Your guide to Trek's 2019 road bike range

Trek has a huge range that covers virtually all areas of cycling. The US brand divides its performance road bikes into three families: Madone, Emonda and Domane, and then there are the new Checkpoint gravel bikes.

Madone has an emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency, Emonda is all about light weight, Domane has a focus on comfort and ride quality and Checkpoint (disappointingly not Daemon to keep with the anagram theme) is for dirt roads and mixed-surface riding. There are many models at different price points within each of those categories.

Trek also offers several cyclocross models.

Some of the higher end bikes are available through Trek's Project One (P1) system that let's you choose the components you want and even the paint scheme.

Here are the highlights of the range.

Checkpoint

Trek's latest collection comes with carbon or aluminium frames packing the IsoSpeed decoupler from the Domane (see below), and with space for up to 45mm tyres, umpteen water bottle mounts plus mudguard and rack eyelets, 12mm thru-axles and flat mount disc brakes. It's available only with Shimano 2x11 groupsets and costs from £1,450 to £3,400.

Trek first showed its cards with the Domane Gravel, a slightly modified version of the company’s endurance bike but with wider tyres. It's fair to say we were all a bit surprised by the effort, but it now looks like it was a stopgap for real gravel bike enthusiasts before the arrival of the company’s first dedicated foray into this growing category, the all-new Checkpoint.

Compared to the Domane Gravel, Trek says the new Checkpoint offers much improved off-road capability and general versatility, with bigger tyre clearance, adjustable dropouts and geometry and lots of accessory mounts the key differences. Why they didn't just launch the Checkpoint in the first place is anyone's guess.

Read our first look at the Checkpoint range

Trek offers the Checkpoint in either an aluminium or a carbon fibre frame. The carbon bikes have the Isospeed decoupler that Trek introduced on the Domane in 2012, while the aluminium bikes are rigid. Isospeed is a mechanism that allows the top of the seat tube to move a little, independently of the rest of the frame, to provide a small amount of bum-cosseting shock absorption.

The top of the range is the Checkpoint SL 6, which boasts a Shimano Ultegra groupset and hydraulic brakes for an RRP of £3,400; that's it at the top of this section.

"If you want a bike that is comfortable and provides space for wide tyres for mostly road riding, with lots of versatility whether for winter training and commuting or touring and bikepacking, the Trek is a good choice," we said in our review of the Checkpoint SL 6. "But it's not the most capable bike when the going gets rough and bumpy.

"Sure, the rear IsoSpeed decoupler works its magic, filtering out the harshness and giving your bum and back a smooth ride, but the front end is simply too harsh in comparison. Not fitting wider tyres and a lower range drivetrain shows either a failure to be bolder in the spec or a lack of appreciation for the demands of riding what is essentially a road bike off-road."

Read our review of the Checkpoint SL 6

The £2,700 Checkpoint SL 5, above, has Shimano's 105 groupset and is also available in a women's version.

If you can live without carbon fibre and Isospeed, £1,700 gets you the Shimano 105-equipped Checkpoint ALR 5, above. It's also available in women's geometry.

The least expensive bike in the range is the Checkpoint ALR 4 at £1,450 with Shimano Tiagra. That's the women's geometry version above.

Buy if: You want a gravel/adventure bike that's also capable of moving fast over asphalt

Madone

The Madone (pronounced mad-own) is a long-standing model in the Trek range although it has changed massively over the years. These days all of the Madones are high-end; you can’t get a complete bike for less than £3,600.

The Madone range has had a major redesign for 2019 with the introduction of the top-end SLR models and a slightly more accessible SL version. The 2019 Madone range sees the inclusion of adjustable IsoSpeed, a new geometry and disc brake models. The rim brake version is lighter than the disc brake version, but Trek says there is no aerodynamic penalty in going for discs.​ ​

IsoSpeed is a design that “maintains the diamond-shaped frameset geometry but ‘decouples’ the seat tube from the top tube, allowing the seat tube to flex with the forces of the road” (Trek’s words). The idea is that it smooths the ride, adding comfort and reducing fatigue. IsoSpeed was already a feature of the Madone but now Trek has made it adjustable on the SLR models.

Trek says that it has managed to maintain the aero performance of the previous generation (9-Series) Madone while adding the adjustable top tube IsoSpeed, a new geometry, updated components and disc brakes.

The 9-Series Madone was available in two different geometries: low and stretched H1 and slightly more upright H2. The new Madone SLR comes in a single geometry called H1.5 which, as you might have guessed, sits between the two.

The Madone SLR comes in men’s and one women’s specific models. They use the same frame but the women’s version features a different saddle, handlebar width and stem length.

