Trek Emonda S6 (2015) : ChooseMyBicycle.com Expert Review

Emonda may be an anagram of the Madone series from Trek, but it is also derived from the French verb emonder, meaning to 'prune and trim away'. So at the core of the design is its lightweight frame with any extraneous material and features trimmed back. The Emonda S6 may not be in the league of lightest road bicycles in the carbon category but it's certainly not all about grams here. This Trek road bicycle features size-specific tubing which is engineered differently depending on the size of the frame. The Bontrager Paradigm saddle is designed so ergonomically that after the initial soreness, you will start feeling the perfect fit of it. The most important and sought after essence of a carbon bicycle's feature is its mix of lightness and handling prowess and the Emonda S6 has that and more.¾

This top level Emonda S6 comes with a complete Shimano Ultegra 11 speed groupset, which is, as always, difficult to fault. The quality and precision of the shifting is pretty much on the same level as Shimano's top-of-the range Dura-Ace groupset, with the only real difference being the slight weight penalty. Shifting on this bicycle feels precise and mechanical, and will be a rarity for the occurrence of any dropped chains or missed shifts. On components, both Shimano and Trek deserve top marks.

Trek has done well lately to fully equip a lot of their road bicycles in these Emonda model line ups with full groupsets of each line, rather than the clich’© 'save some money' by combining 2 different component models.

The brakes deserve a special mention. The Trek Emonda S6 uses the direct mount brakes. The Shimano Ultegra direct mount brakes used in this road bicycle are fantastic. Understood that braking on an alloy rather than carbon brake track helps sometimes, but there is no doubt that these brakes are a bit special, giving you a feeling of control even when you are slinging the bicycle into fast and mysterious bends. You know that there is enough power at your fingertips to save you if things get tricky. We have got nothing but good things to say about these brakes.

Things are more direct at the front end with bumps, holes and gravel do making their presence felt. The Bontrager's Race handlebar could have been shaped better ergonomically. But, even the worst road surfaces feel relatively smooth and will not threaten to knock you off your line.

The biggest weight penalty on the bicycle comes from the Bontrager R1 Hard-Case Lite tires that tip the scales a bit, which is both a blessing and a curse. A considerable upgrade in the future could be changing from the stock 23mm to a 25mm tire to tackle those rough road surfaces even more effectively.

Every detail of the Emonda S6, from frame design to component choice, serves the same audacious goal. To give the most comfortable riding experience a road bicycle is expected to offer.