Emonda ALR 5 vs Emonda SL5

[monkers]

I bought an Emonda SL4 in June this year. I'm just shy of 5' 9'' with a leg length of about 32.5''. My previous bike (Cube Axial) was a 56cm aluminium frame and a good fit. I got tempted by the Emonda because of the deal available as much as anything, and it reviews well especially as a good climbing machine.

As a 56cm frame, it turned out to be bigger than the Cube. It has a seat mast (male on frame) with the female seat post fitting around it - this limits how low the thing can adjust. I cut 20 mm off the mast and the seat tube to get the saddle more to my liking. This was a success.

Having got the seat height sorted, I then found that I needed the saddle fully forward as it's quite aggressive in geometry (long reach) and I felt too far forward in relation to the pedals. I've now sorted that by buying a 65mm stem to replace the standard 100mm. None of this sounds very much, but it has now made the bike a much better fit for me, feels more compact and dynamic, and I only spent £17 making it so.

The Emonda is the smoothest riding bike I've owned over coarse tarmac, and above average over deeply rutted roads. The wheel / combo feels solid despite being 25mm tyre width; reviews say they are heavy, but the bike (rim brakes) weighs just over 8.5kg. Swapping out those heavy Bontrager R1 tyres would be a pretty inexpensive way to lose close to half a kilo if that was needed.

I was a bit worried that I'd bought the wrong bike for me initially, but I'm now very happy with it - paint finish is very good, but colour not so much to my taste.

Whichever you choose, enjoy.

 

[tdcadillac]

56 should be OK. I am 5'9" and the bike I am riding on the left was a 23" and I have three 56 cm bikes in the garage and are all OK. But I do ride with short cranks, which means the saddle is higher than normal. Always best to go "smaller" if undecided on frame size, as you can always fit longer seat posts and stems.

Good luck

thank you very much that is very helpful

 

[gzoom]

I'm just under 6ft, have 58cm 2011 Madone carbon frame. I would say get the best frameset you can, Treks are fab bikes, your be happy with either.

At nearly 10 years old mine is still fantastic to ride, treating it to an Ultegra crankset for its 10 year birthday, cannot see me ever selling the Madone.

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

I'm 5ft 11 1/2, and would ride a 56cm, I am relatively proportionate and ride with a saddle height of 761mm, I've composed a BikeCAD drawing with a slightly higher saddle height @770mm as you are a bit taller than me, I've also attached a 58cm as that would also be a consideration especially if you have need a higher saddle height, in the second drawing I've used a saddle height of 780mm

Where you have to be a bit careful regarding sizing with that generation of Trek is they listed "saddle rail height" 'min' and 'max', the lowest being with the 135mm mast and highest being with the 175mm longer mast, what they don't tell you is the 'max' length on the shorter mast and the 'min' length on the taller mast; something they have since rectified with later models although that doesn't help with the model you are considering..

What I did at the time is always have stock of both mast lengths instore and swap as required at time of the free 'collection fit'; you could ask the dealer if they would offer to do the same for you?


Astonished there is stock, bikes of these price points have been sold out in the UK for ages, it is in part why I've been on Furlough since April, we have hardly anything to sell, plus there is little demand for bike fitting at the moment!

 

[tdcadillac]

Yes there is only one each available in the whole country.
The trek SL5 is with rims and the Giant ALR5 with disc.
Paul, from this 2 which one do you recommend? Also is the purple on the ALR5 was designed for woman or is it unisex?
Thank you so much

 

[tdcadillac]

I'm 5ft 11 1/2, and would ride a 56cm, I am relatively proportionate and ride with a saddle height of 761mm, I've composed a BikeCAD drawing with a slightly higher saddle height @770mm as you are a bit taller than me, I've also attached a 58cm as that would also be a consideration especially if you have need a higher saddle height, in the second drawing I've used a saddle height of 780mm

Where you have to be a bit careful regarding sizing with that generation of Trek is they listed "saddle rail height" 'min' and 'max', the lowest being with the 135mm mast and highest being with the 175mm longer mast, what they don't tell you is the 'max' length on the shorter mast and the 'min' length on the taller mast; something they have since rectified with later models although that doesn't help with the model you are considering..

What I did at the time is always have stock of both mast lengths instore and swap as required at time of the free 'collection fit'; you could ask the dealer if they would offer to do the same for you?
View attachment 536258
View attachment 536263
Astonished there is stock, bikes of these price points have been sold out in the UK for ages, it is in part why I've been on Furlough since April, we having hardly anything to sell, plus there is little demand for bike fitters at the moment!

