Build yourself a solid road bike this year

After a recent podcast we got our hand on the 2024 Trek Emonda ALR frameset. We take a good hard and close up look at it, and evaluate and fix its flaws. We love this framest because of its nice looks, smooth sleek welds, T47 BB, smooth ride feel and stiff rear mech. I think it is a real winner.
It comes with a lifetime warranty too.
Build it however you want. This bike features:
Trek Emonda ALR Size S
Shimano 105 11sp Groupset
Level finishing kit ripped off an old Ribble
Shimano Ultegra Wheelset
Gatorskin tyres
Well done ‪@trekbikes‬ You made something really nice at a reasonable price. Shame about that BB face.

[@KNURKonesur]

Hope this becomes a series of videos and we get a "Build yourself a solid bikepacking bike this year" some way along the line :D Great stuff as always Paul!

[@Mapdec]

If we find one, we will defo do it.

[@ronniedan1044]

Awesome vid! A bit of an AL fanboy myself and lasting after one of these for some time. Been trying to sell one of my carbon bikes/frames to fund this endeavor. Anyone up for an as new 2021 Lapierre SL 6 frame?! Help this poor boy get his white AL Emonda frame. It’s an emergency!

[@romanpramuka2703]

You can't build yourself a bike, because you don't have such an expensive BB tool. Shame from Trek.

[@Fastfreddyii]

@@romanpramuka2703 I'm sure Mapdec would tidy up a frame using that tool for their usual hourly rate, if asked.

[@hendrixinfinity3992]

@@Mapdec Sonder frontier

[@pmckeown38]

Crazy that you have to face anything, the factory should be doing this surely.

[@Alan-75]

Yeh £1000 just for a frame and it needs facing. That's just poor, it should be perfect from the factory at that price.

[@Pleasestopthat]

Facing the bottom bracket doesn’t make any difference to functionality or appearance. It’s getting covered by the bb anyway.

[@diehardbikes]

​@@Pleasestopthat it actually CAN make a difference, if there is any uneven surface, that can cause creaking, it can cause issues with tightening, it can cause rotational problems(alignment issues), there's lots of problems an uneven or unfaced bb can cause.

[@dubistweltmeister5]

I work as a mechanic in a bike shop myself and couldn't agree more, we bought this exact palmares frame and kitted it out with 105 and some stock aeolus wheels, the amount of compliments we got on the bike was incredible haha

[@JimS870]

How much more does it cost vs buying a complete bike?

[@mtbtomo]

I had the first Trek Emonda ALR, great cheap, no fuss bike. Also as light as the lower end carbon Emondas. I just dont know why its acceptable to need to face bb shells or sort other minor defects on factory fresh frames nowadays. £1k and they dont finish the product properly 🤔😤. Seems to be the norm regardless of brand and everyone talks about it as though its acceptable....

[@Mapdec]

It’s mad that brands are still not ready to fully sell direct to consumer. Frames are usually made to go to bike shops to be built. That’s why we have all those tools.

[@tim2961]

@@Mapdec but not always bike shops know about such details, unfortunately

[@wearejames1]

If that is a new frame, why would you have to face the bottom bracket??? That cable routing on the headset looks like it would let a huge amount of rain and dirt in, not sure how long the bearing will last with that design🙁

[@mlee6050]

I got Enduro stainless so my headset bearing should last The facing is depending on brake mounts, bottom bracket and head tube sometimes need facing so surface is clean and parallel to run that bit nicer (my bottom bracket on my frame has a tad of paint on it but unsure if get someone to face it as not know who has T47 and cost few hundred to buy one)

[@byc1013]

T47 as you said makes sense (especially for ALU frames) because you need the space for the welding and material of the tubes. With BSA you're taking a pretty small shell that came from the steel days of skinny tubes and welds to larger tubing. T47 also gives you more space for spindle choices

[@JM...]

Trek website says tolerance is 28, you talk 32, would 35 fit?

[@nascarisawesome5018]

I work for Trek and the lifetime guarantee is true! I've seen warranties on cheap cruiser bike from 15 ears ago and old carbon road bike also (just to name a few). Trek is all about good customer experience, which I was skeptical of when I worked in other shops, but it really is true.