All of the Madone SLRs feature an OCLV 700 frame and an integrated two-piece carbon bar and stem.

The most affordable (it's all relative!) Trek Madone SLR models are the SLR 6 Disc, above, (from £5,400) and the rim brake version of the SLR 6 (£5,500). Both feature Shimano Ultegra groupsets.

The SLR 7 Disc (£7,550) has an Ultegra Di2 groupset, the SLR 8 bikes (rim brake model, above, from £6,750, disc model £7,750) have Dura-Ace mechanical components and the SLR 9 models (rim brake £9,550, disc brake from £10,000) have Dura-Ace Di2. There's a Madone SLR 9 Disc eTap (with SRAM Red eTap components, obviously) for £10,550.

There’s also a Madone SL 6, above, in the range that uses Trek’s OCLV 500 carbon fibre which is said to be a little heavier and less stiff then OCLV 700. The Madone SL 6 features rear IsoSpeed rather than the Adjustable Top Tube IsoSpeed of the SLR models. It ​doesn’t have Bontrager’s integrated handlebar and stem but instead has a Bontrager Pro stem and Elite Aero handlebar. It comes with Bontrager Aeolus Comp 5 TLR wheels, a Shimano Ultegra 8000 drivetrain and Bontrager integrated brakes and is priced £3,600.

Buy if: You want a top-level race bike and you have a lot of money to spend.

Emonda (rim brake)

Trek’s Emonda (pronounced eh-mon-dah) lightweight road bike range had a huge update for 2018, the carbon-fibre models having been redesigned to be lighter than ever. Disc brakes were added to the Emonda lineup for the first time too (see below).

Check out our news story on the launch of the new range here.

The Emonda range covers four different carbon-fibre frames – the SL, the SL Disc, the SLR and the SLR Disc – and an aluminium model (see below).

The SL is made from Trek’s 500 Series OCLV carbon and has a claimed weight of 1,091g while the fork is 313g.

The rim brake SL models range in price from £1,800 (SL 5, Shimano 105, above) up to £2,900 (SL 6 Pro, Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3 wheels).

When we reviewed the Emonda SL 5 here on road.cc we called it "a fast and nimble road bike that puts in an exceptional performance for its price".

"Climb aboard the SL 5 and it immediately feels alive, responding keenly as soon as you turn the pedals," we said. "Put a serious amount of power through the cranks and it springs forward as if it was just waiting for the flag to drop. Both the head tube and the down tube are enormous, holding the frame firmly in shape when you're recruiting every muscle fibre on an out-of-the saddle sprint or climb."

Read our review of the Trek Emonda SL 5

There’s also a women’s model that, like the standard SL 5, has a heavier fork than the rest of the Emonda SLs at 436g.

The Trek Emonda SLR frame is superlight at just 640g.

There's just one standard Emonda SLR rim brake model for 2019 — SLR 6, above, (Shimano Ultegra, from £4,000), although you can go through Trek's Project One program if you want a different spec. The SLR 6 features direct-mount Speed Stop brakes from Bontrager, Trek’s sub-brand. These brakes have hollow arms, titanium hardware and a claimed weight of just 95g. They offer enough clearance for tyres up to 28mm wide.

Buy if: You’re after a fast road bike with a focus on light weight.

Emonda Disc

Coming in at just 665g, the Emonda SLR Disc frame is the lightest disc brake frame that we know of. The Emonda SLR Disc fork is 350g.

Complete bikes come stock with wider 28mm tyres although Trek says that you can fit wider tyres for gravel and even adventure riding.

The Emonda SLR Disc is available in SLR 9 Disc (Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, from £8,750, women's version available too), SLR 8 Disc (Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical, £5,850, above), SLR 7 Disc (Shimano Ultegra Di2, from £5,300, women's version available) and SLR 6 Disc (Shimano Ultegra, £5,000, women's version available) models.

Like the rim brake frameset, the disc brake version comes as an SL version too. The Emonda SL Disc frame is 1,149g and the fork is 350g.

The SL 7 Disc (Shimano Ultegra Di2, above) is £4,500 while the SL 6 Disc (Shimano Ultegra) is £2,700.

Buy if: You’re interested in a quick, lightweight road bike with the all-weather reliability of disc brakes.

Emonda ALR

The Emonda ALR frame is among the very best aluminium options out there at the moment, with Trek having recently added disc brake models to sit alongside the rim brake options. Each of them gets a full-carbon fork.

There are two rim brake Emonda ALR bikes in the range, each based on the same 300 Series Alpha Aluminium frame with virtually invisible welds and a tapered head tube that helps to provide accurate steering.​

The Emonda ALR 4 is the cheapest model at £1,100. This gets you a Shimano Tiagra groupset with virtually everything else coming from Bontrager.

