Trek recently previewed to some of its dealers the new Emonda ALR road bike family – the expected alloy framed analogue to its popular Emonda carbon platform that will supposedly be "the lightest line of production [aluminum] road bikes ever offered". Details are scant at the moment but one thing is essentially certain: the Emonda ALR will likely pack plenty of performance into what we expect will be a reasonably priced package.
The Emonda ALR’s chassis appears to follow the same design philosophy as its carbon counterpart – and in fact, from a distance, the profiles are so similar that it will be hard to tell the two apart. The top tube and down tube are both slightly ovalized at either end, the seat tube appears to be nominally round throughout, and the seatstays are notably slender.
Trek isn't saying anything just yet about its new Emonda ALR alloy road bike range but so far, we like what we see
Also visible is Trek’s longstanding e2 1 1/8-to-1 1/2in tapered head tube, a PF86 press-fit bottom bracket shell, a braze-on front derailleur, a dedicated chainstay mount for Bontrager’s tidy DuoTrap wireless speed and cadence sensor, and easy-to-service external cable routing. Rather than the carbon Emonda’s direct-mount rim brake calipers, the Emonda ALR will use conventional center mounts.
There's no word on disc brake options but all Emonda ALR bikes will come exclusively with Trek's versatile H2 geometry, which features just slightly longer head tubes without forcing an upright position.
The Emonda ALR will apparently continue with conventionally mitered and welded joints but unlike on the current metal-framed Madone models, Trek will use a new welding technique called Invisible Weld Technology. Much as the name suggests, joints on photos we’ve seen are remarkably hidden – even more so than on other bikes with smooth, double-pass welds – for an impressively well-finished and high-end appearance. Invisible Weld Technology is also said to use less material than usual for decreased weights as compared with conventional welding.
So far, we know that Trek will offer at least two complete Emonda ALR models as well as a bare frameset. The Emonda ALR 5 with come with a complete Shimano 105 group and Bontrager wheels for £1,300; the Emonda ALR 6 will feature Shimano Ultegra and Bontrager Race Tubeless wheels for £1,700; and the frameset will cost £700 including a full carbon fork. Other models and retail prices for other territories are still to be determined.
That’s all we have for now. Stay tuned for more as it becomes available.