Jason Holder’s 5.3kg 2019 Trek Emonda SLR RSL leaves absolutely no stone unturned in the pursuit of ultimate lightness.
From a glued-on saddle and Garmin bike computer mount, to shaved-down Boa dials, Holder has embraced the weight-weenie cause fully.
Holder will ride the bike at the 2023 Hill Climb National Championships in Ambleside. This is his first National Championships but the bike has already seen racing action, with Holder taking third place in this year’s edition of the Haute Route Alps.
Fettled finishing kit
Holder’s 2019 Trek Emonda SLR RSL frameset was stripped right back to bare carbon for a previous build.
Since then, Holder has repainted the bike yearly using regular spray paint at the cost of around 2 grams a coat – a weight he deems “worth it to have a nice-looking blue bike.”
Top-spec Trek Emonda frames feature an integrated seatmast.
Holder has stripped his seatmast back to raw carbon and replaced the stock clamp with a Darimo Sub4.
For this hill climb-specific build, Holder has removed the rails from his Coco Design Spline saddle and glued it to the top of the seat mast. That, of course, means adjusting the saddle angle is out of the question.
The cockpit comprises an Extralite Hyper stem and 40cm wide Prime Primavera X-Lite bars.
A standard plastic quarter-turn Garmin mount has been shaved down and glued to the stem to do away with the rubber mounting bands.
The lever of the right-hand SRAM Red shifter has been sanded back to raw carbon. This is paired with a sawn-down Shimano Di2 left-hand shifter.
The stock steel clamp bolt on the left-hand shifter has been replaced with an alloy bolt to save 4g. Being a hill climb bike, it is no surprise neither features hoods.
Drillium delight
The SRAM Rival CX1 rear derailleur has been heavily modified.
To start, it’s been drillium'd to within an inch of its life and polished back to raw alloy.
The limit screws have also been replaced with plastic screws and the stock steel pivot pins have been swapped for alloy pins pinched from a SRAM XO derailleur.
For The Struggle, Holder has opted for a 12-32t cassette pared down from 11 to just 7 cogs.
This is paired with a 46t Absolute Black chainring mounted to a Quarq power meter-equipped SRAM Red crankset.
For a steeper climb, he would generally run a 12-25t cassette and a 34t chainring.
This brings the bike's weight down to 4.8kg, according to Holder.
Mods beyond the bike
Holder’s weight-saving mods go beyond his bike.
His Specialized Exos shoes – among the lightest road cycling shoes out there already – feature trimmed-down Boa dials.
His cleat mounting bolts have been replaced with two alloy bolts and one titanium bolt. Two of the three cleat washers are made from cut-down alloy inner chainrings.
Holder revealed he also glued the cleats to his shoes and feels he could forego bolts altogether.
Jason Holder’s 5.3kg 2019 Trek Emonda SLR RSL
- Frameset: 52cm 2019 Trek Emonda SLR RSL
- Wheelset: Shimano Dura-Ace C24
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Evo CX 21mm
- Rear derailleur: Modified SRAM Rival CX1
- Crankset: SRAM Red with Quarq power meter, 165mm, 46t Absolute Black chainring
- Right-hand shifter: SRAM Red 22
- Left-hand shifter: Modified Shimano Di2
- Seatpost + saddle: Modified Trek Emonda seatmast with permanently-affixed Coco Design Spline saddle
- Stem: Extralight Hyper
- Handlebars: Prime Primavera X-Lite, 40cm
- Total weight: 5.3kg
