{"id":66522,"date":"2024-06-27T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/3e87f2bb-3833-4a7e-a9dc-22fddf484693"},"modified":"2024-06-27T17:26:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T15:26:47","slug":"rip-emonda-why-young-riders-new-tech-and-business-strategy-spelt-the-end-for-treks-climbing-bike","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/rip-emonda-why-young-riders-new-tech-and-business-strategy-spelt-the-end-for-treks-climbing-bike\/","title":{"rendered":"RIP \u00c9monda \u2013 why young riders, new tech and business strategy spelt the end for Trek\u2019s climbing bike"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Trek aiming to reduce SKUs by 40% by 2026, a return for the \u00c9monda looks unlikely <\/p>

By Jack Luke\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 27 June 2024 at 15:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Trek is waving farewell to the \u00c9monda \u2013 a dedicated lightweight bike that\u2019s been a staple of its line-up since 2014 \u2013 with the new Madone.<\/p>

This new aero all-rounder road bike is claimed to be as aero as the previous-generation Madone<\/a> and as light as the \u00c9monda.\u00a0<\/p>

So why did Trek kill off the \u00c9monda?<\/p>

\u201cI would rephrase that question a little bit,\u201d says Jordan Roessingh, Trek\u2019s director of road bikes and Project One.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cWe merged the two platforms into one\u2026 as, through the entire development process, we found it would be much harder to make an \u00c9monda only incrementally lighter, [but making it more aero] would make it much faster.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s the same story for the Madone, where we could make it incrementally faster, or dramatically lighter.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cMerging the performance of the \u00c9monda and Madone offered the biggest benefit to riders, versus staying with the existing families.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

The last \u00c9monda adopted some aero influences. – Russell Burton \/ Immediate Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>
While the previous-generation \u00c9monda<\/a>, launched in 2021, made some concessions to aero performance, it was still ostensibly a climber\u2019s bike<\/a>, prioritising low weight and stiffness.\u00a0<\/p>
Is there no space for a dedicated climber\u2019s bike in 2024? Roessingh concedes that \u201criders generally really like how a lightweight bike feels\u201d.<\/p>
\u201cThey pick it up and it’s a very easy number to measure for themselves versus aerodynamic performance.\u201d<\/p>
$\"\"$
A modern performance road bike must consider both aero performance and low weight, says Trek’s Jordan Roessingh. – Trek<\/figcaption><\/figure>
However, he argues \u201cyou can\u2019t have a super lightweight bike\u2026 without any aerodynamic consideration and expect that to be a performance road bike.<\/p>
\u201cThis merger and consideration of [aero and weight] is the modern view on road racing bikes \u2013 both are really important, but you can’t just discretely focus on one.<\/p>
\u201cEven if you\u2019re looking at really steep climbs, aero performance always matters \u2013 and even then it only matters a little bit in terms of pure speed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>
Material advances continue to push bike design<\/h2>
$\"\"$
The new Madone uses Trek’s latest OCLV 900 layup. – Trek<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Advances in design and manufacturing have made it possible for an aero bike to approach the weight of a climbing bike.\u00a0<\/p>
Trek\u2019s new OCLV 900 layup, which uses a new manufacturing process, helps reduce weight in complex areas such as the IsoFlow junction \u2013 the hole around the seat cluster that\u2019s claimed to improve aero performance and comfort \u2013 explains Adam Bird, a design engineer for Trek.\u00a0<\/p>
$\"Trek$
Advances in design and manufacturing techniques have pushed bike development further. – Trek<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\u201cComputing advances and advances in CFD [computational fluid dynamics] enabled us to churn through early concepts \u2013 it\u2019s way above and beyond what we were able to do before,\u201d adds Bird.<\/p>
The continued development of electronic groupsets<\/a> has also opened up frame design for engineers.\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cWireless shifting means you don\u2019t have to worry as much about how difficult it is to work on a bike \u2013 tight bends or curves don\u2019t matter when you\u2019re routing a hydraulic hose,\u201d explains Jake Glahn, Trek\u2019s bike marketing coordinator.\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cThat lets us do more and more with our bikes.\u201d<\/p>
Will the \u00c9monda become Trek\u2019s Aethos? Probably not<\/h2>
$\"Joe$
Earlier generations of the \u00c9monda prioritised low weight over all else. – Oli Woodman \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Specialized made a similar move to Trek when it discontinued its Venge aero bike<\/a>, focusing development on the Tarmac<\/a>, which is now its sole road race bike platform.<\/p>
However, Specialized unexpectedly turned back the clocks in 2020 with the Aethos<\/a>, an uncompromisingly light, round-tubed climbing bike that eschewed aero tech altogether.\u00a0<\/p>
Although nothing can be ruled out, it feels unlikely Trek will follow suit with a reintroduced lightweight \u00c9monda (or a new platform altogether).\u00a0<\/p>
As reported<\/a> by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News in March, Trek president John Burke said that, by 2026, Trek would reduce SKUs by 40 per cent.<\/p>
Though hill climbers will shed a tear, even a limited run of boutique \u00c9monda framesets wouldn\u2019t make sense for a company looking to reduce inventory levels.\u00a0<\/p>
The days of ultra-niche short-run bikes, such as the Trek District Carbon<\/a>, are, most likely, over.\u00a0<\/p>
Young riders push development<\/h2>
$\"GERA,$
Younger riders are more receptive to new tech, according to Roessingh. – Luc Claessen\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Outside of wider business strategy, Roessingh says Trek\u2019s work with Team Lidl-Trek \u201csignificantly\u201d informed its decision to merge both platforms.\u00a0<\/p>
\u201c[Our riders] are really open with telling us about what they think about our products.<\/p>
\u201cOne of the things that consistently came up in all of those conversations was\u2026 the need to choose between two platforms.\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cThey loved the \u00c9monda and they loved the Madone, but the added complexity of deciding \u2018which bike do I race on?\u2019 was a significant stressor for them.\u201d<\/p>
However, although the benefits of aero tech are well understood, many pros struggled to shake off their inner weight weenie.\u00a0<\/p>
Even in the face of evidence, it was common to see riders turning to old tricks to keep weight down until very recently, or even riding lightweight climbing bikes for flat stages.<\/p>
$\"Trek$
Aero bottles are core to the Madone’s performance. – Trek<\/figcaption><\/figure>
However, Roessingh says younger riders\u2019 acceptance of aero tech and new ideas also pushed Trek towards an all-in-one road bike platform.<\/p>
\u201cThe younger riders are much more receptive to innovation and trying new things than the previous generation,\u201d he explains.<\/p>
\u201cWe can bring those concepts, like aero water bottles or flared handlebars, and they\u2019re receptive to them.<\/p>
\u201cFrom a bike manufacturer process, this means we\u2019re able to push [development] faster when, 10 or 15 years ago, they would have just said no.\u201d<\/p>
Roessingh believes tech trends in pro racing still influence consumer buying habits \u2013 the mainstream adoption of larger-volume tyres and narrower handlebars are the two most widely visible trends, he says.<\/p>
\u201cThey see someone winning the Tour on a bigger-volume tyre and they think \u2018okay, this could work for me, it\u2019s not going to slow me down\u2019.<\/p>
\u201cThe lightest, fastest bike is the solution for everybody.\u201d<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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