Yes there is only one each available in the whole country.
The trek SL5 is with rims and the Giant ALR5 with disc.
Paul, from this 2 which one do you recommend? Also is the purple on the ALR5 was designed for woman or is it unisex?
Thank you so much

 

[monkers]

Giant is the brand for men, same factory sells women's bike under the Liv brand name, both good. Giant is made in Taiwan and said to be the biggest maker of bikes in the world. The Trek is made in the USA. There was a woman specific version of the SL5. I doubt if that one on sale is one. The frame is the same; you'll be able to tell by the saddle fitted, which you can soon swap anyway. Likewise you can always swap the handlebar stem for your preferred length. The geometry you require will be change if your body weight, core strength etc change through cycling anyway. Which one you choose is a matter of how you intend to use it. The Bontrager tyres on the Trek are quite hardy for their type and will handle occasional gravel surfaces, but if you think you'll be doing a lot of gravel riding buy the Giant. For me, I'd prefer the Trek, but whatever you do I'd suggest you be quick or the option will soon be gone.

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

Yes there is only one each available in the whole country. The Trek SL5 is with rims and the Giant ALR5 with disc. Paul, from this 2 which one do you recommend? Also is the purple on the ALR5 was designed for woman or is it unisex? Thank you so much

I assume you mean Trek ALR5 not Giant, I can see other threads where you have referenced Giant so I will try and reference all three. Note although Trek do have a factory in the USA it has evolved more into a R & D facility, most are then manufactured off shore. At this stage I will focus on the ALR5 that you linked to on your OP, which is not disc and of course not the Giant. Regarding the latter I do not read the language and I have never been a Giant dealer but can tell from the geometry that it's an endurance bike so less focused than the Emonda range from Trek, their endurance range being the Domane.

Disc versus Shimano 105, direct mount. Disc better in the wet, no rim degradation yet heavier and more expensive; horses for causes and a topic that often divides opinion. FWIW I still use standard caliper on all road my bikes, as far as I am concerned they perform well enough in all conditions and I get several years use from my wheels; my bikes are all 13 years old and then some and that was the default set up then. If I was choosing a new road bike now then the braking system would not influence my choice either way that much to be honest; on bikes like the Emonda I'd be happy with either. Bikes with larger clearances few will be anything but disc these days, but the Emonda is a close clearance road bike range where especially in the budget range weight saving well as the financial savings make standard caliper still valid. Neither of those points effect the High end models in the same way, disc seem to be standard, although I'd be interested to see what would happen if the UCI reduced the minimum weight of a race bike, at the moment the limit is high enough that bikes with disc brakes can easily still achieve it. I'd wager if they lowered it we'd see a few grand tour riders choose the lighter caliper models on mountain top finishes

If Trek have a female version they would state it in the description; in the UK they did have an ALR5 'Women's' model. Often the frame will be same geometry as the unisex model although the size range may start and finish smaller, in that link it finishes at 56cm. Note as a complete bike the 'Women's' version may have different components, saddle, bars, stem for example. I quite often have men prefer the colour scheme of the 'Women's' model and providing the size is correct the relevant components can be swapped, vice versa if a lady prefers the unisex model of course. To try and simplify Trek have make some of their unisex models in a larger size range, most quality dealers will offer to swap the valid spec' changes at the time of collection fit. A 'sizing' and 'collection' bike fitting service is especially valid where someone does not know which is size would be best suited. In your case I referenced a 56 and 58cm, but that is with the limited data I have of you, even if I had more I'd always choose to see a rider in person to be thorough as bike fit is over and above the rider's dimensions. I'd always focus on getting the size choice correct and then the correct fitting on that choice, I see many riding expensive bikes with wrong bike fit and even worse the wrong fit and on the wrong size.

Trek ALR5 versus Trek SL5 there are pros and cons, the ALR5 will be cheaper and more robust, the SL5 lighter and offer a more focused race bike performance. Note the latter is always down to a perception, a 'deal breaking difference' to one is 'no difference' to another and your conclusions may evolve with time as you evolve as a rider, expect subtle differences to magnify as you become 'man and machine in perfect harmony'; as such sometimes a test ride even if possible may not actually help as much as you'd hope.

