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The New Trek Émonda Is Faster Than Ever

Already one of the fiercest climbing bikes available, the new Émonda is even faster thanks to a dose of aero.

The Takeaway: The Émonda SLR is a benchmark pro race bike—and it’s surprisingly rider friendly.

• It has 183 grams less drag than the previous generation, but the frame is only 33 grams heavier
• There are 10 models starting at $2,699
• SL models ($2,699 to $5,999) have the aerodynamic shaping and features but in a frame that’s about 400 grams heavier than the SLR
• SLR models ($6,699 and up) use a new carbon fiber composite that’s 30 percent stronger than Trek’s previous top-of-the-line carbon.

For Émonda SLR bicycles, Trek will provide an individual handlebar and stem until an updated handlebar/stem combo is available.

Additionally, all customers who bring in their handlebars for replacement will also receive a $100 in-store credit that can be used toward any Trek or Bontrager merchandise through December 31, 2022.

Remember professional road racing ? It’s that thing where super skinny people go unbelievably fast up and down hills and fly over flat roads for hours at a time. It’s been a while since the pros have beat up on each other for our entertainment, but there might, hopefully, be some races on the horizon. When the races do resume, Trek’s pro riders will be aboard its new third-generation Émonda climbing bike. The new Émonda isn’t lighter, but it is faster thanks to a dose of aerodynamic tuning.

.css-1hhr1pq{text-align:center;font-size:1.1875rem;line-height:1.6;font-family:Charter,Charter-roboto,Charter-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;}.css-1hhr1pq em{font-style:italic;font-family:Charter,Charter-styleitalic-roboto,Charter-styleitalic-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;}.css-1hhr1pq strong{font-family:Charter,Charter-weightbold-roboto,Charter-weightbold-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-weight:bold;} —Five Cool Details—

Now With Aero

The new Émonda gets a major drag reduction with a tiny weight gain.

Simple Seat Mast

The seat mast has lots of adjustment range, and an easy-to-use saddle clamp.

Light and Slippery

The new Bontrager Aeolus RSL 37 wheels are light, sleek, and stable.

Wide and Threaded

The T47 bottom bracket has a wide stance, and user-friendly threads.

A built-in chain watcher prevents unwanted derailments.

Making the new Émonda frame more aerodynamic wasn’t exactly a tough hurdle as the previous Émonda had virtually zero aerodynamic optimization. But adding meaningful aerodynamic benefit while achieving the frame stiffness expected of a pro-caliber race bike, maintaining the well-regarded handling properties of the previous Émonda, and adding rider-friendly features like a threaded bottom bracket—all with adding only 33 grams (SLR frame, claimed)—is quite a feat.

Below you’ll find my review of the Émonda SLR—I’ve been on it since early March—followed by a dive into the technology and features of the new bike, and a brief model breakdown.

Ride Impressions: Émonda SLR 9 eTap

The Émonda SLR is a tool made to fulfill the needs of some of the world’s best road racers. This bike will never be as comfortable or versatile as a gravel bike. Going fast on pavement and climbing performance are its only goals. These are obvious facts, but that’s the lens through which it must be viewed. And through this lens, it is one of the very best.

The new Émonda was born out of a request from Trek’s pro racers and pitched as the company’s “fastest climbing bike ever.” So little surprise they set me up with the lightest model (the SLR 9 with SRAM Red eTap ), which also has a build kit almost identical to the team’s bikes. It’s also, excepting customized Project One builds, the most expensive model at a buck under 12 grand.

That massive pile of clams gets you an aerodynamic frame with disc brakes, power meter, and wireless electronic shifting that weighs less than 15 pounds (54cm). And that’s with a hefty T47 threaded bottom bracket unit, lustrous paint , clincher wheelset, a chain-watcher, standard butyl tubes, 37mm deep rims, 160mm disc rotors front and rear, and SRAM’s largest Red cassette (10-33). That’s “Holy shit!” impressive.

By cutting drag a ton without adding much weight, it’s hard to argue with Trek’s claim that the new Émonda is faster than the outgoing generation. But if you have any doubts, they’ll be erased when you ride it. This is an explosive bike: it feels as light as a feather and as solid as a steel girder at the same time.

Trek’s Émonda has always been a raw and rowdy bike that feels a little wild and a bit dangerous in precisely the ways you want a race bike to feel: That’s not lost with the added aerodynamics. If anything, the new Émonda is even crisper and punchier than before, which is saying something.

A small downside to all this fury is the Émonda’s smoothness. Light and stiff race bikes aren’t a smooth-riding lot to begin with, but even measured against a stiffer riding genre, the new Émonda is on the firmer end of the scale. Still, it escapes harsh or punishing labels—I did a six-hour ride on the Émonda on the stock 25 tires and didn’t feel worn down by its ride. Swapping to 28s helped a lot (no surprise) and were on the Émonda for the bulk of my testing. I’d suggest reserving the lighter and more aerodynamic stock 25s for racing or PR attempts—assuming good roads—and use 28s as daily drivers.

The Émonda’s handling is excellent. Well, let me caveat that: Road racing geometry is pretty uniform, so whether I’m on a current race bike from Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Cervélo, Canyon, Colnago, Wilier, Pinarello, BMC, Giant (etc., etc.), I find the broad strokes of their handling feel and performance quite similar. There wasn’t anything about the Émonda’s handling or cornering performance that set any new benchmarks for me, but there wasn’t anything to dislike either.

It was quick and accurate, diving into corners with a light touch. It offered great feedback, so I always knew where I was relative to its and my limits, and I could count on it to be consistent and predictable. It was maybe a touch less settled in bumpy corners than the Specialized Tarmac, but the Émonda never broke traction or skipped. Overall, for such a light bike, the Émonda is remarkably solid and drama free. I’d have no qualms barreling down a technical alpine descent on the Émonda.

I received this test bike in early March, giving me plenty of time to ride it back to back with its primary competition—a Specialized S-Works Tarmac , what I consider the benchmark for aero-ized lightweight bikes. The Tarmac is smoother over the bumps and has a silkier feel overall, but the new Émonda feels more efficient, like it can go faster more easily.

I’ve also ridden a good slice of the Émonda’s competition, including the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX , Colnago V3Rs, Cannondale SuperSix Evo , Cervélo R5, Wilier Zero SLR , Pinarello Dogma F12 . These are all superb bikes, but I feel the Émonda is the class leader. It feels sharper and more explosive than all of them. It feels faster, and that’s what matters most in a race bike. But I also like that the Émonda is pretty straightforward and rider-friendly.

For example, I swapped the stock one-piece bar/stem for a standard stem and round bar. One, I could run a standard bar and stem on this bike, which you can’t say about every modern race bike. And two, I didn’t have to pull any cables, wires, or hoses to make the swap: Again, something you can’t say about all race bikes. For the record, the shape of the one-piece Aeolus bar/stem is great, and the tops are the most comfortable to grab of all the aero-topped bars I've used. The only reason I swapped is my preferred length and width combination (110x40) wasn't available yet.

The BB is threaded, which makes it easier to service and replace than a press-fit (however, I was getting some noise out of the BB area, which I never resolved). The wheels employ standard offset, and it uses regular thru-axles. It’s compatible with pod-style power meters and mechanical shifting. Its signature seat mast is pretty much the only non-standard thing about this frame, and even then, it’s pretty user-friendly. There’s no cutting necessary, height adjustment is ample, the saddle clamp is easy to use, and it’s travel-case friendly.

I expect so much from a modern high-end pro-level road racing bike that it’s hard to exceed those expectations. It’s rare when a bike does: The Émonda SLR is one of those rare bikes.

Team Request

The new Émonda is partially a result of a request from the Trek-Segafredo race team. “They are one of our primary customers,” said Jordan Roessingh, Trek’s director of road product. “And they started to realize that it’s not just weight, it’s not just stiffness and responsiveness, there’s this other thing—aerodynamics and speed—that’s also really important to be competitive and be faster on the bike. They had been one of the loudest voices saying, ‘We need the lightest-weight, stiffest bike possible.’ And now they started coming back saying ‘We need those things, but we also need the bike to be faster in order for us to be really competitive.’ ”

It is (comparatively) easy to make a light frame, it is easy to make a stiff frame, it is easy to make an aerodynamic frame. Making a frame that’s two of those three things is more challenging: Making a bike more aerodynamic usually makes it heavier, making a bike lighter typically makes it less stiff, etc. Making a frame that is light AND stiff AND aerodynamic enough to satisfy the demands of a top-level professional race team is extremely difficult.

But not impossible. Many brands already make a light, stiff, and aero bike. The Specialized Tarmac is one, as are the Canyon Ultimate, the Cannondale SuperSix Evo, the Cervélo R5, the Wilier Zero SLR, the Pinarello F12, the Scott Addict, and the new Giant TCR . All of them seek to balance the three qualities—light, stiff, and aero—in the pursuit of the ideal race bike, and they all manage the balance differently. The common thread between these bikes: They’re all used by teams that compete against Trek-Segafredo.

Still Light, Now With Aero

The previous generation Émonda SLR Disc , launched in 2017, was an extremely light frame at 665 grams (claimed). But when a frame is already that light, it is much harder to make it even lighter. At least lighter enough to make a meaningful difference.

