In this post we are going to cover my past year living with the (2021) 2022 trek emonda sl7 disc review.
I have had the 2022 trek emonda sl7 disc review for over a year now. Luckily I ordered this bike early right before the start of the pandemic. I was excited to try the Sram eTap disc. I had eTap on another bike and liked it a lot but I had not had the disc groupset. It seems like the Emonda SL7 checked all the boxes for me. It is relatively light, has carbon wheels, and even comes with a power meter.
After received and building the bike I have to admit I was in love with the color. The orange on the Emonda Sl7 Disc is awesome and reminds me of something you would see on a supercar. Everything on the bike felt sleek and I really liked the lack of cables on the front end. You can see a bit by the stem but this is not bothersome to me.
The Sram Force eTap was easy to setup and use. I was fairly happy with the groupset all in all. However, there was a big issue for me. I could not for the life of me to get the rear gears adjusted so it didn’t sound like a 2 year old set it up. I tried everything I knew to try and scoured the internet for fixes. While researching I found that the Force 12 speed cassette was known for being loud. I ran the cassette for a while but eventually ended up splurging for a Red cassette instead and it pretty much took care of it. I still have one gear that I can’t get just right but I’m letting it ride.
The Emonda as pictured weighs about 18lbs in a 54cm. Not super light but not bad at all. The bike handles great and the cockpit is a nice place to be. I am really liking the Bontrager Aeolus saddle as well. Usually I ride a Specialized Power saddle and I think I enjoy the Aeolus a touch more.
I did get some creaking from the bottom bracket as well and attempted to remove it so I could relube everything. Knowing it had a T47 bottom bracket meant having to order a new tool. I ordered the Park Tools BBT-47 thinking it would do the trick. I received the tool and attempted to take off the bottom bracket. This style of bottom bracket is hardly exposed at all so there is nothing to really grab onto even using the tool. Anytime I would torque it just a little it would slip off. The Park Tool’s metal seemed soft and was getting mauled up pretty quickly. I realized I was not going to be able to get this bottom bracket off. I ended up turning the bike on it’s side and using some syn lube hoping it would work it’s way down. This ended up working for the most part.
Overall I have been super happy with the Emonda Sl7 Disc eTap and am planning on putting some bigger tires on. I had 28’s on and just switched over to 32’s and there really seems to be good clearance with these. The 32’s were just installed so we will see how well they ride and I will report back.
