Trek CrossRip LTD: Commuter? Road bike? Café racer? Yes.

A bike that is getting a lot of attention this year, one that is not only practical and cool, is the Trek CrossRip. This bike is highly affordable, making it the perfect get around town bike, a weekday substitute for your Sunday best, or even something sure footed to use on dodgy roads or less than ideal conditions. Pictured above is the top of the line Trek CrossRip LTD, and it still comes in under $2,000 at a very practical $1,759.99. The LTD comes standard with a 10-speed drivetrain (Shimano 105 and Tiagra), Tektro cable/hydro hybrid disc brakes, and sealed bearing hubs. With disc brakes and sealed bearing hubs, as you can imagine, this bike is equipped to handle dicey conditions, not to mention the 700x32c Bontrager H5 Hard-Case Ultimate tires, this bike remains sure-footed. The specs of this bike may make it seem like a sports hybrid, yet with with drop bars and 10-speed road bike components the CrossRip is ready to smash through traffic as well as hit the open road, highly versatile and functional where other road bikes may fail.

As distance riders know, vibration can cause uncomfortable and even painful sensation over distances. The Trek CrossRip LTD utilizes Integrated IsoZone pads in the Race Lite alloy bar which have been specifically designed to absorb road vibration without altering the profile of the bar. The bars in conjunction with the carbon forks, and 32c tires equates to a ridiculously smooth ride, a road bike experience unlike any other.

Bontrager tubeless ready systems are notoriously well designed. The Bontrager TLR (Tubeless Ready) Road rims come standard on the CrossRip LTD. Tubeless systems mean you can run lower pressure because no risk of pinch flats. When running a lower pressure, the rider benefits from increased traction and control. Moreover, the rider has increased comfort on the bicycle ergo minimizing fatigue. These characteristics are ideal for either/both dicey conditions or over distance.

There you have it, a new road bike from Trek unlike anything else on the market. It is no wonder the CrossRip is gaining popularity. This bike is unique and perhaps the perfect solution for a city bike, touring, or simply a second bike when conditions are not ideal.

2015 Bicycle of the Year: Trek Émonda SLR 10

I know it is not typical to write about such a high end bike in this blog. Reason being that they are just at such ridiculous price points that any breakdown or review of such high end bikes is essentially rendered moot because the bike is unpractical for 99% of the readers. Yet, it is still fun to ooh and aww at the top of the line road bikes. Moreover, it says a lot about a brand’s innovation, engineering, and insight as a whole when they produce bikes so good as to receive such praise from industry experts and beat the very sterling competition. This year, Velo News voted the Trek Émonda SLR 10 as bike of the year, an amazing feat that Trek should surely be proud of.

The engineering of this bike in an effort to minimize weight yet maximize performance is right on, Trek has definitely hit the nail on the head with this build. For example, as seen in the image below, the Bontrager Speed Stop brake system mounts connect directly to the frame, this sheds weight by eliminating unnecessary parts. However, even better still, this also increases performance of the brakes. The Speed Stop Brake system also utilizes a wide set design to allot for wide road rims and/or tires.

Another engineering differentiation of the Trek Émonda SLR 10 is the one-piece fully integrated bar/stem; seamlessly the most lightweight system possible while still maximizing stiffness, strength, and subsequent performance. These drops are129mm drop and have 93mm reach. Naturally, the stem angle is not adjustable as it is an integrated handlebar and stem combo; throughout years of testing an professional feedback, the current 7 degree and resulting horizontal position of the integrated stem has been found to perform the best on the Emonda. No need to worry about switching it out, it has been very precisely engineered to maximize performance while minimizing weight. In addition, the handlebar system is compatible with Trek’s new integration system, Blendr; Blendr allows riders to connect electronics such as computers, garmins, or cell phones to the handlebars without the use of zip ties or otherwise (pictured below).

The Tune Skyline carbon tubular wheels combined with Vittoria Crono CS Tubular, 700x22c tires are the pinnacle in lightweight performance wheels. As many may know, wheelsets are at the crux of weight loss/gain in bicycle composition. Tubular wheelsets make up the lightest possible wheel, tire, and tube combination out of the three systems currently in production. And, as mentioned in previous blogs, they have both the best rolling resistance and professionals agree that they perform the best in handling ability.

Not a single detail has been overlooked in the Trek Émonda SLR 10, it is these details that have earned this bike the title of bicycle of the year by Velo News. Even Jagwire’s new sectioned housing, which makes cable routing look like vertebrae is unique, cool, and still serves the purpose of shaving grams. The SLR 10 comes with the cleanest DuoTrap S mounting system to date. The Speed Trap integrated computer sensors is now on its second generation where they have now mastered ANT+ connectivity as well as Bluetooth.