So, Trek took a different approach to making its climbing bike faster—instead of lighter, it made it more aerodynamic. The new Émonda frame is a touch heavier—yet still extremely light at 698 grams—but the bike has 183 grams less drag than the previous generation.

The important thing to note here is that, though the frame is more aerodynamic, the 183 gram drag reduction is not from the frame only. New wheels and a new aero bar (more info on both below) play a role. The specific setups Trek used to get that 183 gram number are: 2018 Émonda with 28mm-deep Bontrager XXX 2 wheels, and Bontrager XXX Bar/Stem Combo compared to the 2021 Émonda with 37mm deep Bontrager Aeolus RSL 37 Wheels and Bontrager Aeolus RSL Bar/Stem Combo.

Another drag saving upgrade: the housing, hoses and wires for the controls are almost fully inside the frame. They dive into the frame at the head tube passing through the upper headset bearing. The front brake hose runs into the fork steerer and down the left leg before popping out just above the brake caliper. The fork steerer’s flattened sides provide room for the rear brake hose and derailleur control lines to travel down and into the frame. Though it has flattened sides, the fork steerer is still compatible with standard 1 1/8” stems.

The overall drag reduction results in a bike that is 18 seconds per hour faster when climbing an 8.1 percent grade (the average grade of Alpe d’Huez ), and 60 seconds per hour faster on flat roads than the previous Émonda. Trek also claims the new Émonda is 13 seconds per hour faster than a Specialized Tarmac when climbing an 8.1 percent grade (all assuming the rider maintains a constant 350 watts).

Eight Point One Percent

With three qualities—aero, stiffness, weight—that work in opposition to each other, how do you decide how much to optimize one quality when you know it will negatively affect the other two? How aero is aero enough? At what point is improved aerodynamics offset by the weight added to get there?

The team behind the Émonda used a legendary climb to help them decide: Alpe d’Huez. “It represents an extreme example of what most people see on a regular basis when they’re doing a big climbing ride,” said Roessingh, “It’s around an 8 percent grade, and it’s about an hour-long climb for the pros—amateurs might go a little slower. It gives us a good understanding of what the benefit of a drag savings is relative to a weight savings.”

By optimizing the weight and aerodynamic balance around this climb, Roessingh claims the Émonda is faster on Alpe d’Huez and also faster on everything shallower than the famous climb, “which is the vast majority of the environments that most riders are going to ride in, including the team,” said Roessingh. “So if we can say it’s faster up Alpe d’Huez, it’s going to be significantly faster everywhere because the flatter it is, the more aerodynamics benefit you.”

Computer-Aided Optimization

Achieving the weight to the aerodynamic balance of the new Émonda required careful design of each tube shape. Aiding the Émonda’s team was supercomputing horsepower. The abridged and simplified version of the process goes like this: into the computer was fed a rough draft of the shape based on Trek’s aerodynamic experience and other information like UCI regulations. The program then varies the tube’s parameters within a predefined range and spit back several iterations of the shape, each with a different weight to aerodynamic balance. The Émonda’s team evaluated the alternatives and picked the one most suited to its location in the frame and best able to help the frame achieve its overarching goal.

Roessingh says that Trek cannot afford to buy the computing hardware necessary to run the CFD and FEA optimizations (in a timely manner) that helped shape the new Émonda’s tubes. The processing happens in the cloud where Trek rents time on Google, Microsoft, or Amazon’s supercomputers. It’s more affordable than buying a supercomputer. Even so, it is not cheap, “Cloud computing is becoming a relatively significant budget line item for us because we’re doing so many of these optimizations in CFD and FEA and all that processing happens in the cloud.”

The new Émonda’s fork legs, head tube, down tube, seat tube, and seat stays all use a variation of a truncated airfoil. The top tube and chainstays, which have virtually no effect on drag, are optimized almost entirely for stiffness to weight.

In Trek’s line, the new Émonda’s aerodynamic performance is equal to the third generation Domane ; the Madone is still significantly more aero. But while the more aerodynamic Madone is faster in flatter terrain, once the climb hits about 5.5 percent, the lighter Émonda becomes the faster bike. And for many of the Trek-Segafredo team riders—and many amateurs—that means the Émonda is fastest when it matters most: the hardest part of a race or ride, which is almost always on a steep climb.

OCLV 800 Carbon

Getting the new Émonda SLR to be as light as it is while adding aerodynamic shaping would not be possible without employing a new carbon-fiber composite, said Roessingh. The new OCLV 800 composite is 30 percent stronger than Trek’s previous top-of-the-line composite (OCLV 700). Because it is stronger, they can use less: By using OCLV 800, Trek’s team was able to make the Émonda SLR frame 60 grams lighter than if they used OCLV 700.

The Émonda SLR is very cool, but it’s also very expensive (bike prices start at $6,699). For the 99 percenters, there’s the Émonda SL (models start at $2,699).

The SL uses OCLV 500 composite, and the frame is quite a bit heavier than the SLR’s. The SL’s frame comes in at 1,142 grams, with a 380-gram fork (SLR fork weight: 365 grams).

But material (and weight) are the only difference between the SL and SLR.

Aeolus Bar Stem

While a ton of work made the Émonda’s frame tubes faster, a big chunk of the new bike’s drag savings comes from the one-piece Aeolus bar stem. It alone is responsible for 70 grams of the Émonda’s 183-gram drag reduction. This means that if a traditional stem and round bar are installed on the new Émonda, its drag advantage over the previous-generation bike drops to 113 grams. And it means that you can make any bike with a round bar and traditional stem significantly more aerodynamic by merely installing the Aeolus. Retail price is $650.

The integrated Aeolus is made of carbon-fiber composite, of course, with a claimed weight of 297 grams (42x120). It’s offered in 14 length and width combinations, from 44x120 to 38x80. Hoses, housing, and wires run externally for easier service and repairs, but in a groove that keeps them out of the wind. A bolt-on plate keeps the control lines tucked and organized where they turn off the bar tops to run in line with the stem.

The Aeolus employs a mount that works with Bontrager’s line of Blendr accessories for mounting computers and lights.

Aeolus 37 Wheels

Another new Bontrager product rolling out with the Émonda is the Aeolus 37 wheelset. It comes in two models: the Aeolus RSL 37 (1,325 grams/pair, $2,400) and the Aeolus Pro 37 (1,505 grams/pair, $1,300).

The RSL 37 is claimed to be lighter than Zipp’s 32mm-deep 202, yet more aerodynamic and more stable than Zipp’s 45mm-deep 303. Both wheels are disc brake only (only Center Lock interface), tubeless compatible, use DT-Swiss internals, have no rider weight limit, and come with a lifetime warranty.

Surprisingly Rider Friendly

Though the new Émonda is clean and integrated looking and uses high-performance standards, it is also remarkably rider-friendly. Cables, hoses, and housing run externally on the one-piece Aeolus bar/stem for easier repair and service (with one exception: wiring for a Shimano Di2 or Campagnolo EPS bar-end junction box runs partially inside the bar). If you prefer a more traditional cockpit, it can be run with a standard bar and stem with 1⅛-inch steerer clamp.

The bottom bracket uses the threaded T47 standard , which is compatible with almost all common crank-axle standards.

Front and rear thru-axles are standard 12x100 and 12x142mm, and the wheels employ a standard dish. The standard flat mounts for the brake calipers are compatible with 140, 160, or 180mm rotors.

Tire clearance is officially 28mm, but that’s with a ton of extra space. I fit 32mm tires in the Émonda with ease.

And though all models do use a seat mast, it’s a no-cut variety with lots of adjustment range.

H1.5 Geometry

Trek did offer its top-of-the-line race bikes in the aggressive H1 geometry for riders seeking an ultra-long and low geometry, or H2 which was an endurance fit. The new Émonda is offered only in H1.5, which splits the difference between H1 and H2. The result is pretty typical dimensions for a modern race bike—a 54cm Émonda H1’s geometry is remarkably similar to a 54cm Specialized Tarmac.

There are eight sizes starting at 47cm and topping out at 62cm.

There are 10 models of the new Émonda. SL models start at $2,699 and are priced up to $5,999. SLR models start at $6,699 and go up to $11,999.

Only SLR models come with the Aeolus integrated bar/stem stock; and only the Émonda SL 7 ($5,499) and up come with the Aeolus 37 wheelset.

The new Émonda is a disc brake-only platform.

Project One

The new Émonda is in Trek’s Project One paint and parts personalization program. If that’s not luxe enough for you, Trek’s Project One Ultimate program allows you to work with a designer to come up with a one-of-a-kind finish, and Trek will source any parts you want for your new bike.

Trek Émonda SLR 9 eTap

A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling , Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race. 

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Trek Émonda SL 5 Disc

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

• Exceptional
• Not so good

Trek's Émonda SL 5 Disc is a solid all-round race bike offering great handling, a stiff platform for performance and a comfortable riding position, plus it's all wrapped up in a minimalistic, clean-looking package. This build isn't exactly lightweight though.

Trek launched this latest Émonda design last year, giving what has always been considered its lightweight climbing machine an aerodynamic makeover that takes it into what I consider quality all-rounder territory.

