Sam is a lot more forgiving than I would be regarding the shortcomings of the Emonda ALR frameset. The exposed headset bearings would be unacceptable to me. It's not a nit; shame on Trek for selling the frameset with that issue.

Oh shit did Trek pull their funding for cycling weekly? 😂

After watching this, it’s clear this is not a premium aluminium frame. I’ve seen £300 decathlon bikes with a lot better finishing than that. If I had a frame for those issues at that price, it would have been returned.

You definitely dropped the ball as far as color. The white one looks much better.

My big brother bought one. The frame's rear brake mounts were not aligned properly. So, the bike shop got a replacement in. The replacement came in the exact same way. They had to modify the mounts to get the brakes to mount properly and align. He kept that bike maybe a year and sold it. I didn't pay attention to the fork. My guess is that is was designed for the carbon bike frameset and they just moved it over to the ALR.

I prefer the 2022 rim brake version of the Emonda ALR in radioactive red to marigold fade.

The exposed headset bearing and sharp metal where hydraulic hoses need to run are unforgivable errors. How the heck can a major manufacturer put out a frame like that? That's disgusting, especially considering they want over a thousand pounds for a frameset. I was aiming to buy one of these, seriously reconsidering now

@trekbicycles really ought to get together with their supplier, Cane Creek to make some weather seals for that headset. I can see the bottom bearing as well. Regarding the sharp chainstay end inside the BB shell, your mechanic should have used a dremel to blunt that edge, then chased the threads and faced the shell.

I have the ALR in the Era White colorway and noticed the bearing, fork and BB issues. Other than the fork looking a little weird the bike is great to ride.

I expected a video with dull arguments like "I don't like the colour" and such, just to make a typical approach to that type of clickbait content. But this video shows that there are pretty serious concerns, which I would take for granted if someone does not like and critiques them as the presenter did in this video. I like it that the content is not nitpicky, like a lot of such titled videos.

On the headset: some Giant TCRs suffer from the headset gap. Do use grease to ‘cover’ it. All in all, though, I am quite disappointed to see such quality coming from ‘premium brand’ like Trek

Excellent, honest review. More like this please!

For me the headset situation is unacceptable

I'd say the headset is a defect........

These issues are not acceptable considering the price of the bike.

How does this ride compared to your Allez S-Works? Is this bike representative of progress? (Di2 notwithstanding)

Hate is a strong word. However, I certainly wouldn’t have bought one.

Thank you so much for this genuinely informative video - it's quite rare to see such a frank appraisal these days

Should have bought the old rim brake ALR in the purple, same weight for the standard bike more or less

Great vid which exposure saddle mount are you using ? 😊 Pete

If was a Chinese bike this would be unforgiven, but it's a overpriced trek, so ..... Yep overpriced

My Cannondale CAAD 13 has a sharp reinforcement plate just above the BB inside the down tube so the internal routed brake cable was rubbing on this and almost cut through after a few thousand kms... Disappointing. I had to get a file in there and take the sharp edge off and I'm not convinced it won't again. I'd probably have to put some foam around the brake cable to be 100% sure...

Did they change this frameset recently? I have a 2022 Emonda ALR rim frameset that I built myself. It didn't have these fit and finish/quality control issues. The fork is different, but the seat clamp is the same.

one of standard colourways for the full build ALR is bright blue and orange...

I have none of those issues with my 2021 ALR5. Not sure if you received a janky frame set or if Trek has dropped the ball in the last couple of years.

So effectively the five things you hate about your Trek Emonda ALR are as follows: frameset, frameset, frameset, frameset and frameset.

Just get the emonda slr solved all the issues 😂

Would take the specialized allez sprint over this one anyday

alot of bike colors are lacking today, i want a yellow.

When you spend $6000 on a $2000 bike

Why did you not send the frame back at point of build? both issues appear unacceptable and the bike shop should have contacted the manufacturer. Maybe you did?

Sooooo the grouoset wheels and tyres are great just a pity about the frameset……

Paint it orange and black🟠⚫️

Oh man! I was thinking to buy a frameset. That exposed head bearing is a turn off. I still love my Caad13 but I wanted something new. Hopefully Allez Sprint will be back in stock.

Its interesting that my 2019 alr disc doesn't have any of these issues.

