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Trek Emonda SL 6 vs Trek Emonda ALR Dura Ace

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Trek Emonda SL 6 vs Trek Emonda ALR Dura Ace

Old 12-20-17, 10:48 PM
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the red panda
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Trek Emonda SL 6 vs Trek Emonda ALR Dura Ace

Hi everyone,

I am primarily a runner, but I like to cycle as a form of cross training, as well as recreationally with my wife in the summer. I'm looking for a newer bike and I have come across these two used bikes: a 2016 Trek Emonda SL 6 and a 2017 Trek Emonda ALR Dura Ace. They are priced the same. I am open to thoughts and suggestions about which one to choose, especially carbon vs aluminium. Thanks.
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Old 12-21-17, 05:20 AM
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[QUOTE=the red panda;20064556]Hi everyone,

I am primarily a runner, but I like to cycle as a form of cross training, as well as recreationally with my wife in the summer.

Sounds like my story. I did not research the bikes, and assume fit and all is ok, but knowing about issues with carbon cracks, the first thing after checking the frames would be to decide which has the most desirable group set. All said and done, which feels best? Feel will definitely mess up the run game if the bike isn’t right.
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Old 12-21-17, 06:05 AM
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the red panda
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Thanks for the comment. The bike fit is good. I've competed in cyclocross and duathlons. The SL6 is through a bike shop so I can also be professionally fitted. I'm interested still in responses about the 2 bikes and carbon vs aluminium.
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Old 12-21-17, 06:13 AM
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RShantz
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I'm going to give you a very superficial (but honest) response that may or may not help. I've seen a lot of guys get into the sport and initially get an aluminum bike only to "upgrade" to carbon a year or two down the road. I've never seen a newbie get into the sport with a carbon bike and "upgrade" to an aluminum bike in a year or two.


To be fair, I've also seen a lot of guys get into the sport with a carbon bike and upgrade to a more expensive carbon bike in a couple years.


What does all of this mean? A lot of folks I know like to upgrade.
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Old 12-21-17, 09:04 AM
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Personally, and I'm not trying to start an argument over frame materials, I'm just not a fan of aluminum frames. I would go with an SL6 equipped with Ultegra if it were me making that choice.


Those SL6's are pretty awesome bikes. My brother rides one (upgraded to Hed Ardennes wheels) and he's very happy with it.
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Old 12-21-17, 09:17 AM
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the red panda
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Thanks for the responses. They are very helpful.
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Old 12-21-17, 10:04 AM
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Speaking strictly from a frame material point of view, I prefer to ride steel to carbon and carbon to aluminum. I own and ride all three. You can change all of the components except for the frame. You have to get that right.
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Old 12-22-17, 09:45 AM
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I own a 2017 Trek Emonda ALR 5 that I bought on sale for about $300 cheaper than MSRP. Having researched at least on their website, the ALR 5 compared to the SL 5 is just about a half a pound heavier . Personally, I am afraid to ride a carbon road bike because of the thought of carbon being a more fragile material. Again, this is a personal opinion that's why I chose to get the ALR (Alum) vs a carbon model. The ALR is also Trek's highest Alloy grade and the SL is now Trek's lowest or mid grade carbon level, at least on the pricier options. I said lowest, because I think they stopped producing the S grade bikes this year which makes the SL a great value if purchasing brand new. Both are great bikes, but the carbon bikes are more delicate because you need to pay more attention to torque but Trek's SL line is a great line and absolute price point. Depending on how much they are, I would go for the ALR Dura Ace. But if it's the price of 2 grand and up, I think I would highly consider the Ultegra Equipped SL 6. Another thing to point out between the two bikes is that the ALR would have external routing, less aesthetically appealing but a lot easier to work on, vs the cleaner internal cable routing on the SL 6, is harder to work on. If you are getting the ALR from a person vs the SL from a shop, I think getting from the shop would be a better buy since like what you said, you can be fitted professionally. There is also this channel from Youtube called GCN, and they have a video on Carbon vs Alum bikes. Which they said is just a miniscule difference on ride quality which can be fixed by getting better wheels and/or tires. Also, I think you can't buy an ALR Dura Ace from a shop or even from the dealer so that might be an upgraded ALR bike or a bike that was built from the frame up. I attached a lower specced Trek Emonda ALR ( Shimano 105 equipped) and with the money I saved, bought wheelset and better tires.