[@KU-mg9el]

Lies

[@diehardbikes]

​@KU-mg9el they aren't lies. I've had a warranty processed. My 2021 Trek Boone frame had a delaminated BB. Get a brand new Boone from 2023. Also, I've had friends get warranties processed. Sometimes, even if the damage was caused accidentally by you, Trek still offers you a discount on a completely new bike or frame. And a heavy discount at that.

[@youvebeenmilked2893]

Which trek shop do you work at? Mine did warranties pretty nicely too

[@dainiusvysniauskas2049]

So you can buy this frameset for 1200 euros Or a complete Radon R1 with 105 hydraulic groupset for 1300 euros. I think the choice is clear

[@stevenbell482]

Nice chat, and what a great build. thanks for taking us along! Love

[@Mapdec]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@bergbilch]

is that normal for a bike frame of this value to have paint and "welding blobs" all over it? the more i watch theese videos the more im inclined to never give up my old bikes that have 0 manufacturing issues, rim brakes and that i actually can fix myself

[@jonburnell532]

Nice to see a frame with plenty of colour on it. Looks lovely. My brother has the last gen Emonda ALR in flip purple, it's a really good frame. He loves riding it and it hasn't creaked or posed any issues in 4 years.

[@Mapdec]

Very nice!

[@Swoop10]

You should do an opinion video to cycling weekly "ALR superbike" build and the 5 bad points of the bike video. 👍

[@DigitalCity-sj4es]

are you joking.....1000 for an aluminum made in china/taiwan frame, as a good deal? stop the bullshittery, something tells me trek PAID you a visit.

[@Mapdec]

lol. No. In fact Trek are sold at Wheelbase just a stones throw away from us. Name a better frameset at £1000. I haven’t seen one.

[@adydanner]

Had to claim from Trek on a Boone stripped the bike down as the bb90 was oversized. Pedal revolution in Norwich argued that Trek had said the BB had probably seized and oversized the BB shell!! In the end they gave me a new frame as a goodwill gesture. But they wanted proof of servicing etc which wasn't detailed in the warranty blurb. So be wary of these warranties. Found out that same thing happened to a friend's trek with bb90 a few months later same argument was used....

[@DigitalCity-sj4es]

@@Mapdec the argument is not that there is a better frameset for this price..its the fact that this frame is selling for 1000 to begin with , you know dam well these frames have an over inflated price. stop the BS

[@co7013]

Nice bike. But all that internal cable routing is terrible. What idiot invented that?

[@Mapdec]

Consumer demand

[@greghart6310]

Right! Im hoping to build one of these sometime later in the year (cash flow pending) and you guys are now IT for helping with the initial prep and routing.

[@froggy0162]

I was interested up to the point it was clear it had cables through the headset… Fail. No sale…

[@Mapdec]

It’s getting quite hard to find frames that are external now. Everyone wants that stealth look.

[@froggy0162]

@@Mapdec Yeah, it’s super frustrating. There are some of us still holding out with a love for mechanical gears, and all those extra bends ruin shift feel… Am looking for a modern alloy frame with good tyre clearance for a rough road commuter and so far the Giant Contend AR is looking good. It’s sold as a budget bike and I can only buy it with very budget kit on it, so I’d have tk sell off the stuff and rebuild (probably 12 speed mechanical 105 and some Chinese carbon wheels…).

[@emotioneering]

At a £1000 for an aluminium frame you would kinda hope it was safe. Are you guys seeing stuff at that price point that isn’t? A video naming and shaming the worst you’ve seen and praising the best examples Hambini-style would help us consumers a lot. Same with component quality. You’d also hope you wouldn’t have to face a BB on any bike at any price point. Thanks for the videos, it’s truly scary how poor quality is in the industry for such high prices.

[@laurencewarren-west7493]

Having to face your own bottom bracket due to paint and welding inaccuracies is wild

[@kinghadu9611]

I switched over to gates carbon belt drive roadbike now and the only way I could see myself going back to chain is with a wireless Di2 105 or something, I absolutely HATE the fact that cables require maintenance, replacement and adjusting so much times, I hate cleaning chains aswell and the short life that comes with it, however waxing is always a good choice to drastically increase the length of your drive train. But noway I am gonna touch mechanical groupsets now

[@martincoenen2]

Thanks to Paul's opinions and experience I just have build myself a time adhx 45 , very very thankfull ! ☺️

[@Mapdec]

Nice ride.