From a ride point of view, I can't fault it. It's firmer than a lot of carbon bikes on the market, and I kind of like that. Getting smashed about isn't fun, but neither is a bike that mutes all the signals from the road below. The Émonda balances this well.

Stand hard on the pedals for a climb or sprint and the bike feels tight everywhere, although most notably around the bottom bracket area. There is no flex anywhere, and it just eggs you on to keep hammering away when your legs are screaming to ease up.

Chubby chaser

The only downside is that this SL 5 build's weight can just take the shine off. This 56cm model weighs in at 9.16kg, which is on the beefy side for a near three-grand bike.

The SL 6 Pro I rode last year came with an Ultegra mechanical groupset and 35mm deep Bontrager Aeolus Elite carbon wheels, and weighed 8.23kg. It felt much nippier than the SL 5 when it matters.

As an experiment I switched the SL 5's wheels for a pair of 1,400g Scribe Élan Wide+ 42-D wheels I had on test, and that unlocked the Émonda's potential. I'm not saying you should go out and blow £1,190 on newwheels, just that you shouldn't be put off by the standard weight of the SL 5. It can be tweaked without spending a fortune in the future.

On all but the steepest of climbs though, the Émonda doesn't feel as heavy as the road.cc scales would suggest. It still feels nippy as you accelerate out of corners or crest those short power climbs, and it always seems to have an eagerness to keep rolling.

Right angles

The geometry helps too. This is a proper race bike with a steepish 73.5° head angle for quick steering, plus a short 151mm head tube to allow a low front end and a short wheelbase. At just 983mm, this certainly gives it a nimble and flickable feeling in the bends.

On the downhills I found I could let the Émonda go even when the road surface was less than perfect. It just feels really planted, and coupled with that firm frame passing through loads of feedback from the tyres, I left me feeling perfectly in tune with it.

The steering is on the fun side of neutral, and allows you to just point the handlebar and aim for the apex. The Émonda is also very responsive to slight changes in body position if you need to tweak your line or get yourself out of trouble. I found this out when riding somewhere I had never ridden before – a descent which was easily 40mph+ in sections.

The Trek just nailed it, even though I didn't know what was around the next corner. With less caution than I probably should use, I could throw the Émonda through the bends while constantly making little tweaks to my position to line it up for the next one.

The SL 5 is also a quality mile muncher. The firm ride didn't seem to fatigue my joints any sooner than normal, and although the position is racy, it isn't extreme either. I could ride on the hoods for hours without discomfort and made good use of the shallow drops too.

Frame and fork

As I mentioned earlier, the Émonda focuses more on aerodynamics now than ever before, but that doesn't mean it has become a rocket ship on the road. The Émonda is a climbing bike after all, so Trek's engineers have honed in on 'unsteady aerodynamics,' which they say give larger effects at lower speeds when ascending, rather than on curves for cutting through at high speeds in straight lines.

For starters the front end has been made as smooth as possible, with all cables and hoses directed through the head tube into the frame and fork, giving a very clean look. The head, down and top tube junction is large and beautifully sculpted for airflow too. As a whole the Trek has been optimised for 25mm tyres, although it will swallow 28mm with 6mm of space around the tyre.

The integrated spacer is designed to line up perfectly with the frame when the handlebar is pointed straight ahead, although it does limit how far the bar will turn in each direction. It can feel a bit daunting at first – I kept worrying I might not have enough lock to negotiate a tight turn at low speed.

It proved an unfounded worry though, and the only time I reached the turning limit was when trackstanding at the lights.

The top-end Émonda SLRs use a carbon fibre all-in-one handlebar and stem to take things even further, but there isn't the budget for that here.

As for the seatpost, Trek has decided to do things a little differently. The seat tube extends high, up past the top tube by some way. An external seat mast slides over the top and clamps into position, and the seat tube inside the mast allows a bit of flex, which aids comfort.

The top tube flares out at the seat tube junction, which I find I often rub my thighs against. I got around it by running the saddle 5mm further forward, but it's worth bearing in mind if you have large legs.

The frame and fork are created using Trek's 500 Series OCLV carbon fibre. It's a bit heavier than the new 800 Series found on the more expensive SLR range, but still gives a reasonable claimed weight of 1,142g for the frame and 380g for the fork. There are a massive eight sizes available, too, ranging from 47cm up to 62cm.

The Émonda range is now disc brake only, which means you're getting 12mm thru-axles and flat mounts for the disc calipers.

Trek has gone down the T47 bottom bracket route. Standard threaded bottom brackets have the bearing cups sitting outside the frame, which limits the width the bottom bracket shell can be without pushing the Q-factor (the distance between the pedals) too wide.

To allow a wider shell, which in turn lets the down tube, seat tube and chainstays all have larger joins for increased stiffness at this crucial point, many brands use press-fit cups. These sit inside the frame, allowing a wider shell while keeping the Q-factor the same. In the past there have been creaking and wear issues due to slack tolerances between the cups and the frame, though, so some people have fallen out of love with them.

The T47 is kind of the best of both worlds, as the bearings sit inside the frame but they are threaded into place rather than pressed. That gives a better (and easier) fit, but still allows for that wide bottom bracket shell.

To finish everything off, the SL 5 is available in two colours: this Quicksilver/Brushed Chrome, or Carbon Blue Smoke/Metallic Blue, which I reckon looks even better.

Finishing kit

The SL 5 is adorned with a Shimano 105 R7000 11 speed groupset, which cannot really be faulted, either from my own experience of riding it for thousands of miles on test bikes, or from Dave's in-depth review from a couple of years ago.

The gear shifting is precise and works well even under load – especially at the chainset – and the feel at the lever is practically the same as Ultegra R8000.

Trek has paired a 50/34t chainset with an 11-30t cassette, which gives a decent spread of gears for a bike with racing intentions. Crank length is determined by frame size, ranging from 165mm to 175mm.

Alongside the flat mount 105 calipers the SL 5 uses 160mm SM-RT70 rotors front and rear.

Stopping power is great, as is the modulation and control.

If you weren't aware, Trek's in-house kit and component brand is Bontrager, so it's no surprise to find this adorning the Émonda throughout. The Comp VR-C Road is a shallow drop bar with a compact design, making it usable for most riders regardless of flexibility.

There is nothing flash about it, but it is comfortable, has a decent length of central section for computer mounts or lights, and its aluminium construction is stiff enough for out-of-the-saddle efforts.

> road.cc Road Bike of the Year 2020/21

The Bontrager Elite Stem is another component that just gets on with its job. On the 56cm frame you get a 110mm, and it comes with Trek's Blendr compatibility.

This means you get a selection of mounts for various accessories, such as lights and computers, to sit out in front of the stem. On Trek's website it's £59.99 (£30 more than the handlebar), so it's certainly not a budget component.

The saddle is called the Verse Comp and it's a good 'un, at least for me. It's got a swoopy shape I found gave me plenty of different position options (I like to slide back to climb, for instance). It's 270mm long and 145mm wide (155mm on the smaller frames) with steel rails and a central cut-out. It's also compatible with Blendr accessories.

The frame itself is compatible with DuoTrap S, which is a Blutooth/ANT+ sensor which can send all sorts of data and works with Garmin, Bontrager, PowerTap and more, though the sensor is sold separately.

Wheels and tyres

As with the rest of the finishing kit, the wheels are Bontrager. Using their sealed alloy hubs mated to Paradigm SL rims, they have an internal width of 21mm and 24 spokes front and rear. As I mentioned earlier, they are a bit weighty, but they rode well enough throughout the test period, and I had no durability or trueness issues. They are tubeless ready for a bit of futureproofing.

> road.cc's Best Cycling Wheels of the Year 2020/21

I'm a fan of Bontrager's tyres. I've ridden a few, and was impressed when I tested the R3 Hard-Case Lite a couple of years back. The SL 5 uses the entry-level R1 Hard-Case Lite, and it's pretty good. With a 60tpi (threads per inch) casing it isn't the most supple, but it doesn't detract too much from the ride quality.

They roll pretty well too, and grip is more than adequate in both the wet and dry. More importantly though, considering the review period took in the end of winter, they seem robust and suffered no punctures.

Still, as with the wheels the SL 5 deserves better in the long term. If you want to keep things in the Bontrager family, those R3s mentioned retail for £42.99 now, or £52.99 if you want to go tubeless.

Bike prices are all over the place at the moment, and there have been some big jumps in Trek's line-up. That SL 6 Pro I reviewed was £3,350 in 2021, and it's now £3,900 with what looks to be the same build. The frameset has gone up from £2,200 to £2,700. Meanwhile this SL 5 has come through relatively unscathed at £2,750, up just £25 over last year's prices.

Around the time this Émonda was released, Specialized launched its new Tarmac SL 7 (I was lucky enough to review the S-Works model), and it's a similar sort of bike to the Trek. For 2022 Specialized has largely used SRAM components on its road bikes though, so there's no direct comparison with the SL 5.

However, the entry-level Tarmac SL 7 is the Comp model, which comes with a Rival eTap AXS electronic groupset and DT Swiss alloy shallow section wheels for £5,000, while Trek's SL 6 eTap comes with the same wireless groupset and the Bontrager 35mm deep carbon wheels for £4,300.

There is some tough opposition out there though, with Canyon's new Ultimate CF SL 7 Disc featuring a 105 groupset, a full aero carbon cockpit and a claimed weight of 8.2kg for just £2,149.