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Old 12-22-17, 02:04 PM
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OP, I don't think you could go wrong with either one. Just test ride both and get the one you like the most. The groupsets are Ultegra vs Dura-Ace. Not a huge difference. And the ALR could have as nice a ride as the Carbon SL 6. I have no experience with either. But I wouldn't pass up a good Aluminum frameset. How the frameset is built makes more of a difference than just the materials themselves. In other words, I think that steel, carbon and aluminum can be done well and there are many good examples of each out there.

Edit: @zoom26, the Ridley I have is 10 years old and the Orca is even older. No problems with either so far and both are carbon. Both have taken their fair share of a beating. Not professional racing type of beating but a few crashes and a lot of miles. So, I think they both are examples of carbon done well. I wouldn't be scared of any material if its from a reputable builder.

Last edited by ptempel; 12-22-17 at 02:11 PM.
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Old 12-22-17, 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by ptempel
OP, I don't think you could go wrong with either one. Just test ride both and get the one you like the most. The groupsets are Ultegra vs Dura-Ace. Not a huge difference. And the ALR could have as nice a ride as the Carbon SL 6. I have no experience with either. But I wouldn't pass up a good Aluminum frameset. How the frameset is built makes more of a difference than just the materials themselves. In other words, I think that steel, carbon and aluminum can be done well and there are many good examples of each out there.

Edit: @zoom26, the Ridley I have is 10 years old and the Orca is even older. No problems with either so far and both are carbon. Both have taken their fair share of a beating. Not professional racing type of beating but a few crashes and a lot of miles. So, I think they both are examples of carbon done well. I wouldn't be scared of any material if its from a reputable builder.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure carbon is a pretty durable material but then again it is something that I am just not personally comfortable with given the though of. If I had the money and get the most expensive bike I could get, I would skip carbon and go to titanium. Again, this is just how I think of carbon as a material regardless of who the maker is. In GCN, they still showcase some the pro's competition carbon bikes from way before so I guess there is no question on carbon's reliability and durability especially when done right.
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Old 12-22-17, 05:51 PM
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I have a Emonda SLR with Red eTap and love it. Last year I was in Scottsdale and rented a SL6, with my son, and did the bike course of the half Iron Man. While it's not a nice as my SLR, it's a great bike. And with the price of $2500, it's very hard to beat.

Carbon is very reliable, I have 16,000 miles on my SLR in 3 seasons.
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Old 12-25-17, 01:18 PM
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Thanks to everyone for the replies and all of the imput and opinions. I'm going with the SL6.
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Old 12-25-17, 02:11 PM
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you got a more expensive frame and Ultegra, a step lower cost component tier, in the Shimano scheme of things..
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Old 12-26-17, 09:59 AM
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Pretty sure a 2016 SL6 500 series carbon and 2017 ALR are similar weight to one another. In that case the ALR could possibly be a lighter (or close) bike out of the box with the groupset difference.

I own a 960g carbon and a 1050g frame aluminum bike (lightweight alum like the ALR).

Personally as a first bike (and perhaps first foray into clipless?) i would go with the ALR w/ Dura Ace. Carbon seatpost and fork on aluminum bikes do a swell job as is, and you'd only be a carbon handlebar away if you even want a more muted cockpit. That's personal preference territory.

Personally i feel Aluminum gets a bad rap because most peoples experience are with entry level, heavier, lower-end trimmed ones...or super stiff race bikes like the CAAD which are designed for those that like that sort of feedback from their race bikes at the expense of some comfort. All indications and reviews point to the ALR being a comfy bike. I personally find my TCR Alum very comfortable, light and stupid fast, and if anything wished the Ultegra 6700 on it shifted as nicely as the DuraAce 9000 on my carbon bike. Cant go wrong with either at the end of the day, but i like the ALR Dura Ace here as a first road bike. My 2 cents....

Last edited by Esthetic; 12-26-17 at 11:28 AM.
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