly swapped it out for something firmer and shorter (a Giant Fleet SL).

It’s a shame Trek didn’t spec the excellent Bontrager Aeolus saddle, versions of which come with higher-end Émonda and Madone builds, but that’s a minor gripe.

The ride quality is also impressive, especially at the rear end.

While dropped seatstays and carbon seatposts are often lauded for their comfort-enhancing properties, the Émonda ALR manages to achieve a smooth ride without either.

The front end, with its stiff carbon fork and basic alloy bars, is firmer. Careful adjustment of the tyre pressures went a long way to mitigating this, though.

The Émonda ALRs tyre clearance is officially capped at 28mm, as on the previous version , but in practice there’s ample room for more.

Trek Émonda ALR 5 bottom line

The Trek Émonda ALR 5 joins an increasing number of high-quality aluminium road bikes.

Despite its alloy construction, it’s only marginally heavier than the mid-tier carbon Émonda and offers an appealing mix of classic looks and modern tech.

Likewise, if you want a road racing bike with Trek on the down tube, then the Émonda ALR is one of the cheapest entry points and it doesn’t disappoint in terms of performance.

Hitting this price inevitably means compromises in the build, but (tyres aside) everything does a respectable job, and – best of all – can be easily customised to suit your personal tastes.

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Review: Trek Emonda ALR 5, the bike that disc brakes almost broke 

Are the days of the aluminum race bike over? Not quite yet.

I dream of aluminum race bikes. Sturdy, fast, cheap. They’re what most amateur bike racers should be on, if you ask me, but the options are vanishingly few. 

There’s the Specialized Allez Sprint, the current king of the castle, but it’s a $1,700 frameset and is often out of stock. The Cannondale CAAD13 is lovely too, but has been taken about two steps too far away from its racing roots for my liking. Now there’s a third big-brand aluminum option: the Trek Emonda ALR 5. 

I hoped for a bike I could feel confident in recommending to any young or aspiring racer. Something nimble and light, with the right gearing, a ride comparable to carbon, a few nods to modern-day aerodynamic understanding, and clever spec. Not a first road bike, perhaps, but something worth graduating to. Trek came so very close.

This is a bike that will roll off showroom floors for just over $2,000 and looks every bit like a bike three or five times that. The integrated front end, the shapely tubes – from across the street it looks like carbon. 

The Emonda ALR is a cool aluminum race bike. Looks good and rides well. It needs a few tweaks if you really want to get the most out of it, but it’s 90% of the way there straight out of the box. It only misses in a few spots, and that might not even be its own fault. 

The short of it: A good argument for not buying a cheap carbon road bike instead Good stuff: Superb ride quality, excellent handling, great looks Bad stuff: Weight  Total weight: 9.12 kg/20.1 lbs Price: USD $2,300 / AUD $3,000 / £2,150

As aluminum frames go, this one is both good-looking and well-thought-out. It uses Trek’s 300-series Alpha Aluminum and what Trek calls “Invisible Weld Technology,” which smooths out the welds themselves and provides a decidedly carbon-like look. More than one person thought I was on a carbon bike. 

The tubes are hydroformed, a technology that has now been in the bike industry for well over a decade but is crucial to creating the types of tube shapes Trek uses on the Emonda. There are nods to aerodynamics, including a truncated seat tube, big and shapely down tube, deeper head tube, and dropped seatstays. The intention isn’t to compete with the best aero bikes on the market, but a bit of aero efficiency never hurts. 

The frame is light, around 1,260 grams, plus a 400-gram carbon fork. That makes it roughly the same weight (within 50 grams) as the carbon fiber Emonda SL, which sits on the lower end of Trek’s carbon spectrum. And a complete Emonda ALR 5 bike costs as much as the Emonda SL frameset. Behold, the power of aluminum.

Down at the bottom bracket, Trek has gone with the threaded T47 standard, which we have no real problems with. James Huang is a big fan. Dave Rome is sort of ambivalent. I just know it didn’t creak over the last 6 months.

I wish the Emonda ALR had more official tire clearance. This may partly be a limitation of aluminum, but in the end, it’s a decision. The aluminum Domane fits a 40 mm tire. The Emonda ALR will officially only take a 28 mm tire. Now, if you know Trek, you know they have an exceptionally conservative legal department, and you can generally go 4+ mm wider than claimed. But the rear end, in particular, is tighter than I’d prefer on the Emonda ALR. I wouldn’t be comfortable with anything over a 30 (measured). The fork has plenty of room for a 30 or slightly larger. Just know that you’re running afoul of Trek’s official recommendation if you do this, potentially harming things like warranty, which is a shame.