[@martinbichler7089]

Back in the nineties when Principia frames were hot, we had to work on bottom bracket and headset areas in the bikeshop. Sad to see this is still the case, 30 years later. You would think, that getting these areas perfect on an aluminum frame does not take too much effort - so why does such a frame not come in perfect condition 🤷‍♂️

[@Mapdec]

Still reliant on dealers.

[@martinbichler7089]

Well, if every dealer were like you... unfortunately not every dealer is. And what about private people that want to build, they'd expect a ready to build frame delivered to their door...

[@Mapdec]

@@martinbichler7089 yes. In this case it was Triton Cycles. They should have checked it, but they will be responsible for fixing it if someone is smart enough to return it. I hope we are helping people with those decisions.

[@merckxy54]

Nice looking bike, great build and all in a fairly cheap bike!

[@drscre]

1200 grams? That's the weight of the ADHX 45 medium frame.

[@Mapdec]

Yes. The ADHX 45 is quite a beefed out gravel bike though. It’s a category 2 frame for gravel.

[@lizhengzhang]

just came back from a ride, shower, took in some food and recover a bit in front of youtube, what a beautiful video, somehow really find it satisfying that everything executed professionally on the build, so much enjoyable to watch. well done.

[@Mapdec]

Nice. 👍. Thank you.

[@neilashton9459]

I saw that on the Trek website and was intrigued. Love the color and T47, and price is very reasonable. Glad to see it stands up to professional examination attention.

[@julianw5692]

My least favorite part of this channel is that I now don't trust any other bike shop and i live hundreds of miles away from mapdec 😂

[@Mapdec]

That’s very kind of you.

[@garyharmon5386]

Great video. I have a 2019 Emonda ALR and I love it. SRAM components and mechanical brakes with carbon Aeolus wheels . It’s also a size small. It is super lightweight.

[@comtruise9779]

The Kinesis RTD is another really good quality, good value aluminum frame to consider with proper endurance features like a slack HT that is completely stable, and big tire clearance. Only issue I had was the same issue the Trek had with the bottom bracket not being faced.

[@gooeytv1184]

Cycling weekly has complaints on its headset and bottom bracket. Is it the same on your frame?

[@Mapdec]

No. Because we fixed it. Like any good shop would.

[@531c]

Nice build and exemplary attention to detail. Worst frame i ever had was an aluminium 2019 Cube gravel frame. Only came to light with a rear puncture. Struggled to remove thru axle. Fixed puncture then spent 30 minutes trying to align thruaxle. I had to lean on the bike laid flat to distort it to get it to thread in. Bought a 2021 Genesis CDF frameset and built my gravel TANK.

[@Mapdec]

All probably caused by a blob of paint behind the mech hanger that prevents axle alignment.

[@kevinfrost1579]

Got to say fellas I admire your stoicism and appreciate the vital role you play in correcting poor manufacturing QC in providing a practical solution. But don’t the industry’s underlying issues make you want to weep with frustration at times ? Take the reflection that unfortunately BB imperfections are the generally expected norm for a new bike at this price point. When we get to the point of saying there was nothing unsafe on it, rather than that being the automatic given for all bikes it really makes one question what the manufacturing side of the industry is launching on it’s customers …………rant over 😖

[@Mapdec]

Fair one. I just don’t think brands have got the hang of selling direct to consumers. This work we do is very normal and few years ago. It’s just that now it is easier to bypass a dealer who has a partnership with the manufacturer to provide final QC.

[@jauxed]

I have an Trek ALR 6 (2018), for daily commute yes but it was beaten by my Velo Build carbon frameset and it was more comfortable...not to mention stiffer bb.

[@andrewhayes7055]

A few years ago you could by a full bike with 105 for the price of that frame.

[@dan44zzt231]

I have the older Emonda S4 bike which is carbon and was £999 with 10 speed Tiagra back in 2017. Crazy how much prices have jumped.

[@andrew6889-p5c]

Is the move to wide tries exactly the change that aluminum frames needed to make a comeback. Let the tire handle compliance and the frame provide strength and power transfer. The argument for carbon over aluminum gets a lot harder to make especially if the price difference is so striking.