What would I choose personally between the two, the SL5, that said I'd I'd imagine availability will soon make your choice for you so I would echo what 'monkers' stated up thread "Whichever you choose, enjoy"; both are valid (regardless of braking system), both are good and will do just what you need them to do

 

[tdcadillac]

I assume you mean Trek ALR5 not Giant, I can see other threads where you have referenced Giant so I will try and reference all three. Note although Trek do have a factory in the USA it has evolved more into a R & D facility, most are then manufactured off shore. At this stage I will focus on the ALR5 that you linked to on your OP, which is not disc and of course not the Giant. Regarding the latter I do not read the language and I have never been a Giant dealer but can tell from the geometry that it's an endurance bike so less focused than the Emonda range from Trek, their endurance range being the Domane.

Disc versus Shimano 105, direct mount. Disc better in the wet, no rim degradation yet heavier and more expensive; horses for causes and a topic that often divides opinion. FWIW I still use standard caliper on all road my bikes, as far as I am concerned they perform well enough in all conditions and I get several years use from my wheels; my bikes are all 13 years old and then some and that was the default set up then. If I was choosing a new road bike now then the braking system would not influence my choice either way that much to be honest; on bikes like the Emonda I'd be happy with either. Bikes with larger clearances few will be anything but disc these days, but the Emonda is a close clearance road bike range where especially in the budget range weight saving well as the financial savings make standard caliper still valid. Neither of those points effect the High end models in the same way, disc seem to be standard, although I'd be interested to see what would happen if the UCI reduced the minimum weight of a race bike, at the moment the limit is high enough that bikes with disc brakes can easily still achieve it. I'd wager if they lowered it we'd see a few grand tour riders choose the lighter caliper models on mountain top finishes

If Trek have a female version they would state it in the description; in the UK they did have an ALR5 'Women's' model. Often the frame will be same geometry as the unisex model although the size range may start and finish smaller, in that link it finishes at 56cm. Note as a complete bike the 'Women's' version may have different components, saddle, bars, stem for example. I quite often have men prefer the colour scheme of the 'Women's' model and providing the size is correct the relevant components can be swapped, vice versa if a lady prefers the unisex model of course. To try and simplify Trek have make some of their unisex models in a larger size range, most quality dealers will offer to swap the valid spec' changes at the time of collection fit. A 'sizing' and 'collection' bike fitting service is especially valid where someone does not know which is size would be best suited. In your case I referenced a 56 and 58cm, but that is with the limited data I have of you, even if I had more I'd always choose to see a rider in person to be thorough as bike fit is over and above the rider's dimensions. I'd always focus on getting the size choice correct and then the correct fitting on that choice, I see many riding expensive bikes with wrong bike fit and even worse the wrong fit and on the wrong size.

Trek ALR5 versus Trek SL5 there are pros and cons, the ALR5 will be cheaper and more robust, the SL5 lighter and offer a more focused race bike performance. Note the latter is always down to a perception, a 'deal breaking difference' to one is 'no difference' to another and your conclusions may evolve with time as you evolve as a rider, expect subtle differences to magnify as you become 'man and machine in perfect harmony'; as such sometimes a test ride even if possible may not actually help as much as you'd hope.

What would I choose personally between the two, the SL5, that said I'd I'd imagine availability will soon make your choice for you so I would echo what 'monkers' stated up thread "Whichever you choose, enjoy"; both are valid (regardless of braking system), both are good and will do just what you need them to do

thanks very much for your thorough explanation. I learn alot.
I might bother you with one more question. for bike fit and size do you recommend do those expensive bike fit ($300) or the standard one with bike purchase if fine. Same I you mentioned to be perfect and harmony with the bike is crutial

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

thanks very much for your thorough explanation. I learn't a lot.
I might bother you with one more question. for bike fit and size do you recommend do those expensive bike fit ($300) or the standard one with bike purchase if fine. Same I you mentioned to be perfect and harmony with the bike is crucial

Many find the more basic 'sizing' then 'collection fit' of value and should enable you to make sure you get the correct size, with an accurate enough set up on collection for you to enjoy your new bike. The store may initially charge for the former, refunded if you make a purchase; this may not apply if they have reduced the bike and some stores may charge regardless so get that clarified before hand. The more expensive fits are more thorough as they take longer, so it's your call of course; it's better to have a basic fit by someone who knows what they are doing than a more expensive one by someone who doesn't, so do your research on them if you can.

Whatever the level of bike fit you decide on it depends if the dealer can even offer you one, some don't do them at all and those that do may not be able to at the moment as their bike fitters are on furlough, myself included with not even a hint of being called back by my employer. I'd imagine many will be off until bikes start to become available again, which is normally late summer, early autumn; suggest you check to see with the dealer to see what they can offer.

If they can not offer a fitting the ALR5 interms of fitting will be easier as it has a alloy seat pin that have more scope between min-max heights versus two different lengths masts of the SL5 which are $159.99