Any modern disc road bike should clear a 30 with no concerns whatsoever. Only 28 is just not enough. Not when pros are winning Milan-San Remo on tires that measure closer to 32. A race bike can and should have clearance for 32s these days. 

Aaargh, integration

I appreciate the thought and care Trek put into bar/stem/brake line integration on this bike. If integrated front ends are truly what consumers are looking for – and the fact that every single road brand is integrating more and more suggests that purchase data shows people want it – then why should we limit such things to the realm of the carbon fiber bourgeoise?

The plebs down here plowing fields in Aluminum Land deserve a clean cockpit too. The Emonda ALR looks great, it looks expensive, and part of that is the fact that Trek bothered to put the front end together with as much thought as they do for bikes five times the price. 

The Emonda ALR runs its brake and shift lines through an entryway at the front of the headset and then down through the frame. All the lines and housing exit right before the bottom bracket and then re-enter behind it. The headset routing is very similar in concept and execution to the design found on the Allez Sprint, though everything stays internal near the bottom bracket on the Specialized.

There are six full pages in the manual dedicated to the headset, brake line routing, proprietary spacer stacking, and all the rest. The fact that James trusted me, the Hammer, to sort this out and put things together properly is a testament to both his trust and his foolishness. Or perhaps this was his plan all along, to put the design to the ultimate test. 

Mercifully the Emonda came mostly built. Unmercifully, it also came with a kinked brake hose right out of the box, which required replacing. And, of course, I would have to do some basic fit adjustments. The kinked line ended up being quite annoying but the fit changes were no big deal. 

The brake lines run down in front of the steerer tube, in between the slightly bulbous head tube and the steerer itself. There are proprietary split spacers to be used instead of round ones. Pulling it all apart and getting it back together is finicky but not impossible, and dropping the bars two cm took less than five minutes. The spacers are annoying relative to some good old-fashioned round ones, but they also allowed me to play with stack without having to run new brake lines.

As internal brake and shift lines go, this is about as good and easy as it gets.

In the end, I ditched all of the spacers and ran the stem “slammed” because the H1.5 geometry (more on this later), in addition to the height necessitated by the cable-entry cap, meant that slammed wasn’t actually that aggressive.

You can use standard round spacers above the stem as you move the stem clamp down the steerer, should you so choose. The sleeker look obviously requires cutting the steer at the new stem height, but for the purposes of setting fit – and because this isn’t my bike – it was nice to be able to throw the ol’ roundies I had floating around my toolbox on the section of steerer above the stem. 

Now, the kinked line. This isn’t really Trek’s fault, except that I’m pretty sure a line that had more than a few short centimeters exposed between the frame and stem probably wouldn’t have had this problem during shipping. Keep that in mind if you travel with this bike: anything with this level of integration needs added care in packing because with such short exposed sections of brake line, the margin for error is smaller. 

Replacing the line was quite straightforward. Lines run down the front of the head tube, inside the upper headset bearing, and then, in this case, down to the front brake via a port in the steerer itself. It all guided through pretty easily. Re-attach, bleed, and I was off to the races. The rear brake would take slightly more effort, as it needs to be fished through a hole near the bottom of the down tube and then on through another set of holes to the caliper, but it’s no worse than any other integrated bike out there right now.

Geometry chart

The Emonda ALR uses the same H1.5 geometry as the latest Madone SLR and carbon Emonda options. It sits, as the name implies, about halfway in between the race-focused H1 geometry and endurance H2 geometry. 

It also sits right in between two of its competitors in this space, the Specialized Allez Sprint and the Cannondale CAAD13. The Allez is more aggressive, the CAAD a bit less so. 

Here’s the full chart: 

I’ll talk about the ride and handling in a moment, but a couple of things to note. The trail is a very standard 56-62 mm for most sizes. The smallest riders, as usual, get absolutely hammered with a 68 mm trail that I’m sure makes the bike feel absolutely nothing like the one I rode (a 56 cm). Sorry, anybody riding a 47 cm.

Wheelbase is about one cm longer than the Allez Sprint, trail is a bit higher, reach is shorter, stack is higher. All these things point to a less race-oriented machine. And that is the case, though not to the point that the Emonda isn’t totally race-worthy. It absolutely is.

Models and pricing

Normally, we drop all the other build options for a given frameset in this section, but because this is an aluminum bike and so few people apparently want aluminum bikes anymore, there are no other build options.