[@alexthomas7935]

That paint job was so sick! Perfect match for they’re triple X LTD road shoes

[@matthewlewis2072]

Love watching you build, great attention to detail. But I could go the rest of my life without hearing that "music" and not miss it

[@Mapdec]

It’s ok we change it for every video. What’s your music vibe. I’ll put it in the next one for you.

[@taxi9554]

Colour is beautiful…unfortunately I have already too many bikes 😂. Aluminium is blocked in my garage by an 2015 Specialized Allez…but the Trek would be Disc replacement, if I would have an excuse 😊

[@KikouLOL6702]

I built myself a gravel race bike/winter road bike based on the trek Crocket as a frame set. Got myself 9velo carbon wheels, sram gx eagle from last generation, cheap handlebar, stem, seatpost. I got myself a gravel race bike + everyday road bike for 3000Euro. Everything new.

[@thevirtualeconomy]

Lovely bike, just a shame they moved away from the H2 geometry.

[@cosmicphorz7328]

Do you think the Trek Checkpoint ALR frame have the same building quality as the shown Emonda?

[@georgefarrowgreen01]

Thank you for taping the steerer 😂

[@acckids]

I was in a Trek store 2 weeks ago and saw the ALR 5 in black. I was surprised the top headset was exposed since the top cap didn’t cover it. I then looked on their website to see if the issue was related to only the bike I saw but their website showed the upper silver headset sticking above the head tube. It was disappointing for a $2300 usd bike. …… thanks for video. Always enjoyable

[@aldrinclementina4297]

This video made me subscribe to this channel. 🤣. This is my story. We don't have seasons where I live. But we do have rainy days that starts in October till December. I did build a Aluminum rim brake road bike for those days( Concorde Mistral 340), to spare my Carbon all day road bike (BIanchi 928L). But I was looking for something more modern to build on a budget to use during this period. Looking forward also to go for a more modern road race bike. Thanks for sharing. Nice build.

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

The riveted front derailleur bracket is only a minor inconvenience, no? Worth mentioning, for sure, but any serious crit racer either has tools or has a mechanic. Drilling out a rivet, and replacing it when needed, is a terribly simple thing.

[@bubby372]

Recently did the exact same thing with that frame(in black) as my "second" bike. Added a set of Bontrager 37mm carbon wheels with Pirelli 28mm tan walls along with an RSL carbon seatpost and saddle. Shimano 105 11 speed mechanical.The ride is amazing for well under $4K.

[@dylangrantz8124]

I can't agree more. Not a trek fan for years but saw one out on a ride and was really impressed.

[@stefannewels1823]

Shut up and wrench...24/7...lalala 🔊🔊🕴🏼 Nice music and resulting Bike

[@E.T_rode_bikes_As_well]

U need to check out the new 2024 Merida Silex alu frames for the gravel guys. Amaazing frame for the money! As for the trek… still can’t beat the old first gen rim braked emonda alr frames!

[@kihunpark8669]

Emonda ALR is the better frame than those carbon ones at scam price!

[@Mapdec]

Yep.

[@romanpramuka2703]

Except that poorly finished BB and ugly fork and frame transition.

[@ericl6460]

Disappointed the video preview doesnt say "Great vALUe bike!" 😅

[@Mapdec]

Doh 🤦‍♂️

[@mugendrewable]

😂​@@Mapdec

[@owensnicholas]

Trek have long made solid aluminum frames. I have a bonded aluminum Trek I bought in the early 90s. It doesn’t have any original parts on it, but I still use the frame on my trainer, and I ride it a few thousand miles a year.

[@rosomak8244]

The front hanger is bolted on to provide a predetermined failure point, which will allow for an easy fix if something goes wrong, because the bolt will fail without destroying the actual frame.

[@ronitdebnath]

Bontrager handlebar. Too much handlebar reach. Else all good.

[@DR_1_1]

Can anyone tell why the left chainstay is almost always cut in the middle, then welded back together? 2:48 just left of the brake mounts.

[@jamessankey01]

That was great content, thanks. I ride a trek alr5 checkpoint for a few years, and other than the pressfit bb, I loved it. I sold it for a sl7 checkpoint, which I love, but in comparison, it does highlight just how good the alr5 is.