Giant's TCR Advanced Disc 2 doesn't quite have the aero attributes of the SL 5, but it is considered a very good lightweight all-round race bike. For £2,349 you are getting a 105 groupset, full carbon frameset and Giant's own alloy wheels.

The Émonda SL 5 is a great bike to ride, and that's down to the top-notch frame and fork paired to good quality finishing kit. True, the wheels and tyres can take the shine off of the performance a touch, but that is true of many entry-point bikes. This is a bike that will tackle any kind of topography or race and excel at it. The frameset is great and it's ripe for upgrades over time too.

The Émonda is a classic all-rounder, fun, fast and stiff, although this model isn't the lightest

road.cc test report

Make and model: Trek Émonda SL 5 Disc

Size tested: 56cm

About the bike

List the components used to build up the bike.

Hub front: Bontrager alloy, sealed bearing, CenterLock disc, 100x12 mm thru axle

Hub rear: Bontrager alloy, sealed bearing, CenterLock disc, Shimano 11-speed freehub, 142x12 mm thru axle

Rim: Bontrager Paradigm SL, Tubeless Ready, 24-hole, 21 mm width, Presta valve

Spokes: 14 g stainless steel

Tyre: Bontrager R1 Hard-Case Lite, wire bead, 60 tpi, 700x28 c

Max tyre size: 30c

Shifter: Shimano 105 R7020, 11-speed

Front derailleur: Shimano 105 R7000, braze-on

Rear derailleur: Shimano 105 R7000, short cage, 30T max cog

Crank Size: Shimano 105 R7000, 50/34 (compact), 172.5 mm length

Bottom bracket: Praxis, T47 threaded, internal bearing

Cassette: Shimano 105 R7000, 11-30, 11-speed

Chain: Shimano 105 HG601, 11-speed

Max. chainring size: 1x: 50T, 2x: 53/39T

Saddle: Bontrager P3 Verse Comp, steel rails, 145 mm width

Seatpost: Bontrager alloy seat mast cap, 10 mm offset, tall length

Handlebar: Bontrager Comp VR-C, alloy, 31.8 mm, 100 mm reach, 124 mm drop, 42 cm width

Handlebar tape: Bontrager Supertack Perf tape

Stem: Bontrager Elite, 31.8 mm, Blendr-compatible, 7-degree, 100 mm length

Brake: Shimano 105 hydraulic disc

Brake rotor: Shimano SM-RT70, CenterLock, 160 mm

Tell us what the bike is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about the bike?

Trek says, "Émonda SL 5 Disc is a lightweight carbon road bike with a balanced ride quality, superior handling characteristics and the added benefit of free speed thanks to aero tube shaping. It's a great choice for century rides on hilly terrain, windy flats and speedy descents."

I think the SL 5 is a classic all rounder.

Where does this model sit in the range? Tell us briefly about the cheaper options and the more expensive options

This SL 5 model kicks off the SL range, sitting just £25 above the price of the frameset. Going up through the models you find the SL 6 and SL 6 Pro (£3,400 and £3,900 respectively), the SL 6 eTap (£4,300) and the Ultegra mechanical SL 7 (£5,350). Finally you get to the 12-speed Ultegra Di2 SL 7 (£5,600) and the SL 7 eTap, which uses SRAM Force for £6,100.

Above the SL range is the SLR line up, and below you'll find the aluminium alloy range, the ALR.

Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork?

A high quality frame and fork. It feels great to ride and the paint finish is high end.

Tell us about the materials used in the frame and fork?

Frame: Ultralight 500 Series OCLV Carbon, Ride Tuned performance tube optimisation, tapered head tube, internal routing, DuoTrap S-compatible, flat-mount disc, 142x12 mm thru axle

Fork: Émonda SL full carbon, tapered carbon steerer, internal brake routing, flat-mount disc, 12x100 mm thru axle

Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork?

With its steepish angles and short wheelbase, this sits very much in the race bike camp.

How was the bike in terms of height and reach? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size?

This 56cm model features a stack of 563mm and a reach of 391mm, which is fairly typical for a bike of this size with racing intentions.

Riding the bike

Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality.

It has a firmer ride than a lot of carbon frames, but personally I like that. It feels like a purposeful and aggressive frame without ever feeling harsh and uncomfortable.

Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?

Plenty of stiffness throughout, most notably at the bottom bracket junction.

How did the bike transfer power? Did it feel efficient?

It does feel efficient, especially considering its weight.

Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? If so was it a problem?

How would you describe the steering? Was it lively neutral or unresponsive? Responsive.

Tell us some more about the handling. How did the bike feel overall? Did it do particular things well or badly?

I found the handling quick with a degree of balance to it – it never feels twitchy.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's comfort? would you recommend any changes?

I liked the Bontrager saddle. I found it squidgy enough to absorb the bumps, without being so soft you find yourself bouncing around.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's stiffness? would you recommend any changes?

The stem and handlebar offer stiffness to match the frame, and there's no real sign of flex from the wheels either.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's efficiency? would you recommend any changes?

The wheels are a bit weighty, so if you can upgrade to something lighter you'll really unlock the performance of the Émonda.

The drivetrain

Tell us some more about the drivetrain. Anything you particularly did or didn't like? Any components which didn't work well together?

Performance-wise, 105 is probably all the groupset most of us will ever need from Shimano's catalogue. The shifting is great, as is braking power and modulation, and the value is good.

Tell us some more about the wheels.Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the wheels? If so what for?

The Bontrager wheels are decent enough. They blunt the SL 5's climbing and acceleration a touch due to their weight, but I can't fault their durability.

Tell us some more about the tyres. Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the tyres? If so what for?

Bontrager tyres typically offer decent performance, and so it is with the R1s. Like the wheels though they are a touch heavy and not the most supple.

Tell us some more about the controls. Any particularly good or bad components? How would the controls work for larger or smaller riders?

Good quality in-house kit. Upgrade if you want some bling, but there's no real need.

Your summary

Did you enjoy riding the bike? Yes

Would you consider buying the bike? Yes

Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Yes

How does the price compare to that of similar bikes in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

This is well priced against a similar model in Specialized's Tarmac line-up, as mentioned in the review. There is tough opposition from the likes of Giant and Canyon, though.

Use this box to explain your overall score

The Émonda SL 5 is a very likeable bike; it has a solid dependable feel while still maintaining plenty of fun factor. There is some tough opposition out there price-wise, but would I feel shortchanged by the Trek? No. It has a quality ride feel and a quality build, and I enjoyed every mile I covered on it.

Overall rating: 8 /10

About the tester

Age: 42   Height: 180cm   Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike   My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years   I ride: Every day   I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

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As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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The New Trek Émonda

The lightest, fastest climbing road bike ever.

Watch The Video About Émonda 2021 Émonda Upgrades Geometry New Models FAQs

See The New Émonda In Action

What is the Trek Émonda?

The Émonda is a racer, a climber, and a sprinter

The Émonda is Trek’s lightest road bike. It’s built to excel in the hills and fly on the flats. 

It’s perfect for race day, owning group rides, and epic solo missions. 

In short, Émonda offers next level performance and a winning advantage everywhere, every time.

Who is the Émonda perfect for?

The Émonda checks all the boxes for the cyclist who values all-around road capability and has a need for speed.

Are you entering a race with dreams of the podium? Are you looking for improved performance during your cycling club’s weekend events? Are you a lone wolf who hunts Strava segment KOMs? Whatever your reasons for maximizing your potential, Émonda delivers.

The ultra-stiff frame offers explosive power transfer that will rocket you up and over the biggest climbs. Émonda offers an insanely nimble feel while providing riders with surefooted stability on fast-paced descents.

What makes the new 2021 Émonda better?

The new generation of Émonda is better than ever. 

Trek has bent over backwards at every stage in development to make the new models lighter, faster, and stronger. 

Keep reading to explore the details, and find out how Émonda will bring your abilities to another level.

Upgrades for the 2021 Émonda

OCLV 800: As Light As It Gets

Émonda is staggeringly light. It took a few years of testing, but Trek has been able to improve the Émonda’s stiffness and aerodynamic design all while refusing to add weight to the frame.

Both the SLR and the SL models feature Trek’s ultra high performance OCLV carbon frame that redefines road bike capabilities. However, this year’s SLR frames benefit from an entirely new carbon fiber, OCLV 800. 

With frames weighing in under 700 grams , 800 Series OCLV carbon achieves the best stiffness-to-weight that Trek has ever developed, and raises the bar for road bike technology.

When your bike is as light as your neighbor’s miniature poodle, no PR is safe.

30% Stronger Carbon

As we said earlier, Trek’s new OCLV 800 series carbon fiber is not only light as a feather, but it’s stronger too.

Trek reports that OCLV 800 is 30% stronger than the previous series while retaining all the stiffness benefits. 

Stronger frame material is key when designing the lightest, most aero bike possible.

More Aero and Faster Than Ever

Faster By A Full Minute Per Hour

To prove their progress, Trek put the new Émonda through rigorous testing. Numbers don’t lie; Émonda was fast before, but now it’s even faster.

The Émonda’s improved aerodynamics saved 18 seconds per hour on an 8% grade, and a whopping 60 seconds per hour on flat terrain. We’ll just come out and say it: that’s nuts.