The Trek Émonda SLR 10 comes equipped with SRAM RED 22, 50/34 compact crankset. The true genius of this bike lies in the Ultralight 700 Series OCLV Carbon frame though. Years of research, development, and testing have gone into the production of this frame. Each tube shape is uniquely designed to maximize the performance of the bicycle while minimizing the weight. The perfect balance of stiffness and weight. An excessive amount of carbon has been sacrificed in the research and development of this frame; it is well worth it though as the rider can put the hammer down on this 10.25 pound road bike with 100% confidence.

Carbon Road Wheels: Bontrager Aeolus 3 D3 Clincher

Though it is not often something that is generally sought when purchasing carbon road wheels, it is worth noting that the Bontrager Aeolus 3 D3 Clincher wheels come with no weight restriction. There is something to be said about engineering and design with so much confidence that the manufacturer openly advertises no weight restriction on their wheelsets. This is the case for the vast majority of Bontrager wheels. And from personal and shop experience, I can tell you that the high end Bontrager wheels are manufactured to this standard. The Aeolus 3 D3 Clincher wheels are highly durable, even in all conditions, they spin with very little resistance and have fast and powerful acceleration.

The Aeolus line of wheels caries the D3 title because of their new Dual Direction Design. What this means for the rider is that the rims have been designed to be aerodynamic both where the tire is leading and where the rim is leading, hence dual directional aerodynamics. In aerodynamics tests, performed by Bontrager,  the Aeolus 3 has lower drag than the Zipp 202 and the Zipp 303 at all yaw angles from 0° to 12.5°. Of course, when thinking critically, these tests have been performed by Bontrager, naturally they are not going to publish results that make their product appear inferior. However, as a third party, who carries both brands we are in a position to make an objective review.

The Aeolus D3 wheelsets are light for their depth, and this is true for all depths, there is no disputing this fact. Moreover, from personal and shop experience we can tell you that they are very durable, it is no wonder that Bontrager proudly puts no weight limit on them, and continues to stand by their durability and manufacturing. These wheels are heavily ridden by customers and colleagues alike, through rough streets of New York and New Jersey, they both rarely need truing and continue to have smooth spin in the hub. A colleague of ours was actually even in a fairly significant accident with this wheelset and they still held up.

These personal praises of the Aeolus D3 wheelset  coincide with that of other professional reviews. Professional reviews also claim that they have fast acceleration, and of equal importance, they maintain their speed on par with other wheels in the same class. Some experts even claim they maintain their rolling speed even better than others in their class. And as previously mentioned, because of their durability, they are ridden with confidence in a multitude of terrains and conditions. In addition, they maintain stability even when ridden in crosswinds, an important consideration when riding fairly deep aero rims.

A breakdown of Bontrager’s testing of the wheelsets in comparison to the competitors can be found in the following link.

Bontrager Aeolus D3 Testing

The information can be analyzed and provide valuable insight. However, of course such information should be analyzed critically as the tests have been conducted by Bontrager themselves.

All of this being said, Bontrager definitely holds their own against the big dog competitors such as HED, Zipp, and Easton. We highly recommend them. And because of their durability, they are perhaps a better option for those which consider this a big factor in wheelset choice. Such is a great all around wheelset for the recreational cyclist who demands performance, those who do not necessarily have the means for a separate set of wheels for race day, or even serious competitive cyclists who need something durable for everyday use.

Feel free to direct any questions my way. As always, I am stoked to answer any and all questions as well as provide professional expertise.

Trek Émonda SLR 8 Quick Hit Video ‹ Peloton

Trek Émonda SLR 8 Quick Hit Video ‹ Peloton

I’m not sure if I can explain it much better than Peleton Magazine has done in this video. Yes, the Emonda SLR 10 weighs in at 10.25lbs/4.65kg for a 56cm. But at a price of $15,749.99, this dream may be that only of pipes.

Émonda SLR 10

 The Emonda SLR 8 delivers both a race ready and everyday ride package available at a reachable price point. Most value for money, grams to dollars in the Trek Emonda line. Not to mention it is $800 less and a 1.5 pounds lighter than the S-Works Tarmac, as reiterated by Peleton Magazine.

Émonda SLR 8

Don’t forget to watch the video link at the top of this post. The facts are clearly laid out.

All that being said, the S-Works Tarmac does come with the ridiculously nice Roval Rapide CLX 40 carbon wheels with CeramicSpeed bearings, super fast and stiff wheels. Something to take into consideration.

S-Works Tarmac Dura-Ace