[@MrChippinator]

I had an Emonda AL frame. It was great, only reason I replaced it was that I got a great deal on a bike I always wanted.

[@creamroller]

can that frame take 32c tires? thanks in advance!

[@truthseeker8483]

Why isn't the Bottom Bracket already faced from the factory???

[@Mapdec]

Dealership QC. They don’t expect non bike shops to build frames.

[@jk-qe3jj]

@@Mapdec Even so, it would surely be more efficient to do it in the factory. For one thing, your time probably costs several times as much as that of some worker in a Chinese factory.

[@Mapdec]

@@jk-qe3jj and that’s why the factory don’t do it. Costs driven down and QC gets skipped.

[@adriansmith5446]

Built up a CAAD10, back in 2013. Used it to pull an xtrawheel, on a 5 week European adventure, did the Raid Alpine on it, covered circa 30-40k miles, in all weathers(inc Scottish Winters) and it's never failed to put a smile on my face. Talk about a bike being greater than the sum of it's parts.... I won't mention the BB30 standard, however! 😄

[@Mapdec]

The black anodised CAAD10 was amazing. They shouldn’t have bothered with the 12.

[@savagepro9060]

2:09 The 'Death of BSA', that is now a literary refrain . . . keep trying

[@rosomak8244]

Why can't they just smooth out the welds around the BB too?

[@Alimukz]

I built a nice hardcore carbon roadie, wish I did aluminium instead to last a lifetime

[@josephw8662]

vALUe

[@DaveCM]

A couple of years ago, my brother bought that frame in black. The disc brake mounts were misaligned. So, they got a different frame sent in and it was the exact same way. Apparently the same person made both frames. LOL! They ended up having to modify the mounts so the disc caliper would align properly. He liked the frame pretty well.

[@Mapdec]

It happens. Most bike shops should be able to fix it.

[@DanTuber]

And the total weight is.....???

[@nickyburnell]

A Grand. Mmmm. 1300 quid gets you a complete Canyon and the geometry is very good

[@Mapdec]

Go for it.

[@EditioCastigata]

fyi: Al needs about 15 minutes to develop that protective uniform AlO layer. Let it sit, don't grease/touch it for that long.

[@Mapdec]

Good info.

[@stephenbarnes5850]

Fantastic video they just keep getting better and better appreciate all your hard work keep them coming

[@edwoodsnowden]

Lovely frame but shame about the colour, I dont like white frames sorry!

[@Mapdec]

Ivory?

[@Maggie_n_Mitch23]

Yes its cool , but a grand for a bike frame eek!!

[@ketle369]

Remember when the aluminum frames were like 400?

[@Steve-yo8uh]

old mate with the long hair is a bit of a negative nancy

[@gcb2101]

1000 pounds? Seriously???

[@philipsiebenhaar1674]

I have that frame and it’s beautiful

[@boseabhi2]

Great Video, You just gave me the idea to build this bike. My plan is to use 105 mechanical 7100, some decent stapost, bar & stem. Wheels still is a deciding factor (Fulcrum or Hunt maybe). One question though do the frame come with Headset?

[@Mapdec]

yes.

[@hannahbruni6051]

You have any suggestions on MTB frames? I currently have a Giant Stance 2 (2021) but I’ve updated all components (full XTR drivetrain, dropper, new fork, etc). I am looking to buy a new frame and bring my new components over to it. I don’t care if it’s aluminum or carbon. But looking for a good recommendation that doesn’t break the bank (less than $2K USD).

[@Mapdec]

Crikey. Bird Aeris 29er

[@kylixchi]

Great Video, like seeing a great price frame, quality and build. Working all the cables in the headtube, looked like you managed to sort it out neatly. Thanks!

[@Mapdec]

Thanks 👍

[@MediumHalf]

Maybe my favorite color scheme on a Trek

[@黄辰旭]

BSA for cheap parts.

[@marknaylor5814]

Great video & useful insight. Do you have any idea what the Checkpoint ALR frame is like?

[@Mapdec]

I haven't seen one that I remember. sorry

[@celestialemissary4934]

I have canyon endurace RB alu bike and frame is stiff. I get sore on longer rides

[@Mapdec]

Yep. That bike is too stiff for what they advertise it’s for.

