x3 Mitch

Even if trek charged some crazy price to give the consumer the option to run different extension they will sell.

Is there anyway we can get in touch with the person making this part?

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I do appreciate Trek’s priority on testing and safety.

And yet - if shopping for a new TT bike, one cannot help but notice how many fast pros making headlines on the current Speed Concept are riding non stock extensions. Some examples:

Fastest pro bikes at Kona 2022. Trek SC seems to be on the list more than any other bike - awesome. But, hmmm, looks like all have non stock extensions
https://www.triathlete.com/...world-championships/

Ellen va Dijk. World TT champ riding a current speed concept - awesome. But, hmmm, looks like she’s riding non stock extensions
https://racing.trekbikes.com/...eview-ellen-van-dijk


What conclusion should a potential customer draw about whether the Speed Concept is just as potentially fast if you are riding it with the stock extensions? I am sure the Speed Concept is a great bike with the stock extensions, but this one thing (a trek approved option to potentially ride an extension set-up like the fast pros) would stop me personally from ordering one today.

Given the painful recall Trek just went through on its one-piece carbon bars, you can bet they absolutely will not rush out any new part like this to the general public unless it is bullet-proof and highly idiot-resistant. Also while Trek and/or Pro's might be willing to spend $1000+ (very easy to get to) for a full custom piece, that sort of cost would have a massively negative blowback on Trek. So it also has to be reasonably priced too. Oh, and not that many people will actually slap down their credit card for one- so they will probably lose money on it.

So while I would like one to tinker further with my position- I understand its probably not going to happen soon (or at all).

You make good points, however many of us think that it was an oversight that the initial bars did not come original equipment being more adjustable or allowing the ubiquitous standard of round extensions to be used. Trek knew from the progression of the aero bars on the first and second gen speed concept that the market wants (needs?) easy adjustability and the ability to use alternate extensions. This is not a surprise (at least it should not be).

I agree. I had the previous gen bike as well and the plug-in was a game changer. I thought a solution would be released pretty quickly, especially since many pros already were using something long before I got my bike and it was such a simple solution. I tried a bunch of third party options and spent a small fortune but finally found a solution that worked for me … I sold the bike and bought a Canyon!

I received my speed concept back in May and had to get through a couple races this summer before addressing my major issue with the bike. As it seems with everyone else, my main issue is the aerobar setup, way too wide and not enough tilt. Rather than spending thousands on the market equivalent, I made my own. Took about 30 hours of work. Extremely comfortable, tilt is 32°, made of one piece carbon fiber, full arm support, and has a central cavity for gels/anything else during racing. Had to shave off the nibs on the top spacer so the aerobars would sit flush when screwed in.[/img][/img][/img]

Hi:

I'm considering getting a new SC, currently have a Gen2 7.5 mechanical with 404 zipps.

Comparing the SLR6 vs. SLR 7, seems like the main differences are etap + pm on the SLR6, and Di2 on the SLR 7. Does the SLR6 seem like a better deal with the pm, or am I missing something? Price difference is +$700 on the SLR7. Is shimano that much better to skip the pm on the 6? Never had electronic shifting, so I'm new to all of it.

Or....should I just keep my Gen2? I signed up for IM Portugal which is quite hilly.

Thanks, much appreciated!

I am in the same exact boat thinking the same exact thoughts. I'm leaning towards the SLR6 for the reasons you stated. But I'm also debating staying with the gen 2 and keeping 9k in my pocket.

Interested in other perspectives.

I really like my gen 2 SC. I technically could buy the new SC but there is no way I can justify to myself spending 9k on a bike, that I still have to pedal. My wife has been super cool about all of my purchases, but for me the new bike isn't worth it. However, you may be able to afford it and may make enough $ to get it. If you want it, can afford the go for it. Keep the Gen 2 SC for a trainer bike or spare just in case.

If you get one, post pics, there's definitely not enough pics in this thread!

See if these work

I haven’t ridden a bike with rival etap but it’s theoretically down a level of components compared to Ultegra di2. Ultegra di2 is more equivalent to force etap. I would personally opt for the rival etap just to get a pm with the bike. And I’m not a sram or shimano die hard and can appreciate both components for what they are.

As far as whether you should stick to your gen 2 or not, that’s only something you can decide. The gen 2 is a great bike. If you are fine with rim brakes and don’t see the need for disc brakes, then stick to the gen 2. The bb90 and parts availability will eventually be an issue on the bike. If your bike doesn’t have a ton of wear and tear on it, you are probably good for a few more years.

I will say the new bike rides much more comfortable. If you are just looking for a shiny new bike, you won’t be disappointed.