At least, that’s true in the US. The UK market has the ALR 6, which upgrades the 105 mechanical to 105 Di2 for a marginal increase in cost to £2,400. And in the US you can buy framesets on their own for USD $1,200. These have some great paint jobs and would be a fun project.

In fact, if you’re comfortable building bikes from scratch, that’s probably how I would do it. These are really cool frames, extremely well thought out, light, and quite beautiful. But the stock build kits are uninspiring, because Trek had to hit a price point. I would love to take one of these and slowly build it with higher-end second-hand parts over the course of a winter. Total cost would be similar, but you’d end up with a much cooler end product.

As a brief experiment, I put myself into character. The character: me, 20 years old, racing crits every weekend, living on like $700 a month plus race winnings, with $3,000 left over from my student loans. Decison-making: Generally terrible. Acknowledgment that the future exists: Never. FTP: High as it’ll ever be. I popped around the usual buy/sell sites and checked out some deals on groups to see what I could build. This is what I came up with in less than 30 minutes (all prices USD):

Frame : Emonda ALR in one of the cool colors – $1,200 Drivetrain and brakes : Shimano 105 7000 – $700 Wheels : Something carbon that makes a good whoosh noise – $650 on eBay or similar if you’re willing to buy something that isn’t tubeless compatible (go latex tubes for racing instead) Handlebar : Ritchey WCS Neoclassic drop – $99 (eBay) Stem : Ritchey WCS 4-axis – $25 (eBay) Seatpost : Ritchey WCS – $74 (eBay) Saddle : Bontrager Aeolus Comp: $90 Tires : Vittoria Corsa Control 30mm – $35 (not the tubeless version)

Total: $2873 plus $100 or so for cables/housing/other odds and ends. This bike is easily 2.5 pounds lighter than the stock ALR5, makes a better noise, looks cooler, and leaves me about $100 of student loan funds to spend on a week’s worth of post-ride burritos.

Build kit breakdown

My collegiate-racer fever dreams aside, the ALR 5 has a solid, reliable build. It’s a good platform to upgrade off of, if that’s your jam, and it’s perfectly serviceable right out of the box.

I have zero complaints about the Shimano 105 7000 mechanical drivetrain. It shifts, it’s quiet, it’s relatively cheap. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. 

I do dislike the rotors, which are the RT70 from Shimano. They are ugly and look cheap. Give me some of that finned goodness. This is 90% aesthetic but aesthetics matter.

The stock gear ratios should be enough for most, but could perhaps go a bit lower if you live somewhere hilly. A 50/34 front chainring setup is matched with an 11-30 cassette. Ten years ago, that would have been ludicrously low, but the bike industry has since realized we’re not all riding around at pro watts all the time, and these days I’d prefer a 32 or even 34 low gear on the back unless I’m racing.

If I am racing, I probably want a 52/36 with that same 11-30 cassette. But that’s a low priority and can be upgraded later.

The rest of the build is uninspiring but adequate. Trek’s component brand Bontrager provides the seatpost, saddle, stem, and handlebars. All are alloy, all are a bit heavy. The Comp VR-C bars have quite a nice bend to them, on the shallow end of the spectrum but not silly-shallow. The transition from hoods to tops is nice and smooth and the drop curvature is superb. I found them very comfortable.

There are no surprises, integration headaches, or odd standards, just a 27.2 seatpost, 1 1/8″ steerer, and round bars. All of it can be easily upgraded or swapped out.

The Bontrager Verse Comp saddle is too heavily padded for my liking. I did a couple of rides on it and it wasn’t terrible; it just wasn’t great. It’s also quite long, and I’m used to short saddles these days. Bontrager’s excellent Aeolus would have been a better match for the bike and its ambitions.

The Bontrager Paradigm wheels are heavy (roughly 1,750 g claimed) but do feature a nicely modern 21 mm internal rim width, which spreads the 700×25 hotpatched tire out to just under 28mm. The tires are Bontrager R1 Hardcase-Lite with a wire bead. They are hot garbage that should be removed immediately.  Wire bead ? Are you kidding me? Bontrager makes some nice tires these days; the R1 Hardcase is decidedly not one of them.

I took them off, riding only once on those turds of tires before swapping them out to a set of Vittoria Corsa Controls. I went from disliking the bike to liking it with that one switch. Tires are important. Granted, Corsa Controls aren’t cheap.

Ride report

That brings us to the ride. All of the figures and facts above combine in sometimes unexpected ways, mixing and melding into a ride quality that is genuinely quite impressive (once you take the terrible tires off).