[@andrewpintar1620]

Can you provide a link to other video you talk about this frame / trek ALR. I've scanned the thumbnails, and its not exactly clear from the headlines / vid tittle. thanks

[@Mapdec]

I think it was in the TCR alternative podcast video.

[@benws8246]

Still expensive. Thing is, the marketing has conditioned many to think this is good value. You can get really good fully kitted out bikes for less than this frame. Colour is awful on a bicycle too. Won't take long to look a mess when using the UK roads.

[@Mapdec]

£1000 105 equipped bike? Where?

[@Normally_aspirated]

Also that colorway is fire

[@aljaliah6868]

I think the best value frames (and carbon at that) are the heavily discounted VITUS at Wiggle !!!!

[@Mapdec]

Very true.

[@aljaliah6868]

@@Mapdec If you can still get them , wiggle may not be around for much longer and it seems they own many brands VITUS included that may go down with them………….allegedly

[@moobaz8675]

Cracking looking bike. It’s bikes like this that bring reality back to cycling.

[@Mapdec]

Yes. That’s a very true statement. Wish I had thought of that.

[@the.communist]

This whole cables through the headset thing is such a fookedup idea.

[@Alan-75]

Wow £1000 for an aluminium road bike frame! rip off..No wonder bike companies are struggling, they're Pricing out alot of thier customers, and cables through the headtube, what a pain in the arse.

[@diehardbikes]

I loved this frame ever since it came out. Wish i had one. Trek lover here. If not for the fact that i race at the top level, i might own one of these instead. But my SLR will do. Maybe my next commuter will be either one of these or that new Checkpoint ALR AXS......

[@Aeysir]

Thing to consider with this frame, you can still pick up a full ALR5 for £1850, so for £850 over the naked frame you get a full 105 setup, spare wheels, bars, BB etc etc. You don't get *that* colour way buuuuuut 😀

[@two-eyedRoy]

Ooh, that bolt up layout for the derailleur hanger is smart! I've a CANYON Endurace AL 7, popped a hanger in the first 5 rides. Whilst I like the countersunk heads for accuracy of holding the hanger my machinist mind thought straight away about that there's nothing stopping stripped and mangled threads, and welding means deformation and further finessing OR holding a tolerance that really isn't in purview of an LBS. thos though... TREK, I like.

[@mtbboy1993]

I see Nicolai Nucleon had T47 too. But with Nicolai no facing and tapping is needed. At least my G1 was superbly done. Headset was not too easy to press, nor a struggle, felt just right. Zero issues installing BB and brake.Mine is Raw so no paint job to judge. I got Chris king 30mm BB, and their headset too. No issues so far as long as I don't overgrease the BB, if I do seal pops off, and grease comes out, but grease came out with factory grease too and in rainy rides especially made a mess. But still running smooth. But seeing a trek will probably always make me concerned. I hope they sorted out their assembly, manufacturing issues, failures. But this frame set you show does not look that bad, but not a fan of internal routing, and especially trough the headset. But no surprise the frame had pain on BB shell, at least it was not banged up too.

[@EverythingsFine82]

I built up an Emonda ALR frameset a couple of years ago. They're a good frameset at a low price. Highly recommend.

[@HarishChouhan]

I have the older 2021 model of Trek Emonda. I upgraded from Tiagra to Ultegra and got DT Swiss G1800 wheels setup with GP 5000 STR 30mm tires (even though Trek says 28mm max) and the bike is comfy even on bad roads.

[@mcgarvy7]

What was the total cost

[@Onigure]

What is the weight in this Alu bike? T47 is a heavy bb standard. My old, but trusty, domane is 8.9kg. Perfect for a training bike 😅

[@Gmh6477]

Apparently Mike Ashley (sport direct, house of Fraser etc etc) has bought wiggle so even if it is saved it doesn’t look good for the customer.

[@gerrymcbride6429]

Just bought the Palmeres frame to build up an Ultegra r8000 bike to use up all of the surplus parts that I have hanging around. The first time I saw the paint job I knew I had to have it.

[@zzhughesd]

Love. Love. Love. ALR. Also have the SLR Emonda. However the bottle bosses rusted in and worrried front mech hanger rivets about to go. Winter bike 5 years in