OCLV 800 Aerodynamics

OCLV 800 is jaw-droppingly light, but that’s only part of the equation that makes Émonda such a lightning-fast road bike.

Trek’s newest carbon laminate allows the frame design to be even more aerodynamic without adding the extra weight typically associated with aero tube shapes.

New Aero RSL Bar/Stem Combo

The brand new Aeolus RSL Bar/Stem system has been developed alongside the 2021 Émonda. It's made from super light OCLV carbon and is faster than the previous system by almost 10%. Plus, the new internal routing makes your cables basically disappear and it’s still Blendr compatible.

New Aeolus RSL 37 Wheelset

Also developed with the new Émonda are Bontrager’s new and improved Aeolus RSL 37 wheels. 

This incredibly aero wheelset is built for climbs and helps the Émonda race machine slice through the wind tunnel with deadly effect.

Trek Emonda Geometry 

Geometry Upgraded to H1.5 Fit

The new Émondas have been upgraded to an even more aero riding position. 

The H1.5 fit allows men and women to keep an aggressive, aero posture that maximizes power transfer.

Want to learn more about different fits? Check out our FAQ below.

New Trek Émonda SLR Models 

• Frame : 800 Series OCLV Carbon
• Fork : Emonda SLR full carbon
• Wheelset : Bontrager Aeolus RSL 37, OCLV Carbon
• Drivetrain : SRAM RED eTap AXS
• Weight : 56 - 6.72 kg / 14.82 lbs

• Drivetrain : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150
• Weight : 56 - 6.74 kg / 14.85 lbs

• Wheelset : Bontrager Aeolus Pro 37, OCLV Carbon
• Drivetrain : SRAM Force eTap AXS
• Weight : 56 - 7.33 kg / 16.17 lbs

• Drivetrain : Shimano Ultegra R8050 Di2
• Weight : 56 - 7.18 kg / 15.84 lbs

• Drivetrain : Shimano Ultegra R8000
• Weight : 56 - 7.26 kg / 16.00 lbs

SLR Frameset

• Weight : 56 - 1.56 kg / 3.45 lbs

New Trek Émonda SL Models 

• Frame : 500 Series OCLV Carbon
• Fork : Emonda SL full carbon
• Weight : 56 - 7.95 kg / 17.52 lbs

• Weight : 56 - 7.74 kg / 17.06 lbs

• Wheelset : Bontrager Aeolus Elite 35, OCLV Carbon
• Weight : 56 - 8.03 kg / 17.71 lbs

• Wheelset : Bontrager Paradigm Disc
• Weight : 56 - 8.25 kg / 18.18 lbs

• Wheelset : Bontrager Affinity Disc
• Drivetrain : Shimano 105 R7000
• Weight : 56 - 9.15 kg / 20.18 lbs

SL Frameset

• Weight : 56 - 1.91 kg / 4.20 lbs

Trek Émonda FAQs

What does the Émonda's H1.5 fit refer to?   The H1.5 fit refers to the body position the rider assumes when on the bike, which is dictated by the bike's frame design. The new Émonda's H1.5 fit offers riders a great balance between the ultra-fast aerodynamic posture of H1 and the traditional, versatile road bike posture of H2.

Why does Trek make different fit geometries?   Trek makes road bikes for every occasion, and they know that every rider has a certain goal in mind regarding how they want to use their bike and how they would like it to perform. Some riders prioritize speed above all else. Other riders may want to pay more attention to comfort over longer rides.

What are the different Trek fits?   Trek has several different fit styles that they design frames around. The main fit geometries for Trek road bikes have historically been H1 and H2. Now, with the 2021 Émonda, we see a new fit geometry, H1.5.

How will the Émonda's H1.5 fit benefit me? When you hop on the new Émonda, you'll benefit from a powerful riding position that improves energy transfer and rockets you forward with incredible aerodynamics. However, instead of going to H1, the absolute most aggressive fit geometry, Trek developed a middle ground that offers you more comfort while you're hammering out the miles. If you want to ride faster, for longer, the H1.5 fit is perfect for you.

What is the biggest tire I can fit on the new 2021 Émonda? The new Émonda will fit up to a 30mm road tire, and this frame is not designed to be compatible with fenders. All in the name of aero!

Are these wheels tubeless compatible? They sure are!

What kind of brakes does the new 2021 Émonda use? All models utilize powerful disc brakes, the rear brake is flat mount, and the max size for both front and rear rotors is 160mm.

Is there anything else that's new on the 2021 Émonda? Besides new OCLV 800 carbon on SLR frames, new wheels, new bar/stem combo, new cable routing, and more aero tube designs, the 2021 Émonda also now utilizes a T47 bottom bracket.

Is the new 2021 Émonda eligible for Project One? Absolutely. 

Trek Émonda SL 6 road bike review

Giving the ride feel of a thoroughbred GC frame, Trek manages to deliver the perfect balance of stiffness and comfort in the elegant looking and reasonably priced Trek Émonda SL6.

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The Trek Émonda SL 6 exists a few places below Trek's signature SLR model but that doesn't stop it embodying the GC spirit and as a frame it certainly feels worthy of Alberto Contador.

It's made the coveted  Cycling Weekly's Editor's Choice list for its lightweight, fast and comfortable ride quality that'll have dancing up climbs like Contador himself. 

Think of top Tour de France bikes, and there are only a handful of names that pop into your head faster than the Trek Émonda.

While its old sibling, the Émonda SLR occupies the top echelons of WorldTour racing, we've got our hands on the more reasonably priced Trek Émonda Sl 6, coming in at £2,250.

Made famous in recent years beneath the likes of Alberto Contador and his Trek-Segafredo team mates, the Trek Émonda SL 6 feels like a thoroughbred GC frame regardless of its lower price point, and it's a frame that looks built to race yet still manages to maintain an air of elegance.

Trek Émonda SL 6 : c lassy looks

Sweeping lines blur one area of the frame into the other, and the slender seat stays make the bike look responsive and nimble. Pair the sweeping design with the matte silver paint job, and the bike has a seriously classy look.

But it isn't just surface, and the 500 series OCLV carbon makes the frame a skimpy 1091g. On our scales, the whole bike weighed in at 7.66kg, with any additional weight no doubt coming down to the components rather than the frame.

Down below, an overbuilt, beefy bottom bracket makes sure that every pedal stroke powers the bike forward – which is especially helpful when things start heading uphill.

Without a doubt, the most exciting equipment on the bike is the Shimano Ultegra R8000 groupset. Newly updated, it marks an enormous overhaul of Shimano's everyman groupset.

In terms of shifting feel and action, it's every bit as good as it's older, more expensive Dura-Ace sibling. The re-designed front mech and more ergonomic levers offer a light action to front shifts, and rear shifts are crisp, accurate and powerful.

Of the new Ultegra groupset itself, the most exciting feature are the excellent rim brakes – again, they're every bit the match to the Dura-Ace models.

With them being so good, it was a bit of a disappointment to find them missing on the Émonda. Instead, Trek has specced its Bontrager Speed Stop Pro brakes rather than Shimano's far superior rim brakes.

Bontrager's in house stoppers can't match Shimano's for neither feel nor power but it's an oversight we can forgive considering the Émonda's excellent frame and ride qualities. Besides, the Ultegra brakes are always going to be there for that next upgrade.

Again, the Bontrager Paradigm aluminium wheelset could be lighter to match the svelte carbon frame but at this price point they're par for the course and they didn't feel like lead weights when heading uphill.

GC quality frameset

Out on the open road, the ride quality of the GC frame really shines through, and there's a sense of urgency laid up in the carbon that wants to let rip.

But there's a gentler side to it, too, and the high modulus frame gives comfort to the ride. Unlike so many stiff carbon frames, the Trek Émonda Sl 6 feels dampened and absorbent without that dreaded sluggishness that heavier bikes suffer from.

The skip in its step no doubt comes from its lack of weight, and even with the aluminium wheels and overbuilt brakes, the Émonda SL 6 weighs a tiny 7.66kg. Spoil yourself to some killer wheels and you'll bring that down even further.

Dancing out the saddle on the Émonda SL 6

On the hills it climbs like you'd expect from a frame built for Alberto Contador, encouraging you to imitate his signature out the saddle dance on the steepest inclines. But its a frame that really shines on the downs, too. The 992mm wheelbase is manoeuvrable but well balanced and the handling was sharp in the corners, everything you'd expect from a GC super bike.

The Émonda Sl 6's frame is faultless – lightweight, comfort and stiffness all in perfect equilibrium. Its more than a match for the aluminium wheels it comes with, but it has to meet a price point after all.

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The ultra-distance benchmark that pits riders against a 4,000km self-supported Europe-wide trek reaches double figures

By James Shrubsall Published 27 April 24

Charming, simple, and always a great workout, this is the perfect town bike

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Tested: Trek Émonda SLR 7 With SRAM Force AXS

Sydney riders may have seen the blue flash of Pete Maniaty zipping around on this blingy Trek recently! Let’s hear what he thinks of the ‘pimped’ Emonda SLR7.

