2015 trek emonda sl 6

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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• Rider Notes

2015 Trek Émonda SL 6

A carbon frame race bike with high-end components and rim brakes.

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A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

Émonda SL 6

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When Trek first introduced the Émonda back in 2014, it was sort of a surprising addition. Seeming to compete directly with the Madone, the biggest difference was that Trek’s new lightweight lacked the aerodynamic touches of its sibling. Now with the most modern iteration of the Madone, we know that Trek was already working on creating …

Read Review

Mar 2016 · Greg Kaplan

This everyday race bike is low weight, high value, and high fun

In developing the Émonda, Trek devoted considerable resources to designing a lightweight race bike and trumped the industry with a 690g frame. CTech editor Matt Wikstrom takes a close look at the new bike and assesses the influence of different grades of carbon fibre by comparing the mid-level Émonda SL6 with the

Jul 2015 · Warren Rossiter

One of the lightest chassis ever made, the Émonda is a climber's dream but also a fantastic all-rounder

Nov 2014 · Mat Brett

Super light and lively road bike that flies up the climbs, with many other talents too

Nov 2014 · Matthew Pioro

My test bike, the Trek Émonda SLR 8, shares the same frame and fork (690 g and 280 g in Size 56, respectively) as the SLR 10, but has a less-rarified spec.

Last updated 29 June Not listed for 2,487 days

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Trek Émonda comparison review: SL6 versus SLR6

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

In developing the Émonda, Trek devoted considerable resources to designing a lightweight race bike and trumped the industry with a 690g frame. CTech editor Matt Wikstrom takes a close look at the new bike and assesses the influence of different grades of carbon fibre by comparing the mid-level Émonda SL6 with the upper-level SLR6.

Trek is well known for its Madone and Domane road bikes but neither was ever designed as a lightweight race bike. So in 2012, the company set out to see what it could achieve and came up with the Émonda. The development process required over 30 months but the result is currently the world’s lightest production road bike. At 4.65kg for a size 56cm bike, the Émonda SLR10 trumps the previous title-holder by almost 1kg, but at a significant cost: $17,999.

There are, of course, more affordable versions of the bike yet Trek believes that the Émonda range is the world’s lightest production road line . There are over a dozen models in the Émonda range including women’s-specific versions and custom builds via Trek’s Project One portal . Variations in parts specifications account for some of the differences between each model, but there are also three different versions of the frameset (designated S, SL, and SLR) that differ in carbon fibre grade, country of manufacture, and ultimately, final weight.

| Related : How Trek is adapting to the challenges of online retail

Trek uses five different grades of carbon fibre for frame construction that vary in weight, strength, stiffness and cost. At one end of the spectrum there is 300 series carbon, a cost-effective blend, and at the other there is 700 series carbon, a high-cost, low-weight, military-grade blend.

As the base model in the range, the Émonda S is made in Taiwan from 300 series carbon with a simplified design (e.g. a standard seatpost is used rather than semi-integrated design) to reduce production costs.

In contrast, the Émonda SL and SLR share many of the same design features (such as a semi-integrated seatpost) however the SL is manufactured in Taiwan from 500 series carbon while the SLR is manufactured from 700 series carbon in the U.S.A. The use of the highest-grade carbon affords the SLR a weight saving of over 300g when compared to the SL but almost triples the price of the frameset.

While weight was an important design imperative for the Émonda, Trek spent a considerable period road testing the new bike to refine its handling characteristics while paying attention to its stiffness. Riders from Trek’s professional team were instrumental in determining the value of each refinement but engineers were also guided by data collected from strain gauges and accelerometers fitted to prototypes.

CT’s roving reporter Dave Everett attended the launch of the Émonda last year and was able to take one ride on the SLR8 . While his report served as a good introduction to the Émonda, the new bike deserved a longer look. In this review, I spend a lot more time on the Émonda, and thanks to Trek Australia , compare two models — SL6 and SLR6 — to learn more about how different grades of carbon fibre affect the performance of the bike.