I tested this bike with three sets of tires/wheels. First, the stock Bontragers. Awful. Second, the Corsa Controls and butyl tubes on the stock Paradigm wheelset. Great! A better bet would have been a good tubeless tire, since the Paradigm rims are tubeless-ready, but I didn’t have any handy that were narrow enough.

Finally, I put on a set of Continental GP5000s with latex tubes in on a set of Roval Alpinist carbon wheels. The Corsas alone dropped over 200 grams off the stock tire weight, and the Roval setup dropped more than a pound (626 grams, to be precise) off the stock setup. The overall change in ride quality from both changes was dramatic.

As a result, I’m going to ignore the stock tires for this ride quality analysis. The R1s are so bad, and tires are so important, that it feels unfair to besmirch an otherwise-good bike with their wire bead stink. If you’re reading this review, you care enough to swap them out. My opinions here are based on the stock wheelset + Vittoria Corsa Control + butyl tube setup. 

This is a comfortable aluminum bike. Trek has lots of marketing copy on its website about how its hydroforming processes and the Invisible Weld Technology combine to allow its engineers to create a frame with significantly more compliance than the aluminum of old. I would say they aren’t lying. 

The rear end, in particular, cuts road buzz nicely. The 27.2 seatpost helps, and if you upgraded to a carbon post it would further improve flex and thus comfort. The big aluminum handlebars are stiff and the front end feels harsher than the rear. I’m sort of OK with this; a stiff front end feels like it wants to race, to me, and I like that.

The size 56 I tested has a 73.5º head angle and 58 mm of trail. Both figures are about spot on for a bike that wants to be race-worthy but not race-only. The handling is therefore as I expected: predictable, on the twitchy end of the spectrum these days but nothing extreme. Ten years ago, this would have been called endurance bike geometry. But now we know better. 

This is supposed to be a race bike, and nothing in the handling would prevent it from finding success there. It is not a pure crit machine in the way that the Allez Sprint is (that bike has a more aggressive trail figure of 55 mm, plus a lower BB and longer reach). The Emonda ALR is a road racer. It’s well-balanced and goes where you point it. 

The rich get richer, the poor get heavier

Behind this generally positive review is an unshakeable feeling that something is missing. I’m not sure the bike I dream of, and that I was hoping the Emonda ALR would be, really exists anymore. In riding the Emonda ALR and perusing the other options currently available in the same price range, the only conclusion I can draw is that it’s very, very difficult for a big bike brand to build a cheap race bike these days. 

The bike I want is a Cannondale CAAD10 from around 2015. The model with Shimano 105 went for about US$1,700 – roughly US$2,200 in today’s inflated money. In other words, nearly identical to the Emonda ALR 5. That bike weighed in the low-17 pound (7.7 kg) range. It had decent wheels and snappy handling and pretty much everybody who reviewed one or raced one called it some version of a superbike killer. It was so good. 

The Emonda ALR is better in some ways. It’s more comfortable, for one. It’s probably more aerodynamic, simply because of the integrated front end, though we don’t have any figures to prove this. It fits a much bigger tire (albeit not big enough). But it also weighs closer to 20 pounds, has pigs for wheels, and comes stock with the worst road tires I’ve ridden in years. The geometry is a bit softer, a bit more forgiving; the handling is good but I would personally prefer it to be snappier for racing. 

There is one obvious culprit for many (though not all) of these ills, of course. Disc brakes.

I’m about as far from a disc hater as you can find, and would prefer them on almost any bike I build and ride. But there is a reality to them: to build a light, nimble-feeling road race bike with disc brakes costs a lot of money. You can get to 6.8 kg, or well under, but it will cost significantly more than it did back when a rim-brake CAAD10 could get there for $1,700 plus a few smart upgrades. 

Again, the Allez Sprint – the spiritual heir to the old CAADs – is $1,700 for the frameset alone. 

Trek’s little tagline for this bike is “Never heavy. Always metal.” Which is true – if you look at the frameset. Sub-1,300 grams is superb. But the various parts needed to build a bike at this price point, with discs and thru axles and all the other complications of the modern road bike, mean that heavy is exactly what the stock version of the ALR 5 is.

None of this is directly Trek’s fault, unless you prescribe to the Big Disc conspiracy that holds that all big bike brands hoisted discs on us only to sell more bikes (which I do not). But there is no question that discs have made it harder to build a bike I would want to race for a price I could have afforded when I was racing. We have $8,000 bikes with 105 now; where does one turn if you’re racing collegiate crits, living on microwave pizzas, and want to go fast as hell? The Emonda ALR may be among the best of a dwindling bunch, but even it doesn’t quite get there. 