This isn’t really a review. It’s a tease. For as drool-worthy as this sublime Trek Émonda SLR 7 AXS is, you can’t actually buy it. Not exactly like this anyway. You see, it’s a custom build, hand-spec’d by SRAM to launch its 2023 Force AXS 12-speed wireless groupset—reviewed separately in the previous edition of Bicycling Australia—and understandably SRAM was pretty keen to showcase its own stable of brands, rather than promote Trek’s.

From the carbon bars and stem to the wheelset, the normally-standard Bontrager components have been swapped out for ZIPP equivalents. 

Whilst perhaps no longer a purebred Trek Émonda, this ‘Frankenstein’ build certainly works. In fact, I actually found it quite a fascinating experience to ride because chopping and changing componentsover time is precisely how many of us actually set-up our bikes—with function, availability anddollars often holding far greater sway than any form of myopic brand loyalty.

While I can’t categorically say it makes the Émonda better, I can say that armed with its new high-end SRAM and ZIPP componentry this bike remains an absolute lightweight carbon weapon of the highest calibre.

The first thing you’ll notice about this particular Émonda build is almost certainly the same thing everyone does—the eye candy paint scheme. The lustrous Sapphire Chroma Project One finish is hard to miss and garners plenty of attention. Yes, this bike screams ‘look at moi’ at loud volume. But a small word of caution. Whilst brilliant to look at, it’s not the easiest to keep clean.

Beneath the ostentatious paintwork lurks a sleek and brooding race machine that Trek has been steadily refining since 2014 when the Émonda platform first appeared. 

“…a few kms into my first ride it was clear this is a hugely nimble bike that goes exactly where you point it…”

Given its origins as a lightweight col muncher, it’s interesting to note the latest generation Émonda now boasts more than its fair share of aero features including truncated airfoil tube profiles, shortened head tube, blade-shaped forks, internally-routed brake hoses and deeper section wheels. 

However, unlike its legendary aero stablemate, the Madone, there’s no hefty downtube and, perhaps most significantly in terms of the way it rides, no IsoSpeed decoupling system (or IsoFlow in the case of the most recent Madone).

The absence of IsoSpeed means the geometry and workings of the Émonda’s rear end are a little different to Trek’s other road platforms. As with both the Madone and Domane, the seat tube rises considerably higher than the top tube junction. However unlike the Madone and Domane, that junction is fixed solid.

Also, rather than having the seat post slide down into the seat tube, the Émonda instead features an adjustable seatmast system with a cap that slides over the seat tube and clamps into position. Trek’s website explains this allows more flex compared with a fully rigid seat mast for added comfort “however rough the roads”, but I still found the Émonda’s rear end very firmas we’ll get to shortly.

Whilst considerably slimmer to the eye, the 2023 Émonda features the same H1.5 geometry as the aero Madone with an identical stack that, on the 54cm frame reviewed, puts you a full 3.4cm closer to the road than the H2 geometry of the endurance-oriented Domane. The Émonda head tube is also 3cm shorter than the Domane as is the wheelbase, which all equates to a compact and relatively aggressive riding position. Like me, your lower back may well notice the difference, especially on longer days and harder rides with extended periods spent down in the drops.

Weight—or, more specifically, a lack of it—is what the Émonda has always been about and this shiny blue beast is no different. Whilst, yes, you can still find leaner ensembles out there (for a price), the Émonda SLR package remains a bona fide lightweight show-stopper with a claimed raw frame weight of just 698g. The shape and layup of virtually every millimetre of every tube has been optimised to deliver maximum performance with minimum girth. 

Coupled with Trek’s top-of-the-line OCLV 800 composite carbon first introduced in 2021, the result is a frame that’s roughly 1kg lighter than the Madone SLR. Even with its many non-standard components, the review build tipped my home scales at a very acceptable 7.55kg, ready to ride and/or race including bottle cages and pedals. 

Trek’s tech boffins in Wisconsin say their 800 Series OCLV is 30% stronger than the previous top-of-the-line composite (OCLV 700) and because it’s stronger they can use less of it, shaving around 60 grams in the process—around 8% of the entire frame weight. It’s worth noting the Émonda is also available in more affordable SL models. Featuring identical shaping and geometry, but with lower spec OCLV 500 carbon, SL builds are roughly 400 grams heavier than the SLR.

TECH & COMPONENTS

Beyond its mesmerising blue chrome Project One paintwork, the review Trek Émonda SLR 7 AXS was furnished with a host of goodies mostly from the SRAM stable. Highlights include the ZIPP 303 Firecrest 40mm tubeless wheelset, ZIPP Service Course SL 400mm carbon bars, ZIPP SL Speed 100mm carbon stem and, in one of the few non-SRAM or Trek components, an S-Works Power Arc saddle. 

This was also my first time testing the latest 2023 SRAM Force AXS 12-speed wireless groupset and I found it to be simply excellent, with a noticeably more refined form factor and performance that’s right up there with its main rivals from Japan and Italy. It’s also around 100gm lighter than its predecessor and comes with the considerable added bonus of a Quark power meterseamlessly integrated into the SRAM Force AXS DUB crankset. 

During the review the groupset performed intuitively and faultlessly which is exactly what you want: smooth and reliable shifting. The pairing of a 48/35 chainring and 10-33T cassette delivered an excellent range of gearing, suitable for pretty much any terrain.

One of the biggest deviations from the usual Émonda line-up is the addition of a ZIPP 303 Firecresttubeless wheelset with German-developed ZR1 DB hubs. Weighing in at 1355g, the 2023 version of these hugely versatile 40mm deep rims boast an expanded internal width of 25mm (external width remains steady at 30mm) and, being hookless, it’s tubeless all the way.

Officially, Émonda tyre clearance is 28mm, yet take that with a large pinch of salt as the review build came with 30mm Goodyear F1 tubeless rubber which fit very comfortably. It’s also worth mentioning that, in line with the latest ETRTO recommendations, the latest ZIPP 303 Firecrest rims are only suitable for selected brands of 28mm+ tubeless tyres. Continental tyres, for example, are not currently compatible.

ON THE ROAD

After a highly enlightening month of riding, I can report the Émonda SLR 7 ASX is very light, very stiff and, yes, very fast. For me, there was pretty much only one thing it wasn’t: very comfortable. The compact front end and rigid back end makes for a reasonably aggressive race-tuned ride that’s undeniably explosive under high power loads—yet also quite unforgiving at times with above-average levels of road feedback. 

Even fitted with carbon hoops and supple tubeless tyres, you certainly feel the bumps and on longer and/or sustained high-tempo rides this has the potential to be quite fatiguing, especially if, like me, your core strength isn’t what it used to be. The deeper I got into this review the clearer it became clear that tyre pressure is absolutely critical if you want to enjoy the Émonda SLR.

After starting w-a-y too high at around 85psi (and genuinely hating it) I progressively worked my way down to a touch under 60 psi, at which point it was like riding a completely different bike—still slick and responsive, but with just enough compliance to return a smile to my middle-aged face.

Tyre pressure experiments aside, the lightweight Émonda SLR climbed beautifully as you would fully expect, tackling rising gradients with absolute poise and aplomb. Perhaps less expected was the way it equally taps along very nicely on the flat, without ever quite matching the Madone or other fully-aero builds. 

The shortened reach and relatively steep head tube angle (73 degrees) also combine with minimal frame flex to deliver very direct and fast handling. Just a few kms into my first ride it was clear this is a hugely nimble bike that goes exactly where you point it.

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日本最大級のスポーツサイクル専門店！圧倒的在庫量！中京地区第1号店！

ワイズロード名古屋本館 Y'sRoad nagoya Honkan

中部地区最大級！本館新館合計400坪。スポーツサイクルの全てが集結！

SNS強化中！最新情報をいち早くお届けいたします！

ご遠方の方にも！なるべく即納対応します！

強力5大ブランド！レース、街乗り、旅、日常から非日常まで全てお任せ！

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• イベント　-EVENT BLOG-
• 火曜＆水曜ラン　　　　　04/08～09

2024/04/29 15:45

【TREK】メーカー在庫完売。ホワイトのEMONDA SL5 残り1台です！！ by: 星野

• 1.1 EMONDA SL 5
• 1.2 カラーはホワイト
• 1.3 店頭在庫は1台のみ

EMONDA SL 5

ボディーカラーは「ホワイト/プラズマティック」というラメの入ったグロスホワイトです。

ダウンチューブのTREKロゴ縁がなんかいい感じになってます( ´∀｀ )

名古屋本館の在庫は 50 (適応身長目安161-166cm前後) が1台のみで、ホワイト/プラズマティックのメーカー在庫は全サイズ完売しています。

今回は性能とか云々は抜きにしてただただ見た目がカッコイイということでEMONDA SL 5をご紹介しました。

EMONDA SL 5のもう1色のネイビースモーク / ダークアクアティックも店頭在庫ございます！ ネイビーの方はメーカー在庫がまだあるので、お取り寄せでもご案内できますのでお気軽にご相談ください。

新生活応援フェアが29日までとなっています。無金利ローンのお申込みや、アイテムの同時購入でお得になるキャンペーンが終了してしまいますのでこの機会にぜひご検討ください！ ご来店お待ちしております！！

独り言ですが、、、この純正サドルめっちゃやらかい！！

ワイズロード名古屋本館

Y'sRoad nagoya Honkan

※ブログの商品情報は掲載当時の情報です。 完売していたり、価格やポイント還元率、商品の仕様が変更されていることもありますので、予めご了承ください。 在庫状況等の最新情報は、大変お手数ですが店舗へお問い合わせください。

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Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Apr 24 2017

City Street Guides by f.d. walker: A Street Photography Guide to Moscow, Russia

*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!