I had a trek domane sl5 it was like riding a tank compared to my trusty 2014 TCR. in the end I sold it and don’t miss it a bit. I bet is bike is even heavier avoid like the plague

0:38 Even if the edge of headset cap is well sealed, there's still the gaping hole for cables, just like most of the hidden cable design which creates many spots for water and dirt to enter or accumulate. That's why I detest hidden cables through the head tube, they are a mess to deal with in many aspects. 3:00 That is quite an alarming issue. Who knows whether the inside of BB shell will damage the brake hose in a factory-built bike? The downfall of the industry is unstoppable, which I don't care as my next frame will be either NOS or customized.

Condor Italia RC disc, now that a better looking start for a bike build.

This is my next bike if they can provide a crazy paint job.

I wouldn’t respray it I’d sell it. All these defects are enough to spoil your enjoyment of it. Respraying is for bikes you love and keep forever

what gloves are those?

What is the build ?

I think the headset should be a defect, be a useless winter bike here in the uk

I would say those forks look like ones for the 2023 model still

I've put almost 18K on mine since i build it, May last year, I enjoy it to bits. Yes there are some things that could be done better, but not deal breakers. I've seen far worse carbon frames.

Trek domane MKIV has the same issue with the headset bearings :(

All sound like none issues to me. Easy remedies. More grease and more cleaning for the headset. Don’t fuss over the fork just know that it’s a proper fork from higher end models. BB area you can route the cable outside below BB anyway and you can take precaution to protect the hose. Easy!

Those are not small issues. That's the problem. The bar has been set way too low as to what is acceptable.

Now do the same for the likes of SL8 etc ...

Wow, harshest bike review I’ve seen in ages, and I have to say that’s a GOOD thing as usually we only hear how stupendous everything is (as many of these are sponsored)

i mean theyre not gonna make a custom fork for this, its an off the shelf part

Buy a more expensive frame 👍😎

Exposed headset? That would drive me nuts every time I looked at the bike if it were mine. Shame on Trek for making a frame that's worse than cheap Chinese bikes.

1) Thanks for sharing! I had never notice the folk/frame inconsistent shape, now I can’t stop looking at it……. 2) Trek please pay your outstanding invoices to Cycling Weekly to prevent this type of content in the future😂

Looks great

I would not bother with a respray. Just sell it and move on.

Valid niggles all!! I could forgive them since the bike performs well... but yeah, I'd expect better finishing from Trek.

Sorry but the front end of that bike looks a mess (fork, head tube, stem stack) not something I would put up with on a new bike.

seatclamp looks 80's :)

Made by Giant - down to a budget. I was in the trade until 2016. Bikes then were better quality, much better value and looked far better. Trek had a sub-weight-limit carbon Emonda with mechanical Ultegra for £2K. Of course, there were no discs then, and cables had easy to manage routing. Drab looking, over-priced and over-complex bikes, which have also got heavier, seem to be the norm now. This must be because today's riders have voted for such with their wallets. The big brands don't make bikes that nobody would buy, do they?

Decathlon does a verter job!

1999 U.S. Postal livery.

To 2nd 3rd etc Its a Trek!

nice

Moral of the story, don't look too closely at your bike 🤣👍

1) Black Electrical tape 2) That's how many aero forks are... look at more bikes to learn this 3) OMFG, serious? 4) I guess? Maybe? 5) Didn't like the color of the bike HE CHOSE. OMFG this guy

Just save up for an emonda SLR

Shit headset, shit bottom bracket, shit front wheel fitting, and your problem is paint?

Max 28mm tyres on this, makes it instantly out of date.

that mic make his voice too sharp.

My goodness.

Should have bought a Tarmac SL8

Why can’t these guys build their own bikes? Russell should be making this video, not this guy who is just a spectator.

So one of the most expensive aluminium frames on the market is ugly and mechanically inferior, but you love it? Tell me you didn’t pay full retail without telling me didn’t pay full retail!

The word hate is strong not shtrong

The paint job looks to have quite a bit of orange peel. Should be a better finish than that.

Too expensive for what it is and I just hate disc brakes.

haha things he hates about it, bought it anyway - poor Russel not a fan of the Trek then!

a bike I would never buy plus bcc, giant, orbeo and lots more

Just buy a SLR Madone

paint a new bike = no warranty

I've concluded the people who truly love disc brakes, don't work on bikes, and don't care about throwing away money to have someone else maintain and adjust their disc brakes on a constant basis.

Rim brakes for the win..... AGAIN.🤨

My sub-$1000 Chinese open-mold frame has far better fit quality than this Trek.

That is a very ugly bike. At least the aluminium frame is recyclable.

Pointless video

If I'm paying 2024 bike prices, I expect all these little niggles to have been ironed out at the R&D stage. Book your ideas up trek!