2015 Emonda SLR Build (Now 6.39kg, 60cm H2) - targeting 6.30kg

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

One man's junk is another man's treasure, and that's certainly the case with this bike. I recently picked up a 2015 Emonda SLR (size 60 H2) from eBay for less than $500. The bare frame weighs in at 845g, and the fork is another 310g. This is impressive, given the large size of the frame. It appears to be a former Trek Travel bike, based on one of the decals I found inside the frame, which ordinarily wouldn't be there. So I embarked on a sort of "budget" WeightWeenie build, using some of the parts I had on hand from my prior Madone 5 build, plus some bargain hunting deals. I haven't decided what components I'm going to fit on the bike, yet. I'm leaning toward a mix of Ultegra Di2 with a DA9100 crank, but I've decided on the Bontrager Speed Stop brakes, which I also picked up for cheap. I also purchased a set of Aeolus 3's, which will be my primary wheels (my old RXL's will be the backups).

ImageWeights - 2019-02-24 by Gabriel Couriel, on Flickr
ImageIMG_7855 by Gabriel Couriel, on Flickr
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Last edited by FIJIGabe on Sat Oct 10, 2020 5:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Johnny Rad
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by Johnny Rad

Congrats on a wicked deal for the frame / fork.

Are prices for SRAM eTap or Shimano Di2 going down now that SRAM AXS launched?

What’s a “Trek Travel” bike?

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Calnago
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by Calnago

Looking forward to the build.... always wondered the real difference between the SLR and the SL in the same size as mine (60 H2). Your SLR is 845g for the frame and 318 for the uncut fork, for a total of 1163grams. My SL, (60 H2, albeit in white), is 1222 for the frame (rear hanger included, say 10g), and 398g for the uncut fork for a total of 1610g (excluding hanger). So, you save 1610-1163= ~450 grams (or about a pound) with the SLR frame. Will look forward to hearing what you think of it's ride.

And even thought the Speedstops look way too industrial for me, they are still fairly robust looking, and unlike most every other brake have adjustment in them which enables them to work efficiently with any of the various manufacturers' levers out there.
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

Johnny Rad wrote:Congrats on a wicked deal for the frame / fork.

Are prices for SRAM eTap or Shimano Di2 going down now that SRAM AXS launched?

What’s a “Trek Travel” bike?
I haven’t noticed prices on either group going down. I’m pretty much committed to the Shimano ecosystem, though. I’ve got enough Shimano-equipped bikes in my stable, and have enough experience with their products to be comfortable. Additionally, I like Shimano’s product, and find it incredibly reliable, so why mess with a good thing.

Trek runs a bike travel business, Trek Travel. From what I’ve heard from people I know who have gone on their trips, they put on a great experience (top notch bikes, great support, etc.). The frame looks like it was one of their bikes, from a sticker I found on the fork. I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t see why it would be there, otherwise.

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

Just a couple of updates from today. I was able to get the wheels all buttoned up. I put one layer of Stan's tubeless tape to seal off the rim bed (no, I won't be running tubeless on these wheels). I also fit a new set of Conti 4000SII's on, as well as some latex tubes.

Also, on my way home from work, I passed by the local Trek dealer and picked up a Blendr mount for my stem. At 37g, it's not exactly the lightest Garmin mount, but considering that I can put my Ion light on there, as well, I'm not complaining.

ImageWeights - 2019-02-25 by Gabriel Couriel, on Flickr

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted anything on this build, mainly because I've been waiting on some parts for some wholesale changes to all my bikes. I finally decided to equip my Madone with Ultegra Di2, so I'm moving the DA9000 stuff over to the Emonda project. I've updated the spreadsheet with all the weights, but short of chain, cables, housings and bar tape, I'm at 5845g.

ImageWeights - 2019-03-11 by Gabriel Couriel, on Flickr

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

Finally got around to finishing the bike up. I’ll post a full report, shortly, with all the weights, but suffice it to say this thing rides like a rocket! I weighed it with the Bontrager Blendr mount on, and it’s 6.60kg, on the nose.

Image

ImageWeights - 2019-03-18 by Gabriel Couriel, on Flickr

I’ll post some better photos after I wash the bike and clean the wheel decals.


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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

I tried posting this, the other day, but my computer crashed before uploading, so I'll try it again. I finally got out there and put some good miles on the bike to figure out what was working, what wasn't working, and what needed improvement.

