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?

[@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

[@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.

[@martincoenen2]

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

[@Mapdec]

Nice ride.

[@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.

[@stevenbell482]

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

[@Mapdec]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@dylangrantz8124]

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

[@alexthomas7935]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@jacobrich7785]

So nice to see people finally building and reviewing these properly

[@Mapdec]

Alu bikes never get enough attention

[@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.

[@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.

[@CarlHicks-z8f]

I’ve been riding this frame for about 6 months and love.

[@merckxy54]

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

[@Normally_aspirated]

Also that colorway is fire

[@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.

[@macanbhaird1966]

Great work! Really enjoy what you are doing.

[@stephenbarnes5850]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@georgefarrowgreen01]

Thank you for taping the steerer 😂

[@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.

[@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

[@robertj625able]

Very watchable, well done. Ally frames are often overlooked but good design shines through

[@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 👍

[@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.

[@neilplatt1111]

First tune in,loved it - very professional craftsmen 🎉

[@Mapdec]

Welcome. 🤗

[@malcontent_1]

Gorgeous bike in a material and level of quality that I covet

[@philipsiebenhaar1674]

I have that frame and it’s beautiful

[@the.communist]

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

[@stevebassett8944]

I did build the Emonda ALR frameset up last year. Put on 105 Di2. Also used a carbon seat post and that paired with carbon steerer provides nice ride. I installed good carbon wheelset with GP5000's. So, all that said, the bike is super, the ride quality and responsiveness is super. It's a solid bike. I have great confidence when riding up in the mountains.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

Out of curiosity. How much did you put into the build? Dont need to know the exact figure but a rough ball park figure is fine so I have some sort of idea for budgeting purposes.

[@stevebassett8944]

Hey @@Rose.Of.Hizaki ball park $5500 (CDN). That includes bike shop build. Totally worth it. All parts are new and sized and spec'd the way I wanted (all premium, might as well do it right) not what I would have gotten if I got the off the shelf bike. It is a lot of money, but I purchased the different parts over a year so not so much of sticker shock. Hope this gives you an idea, and good luck if you do go ahead. One word though, get all your parts at a reputable bike dealer/shop, stay away from getting stuff on-line (you don't know what you are getting there, and safety is paramount).

[@mlee6050]

I'm spending £6k-9k as two sets of wheels I'm building and the new SRAM red axs so be about 5 years but for a more durable and aero bike than a carbon frame, with bell, lights, head unit be 7.3kg

[@EverythingsFine82]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@Swoop10]

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

[@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.

[@MediumHalf]

Maybe my favorite color scheme on a Trek

[@luvtheceltics]

Love your style - very informative and well paced

[@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

[@wayneclement7201]

Currently converting my alloy Hybrid into a gravel bike, comfy, relaxed!

[@FGIRAFFE]

That's my bike!!! Very happy to have it explained to me. I have the corral version of last year. I really like to see your young and eager colleague. Also I'm always impressed to see you redo the threading for the bottom brackets. I Hope it is not really necessary. I feel it should be the constructor's responsibility to ensure this threading is ok. So finally it's the youngster choice for the emonda alr 5 that prevailed. Is he the same guy who once stayed UP the whole night working on a new super dooper 360 dégrees bar spin breaks and jumped on the walls in the backyard a few months ago after putting loads of olive oil in them? Thanks for the video. It's a thrill to see my frame explained to me by top mechanics. I put ffwd ryott 33 wheels based on your advice. I feel like a Big shot now with m'y top wheels on my aluminium bike. (Saved money on the frame, invested on the wheels) Yeap very happy. Thanks for the video. (I would have liké to see you groupset choice more. Thanks mechanicail 105 for the people or somerhing else? Thanks

[@Mapdec]

Different Jake. This is cyclocross animal. Other Jake with the bar spins just turned pro and signed with GT

[@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.

[@scottwatson7844]

Lovely looking frame that.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@stefannewels1823]

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

[@petersouthernboy6327]

This was awesome 👍

[@shauninnc]

Nice video fellas. I learned quite a bit.

[@Mapdec]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@govermentsoundsystemrootik8887]

Excellent & proper indepth scope & insight into this very informative bike build.., i custome built my Merida Reacto 4000 disc 2020 with Ultegra 9020 full hydraulic groupset, Ultegra clipless SPD'S peddles, S Works Specialized carbon printed saddle & 50mm Prime Black Edition carbon rims set with Ultegra 160mm roters & on the rear a Ultegra 11/32 cassette all set in latex tubes & wrapped up in 28mm Continental Gp5000s black chilli compound race tires..., More than happy day's for me..., 👊🏾👍🏾

[@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.

[@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.

[@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......

[@J0HNBAK]

Yo BikeMec John here - I opted for this frame over the carbon this year, kitted out with sram force and some nice dt swiss carbon wheels, it rides excellent and I’m very pleased with it - as you mentioned like a “soft” carbon! I also had to face the non drive side and I just used some thick ass military grease on the headset gap

[@Mapdec]

Nice. 👍

[@DontGetDroppedCycling]

My first road bike was an Emonda ALR5 and it was money 👌🏽

[@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.