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I got my BTA bottle too, but after using it gave up and went to Profile Design instead. Reasons:

1. Most triathlon bike courses provide wide mouth bottles. Even after taking out the BTA rubber insert from the refill hole, it is a very tight fit and I had trouble trying to do a quick refill. Without the rubber insert, hydration spills out easily when the bottle is 3/4 or more full

2. Getting the plastic cover off for cleaning is troublesome. The only way I (and also my local bike shop mechanic) could get the cover off was to pry an edge of the plastic cover with a small flat tip screwdriver. 2nd time I tried, I busted the cover's plastic clip even though I was being gentle. You can't take the cover off with your hands

3. There is a small white plastic washer around the bottom of the straw that can fall out easily when cleaning or if you remove the straw. If you lose it, your hydration will constantly dribble out

Well done doing this custom work!

I had a professional fit on the new SC. Even after we got everything dialed in, I really needed another 1/2 to 1 inch more length on the aerobars so my fingers could rest comfortably on the shifting buttons. I have to bend my wrist to compensate. The fitter had hit the limits on the aerobar and pads.

What's out there for other aerobar options that work with the new SC?

I really like this color combo. Nice build!

For the SC owners: did you get more than one base tower with the bike or do you get one only? I only got one, which feels a bit restrictive when fitting the bike, especially if you need to go lower in stack?

You only get one. You should have gotten a 5mm spacer and two angled spacers though. You will have to order different tower bases if you need to make big changes. Same goes for the tower toppers.

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I built a custom SC, but it was a huge pain to build. The frameset is only the frame and fork, base bars were separate, seat post was separate, risers, spacers for the base bar were also separate, aero bars are separate, but I went with an Aerocoach set up anyway. Basically, a lot of the bolts and other proprietary bits are separate orders, and there isn’t a list of what comes with the bars and frame, so you have to use the parts list, and even that doesn’t give you a list of what is or isn’t included.

I started the build on April 2022, and didn’t get the frame and bars until December of last year and then a bag of bolts and bits were missing from the base bars…so I couldn’t finish the build for a few weeks. They also don’t explain anywhere that the length of bolt for the base tower is dependent on the height of the base tower you use and the risers / spacers used with the tower. For example, if you use a 15mm tower with 20mm of spacers, you need a longer set of bolts than a 45mm tower with 5mm of spacers. Yeah…that’s not confusing at all. I ended up at the hardware store to source bolts (offset sizes) for the build.

I finally got the thing built, and it is an amazing bike, it’s fast, and surprisingly compliant and handles well. I don’t regret the purchase, but Trek needs to get their mess together because even the Trek store was lost with this one.

AeroCoach has a custom adapter that connects their bars to the tower / topper, it’s super clean, and allows routing of cables just like the stock one, but it is specific for their bars.

it does look good, but its a billion dollars on a bike we already spent a billion to buy lol

yep, that’s why I went with a custom build, and not a stock build. It was a huge pain in the but the because the frameset only comes with the frame and fork, everything else is separate, even the towers, spacers and bolts, and bottle cage bolts, seat post, base bars… it yeah…it was an expense though

Have you read the service manual? They show you what length screw you need for each tower base/ spacer/ angled spacer setup. But the manual shows they do seem to prefer you run a higher tower base instead of running 20 mm worth of spacers. The stock bike only comes with a 5 mm spacer and 2 angled spacers (+7 deg, -7 deg).

Also, if you do a project 1 frame, it comes with the all things you were missing. But, I do agree with you that a stock frame should come with all those things as well.

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I based the fit off of my old SC, but I bought a few spacers to make sure because I had a drag2zero set up. The manual I have only shows the part numbers for the 3 bolt sizes, it doesn’t say which bolt goes with which tower, other than you may need different parts based on towers and spacers used. My AeroCoach system needs to have staggered bolt sizes for the tower toppers, I’m not sure if the stock tower toper do the same.

The frameset didn’t even come with a manual, I had to get the parts and service manual from the Trek store so we could figure out what to get.

I ended up needing a few extra spacers and stacking the angles spacers against each other, and ordered 45mm towers to redo it without that mess.

https://retailerassetsprd.blob.core.windows.net/...ZzABYHTFInUlT%2Fo%3D



Just took a closer at the service manual above (page 11). The lengths only vary based on your spacer setup (blue, green, red). The tower bases (orange) don't affect the length of the required screw. I've got a 15 and 0 mm tower bases. The female end for thread engagement is the same distance from the top of the tower base between the different size tower bases.

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crap missed that bit. My AeroCoach topper requires offset bolts, and I didn’t have the 40mm bolt because they make you piece every bolt and spacer and didn’t order it, so I had to source it from the hardware store with the shorter tower, the 45mm tower was easier.

I meant that the taller the base tower, the lass spacers you need, and thus the different size bolt required based on the tower height + spacers if any.

Just to note, we do not ship bikes with manuals, generally. We keep everything online and accessible for everyone to access - including a breakdown of parts under the "tech" section of each bike and frame so you know what you're getting. Frames are always barebones unless ordered in Project One where you can add more for sizing purposes.

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Mitchell Mathews | Community Manager | Trek Bikes | @mitchmathewz