I'll start with what doesn't work, since it's a short list:

Bottom bracket - there is a creak. At first, I couldn't figure out what the noise was, as it wasn't always happening, but became more persistent as the ride kept going. I rode the bike for about 45 minutes last Monday, but didn't hear anything. It wasn't until the group ride ramped up on Saturday, about 15 miles in, that I started noticing a small tick, which grew louder and louder, especially after putting in some strong efforts on some bridge climbs. The same thing happened on Sunday, but earlier in the ride. I have since removed the BB, cleaned it, and applied a small layer of Loctite 641, and reinstalled the bearings. The bearings were tight on the install and removal, so it's not that they're undersized (or more accurately, that the hole is oversized), but there's probably some deformity that is causing it to creak. This is the first time I've encountered this issue in all the years I've owned a Trek, but I'll keep an eye on it.

What worked:

Frame - Let's just say that the frame is light and stiff, but amazingly, it isn't harsh. In case you aren't familiar with roads in Houston, they're crap, pure and simple. Potholes are common, broken asphalt, glass, railroad track, etc. This bike handled it with ease. I was concerned about using the short seatmast cap, but my worries were put to rest after a little while, because the bike didn't transmit as much harshness as I was expecting. Sure, it isn't as compliant as my Madone (IsoSpeed), but the ride was comfortable.

Brakes - at first, this was going to go on the "doesn't work" list, based on my initial impression. The first time I hit the brakes, it took a long while to stop. That was a scary situation, given that I was on flat land and not anything that should give the brakes a hard time. After this, the brakes steadily improved, and certainly stopped better than my Madone 9. I guess the problem with the initial impression was that I was using new pads, which had not broken in, yet. Since then, the brakes work well, and there's definitely no complaints (especially since I got the calipers for $100)!

Last thing: I haven't had a chance to really stage my bike to take some photos of it. I would like to do that, this weekend, weather permitting.

Components - I'll just group this together in one entry. Lots of these components were purchased to upgrade my old Madone 5, and others (the groupset) came off my Madone 9. I knew all of the parts worked together, since I'd used them, but I had never used them in this combination. Moving the DA9000 groupset over really completed the bike, since I think Ultegra wouldn't have fit well on this bike (given the Weight Weenie nature of the build), and the Zipp bars are really comfortable, and the Bontrager stem w/ the Blendr mount works really nicely (albeit a little heavy - 37g w/ the Garmin and Ion attachments), and provides a clean system to mount everything up front. I do plan on upgrading some parts in the near future, since 6.6kg is nice, but it's not that nice! I'm already planning on upgrading the stem with some Ti bolts, upgrading the headset with a Cane Creek AER headset I picked up, and changing the bar tape from the Fizik Superlight (which isn't) to something lighter (I haven't figured this out, yet). Also, the wheels came out a little heavier than I had hoped for. They're almost 1500g, before tape, which is about 50g more than I had hoped for, so I'll look for something lighter (hopefully an alloy rim), in the future.

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

Cleaned her up and decided to bust out the camera to take some shots. I've been able to clear up the creaking issue. It turned out to be coming from the rear quick release. I tightened it up, and the noise went away.

ImageIMG_7920 by Gabriel Couriel, on Flickr

ImageIMG_7921 by Gabriel Couriel, on Flickr

ImageIMG_7924 by Gabriel Couriel, on Flickr

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

I was just reading your last few posts and saw the bit about the creak and thought - check the quick release before you do anything else. It's always the quick release. And after that it's the headset. And after that it's a loose derailleur hanger, etc. LOL. I'm not willing to admit how many times I haven't followed my own advice and pointlessly messed with the BB.

FWIW I would not use loctite on BB90. It can be done but the application must be just to the outer race - not the shell. Loctite in the shell will just get pushed into the bearing. If it stays silent with grease for a resonable period of time then stick with grease. Very easy to pull out and clean and re-grease as you know. Your a long time Trek user so I am sure you already know all this stuff.

Great bike. If it weren't for the integrated seatmast, I would have an SLR.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

I definitely enjoyed riding the bike this weekend. It's much more comfortable than I anticipated, and I wouldn't hestitate to ride it on a long ride (my Madone is much more comfortable, but the brakes are certainly nowhere near as good as the SpeedStops).

BTW, the creaking is completely gone, but now the newest issue is that one of the bottle cage bolts keeps backing out. Gotta clean that out and screw it back in, again.

