Trek Emonda vs Specialized SL7 Tarmac | Which one is the best?

Two carbon fibre race bikes with premium price tags but which is worthy of your money? We break them both down in this ride review faceoff.

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[tts]

Not much of a comparison - I must say. More like side to side reviews of 2 bikes. Would be nice if you could let a few testers ride both bikes on the same course and then compare their aggregated ratings of both bikes on some key qualities (stiffness, compliance, sprinting, descending, etc). That would be a fair (fairer) head to head comparison. Just sayin

[monkmchorning]

16 years ago, when Trek introduced the first post-Lance Madones, I told our district manager they needed an H1.5 cockpit. The 2-3cm gap from H1 to H2 was just too much. So I'm glad they finally brought H1.5 to the Emonda SL range.

[Madtriboy]

Hopeless review. Never really did any head on comparison. Just words. Don’t waste time really won’t help you decide between these two bikes

[ebigarella]

The best between these two is cleary the Giant TCR.

[divinemercy]

To make this a worthwhile comparison you must compare the tarmac with the trek SLR models

[chrisgilligan]

So you got essentially an entry level Emonda and a top of the range SL7...other than looks what are we supposed to be comparing the bikes on? That's a huge difference in the weight of the frames for the Emonda between the lower frames and upper. Most manufacturers the gap is more like the specialized where you gain 150 g give or take. 700g difference in frame weight and that doesn't include the fork seems like it is done on purpose to discourage enthusiasts from buying the lower tier bikes. Like the heavier frame is literally double the weight of their lighter frame - that's ridiculous.

[pcdude]

Best rider makes the bike performs the best. That’s the bottom line

[Raven]

Nice review. I have been considering both of these models for my next bike. I have learned two things. The Tarmac is longer and lower so will be a little more stable and easy handling at higher speeds. Also, i ran accross some bike aero data done in the uk that ranked the bikes with riders. The graph correlated closely to stack-reach ratio, meaning reducing the cyclist's frontal cross sectional area was the biggest aero benefit. The Tarmac is a little faster if you are flexible enough to be comfortable with the rider position. I'm a current Trek owner and may go Emonda because it is a tad more upright.

[bnzboy]

Depends if you went to the washroom in the morning or not

[biketrybe]

Why title a comparison video "Which one is best?" if you do not offer an educated opinion about which one is best?

[Kac]

The Bike industry needs to actually review bikes instead of rating everything supplied as great.

There isn’t enough actual independent testing that goes on.

(From an SL7 owner)

[Andy_ATB]

Whichever can take the widest don't all have nicely surfaced roads....

[costasmandylor]

I can already tell you the drawbacks to all of them...their ridiculous price tags!!!

[DittersGustav]

"There should be something, no matter whats your budget" my budget: 300 bucks 😂

[markmark]

I have the Emonda SL7 Ultegra and absolutely love the bike. Might have to splurge and get the SLR.

[stanislavkindiakov]

Which one to choose? Just listen to your heart. After all the aesthetics is the main quality of bike riding.

[briansteele]

I ride a Willier zero slr and tried my friends Emonda slr6. Different levels of rigidlty i suppose but the Willier feels so much more responsive than that or the colnago v3rs

[parthmache]

90% of the time same old trek, specialized and canyon. Give us a break, other than sponsored crap viewers can look pastvit. Make some good content for a change.

[londonlionel]

Anyone can compare specs. This video leaves us none the wiser.

[gregoryvassilakos]

I considered the Trek Emonda, the Specialized Tarmac, and the Giant TCR. I bought the Emonda because it has the prettiest paint job. Just kidding! The Emonda does have the prettiest paint job, but I actually bought it because my local independent bike shop, which is a dealer for Specialized and Giant, has not received any new bikes for months and did not know when a Tarmac or TCR might be available. The local Trek store had both a 2020 and a 2021 Emonda available in my size. I brought my 1994 Trek 2200 to the store and asked them to match the handlebar and seat position. The could not do so with the 2020 Emonda, which has Trek's H2 fit. The mechanic estimated the handlebars would be 3 cm higher. The 2021 Emonda has Treks H1.5 fit and could match the position of my 2200. Even though it was heavily discounted, I was happy to find a solid reason not to buy the 2020 Emonda so that I could avoid the dreaded BB90 bottom bracket. Both the Emonda and the Tarmac now have threaded bottom brackets. The TCR has a press-fit bottom bracket, but Giant claims to have few problems with their bottom brackets due to tighter tolerances.