Before the ride

In developing the Émonda, Trek’s engineers pared away at the frame and forks until they arrived at the minimum structure that satisfied all of their performance and safety criteria. The result is a frameset that is noticeably skinnier than the Madone and Domane .

| Related : Trek 5 Series Madone and Domane comparison review

Like the Madone and Domane, the Émonda SL and SLR framesets utilise a BB90 bottom bracket and E2 headtube. At 90mm wide, the BB90 bottom bracket provides a broad footing for the downtube and chainstays to help the stiffness of the frame. The E2 headtube also helps the stiffness of the frame with an oversized lower headset bearing and tapered fork steerer.

Trek further refines the design of the SLR with an asymmetric steerer that is wider from side-to-side and skinnier from front-to-back. The difference provides extra stiffness for cornering while affording some compliance to soak up road shock.

The Émonda SL and SLR also inherit the semi-integrated seatpost design that was introduced with the Madone. A seatpost cap fits over an extended seat tube and offers a range of 10cm for saddle height adjustment. Trek offers a choice of two lengths for the seatpost cap (135mm and 175mm) along with two offsets (5mm and 20mm) to help with refining the fit of the bike.

| Related : First-look review: 2016 Trek Madone

Both framesets provide internal routing for the gear and rear brake cables, with interchangeable cable stops and ports to suit mechanical and electronic transmissions. There is also an adjustable chain keeper that is integrated into the seat tube while the left chainstay is ready to accept Trek’s DuoTrap S speed/cadence sensor .

Aside from the difference in carbon fibre blend and country of origin, the SLR frameset is further distinguished from the SL in a number of small ways. I’ve already mentioned the asymmetrical fork steerer above. Another difference lies with the brake caliper mounts: the SLR frameset uses direct mount calipers front and rear, while the SL uses conventional calipers.

The front derailleur mount also differs: the SL frameset has an alloy fitting that is riveted to the seat tube while the SLR has a carbon mount that is molded into the frame. Finally, the SLR frameset is offered with a choice of Trek’s H1 or F2 fit, while the SL is only available with a H2 fit. The difference between the two is in the length of the head tube, which is 30-35mm taller for the H2 fit at every frame size (see chart below).

There is a choice of up to nine frame sizes for the Émonda, as shown in the table below:

The range of frame sizes varies, depending on the model and fit of the frame. The SL6 is offered in sizes 47-62cm with a H2 fit only while the SLR6 is available in sizes 50-62cm with a H1 fit and 47-64cm with a H2 fit. Trek’s H1 fit can be considered very aggressive and race-oriented, affording plenty of handlebar drop. In contrast, the H2 fit is more moderate but riders looking for a more upright position will be better served by the geometry of Trek’s Domane. Visit Trek for detailed geometry charts for the SL6 and SLR6 .

The styling of the Émonda is very clean and simple with inviting lines that flow from one point to the next. The seat tube junction in particular is elegant and I like the way the seat stays seem to sprout with energy for the dropouts.

Trek keeps the paintwork simple with a minimum of decoration though the gloss paint adds some luxury to the final result. The Émonda SL6 is currently available in a choice of two colours (Matte Trek Black with Gloss Trek Black logos, or, Viper Red with Trek Black logos) compared to one for the SLR6 (Crystal White with Argent Silver logos and Trek Cyan details). However, there are many more paint finishes available for the SLR via Project One .

The SL6 and SLR6 are both dressed with Shimano’s mechanical 11-speed Ultegra groupset and a suite of Bontrager components but there are some distinct differences between the two bikes. For example, the SL6 uses Bontrager’s entry-level Race wheelset while the SLR6 gets an upgrade with a Race Lite wheelset that is lighter.

Similarly, the SL6 is supplied with a Bontrager Paradigm Race saddle with chromoly rails while the SLR6 gets a Paradigm RL saddle that has hollow titanium rails. There is also a difference in brake calipers, where the SL6 has standard Ultegra calipers while the SLR6 uses Bontrager Speed Stop calipers.

All of these differences, from the grade of carbon fibre to individual parts, provide significant weight savings for the SLR6 when compared to the SL6. The SL6 sent for review (size 54cm, H2 fit) weighed 7.42kg sans pedals and cages while the SLR6 (size 54cm, H1 fit) weighed 6.68kg. The savings (740g) can be attributed largely to the SLR frameset (~300g) and the Race Lite wheelset (300g), with smaller weight savings provided by the shorter head tube and a lighter saddle.

