Yesterday my new Trek Emonda SL frameset arrived at Carmel Bicycle. As soon as I got the call from shop owner Rob, I hopped in the car and headed over. We pulled the frameset from the box, unwrapped it, and threw it in a stand to look over. The first thing I noticed was the massive downtube, especially as it blended into the BB90 bottom bracket shell. Massive. We chatted a bit, showed it to other customers, and I then wrapped it back up and headed back to work.
When I got home I put it on my Feedback Sprint work stand to look over. I have to say the finish of the frame is a 7.5 out of 10. Just a bit disappointing. There are two small partial finger prints on the R in TREK on the downtube, and of course under the clear coat. Next, I noticed some excess carbon fiber in the bottom bracket shell. I was able to flex it with light finger pressure, and it peeled out. It won't affect the frame at all, but is a finishing touch that should not have been overlooked. The paint was mostly good, but there are a few little "blips" and one small "wart" that are pretty easily found when within a foot of the frame. The last little annoyance might only be noticed by me, but I might as well mention it. On the back of each seat stay is a decal that reads, "DESIGNED IN WATERLOO WISCONSIN." The drive side one is a bit off-center. I know, nit picking, but I do computer graphics for a living, so I notice these things. Anyhoo, none of the issues are enough for me to take it back to Rob and ask him to have Trek replace it.
As for weight, the frameset as shown weighs 1790 grams (3.95 pounds). That includes frame, fork, seatmast, Bontrager RXL 90mm stem, FSA headset, expander plug, carbon spacers, bottle cage bolts, chain guard, and the internal cable routing guides. I will weigh the individual pieces later. The complete build will be with 11 speed Campagnolo Chorus and will ditch the Bontrager 90mm -7 degree stem in favor of my Thomson 100mm -10 degree stem.
On to the photos. The complete set can be viewed on Flickr.
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| Massive downtube / bottom bracket junction |
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| Excess carbon in the BB shell that should have been cleaned out |
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| Hard to see in the photo, but there are a couple smudges in the R |
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