[@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.

[@andrewpescodd5919]

Really glad you’ve done this , I have ordered the exact same frame on C2W and took you advice on the wheels section on you last pice and ordered some venn 40 tcd wheels but I’ve decided to use a SRAM rival groupset running a 46/33 and 10/36 combo . First time I’ve specified bike to my own requirements since the early 90’s and time to retire the 10 year old giant defy to the turbo

[@Mapdec]

Oh. Nice 👌 congrats on the new ride.

[@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!

[@ariffau]

11:55 that looooooooong bar reach looks very lovely for me to rest my wrists and forearms on 😍

[@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

[@Dravde]

Awesome channel! About a week ago, this exact idea crossed my mind. Don't an have access to Trek Emonda alr frame, but I have an older One Series 1.1 frame... wrong size, unfortunately. Although bike fit got me into a comfy position. After 9 years of riding with Claris groupset I decided it was time to upgrade it to 105. Hope it's good for another 10 years of riding. ...eventually I'll try to get a correct frameset

[@Angrybadger70]

Have done this to my 1.2 frame. Over the years as experience and money as allowed i have added, 11speed 105, dt swiss wheels, deda bars and stem, carbon seat post and fizik carbon saddle. Smooth as silk down the road now!!! Less than 1k all up cost and about £1700 to replace like for like.

[@318ishonk]

I have this frame in 56 and it's slightly lighter than a (Chinese, non-branded) endurance carbon frame of the same size I had before. Stiff and twitchy like a teenager on Friday night though. Good for racing, less so for British roads. Anyway, I run it with Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR 32mm tyres and that combination runs light, fast and comfortable.

[@Stefanosinf]

It is twitchy... i'm having issues when no handed...

[@chrism5433]

I just bought the 23 trek emonda alr5. Besides the stock tires ( which are pretty reliable) some good tires and tubes for summer. the bike is really fun

[@Stefanosinf]

You can improve it a lot by upgrading the parts!

[@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 😊

[@jrh1704]

I too would like to see a budget build series where local customers provide an affordable frame for you guys to assemble. Great stuff! I also wish more companies offered their aluminum frame-sets for sale only. Hard to find frame-sets here in the states, it seems as though they want you to buy the whole bike. Caad and Allez/ Allez Sprint frame-sets are essentially unavailable everywhere, even at local bike shops. Many of my local big brand bike shops (Trek Stores, Bike Mart, etc don't even have Caads or Allez sprint (full bikes assembled) in stock for you to look at or sit on. What are you supposed to do, have them order something without getting the chance to see it in person first? Crazy

[@Mapdec]

Great suggestion!

[@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.

[@pulser955]

I have a 105 11sp group that needs a frame. I’m seriously considering this frame. I think the only thing that concerns me is the cable routing through the headset. The rear shifter on 11sp tends to eat inner cables. When I was using this group on a gravel bike I was replacing the inner cables often and the outer probably 2 times a year. You can still get some of the cheap Chinese carbon frames without head set cable routing. But I do like trek’s warranty. I have 2 Trek mountain bikes so I do like the brand.

[@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 😀

[@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.

[@cs8sz]

Thank god threaded bottom brackets!

[@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)

[@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.

[@kehlew0160]

Well, Jake certainly wasn't using talking points! Quite refreshing.

[@nickyburnell]

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

[@Mapdec]

Go for it.

[@JM...]

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

[@briancase_rideaperture]

I think the best value frames right now are well-kept CAAD10s and 12s 😉

[@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.

[@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.

[@ericl6460]

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

[@Mapdec]

Doh 🤦‍♂️

[@mugendrewable]

😂​@@Mapdec

[@thevirtualeconomy]

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

[@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

[@christenrten]

Would have been nice to actually see the bike afterwards, what a tease!

[@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.

[@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…).

[@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

[@sjurk81]

To give an insight into the lifetime warranty: I have a aluminium Domane AL 2 Disc I use as a winter / semi-gravel bike. The fork is a bonded aluminium (tube) / carbon (blades) part and has a hole in the bottom. On my bike dirt and moisture got in the hole and started a nice 'growth' of galvanic corrosion which only became noticable when it got to the front of the fork. Upon further inspection the paint came off a huge part of the fork (approx. 5 by 6 cm). Brought the bike into a bikeshop (Trek dealership) and they went to claim warranty. Trek mentions in their warranty-document that it doesn't cover corrosion and so the response from Trek to the dealer was: this is not warranty, the fork cannot be replaced under warranty but we will supply a new fork free of charge. I'm happy with the fork but why Trek reiterated it isn't warranty is not clear to me, although it might have something to do with the hole in the fork. And yes, I have covered the hole in my new fork with a protective sticker ;-)

[@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.

[@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

[@kihunpark8669]

Time ADH is the only carbon bike I would ride and be proud to own. Emonda alr would be the alternative if I cannot afford Time.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.