At over 12 million people, Moscow is the largest city in Russia and second largest in Europe by population ( Istanbul is #1). An urban, cosmopolitan metropolis with more than enough glitz and glam to cater to the elite, but without losing its fair share of Soviet era roughness around the edges. It can be fast paced, brash, busy, and trendy like other big cities, but it has its blend of West meets Russia atmosphere and beauty that provides plenty of unique interest. The Red Square is as famous as it gets, but there’s so much more to this city, including the most beautiful subway system you’ve ever seen. It would take years to capture all of Moscow, but that means you have an endless amount of areas to discover.

So here’s a Street Photography guide so you can be ready to capture all that Moscow has to offer before you even arrive!

• Patriarch’s Pond
• Old Arbat Street
• Maroseyka Street
• Tverskoy Boulevard

Top 5 Street Spots:

1. red square.

The Red Square is the most famous square in not just Russia, but all of Eastern Europe. The name actually doesn’t come from the color of the bricks or communism, but from the name in Russian, Krásnaya, once meaning “beautiful” before its meaning changed to “red.” This large plaza is what you see on the cover of guide books and magazines for Moscow, with St. Basil’s Cathedral being the center piece next to Lenin’s Mausoleum surrounded by the Kremlin Wall. Of course, the Red Square attracts hordes of tourist due to the main attractions, but all that activity around an interesting atmosphere does provide street photo opportunities. It’s also the central square connecting to the city’s major streets, providing a good starting point to explore outward.

You’ll also find the popular pedestrian only Nikolskaya Street connecting the Red Square to Lubyanka Square. This line of expensive shops includes plenty of activity, while also leading you to another popular square. Filled with history rivaling any city, the Red Square and surrounding areas are the heart and soul of Russia.

2. Patriarch’s Ponds

Patriarch’s Ponds is one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Moscow. Despite the name being plural, there’s only one large pond, but it’s worth a visit with your camera. It’s a popular spot for locals and expats to come relax or take a stroll around the pond. You get an interesting mix of young and old too, from young love to “babushkas” feeding pigeons. It’s a very peaceful park atmosphere in one of the nicer areas within the city center, while bringing enough activity for street photography. 

The pond is shallow and in the winter becomes a popular spot for ice-skating too. The area is also well-known for the location in the famous Russian novel, The Master and Margarita. 

3. Old Arbat (Stary Arbat)

Old Arbat is the most famous pedestrian street in Moscow, and dating back to the 15th century, also one of its oldest. Originally, it was an area of trade, but soon became the most prestigious residential area in Moscow. During the 18th century, Arbat started attracting the city’s scholars and artists, including Alexander Pushkin. Cafes lined the streets and impressive homes filled the neighborhood. Since then, New Arbat street was created as a highway in the area, while Old Arbat was paved for a 1km pedestrian only walkway.

Due to the historic buildings, famous artists that lived here, and the bohemian atmosphere, Old Arbat has become a big attraction for tourists today. Now, there’s a mix of cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, street performers, street merchants and other attractions for visitors, and some locals, to come enjoy. It can get really busy here and there’s usually something interesting going on so it’s a good street to come walk with your camera for guaranteed life.

4. Gorky Park

One of the most famous places in Moscow is Gorky Park. The official name is Maxim Gorky’s Central Park of Culture & Leisure, which gives you an idea of what goes on here. When built, it was the first of its kind in the Soviet Union. Divided into two parts, it stretches along Moscow River. One end contains fair rides, foods stands, tennis courts, a sports club, a lake for boat rides, and more. This end brings more active life due to its number of attractions, while the other end is more relaxed, where you’ll find gardens, trees, older buildings, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Gorky Park attracts mostly locals so it’s a good spot to capture the non-tourist side of Moscow life. Muscovites come here to escape the city and unwind in a picturesque setting. The park remains alive outside of the warmer months too, especially when the lake turns into the city’s largest outdoor skating rink. I’d recommend taking the metro out here to spend at least half a day exploring the massive park’s life with your camera.

5. Maroseyka Street

Maroseyka Street is a popular area not too far from the Red Square. The long, winding street turns into Pokrovka and is lined with restaurants, cafes, bars and places to stay. It’s actually where I like to stay when I’m in Moscow due to its location and solid street photography opportunities itself. You have Kitay-gorod station near and if you keep walking southwest, you’ll get to the Red Square. But if you walk northwest, as it changes to Pokrovka, you can find a long street of activity for photography with its own interesting atmosphere.

6. Tverskoy Boulevard

Tverskoy Boulevard is the oldest and longest boulevard in Moscow, beginning at the end of Nikitsky Boulevard, and finishing at Pushkin Square, a spot to come for activity itself. The boulevard is made up of two avenues, with pedestrian walkways in-between. You’ll find grass, shrubbery, trees, benches and more walking it’s almost kilometer length. Many people come here to enjoy some relaxation, walk their dog, or just to use it to walk wherever they’re going. Its center location also provides a nice place to walk with your camera near plenty of other spots you’ll want to check out anyway.

Sample Street Walk:

For a full day of Street Photography, covering some of the best spots, you can follow this sample street walk for Moscow:

• Start your morning walking around the Red Square (1), while exploring the surrounding area, including Nikolskaya Street
• Then walk northwest to Patriarch’s Ponds (2) and slowly walk the pond and surrounding area with your camera
• Next, walk east to the Pushkin Monument and stroll down Tverskoy Boulevard (6)
• Once Tverskoy Boulevard (6) ends, it will turn into Nikitsky Boulevard. Follow this down until you get to the start of Old Arbat Street (3), across from Arbatskaya station
• After you’re done walking down Old Arbat Street (3) for more street photography, spend some time checking out Moscow’s beautiful metro stations
• To finish off the day with more street photography, get off the metro near Red Square (1) again, Maroseyka Street (5) or wherever you’re staying for the night.

3 Things I’ll Remember about Shooting in Moscow:

1. museum metro.

The Moscow metro system was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union and today includes 203 stations across 340km of routes. The elaborate system has some of the deepest stations in the world too, with escalators that seem to go on forever. None of this is what makes it so special, though. Many of its stations feel like stepping inside a museum, making it without a doubt the most interesting and beautiful metro system I’ve been in.

When built, Stalin wanted to make the metro stations “palaces for the people” with marble, chandeliers, and grand architecture. The best part is the variety of architecture and styles used, making many of the stations a completely different experience visually. You could easily spend a whole day traveling the stations and there are even tours available for people who wish to do just that. My advice, though, would be just to buy a ticket and hop on and off at different stations, while exploring different lines. The museum-like surrounding mixed with the crowds of characters can make for a great photography experience.

Since there are so many stations, here are some of my favorites to check out:

• Novoslobodskaya
• Mayakovskaya
• Elektrozavodskaya
• Komsomolskaya
• Ploschad Revolyutsii
• Dostoyevskaya
• Prospekt Mira

2. Moscow is Big

It’s no secret that Moscow is a big city, but it can feel even bigger with how spread out much of it is. This is especially true if you compare it to cities outside of Asia. If I compared it to cities in Europe, I’d probably say only Istanbul would warrant more time to really discover the depths of this city. Most only explore around the Red Square and surrounding area, but that is such a small part of the city. Although, that central area does give you plenty to see on its own.

Fortunately, I had a good friend living in the city to show me around, but it opened up my eyes even more to how much there is to discover in Moscow. It’s a big city with a variety of atmosphere that can take you from “east” to “west” and trendy to rugged depending on where you go. I’d imagine you’d have to live here a while to really know the city.

3. Cosmopolitan Mix of East meets West

Modern skyscrapers mixed with amazing architecture, a world-class metro system with museum-like beauty, trendy fashion and chic clubs, Moscow is a rich mix of Russian culture and history in a more western cosmopolitan package. There is a push to keep the Russian culture, while also pushing forward with a modern metropolis the whole world will envy. This comes with an impressive skyline, that continues to grow, and endless modernities, but with soviet nostalgia and atmosphere mixed in for good measure.

Mixed in with this grand western cosmopolitan atmosphere, is a strong national pride in Russia. This includes their famous leader, Vladimir Putin. Maybe no other place will you see a country’s leader more often. All over, from the pricey tourist shops to the underground walkway stalls, you’ll find goods with Putin’s likeness covering them. From t-shirts to magnets to Matryoshka dolls. There’s a strong national pride that can be seen around the city, which also extends to their leader. Moscow is many things. It’s East meets West, modernizations meets Soviet era, and a whole lot more.

What To Do For a Street Photography Break?:

Eat at a stolovaya.

Stolovayas are Russian cafeterias that became popular in the Soviet days. You grab a tray and walk down the line of freshly prepared local dishes, and select whatever you want from the chefs. They’re usually inexpensive and a much better value than restaurants, while giving you the opportunity to try from a wide selection of everyday Russian food. They’re also very tasty. I always include some borsch on my tray and go from there. The places themselves are all over Moscow and usually come with Soviet-era aesthetics to complete the experience.

