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

Video: Specialized Tarmac SL7 vs Trek Emonda - Which is the better bike?

The Specialized Tarmac SL7 and the Trek Emonda go head to head. Which is the best bike? We take a look at two of the hottest road bikes for 2021.
by Liam Cahill
Sat, Nov 28, 2020 14:00
1

2020 hasn't been the best year, but it has at least given us some big bike launches with both the Trek Emonda and Specialized Tarmac SL7 moving ever further away from the climbing bikes that they started life as. Which one is better? Let's find out.

Both have strayed from being a pure climber's bike, focussing, in their own ways, on aerodynamics. Trek and Specialized have gone about this in slightly different ways with Trek heading to Alpe d'Huez to focus on aero gains when heading up, very specifically, an 8.1% gradient.

2021 Trek Emonda SL 6 Pro - riding 7.jpg
> Review: Trek Emonda SL 6 Pro 2021

Specialized, meanwhile, have said that they tested the new SL7 against the outgoing SL6 and found it to be 45 seconds faster. That said, we're not sure how much of it is due to the new integrated front end and supposedly hyper-fast Roval Rapide wheels.

> Review: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 Dura-Ace Di2 2021

We do need to clarify that the models that we had in on test were rather different on the price front. The Emonda was £3,350 while the Tarmac SL7 is £11,500. That brings a difference not only in the level of the components but also the level of the frame. 

2020 Specialized Tarmac SL7 - riding 7.jpg
> All-new Émonda gets aero to become "Trek’s fastest climbing bike ever" – and it's disc brake-only

So we weren't trying to contrast the bikes that we tested against each other. Instead, we are attempting to help you make up your mind should you be having a hard time choosing between the two bikes.

> New Tarmac SL7: lightweight AND super aero, says Specialized

Which one do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below.

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Emonda

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1 comments

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froze | 3 years ago
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45 seconds faster?  That's pure BS!!  All this speed that all sorts of companies make if you use their product is false advertising.  All you have to do is look at the history of the Tour de France average speed, average distance, and how many stages, and you discover that since 1968 the average speed has only gone up by 1.5 MPH!, but wait, the average total miles have come down by 500 miles, while the stages have gone down by only 1, that alone tells you we're actually getting slower.  Don't take my word for it, Google it and look at the stats.  What Specialized experience was either a different rider, a different course, or different weather, the rider was more fit, in a better mood for riding whatever, but I can guarantee you it wasn't the bike.

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