Unsurprisingly, the weight savings come at a significant cost: the Émonda SL6 has a recommended retail price of $3,699 while the SLR6 retails for $8,499. In both instances, the frames come with a lifetime warranty while the forks and all Bontrager parts are covered by a two-year warranty. For more information on the Émonda range, visit Trek .

After the ride

After spending the day riding an Émonda SLR8 last year , Dave Everett found that “the first noticeable thing for me was not so much the weight but how planted the bike felt on the road.” Later though, once he found himself in hillier terrain, Dave was “definitely using the big chainring a lot more” than he normally would thanks to the low weight (6.15kg) of the bike.

Like Dave, I wasn’t wowed by the weight of the SL6 or SLR6. Instead, the Émonda was surprisingly ordinary, even mundane, compared to its marketing hype. Of course, there was more to discover, but after my early rides on the SL6 and SLR6, all I could say was that both bikes offered a very smooth and refined kind of ride that I’ve long associated with Trek’s bikes.

A “refined kind of ride” is not necessarily a compliment though. For those riders that like the bike to disappear beneath them so that they remain unaffected by road feedback, the Émonda should have plenty of appeal, regardless of whether it is the SL or SLR. However, I found myself wanting more from the bike, and while I could criticise the Émonda as being “dead” or “unlively”, that wouldn’t be fair. Instead, I’ll say this: riding an Émonda is like visiting a library to enjoy the quiet.

The steering and handling of the Émonda was very stable and predictable. As such, the bike is incredibly easy to ride. The bike obeyed my every instruction and while the steering tended towards slow, I didn’t find it required any extra effort to hold a line through sharp corners. I wouldn’t recommend the bike for criterium racing but then there isn’t much about the Émonda’s styling or marketing that would likely attract a dedicated criterium racer.

Neither the SL6 nor SLR6 felt like a particularly light or responsive climbing rig. Capable, yes, but still some distance from ever being explosive. What seemed to be missing was any great sense of the bike’s stiffness. It’s not that the bike was too compliant, but rather, I wasn’t getting any feedback from the bike in order to judge its performance. Thus it seems the Émonda is defined more by the absence of any sensation rather than what can be felt by the rider.

The Émonda was well suited to long rides. The bike doesn’t rattle or chatter, even on rough roads, and I found the hours passed by with ease as the bike continued with steadfast assurance. I found myself re-evaluating the subdued ride quality as a comfort, like the support and encouragement from a devoted friend. After all, there’s no need for showmanship on a long ride, just steady commitment from the rider and the bike, and the Émonda was prepared to keep going for as long as I wanted.

By taking turns on the SL6 and SLR6, and then swapping the wheelsets between each bike, I found that the SLR6 was a stiffer bike. It was only a mild difference, but it could be felt when rising out of the saddle on a climb, traversing rough roads, and as a little feedback from the road. Overall, it provided the SLR6 with a racier feel than the SL6, but I must stress, it was very mild. Switching to stiffer mid-profile carbon wheels ( Curve 38mm clinchers ) enhanced this sense a little more but the wheels weren’t able to transform the Émonda into an aggressive race bike.

The Domane has a strong reputation for its comfort but the Émonda shouldn’t be overlooked, especially the SL series. I found myself marvelling at how well the SL6 was able to soak up every crack, bump and rut. Furthermore, there was a good balance of compliance between the front and rear of the bike. Adventurous riders that enjoy demanding terrain may find the Émonda lacking, otherwise the bike is well suited to a wide variety of terrain.

The SL6 had a lot in common with the SLR6. The overall ride quality was very similar while the steering and handling were identical. I’ve already mentioned that the SLR6 was marginally stiffer; it was also marginally more agile, but that was due largely to the lighter wheelset. Indeed, swapping wheelsets between the two bikes improved the SL6, however it made no difference to the stiffness of the bike.

Finally, I’m pleased to report that Bontrager’s new direct mount Speed Stop calipers are a significant improvement over the previous iteration supplied with the Madone . The calipers were smooth and effective with plenty of bite but they didn’t suffer any of the heavy effort that defined the last version. Indeed, I couldn’t find anything to separate the performance of Speed Stop calipers from the standard Ultegra brakes fitted to the SL6.

