Dilemma over a Trek Emonda
richard36
Posts: 346
in Road general
Hi
Would appreciate any helpful advice.
I bought a Trek Domane SL5 last year (carbon frame 105 groupset) and fitted it with wheels which I got from Wheelsmith in Scotland (carbon 38mm rims) and Conti 5000 tubeless tyres. I find the bike to be very comfy and quite nippy. It climbs hills really well. I'm super impressed with the wheels.
I've just bought a Trek Emonda with SRAM Force AXS gearing, carbon frame and Aelous XXX 4 wheels (48mm rim) and fitted Conti 5000 tyres.
The Emonda is a super light bike (at least 2kg lighter than the Domane) fitted with aero (ish) wheels (which in themselves retail for about £2000) and yet it doesn't feel as fast as the Domane. It doesn't feel as responsive on climbs. I was expecting the combination of the lightweight bike and wheels to produce a fast nippy bike.
It's possible the isospeed on the Domane coupled with the wheels makes for a better ride over the Emonda but to be honest I was expecting to be blown away by the Emonda but feel a little underwhelmed to the point where I'm thinking of selling the Emonda and replacing it with another Domane and some Wheelsmith wheels.
Should there be more of a (better) difference with the Emonda over the Domane or am I expecting too much of the Emonda.
Thanks
Would appreciate any helpful advice.
I bought a Trek Domane SL5 last year (carbon frame 105 groupset) and fitted it with wheels which I got from Wheelsmith in Scotland (carbon 38mm rims) and Conti 5000 tubeless tyres. I find the bike to be very comfy and quite nippy. It climbs hills really well. I'm super impressed with the wheels.
I've just bought a Trek Emonda with SRAM Force AXS gearing, carbon frame and Aelous XXX 4 wheels (48mm rim) and fitted Conti 5000 tyres.
The Emonda is a super light bike (at least 2kg lighter than the Domane) fitted with aero (ish) wheels (which in themselves retail for about £2000) and yet it doesn't feel as fast as the Domane. It doesn't feel as responsive on climbs. I was expecting the combination of the lightweight bike and wheels to produce a fast nippy bike.
It's possible the isospeed on the Domane coupled with the wheels makes for a better ride over the Emonda but to be honest I was expecting to be blown away by the Emonda but feel a little underwhelmed to the point where I'm thinking of selling the Emonda and replacing it with another Domane and some Wheelsmith wheels.
Should there be more of a (better) difference with the Emonda over the Domane or am I expecting too much of the Emonda.
Thanks
0
Comments
-
I admire your honesty. There are many people like you who blow bucks on upgrades and new bikes only to discover the the product doesn't live up to the marketing hype. Most of them won't admit it though and go on to repeat the same mistakes time and again. I don't know anything about the bikes in question but I guess the only way to tell for sure would be to time yourself on both bikes on the same routes over a period of time to.even out conditions etc. Then again, if you're not racing and you can keep up with your mates, who cares anyway?0
-
Have you made sure the set up is identical on both?
If so, it could be in your head. The emonda is supposed to be a great light weight bike that excels on the climbs.
The wheels may be the other factor making the difference.0 -
Thank you both for your comments
I too thought the Emonda was a great bike that excelled on the climbs but my experience tells me that isn't the case, or it's certainly not as good as it's brother the Domane with slightly less aero wheels0 -
What are the climbs like? If they're short sharp fast ascents then you'll see less benefit of a light bike against a more aero bike.0