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Calnago
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by Calnago

I’m very curious about what you say about the Madone being more comfortable. I haven’t ridden the SLR version of the Emonda for any length of time other than to do a quick “wiggle” test on a frame that was too small for me, but from my experience ultralight, stiff frames tend to transmit every bump in the road to the rider a lot more harshly than the equivalent geometry heavier frame, or one with less stiff (high modulus) composites.
Case in point: I have an Emonda SL, same size and geometry as your SLR. And I have also spent a good amount of time on last year’s Madone. Both frames are 60cm. The Emonda SL is far more comfortable. The Madone, despite its rear isospeed, still has aero shaped tubes and the ride is very harsh in comparison to the Emonda SL, as I totally expected it to be before I even got in it. It met my expectations.
Last year’s Madone isospeed is still really limited to pivoting on the bushing, versus the rear isospeed of the prior Domane for example, which incorporates flex through the entire seat tube. One of these days I hope to actually test an SLR Emonda in some sketchy situations just to see if I could really get on with a frame that light.
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
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Calnago
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by Calnago

Mr.Gib wrote: Great bike. If it weren't for the integrated seatmast, I would have an SLR.
You know, it’s not really an integrated seat mast in the “traditional” sense of extended aero extensions of the frame itself, which are usually super stiff, non compliant, with more negatives to them than positives.
While I don’t really like the aesthetics of the seat mast ending half way along the extended seat tube, the principle behind Trek’s system is sound. What it allows them to do is to design a compliant seat tube without the constraints of a seatpost extending all the way down effectively negating that compliance. Compared to my Colnagos for example, where the seatpost extends way below the top tube not really allowing for any flex there. Versus on my Emonda SL, I do notice more compliance. Not sure they’d be able to get that kind of compliance with a seatpost extending half way down internally. My biggest concern at the time was traveling with it. But, at least for my size 60, the frame extension still is able to be packed ok into my travel case. So all is good. And in my case, I can use the longer 175mm seat mast which almost looks like a regular beefy seatpost anyway, so aesthetically I have no problem with it at all. If I needed a much lower saddle height however, I would be forced to go with the shorter 135mm seat mast, which would kind of end where I don’t like it aesthetically, but perfectly functional. I got lucky there.
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

Comparing the two bikes on a head-to-head is a bit difficult, because they have different wheels, which I think contributes a little to the feel, especially on the Madone (having Zipp wheels, which are notoriously flexible). The only component they've shared is the old groupset (DA9000), which doesn't really impact things.

On the front end, the Madone is, without question, stiffer. You are right, the the aero-shaped bars transmit more of the road feel than the setup on the Emonda. Additionally, the bars on the Emonda are not the stiffest bars I've ever ridden, which I think would dampen the sensation. The Emonda isn't noodly (it's actually quite lively, I would say), but there's definitely a difference in how they feel.

Regarding the rear of the bike, the Emonda does feel noticeably livelier and stiffer. I don't know what level Madone you were riding (I have the H2, 600-series carbon frame), but I think the IsoSpeed on the Madone 9's was more akin to what was available on the first-gen Domanes and Boones (pivot) rather than the later editions, which had the entire seattube (personally, I don't like riding my Madone on the trainer - I feel like it moves too much, unnecessarily). On the road, the Madone does a good job of muting a lot of the road buzz, which the Emonda doesn't do. The Emonda definitely transmits more of the road feel (which isn't a bad thing - except when riding on rough Texas chip-seal roads, which can be a killer). I'm not complaining about the Emonda, at all. I'm actually quite happy with it, but it feels different.

Overall, if I'm doing a long ride in Houston, where it's completely flat, I'm riding my Madone. Once I head to Central Texas, I'm taking the Emonda. Either way, I'm going to be happy with my choice.

Now... time to find some deals on some used Di2 components.

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

Calnago wrote:
Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:30 pm
If I needed a much lower saddle height however, I would be forced to go with the shorter 135mm seat mast, which would kind of end where I don’t like it aesthetically, but perfectly functional. I got lucky there.
We've talked about this issue through PM on my bike. I tried, as you suggested, to use the longer, 175mm that I have on my Madone 5, but no luck. Something about the slope in the top tube on the Madone (being more "compact" than the Emonda) doesn't allow me to use the longer post. That said, I don't have an issue with how it turned out (which I was scared about), since it looks like the cap sits about halfway up the mast.

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