My only complaint is with the way the inner cable is routed: it ends up between the tyre and the brake arm to rest upon the brake pad. Cutting the cable short removes any risk of it getting caught against the rim but then is too fiddly to hold when re-adjusting the cable.

Summary and final thoughts

The Émonda has been positioned by Trek as an ultralight bike, purpose-built for climbing, with a strong emphasis on race performance. I don’t have a quarrel with their claims or strategy but the bike is much more versatile than a dedicated climbing rig. The ride quality is easy to like and the steering and handling ensure its reliability in essentially any situation, so while it won’t satisfy buyers looking for extremes in performance, it’s hard to see how it will disappoint anybody else.

The differences between the SL6 and SLR6 were modest at best. Some were a matter of the parts specified for each bike, but fundamentally, the SLR frameset is lighter, stiffer and more race-oriented that the SL.

It is interesting to note that most of the weight savings offered by the SLR6 can be obtained for an Émonda SL by upgrading from the SL6 to an SL8 (RRP $4,999) and substituting the stock Race wheelset for the Race Lite version without spending any more than $6,000. I’m not criticising the price of the SLR though, just highlighting what is perhaps the Émonda’s greatest strength, which is Trek’s range of models and options for the bike.

Trek Émonda SL6 Gallery

Trek Émonda SLR6 Gallery

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\u2018even with roubaix legs i cannot follow poga\u010dar\u2019\"}}\u0027>\n mathieu van der poel realistic about quest for monument sweep: \u2018even with roubaix legs i cannot follow poga\u010dar\u2019\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good looking","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/cadex-race-integrated-bar-first-look\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/cadex-race-integrated-bar-first-look\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good looking\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/cadex-race-integrated-bar-first-look\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good 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otter\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-titanium-brand-chandi-brings-decades-of-frame-building-experience-to-its-beautiful-bikes\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-titanium-brand-chandi-brings-decades-of-frame-building-experience-to-its-beautiful-bikes\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/new-titanium-brand-chandi-brings-decades-of-frame-building-experience-to-its-beautiful-bikes\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes\"}}\u0027>\n new titanium brand chandi brings decades of frame building experience to its beautiful bikes\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/ride-the-rockies-canceled-due-to-low-registration-future-uncertain\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/ride-the-rockies-canceled-due-to-low-registration-future-uncertain\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/ride-the-rockies-canceled-due-to-low-registration-future-uncertain\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain\"}}\u0027>\n ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/sea-otter-randoms-riser-handlebars-nifty-racks-and-tubes-arent-dead\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/sea-otter-randoms-riser-handlebars-nifty-racks-and-tubes-arent-dead\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/sea-otter-randoms-riser-handlebars-nifty-racks-and-tubes-arent-dead\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead\"}}\u0027>\n sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tadej-pogacar-seizes-liege-bastogne-liege-with-dominant-solo-display\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tadej-pogacar-seizes-liege-bastogne-liege-with-dominant-solo-display\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tadej-pogacar-seizes-liege-bastogne-liege-with-dominant-solo-display\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display\"}}\u0027>\n tadej poga\u010dar seizes li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge with dominant solo display\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/trek-carback-radar-rear-bike-light-challenges-garmin\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/trek-carback-radar-rear-bike-light-challenges-garmin\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/trek-carback-radar-rear-bike-light-challenges-garmin\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility\"}}\u0027>\n trek launches carback radar rear bike light with 2 km daytime visibility\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/ritchey-montebello-brings-steel-goodness-to-all-road\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/ritchey-montebello-brings-steel-goodness-to-all-road\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/ritchey-montebello-brings-steel-goodness-to-all-road\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road\"}}\u0027>\n the ritchey montebello brings steel goodness to all-road\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/highbar-wants-to-revolutionize-your-helmet-straps\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/highbar-wants-to-revolutionize-your-helmet-straps\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/highbar-wants-to-revolutionize-your-helmet-straps\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps\"}}\u0027>\n highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/haro-buzzard-rivette-road-gravel\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/haro-buzzard-rivette-road-gravel\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/haro-buzzard-rivette-road-gravel\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what\"}}\u0027>\n haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"key takeaways: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge 2024","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/key-takeaways-liege-bastogne-liege-2024\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/key-takeaways-liege-bastogne-liege-2024\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"key takeaways: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge 2024\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/key-takeaways-liege-bastogne-liege-2024\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"key takeaways: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge 2024\"}}\u0027>\n key takeaways: li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge 2024\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"kona bikes bails on sea otter classic with no explanation","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/kona-bikes-bails-on-sea-otter-classic-with-no-explanation\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/kona-bikes-bails-on-sea-otter-classic-with-no-explanation\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"kona bikes bails on sea otter classic with no explanation\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/kona-bikes-bails-on-sea-otter-classic-with-no-explanation\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"kona bikes bails on sea otter classic with no explanation\"}}\u0027>\n kona bikes bails on sea otter classic with no explanation\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"sea otter randoms: limited edition saddle, updated ritte, salsa e-bike and more","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/sea-otter-randoms-limited-edition-saddle-updated-ritte-salsa-e-bike-and-more\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/sea-otter-randoms-limited-edition-saddle-updated-ritte-salsa-e-bike-and-more\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"sea otter randoms: limited edition saddle, updated ritte, salsa e-bike and more\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/sea-otter-randoms-limited-edition-saddle-updated-ritte-salsa-e-bike-and-more\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"sea otter randoms: limited edition saddle, updated ritte, salsa e-bike and more\"}}\u0027>\n sea otter randoms: limited edition saddle, updated ritte, salsa e-bike and more\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "}]' > >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>advertise >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>privacy policy >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>contact >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>careers >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>terms of use >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>site map >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": "link"}}'>my newsletters manage cookie preferences privacy request healthy living.