Street Safety Score: 7

*As always, no place is completely safe! So when I talk about safety, I’m speaking in general comparison to other places. Always take precaution, be smart, observe your surroundings and trust your instincts anywhere you go!

Being the 2nd largest city in Europe with over 12 million people, you’re going to have your dangerous areas, but for the most part, it feels safe walking around. Russia is statistically higher in crime compared to most of Europe, but this generally doesn’t apply to tourists and visitors. Around the Red Square and surrounding city center, you should feel completely safe walking around. Pick pocketing can happen, but no more than other touristic places. I always explore Moscow freely without coming across too much to worry about. It’s a spread out city, though, so of course it matters where you are. Just use basic street smarts, know where you are and Moscow shouldn’t give you a problem. 

People’s Reaction Score: 7

Moscow is fast paced, big city life, which usually means people aren’t too concerned with you, or your camera. I don’t find people notice or pay much attention to me when I’m out taking photos in Moscow. For the most part, people just go about their day. You shouldn’t get too many looks or concern. But it can depend on the area you are in. The more you stick out, the more you might get noticed with suspicions. I’ve never had any problems in Moscow, or Russia, but just be careful who you’re taking a photo of if you get out of the city center. Other than that, it’s about average for reactions. 

Street Tips:

Learn the alphabet .

Much of Moscow, including the metro system, doesn’t use english. The Russian alphabet uses letters from the Cyrillic script, which if you aren’t familiar with it and don’t know the sounds, can be hard to decipher the words. This is most important for street names and metro stops when trying to get around. It can save confusion and make it easier getting around if you learn the basic alphabet. At the very least then, you can sound out the words to see which are similar in the english conversion, which can help matching them to maps. When out shooting street photography, getting around is as important as anything. So save yourself some time and frustration by learning the Russian Alphabet.

Use the metro

While Saint-Petersburg feels very walkable for a city its size, Moscow can feel very spread out, even for its bigger size. Outside of the Red Square area, you can have plenty of walking before getting anywhere very interesting, so you’ll need to take the metro a lot if you really want to explore the city. Maps are deceiving here too, it will always be further than it looks.

Another reason it’s less walkable than Saint-Petersburg is its completely different set-up. Moscow’s streets are mostly contstructed in rings with narrow, winding streets in-between. This is common with medieval city cities that used to be confined by walls, but you usually don’t have it in a city this massive. Saint-Petersburg has a more grid-like pattern that also uses the canals to help you know your way around. When it comes to navigating on foot in Moscow, it can be more difficult, so bring a map and take the metro when needed. It’s why Moscow’s metro carries more passengers per day than the London and Paris subways combined.

Explore other areas if you have time

Moscow is really big. While most people stay around the Red Square within the Boulevard Ring, there’s so much more to the city. I covered some other spots outside of this circle, but if you really want to see the city, you’ll need time. If you do have time, some other areas I’d check out first are Zamoskvarechye, along some of the south and western Moscow.

Inspiration:

For some more inspiration, you can look through the Street Photography of Moscow photographer Artem Zhitenev  and check out 33 of my photos taken in Moscow .

Conclusion:

Moscow’s name brings a certain mystique, but once you’re there it might bring a different atmosphere than you expect. It’s big and sprawling, but beautiful in many ways. It can feel like a European capital on a grand scale, but you can definitely find its Russian side in there.

The urban sprawl of Moscow can be intimidating, but give it enough time and you’ll be rewarded with plenty to discover. All with the world’s best metro system to take you around.

I hope this guide can help you start to experience some of what Moscow contains. So grab your camera and capture all that Moscow has to offer for Street Photography!

If you still have any questions about shooting in Moscow, feel free to comment below or email me!

(I want to make these guides as valuable as possible for all of you so add any ideas on improvements, including addition requests, in the comment section!)

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Ch. 9 The Development of Russia

Ivan i and the rise of moscow, learning objective.

• Outline the key points that helped Moscow become so powerful and how Ivan I accomplished these major victories
• Moscow was considered a small trading outpost under the principality of Vladimir-Suzdal into the 13th century.
• Power struggles and constant raids under the Mongol Empire’s Golden Horde caused once powerful cities, such as Kiev, to struggle financially and culturally.
• Ivan I utilized the relative calm and safety of the northern city of Moscow to entice a larger population and wealth to move there.
• Alliances between Golden Horde leaders and Ivan I saved Moscow from many of the raids and destruction of other centers, like Tver.

A rival city to Moscow that eventually lost favor under the Golden Horde.

Grand Prince of Vladimir

The title given to the ruler of this northern province, where Moscow was situated.

The Rise of Moscow

Moscow was only a small trading outpost in the principality of Vladimir-Suzdal in Kievan Rus’ before the invasion of Mongol forces during the 13th century. However, due to the unstable environment of the Golden Horde, and the deft leadership of Ivan I at a critical time during the 13th century, Moscow became a safe haven of prosperity during his reign. It also became the new seat of power of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Ivan I (also known as Ivan Kalita) was born around 1288 to the Prince of Moscow, Daniil Aleksandrovich. He was born during a time of devastation and upheaval in Rus’. Kiev had been overtaken by the invading Mongol forces in 1240, and most of the Rus’ principalities had been absorbed into the Golden Horde of the Mongol Empire by the time Ivan was born. He ascended to the seat of Prince of Moscow after the death of his father, and then the death of his older brother Yury.

Ivan I. He was born around 1288 and died in either 1340 or 1341, still holding the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir.

Ivan I stepped into a role that had already been expanded by his predecessors. Both his older brother and his father had captured nearby lands, including Kolomna and Mozhaisk. Yury had also made a successful alliance with the Mongol leader Uzbeg Khan and married his sister, securing more power and advantages within the hierarchy of the Golden Horde.

Ivan I continued the family tradition and petitioned the leaders of the Golden Horde to gain the seat of Grand Prince of Vladimir. His other three rivals, all princes of Tver, had previously been granted the title in prior years. However they were all subsequently deprived of the title and all three aspiring princes also eventually ended up murdered. Ivan I, on the other hand, garnered the title from Khan Muhammad Ozbeg in 1328. This new title, which he kept until his death around 1340, meant he could collect taxes from the Russian lands as a ruling prince and position his tiny city as a major player in the Vladimir region.

Moscow’s Rise

During this time of upheaval, the tiny outpost of Moscow had multiple advantages that repositioned this town and set it up for future prosperity under Ivan I. Three major contributing factors helped Ivan I relocate power to this area:

• It was situated in between other major principalities on the east and west so it was often protected from the more devastating invasions.
• This relative safety, compared to Tver and Ryazan, for example, started to bring in tax-paying citizens who wanted a safe place to build a home and earn a livelihood.
• Finally, Moscow was set up perfectly along the trade route from Novgorod to the Volga River, giving it an economic advantage from the start.

Ivan I also spurred on the growth of Moscow by actively recruiting people to move to the region. In addition, he bought the freedom of people who had been captured by the extensive Mongol raids. These recruits further bolstered the population of Moscow. Finally, he focused his attention on establishing peace and routing out thieves and raiding parties in the region, making for a safe and calm metaphorical island in a storm of unsettled political and military upsets.

Kievan Rus’ 1220-1240. This map illustrates the power dynamics at play during the 13th century shortly before Ivan I was born. Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde, sat to the southeast, while Moscow (not visible on this map) was tucked up in the northern forests of Vladimir-Suzdal.

Ivan I knew that the peace of his region depended upon keeping up an alliance with the Golden Horde, which he did faithfully. Moscow’s increased wealth during this era also allowed him to loan money to neighboring principalities. These regions then became indebted to Moscow, bolstering its political and financial position.

In addition, a few neighboring cities and villages were subsumed into Moscow during the 1320s and 1330s, including Uglich, Belozero, and Galich. These shifts slowly transformed the tiny trading outpost into a bustling city center in the northern forests of what was once Kievan Rus’.

Russian Orthodox Church and The Center of Moscow

Ivan I committed some of Moscow’s new wealth to building a splendid city center and creating an iconic religious setting. He built stone churches in the center of Moscow with his newly gained wealth. Ivan I also tempted one of the most important religious leaders in Rus’, the Orthodox Metropolitan Peter, to the city of Moscow. Before the rule of the Golden Horde the original Russian Orthodox Church was based in Kiev. After years of devastation, Metropolitan Peter transferred the seat of power to Moscow where a new Renaissance of culture was blossoming. This perfectly timed transformation of Moscow coincided with the decades of devastation in Kiev, effectively transferring power to the north once again.

Peter of Moscow and scenes from his life as depicted in a 15th-century icon. This religious leader helped bring cultural power to Moscow by moving the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church there during Ivan I’s reign.

One of the most lasting accomplishments of Ivan I was to petition the Khan based in Sarai to designate his son, who would become Simeon the Proud, as the heir to the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir. This agreement a line of succession that meant the ruling head of Moscow would almost always hold power over the principality of Vladimir, ensuring Moscow held a powerful position for decades to come.

• Boundless World History. Authored by : Boundless. Located at : https://www.boundless.com/world-history/textbooks/boundless-world-history-textbook/ . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike