While I would have liked a Trek Daemon, I was allowed to buy a Trek Émonda.
This post is about how I got away with that…
In 2020, I traded my Sensa for a Trek.
I got the Domane SL 5, which is just above entry level for Trek 😂
(It was around € 3,000 at the time, they are more expensive now…)
When I got my SpeedMax CF8 a year later, which came with Sram eTap AXS electronic shifting – and “wireless” at that – I was sure I’d never go back to mechanical shifting.
Okay, yes, I got my Sonora MTB this year and it has mechanical shifting, but that was just an extra “fun bike”, costing less than the fork for my SpeedMax…
Anyway, I was pointed to a nice Trek Émonda on sale by a colleague, but (sorry Volkan) I didn’t like the color very much.
The bike itself was exactly what I would like to have, though.
I mean, I would – obviously – really like to have a Daemon (Domane, Émonda, Madone – you get it), but Trek so far hasn’t decided on building that.
And there surely was no way in hell Paula would allow me to get another bike, even if I would trade in my current one, right?
Well, yes and no: she told me that the price was just to steep, but she would allow me to look for an alternative.
Yes, I know. I’ve said this before: I do not deserve her…
Which doesn’t mean I didn’t start looking 🤪
So, today we travelled to my favorite “not-so-local LBS” down south, Jean Habets, talked about the options, pros and cons, and we started browsing the online catalog.
My Canyon SpeedMax has a Sram eTap Force AXS group, where the blip box replaces the drop bar – it doesn’t even have a drop bar – manual shifters.
As I really like that and Paula agreed that I didn’t want to “take a step back(wards)” to the Rival group, this meant we were looking at the SL(R) 7 series.
The R quickly dropped off the radar, as that means € 10,000 for a bike and even Paula has her limit(s)1.
So, I “settled” on the Trek Émonda SL 7, which made choosing from available colors easy, as it only has the “Galatic Grey/Trek Black” as an option 😎
Which, for most of my bikes, is my preferred color/combo anyway…
It doesn’t come with the blip box and nifty press buttons to shift gears, but I can live with that.
Besides, no matter the configuration, I believe it beats Di2 and I already have an extra – less expensive than Shimano’s too – rechargeable battery for the derailleur(s).
After all, I expect to be using the front one a lot more than I do on my SpeedMax, which would have sufficed with just three gears instead of 22.
Well, that’s not entirely true: I did use the smaller chain ring a few times when riding the “Only For Men” (take 1 and take 2) earlier this year.
(Which was before I decided to drop the small chain ring altogether…)
However, you won’t see me riding on my Trek Émonda anytime soon, as it won’t be available before March/April 2023.
Just in time for the training week in Hochsauerland as preparation for my Tour de France 2023…
1 She did at the time but then the Trek Speed Concept came along…
Not in my color, you mean, grasshopper? We all like different colors and some don’t mind the color, as long as the bike is what they want 😎 Was it available immediately, or do you have to wait too?
My offer was good in price, nevertheless not in color I guess. Good luck with your new toy Master.