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Inside Russia’s penal colonies: A look at life for political prisoners caught in Putin’s crackdowns

FILE In this file photo made from video provided by the Moscow City Court on Feb. 3, 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny makes a heart gesture standing in a cage during a hearing to a motion from the Russian prison service to convert the suspended sentence of Navalny from the 2014 criminal conviction into a real prison term in the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, has become Russia’s most famous political prisoner. He is serving a nine-year term due to end in 2030 on charges widely seen as trumped up, and is facing another trial on new charges that could keep him locked up for another two decades. (Moscow City Court via AP, File)

FILE Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny looks at photographers standing behind a glass of the cage in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 20, 2021. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, has become Russia’s most famous political prisoner. He is serving a nine-year term due to end in 2030 on charges widely seen as trumped up, and is facing another trial on new charges that could keep him locked up for another two decades. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

FILE - Detained protesters are escorted by police during a protest against the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Jan. 31, 2021. Memorial, Russia’s oldest and most prominent human rights organization and a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, counted 558 political prisoners in the country as of April -- more than three times higher than in 2018, when it listed 183. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Opposition leader Alexey Navalny, speaks with riot police officers blocking the way during a protest rally against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s rule in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Feb. 25, 2012. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, has become Russia’s most famous political prisoner. He is serving a nine-year term due to end in 2030 on charges widely seen as trumped up, and is facing another trial on new charges that could keep him locked up for another two decades. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Police block a protest against the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on Jan. 23, 2021. Memorial, Russia’s oldest and most prominent human rights organization and a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, counted 558 political prisoners in the country as of April -- more than three times higher than in 2018, when it listed 183. (AP Photo, file)

FILE Sasha Skochilenko, a 32-year-old artist and musician, stands in a defendant’s cage in a courtroom during a hearing in the Vasileostrovsky district court in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 13, 2022. Skochilenko is in detention amid her ongoing trial following her April 2022 arrest in St. Petersburg on the charges of spreading false information about the army. She has spent over a year behind bars. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza is escorted to a hearing in a court in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 8, 2023. Kara-Murza, another top Russian opposition figure, was sentenced last month to 25 years on treason charges. (AP Photo, File)

FILE In this handout photo released by the Moscow City Court, Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, on April 17, 2023. Kara-Murza, another top Russian opposition figure, was sentenced last month to 25 years on treason charges. (The Moscow City Court via AP, File)

FILE - Alexei Gorinov holds a sign “I am against the war” standing in a cage during hearing in the courtroom in Moscow, Russia, on June 21, 2022. Gorinov, a former member of a Moscow municipal council, was convicted of “spreading false information” about the army in July over antiwar remarks he made at a council session. Criticism of the invasion was criminalized a few months earlier, and Gorinov, 61, became the first Russian sent to prison for it, receiving seven years. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Andrei Pivovarov, former head of Open Russia movement stands behind the glass during a court session in Krasnodar, Russia, on June 2, 2021. Pivovarov, an opposition figure sentenced last year to four years in prison, has been in isolation at Penal Colony No. 7 in northern Russia’s Karelia region since January and is likely to stay there the rest of this year. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Andrei Pivovarov, former head of Open Russia movement, speaks with media in Moscow, Russia, on July 9, 2020. Pivovarov, an opposition figure sentenced last year to four years in prison, has been in isolation at Penal Colony No. 7 in northern Russia’s Karelia region since January and is likely to stay there the rest of this year. (AP Photo/Denis Kaminev, File)

FILE - Riot police detain two young men at a demonstration in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 21, 2022. Memorial, Russia’s oldest and most prominent human rights organization and a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, counted 558 political prisoners in the country as of April -- more than three times higher than in 2018, when it listed 183. (AP Photo, File)

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TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — When Alexei Navalny turns 47 on Sunday, he’ll wake up in a bare concrete cell with hardly any natural light.

He won’t be able to see or talk to any of his loved ones. Phone calls and visits are banned for those in “punishment isolation” cells, a 2-by-3-meter (6 1/2-by-10-foot) space. Guards usually blast patriotic songs and speeches by President Vladimir Putin at him.

“Guess who is the champion of listening to Putin’s speeches? Who listens to them for hours and falls asleep to them?” Navalny said recently in a typically sardonic social media post via his attorneys from Penal Colony No. 6 in the Vladimir region east of Moscow.

He is serving a nine-year term due to end in 2030 on charges widely seen as trumped up, and is facing another trial on new charges that could keep him locked up for another two decades. Rallies have been called for Sunday in Russia to support him.

Navalny has become Russia’s most famous political prisoner — and not just because of his prominence as Putin’s fiercest political foe, his poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin, and his being the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary.

He has chronicled his arbitrary placement in isolation, where he has spent almost six months. He’s on a meager prison diet, restricted on how much time he can spend writing letters and forced at times to live with a cellmate with poor personal hygiene, making life even more miserable.

Most of the attention goes to Navalny and other high-profile figures like Vladimir Kara-Murza , who was sentenced last month to 25 years on treason charges. But there’s a growing number of less-famous prisoners who are serving time in similarly harsh conditions.

Memorial, Russia’s oldest and most prominent human rights organization and a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, counted 558 political prisoners in the country as of April — more than three times the figure than in 2018, when it listed 183.

The Soviet Union’s far-flung gulag system of prison camps provided inmate labor to develop industries such as mining and logging. While conditions vary among modern-day penal colonies , Russian law still permits prisoners to work on jobs like sewing uniforms for soldiers.

In a 2021 report, the U.S. State Department said conditions in Russian prisons and detention centers “were often harsh and life threatening. Overcrowding, abuse by guards and inmates, limited access to health care, food shortages and inadequate sanitation were common in prisons, penal colonies, and other detention facilities.”

Andrei Pivovarov , an opposition figure sentenced last year to four years in prison, has been in isolation at Penal Colony No. 7 in northern Russia’s Karelia region since January and is likely to stay there the rest of this year, said his partner, Tatyana Usmanova. The institution is notorious for its harsh conditions and reports of torture.

The 41-year-old former head of the pro-democracy group Open Russia spends his days alone in a small cell in a “strict detention” unit, and is not allowed any calls or visits from anyone but his lawyers, Usmanova told The Associated Press. He can get one book from the prison library, can write letters for several hours a day and is permitted 90 minutes outdoors, she said.

Other inmates are prohibited from making eye contact with Pivovarov in the corridors, contributing to his “maximum isolation,” she said.

“It wasn’t enough to sentence him to a real prison term. They are also trying to ruin his life there,” Usmanova added.

Pivovarov was pulled off a Warsaw-bound flight just before takeoff from St. Petersburg in May 2021 and taken to the southern city of Krasnodar. Authorities accused him of engaging with an “undesirable” organization -– a crime since 2015.

Several days before his arrest, Open Russia had disbanded after getting the “undesirable” label.

After his trial in Krasnodar, the St. Petersburg native was convicted and sentenced in July, when Russia’s war in Ukraine and Putin’s sweeping crackdown on dissent were in full swing.

He told AP in a letter from Krasnodar in December that authorities moved him there “to hide me farther away” from his hometown and Moscow. That interview was one of the last Pivovarov was able to give, describing prison life there as “boring and depressing,” with his only diversion being an hour-long walk in a small yard. “Lucky” inmates with cash in their accounts can shop at a prison store once a week for 10 minutes but otherwise must stay in their cells, he wrote.

Letters from supporters lift his spirits, he said. Many people wrote that they used to be uninterested in Russian politics, according to Pivovarov, and “only now are starting to see clearly.”

Now, any letters take weeks to arrive, Usmanova said.

Conditions are easier for some less-famous political prisoners like Alexei Gorinov , a former member of a Moscow municipal council. He was was convicted of “spreading false information” about the army in July over antiwar remarks he made at a council session.

Criticism of the invasion was criminalized a few months earlier, and Gorinov, 61, became the first Russian sent to prison for it, receiving seven years.

He is housed in barracks with about 50 others in his unit at Penal Colony No. 2 in the Vladimir region, Gorinov said in written answers passed to AP in March.

The long sentence for a low-profile activist shocked many, and Gorinov said “authorities needed an example they could showcase to others (of) an ordinary person, rather than a public figure.”

Inmates in his unit can watch TV, and play chess, backgammon or table tennis. There’s a small kitchen to brew tea or coffee between meals, and they can have food from personal supplies.

But Gorinov said prison officials still carry out “enhanced control” of the unit, and he and two other inmates get special checks every two hours, since they’ve been labeled “prone to escape.”

There is little medical help, he said.

“Right now, I’m not feeling all that well, as I can’t recover from bronchitis,” he said, adding that he needed treatment for pneumonia last winter at another prison’s hospital ward, because at Penal Colony No. 2, the most they can do is “break a fever.”

Also suffering health problems is artist and musician Sasha Skochilenko, who is detained amid her ongoing trial following her April 2022 arrest in St. Petersburg, also on charges of spreading false information about the army. Her crime was replacing supermarket price tags with antiwar slogans in protest.

Skochilenko has a congenital heart defect and celiac disease, requiring a gluten-free diet. She gets food parcels weekly, but there is a weight limit, and the 32-year-old can’t eat “half the things they give her there,” said her partner, Sophia Subbotina.

There’s a stark difference between detention facilities for women and men, and Skochilenko has it easier in some ways than male prisoners, Subbotina said.

“Oddly enough, the staff are mostly nice. Mostly they are women, they are quite friendly, they will give helpful tips and they have a very good attitude toward Sasha,” Subbotina told AP by phone.

“Often they support Sasha, they tell her: ‘You will definitely get out of here soon, this is so unfair here.’ They know about our relationship and they are fine with it. They’re very humane,” she said.

There’s no political propaganda in the jail and dance music blares from a radio. Cooking shows play on TV. Skochilenko “wouldn’t watch them in normal life, but in jail, it’s a distraction,” Subbotina said.

She recently arranged for an outside cardiologist to examine Skochilneko and since March has been allowed to visit her twice a month.

Subbotina gets emotional when she recalled their first visit.

“It is a complex and weird feeling when you’ve been living with a person. Sasha and I have been together for over six years — waking up with them, falling asleep with them — then not being able to see them for a year,” she said. “I was nervous when I went to visit her. I didn’t know what I would say to Sasha, but in the end, it went really well.”

Still, Subbotina said a year behind bars has been hard on Skochilenko. The trial is moving slowly, unlike usually swift proceedings for high-profile political activists, with guilty verdicts almost a certainty.

Skochilenko faces up to 10 years if convicted.