What did you think of this story?

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Trek emonda alr – first ride, our first impressions of trek's new lightweight aluminium road bike are in, and they're looking promising..

When the Emonda was first launched it’s purpose was clear: Trek had endeavoured to make the lightest climbing bike in the world. Although its title may have just been stolen by Merida’s new Scultura, the top of the range Emonda SLR 10 weighs in at 4.65kg which is over 2kg under the UCI weight limit.

So when Trek announced that they were going to be making an aluminium version of the Emonda, the ALR, they’d almost given themselves no choice but to try and make as light an aluminium frame as possible. And they’ve achieved that, with the ALR frame coming in at a claimed 1,050g.

I haven’t stripped the test bike down so I can’t verify whether that’s true or not, but what I can tell you is that the full bike weighs in at a credible 7.8kg.

And there’s loads of scope for bringing that number down, too. The ALR is specced with Bontrager’s Race VR-C bars, solid alu offerings but definitely add a few grams onto the total, and the basically are fairly basic.

I’ll come on to the wheels but the bars are the one aspect of the build that, personally, I’d look to change pretty soon. I’m not a big fan of Bontrager’s alloy bars. It’s nothing to do with the weight, but I find the shape doesn’t quite sit well with where I like to place my hands the most.

Still, that’s a personal thing and they’re more than adequate at the £1,700 price tag which is where the Ultegra-equipped version of the ALR sits, and at that price it’s not too unrealistic that you could think about upgrading some bits not too long after buying the bike. It’s also worth pointing out that Trek offer the ALR as a frameset for £700, so if you’re happy with your kit but fancy a frameset upgrade, that could be a very cost-effective option.

Groupset is full Shimano Ultegra 6800 and we’ve got nothing but praise for that choice. The current incarnation of Ultegra is good enough to grace bikes with twice the ALR’s £1,700 retail price and, frankly, you’re getting kit good enough that you’ll probably never think about needing to upgrade for purely functional reasons.

But enough of the minutiae, you say, how does it ride? Well after my first three-hour spin on the Emonda ALR initial impressions are very good indeed. I’ve put in a lot of miles on alloy bikes in the past, and currently own a Cannondale CAAD10 which I absolutely adore, and the early signs are that the ALR could be right up there with the very best alloy bikes on the market.

Ride quality is, like the CAAD10, a tiny bit on the harsher side but it’s by no means a teeth rattler. Over poor road surfaces I definitely felt a little more through the back end than with, say, my Ridley Helium which I ride the same roads with frequently, but even after three hours there was no feeling of fatigue.

Plus, the best way to improve comfort isn’t anything to do with the frame, it’s the tyre pressure and choice that will give you the most noticeable difference there. The ALR comes as standard with 23mm Bontrager Ride 2 tyres, and I’m sure when I swap those out for something a little more forgiving then any worries I may have had about harshness will disappear altogether.

In terms of stiffness, first suggestions are that there’s nothing to worry about. Top end aluminium frames are usually very stiff because they have to be to counteract the fact that aluminium itself is a soft metal (also a reason why alu is always alloyed with something else). The nice thing about the ALR is that Trek haven’t had to make the tubing too chunky in order to achieve the required strength, and it gives the bike a sleek, classic look. Not functional, but always appealing. Out of the saddle uphill and bombing along the flat at over 40km/h I haven’t been able to fault it yet, although I’ll keep pushing it as far as my (admittedly not Kristoff-esque) legs will allow. The handling is similarly impressive. There aren’t too many bikes that I’ll jump on and head downhill without a bit of caution early on, but I was more than comfortable hitting some of my regularly descents without any unneeded caution, suggesting that the ALR will be a more than capable all-rounder, not just an alu climber’s bike.

The only other thing to mention this early on is that (and we seem to say this about so many bikes) the wheels don’t do justice to the frame quality. Bontrager’s Race wheels might be tubeless ready, which is a bonus, but they’re a basic set that have obviously been specced to keep the price down.

They have an RRP of £240 and weigh in at nearly 2kg before you’ve even thought about tyres. While you might be glad of something you can beat up during the winter, the ALR is clearly a race bike and definitely deserving of an upgrade.

I’ll be putting in loads more miles on this one, and changing around certain aspects of the build like tyres and wheels to see how it affects the ride, so keep you’re eyes peeled for a full review in the coming weeks.

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