If you can afford more, the £1,350 Emonda ALR 5, above, is tempting with its Shimano 105 groupset. That looks a great buy.

Check out our Trek Emonda ALR 6 review from 2017 here.

The disc brake frame is only a little heavier than the rim brake model — 1,131g (56cm size) as opposed to 1,112g.

The Shimano Tiagra-equipped Emonda ALR 4 Disc, above, is £1,400, while the Emonda ALR 5 Disc has mainly Shimano 105 components and a £1,750 price tag.

Buy if: You want one of the best lightweight aluminium road bikes out there.

Domane

Trek broke new ground when it introduced its IsoSpeed decoupler on the Domane (pronounced dough-mar-nay) back in 2012. Essentially, it’s a design that allows the seat tube to pivot relative to the top tube and seatstays,so the saddle can move downwards (and a little backwards), providing more give and adding comfort to the ride.

Then Trek introduced a front IsoSpeed system (above) to some of its models in 2016 to increase comfort and control, and added adjustment to the rear IsoSpeed decoupler (below).

Check out our review of the Trek Domane SLR 6 for a full rundown of the IsoSpeed technology.

The Domane range is divided up like this:

• Domane SLR: Front and adjustable rear IsoSpeed, 600 Series OCLV carbon frame, carbon IsoSpeed fork.

• Domane SL: Front and non-adjustable rear IsoSpeed, 500 Series OCLV carbon frame, carbon IsoSpeed fork.

• Domane AL: No decoupler, 100 Series Alpha Aluminium frame, carbon IsoSpeed fork.

The most affordable Domane is the £595 AL 2, above, available in both standard and women's versions. It's an aluminium bike in an endurance fit that's designed for comfort, but there's no decoupler. The AL 2 is built up with a Shimano Claris 8-speed groupset.

The AL 3 (£750) is a Shimano Sora 9-speed build while the AL 4 (£900) has mainly Shimano Tiagra components and the AL 5 (£1,100) has a Shimano 105-based spec. Both the AL 3 and AL 5 are available in women's versions.

There are no longer any disc brake-equipped aluminium Domanes.

Priced £2,000, the SL 5 (available in both standard and women's versions) is the most affordable Domane with front IsoSpeed. This model features a Shimano 105 groupset.

The £2,350 Domane SL 5 Disc, above, is a similar bike but with Shimano 105 hydraulic disc brakes.

The highest specced Domane SL is the 7 Disc (£4,800), above, equipped with a Shimano Ultegra groupset and Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3 Disc Tubeless Ready wheels.

The top-level SLR Domanes – with front IsoSpeed and adjustable rear IsoSpeed – come as complete bikes only with disc brakes in 2019, although a rim brake frameset is available for £2,300. The range kicks off with the SLR 6 Disc (from £4,500, also available in a women's version priced £5,050).

We reviewed a previous version of this bike we said, “The Domane just got even better. It's smoother and more comfortable than the original, and fast and fun as well.”

Check out our Domane SLR 6 review here.

We went on to say, “There are few endurance bikes as comfortable as the new Trek Domane SLR. A host of changes ensures the new bike is incredibly smooth, filtering out the most severe vibrations on all sorts of rough roads, gravel tracks and cobblestones.”

If you want Trek's top level Domane, the SLR 9 Disc eTap, above, comes equipped with a Sram Red eTap groupset and Bontrager Aeolus XXX 2 Disc Tubeless Ready at a price of £9,300.

You can customise a Domane SLR through Trek's Project One system.

Buy if: You’re after an endurance road bike with plenty of comfort and control.​

Cyclocross

Trek offers two cyclocross platforms: Crockett and Boone.

The Crockett frame is disc-specific and it’s made from 200 Series Alpha Aluminium. The more affordable of the two models is the Crockett 5 Disc (£1,400) with a largely SRAM Rival groupset and Tektro Spyre mechanical disc brakes.

The Crockett 7 Disc, above, has a Sram Force 1 groupset, including hydraulic disc brakes, so it’s more expensive at £2,100.

Check out our review of a past Trek Crockett disc bike here.

The Boone is made from 600 Series OCLV carbon fibre and, like the Crockett, it is disc-specific.

The £2,600 Boone 5 Disc, above, comes with a Sram Rival 1 groupset including hydraulic disc brakes while the Boone 7 Disc (£3,500) has mostly Sram Force 1 components.

Buy if: You want a cyclocross race bike with cross-specific geometry and gearing.

www.trekbikes.com

The 2019 Trek range