Emonda SL series seat post LIMITATIONS.

[jimonwheels]

I have just taken delivery of a Trek Emonda SL5 because every review is glowing in its praise. I have had a professional bike fit and ordered a size 54. I have discovered that the seat post / tube arrangement has SEVERE LIMITATIONS in its adjustment and cannot ride my new toy until I get a longer post. WARNING. My retailer tells me Trek WILL NOT SWAP IT. I have encouraged him to try, very hard, to suggest they do so. If you are thinking of one of these be very sure of seat height adjustment.

When I can ride mine I will re-visit.

North East Victoria, Australia, is awash with cycling opportunities from flatland thrashes to alpine ascents. Most towns, large and small have active cycling communities and are very welcoming of visitors. The scenery is enjoyable and the coffee culture alive and well. Our town, Beechworth has it all and I live in paradise. Our bunch includes novices to race hardened vets and encourages riders of all ages. Me. Over 60 and getting slower.

[amey]

I had same issue; had to pay for the longer seatmast and then sold the old one on ebay.

[nickinco]

Just like cases where a rider needs a different stem, bar, etc, to achieve the proper fit, the longer seatmast is an aftermarket item. Trek will not swap the part just like they won't swap a stem if the stock on is not the right size for you. Best bet is to resell if like amey said, or to ask your LBS about a trade-in - we give a sizable discount on the new mast to customers who trade in their stock one. It can be a bit of a nuisance but I don't think it's worth writing off the Emonda or sizing up to avoid the issue.

[koulis1984]

Just like cases where a rider needs a different stem, bar, etc, to achieve the proper fit, the longer seatmast is an aftermarket item. Trek will not swap the part just like they won't swap a stem if the stock on is not the right size for you. Best bet is to resell if like amey said, or to ask your LBS about a trade-in - we give a sizable discount on the new mast to customers who trade in their stock one. It can be a bit of a nuisance but I don't think it's worth writing off the Emonda or sizing up to avoid the issue.

Off topic but as an FYI : Look Bikes will swap any stem for free (at least in the UK) on all bikes that use their proprietary design through your LBS.

[Calnago]

To the OP... I'm curious, What is your saddle height that the 54 Emonda wouldn't allow you to achieve? Was it even close? In Trek's geometry charts, they list a range of saddle heights that the seatmast will accommodate. Seems that would have been a fairly easy thing to take note of during the ordering process.

[grover]

If you bought a bike with a normal seatpost configuration and you needed a longer seatpost would you complain that the manufacturer wasn't exchanging it for you? Just like a stem or handlebars or crank length or cassette/chainring ratios as others have suggested, I don't think so. Maybe just a little grumpy that you can't ride your new toy. Enjoy your new Emonda, they're excellent and you'll seen forget this little frustration.

@Calnago, the listed ranges refer to the minimum with the short post and the maximum with the long post. So with the stock (short) post the max height is 40mm lower than listed, with the aftermarket (long post the min height is 40mm higher than listed. Any good Trek dealer should have been able to say, oh your seat height will require the longer post and ordered it with the bike. I wouldn't expect them to swap it out for nothing though as they have to pay for it. If you're lucky the shop would take the short one into stock and sell you the long one at a discounted rate.

[Calnago]

@grover: thanks that's good to know. Mine came with the long seatpost, being a size 60 frame, but my saddle height is pretty much in the middle of the range they gave so the final setup ended up working very well.

[djm]

If it was me and I was aware of the limitation, I wouldn't buy it unless the seller was able to provide a long enough post.. So they won't do it? No sale to me then.

[0psi]

If it was me and I was aware of the limitation, I wouldn't buy it unless the seller was able to provide a long enough post.. So they won't do it? No sale to me then.

Do you expect that the stem length, bar width, crank length, gear ratios and saddle type to be swapped out when you buy a new bike?

What if you bought an Emonda S5 which comes with a standard seatpost and didn't like the offset? Would you expect that to be swapped out to a post with zero offset?

[madcow]

A good shop should work with you on these things. We keep all the Trek posts and stems in stock and put on the bike exactly what the customer needs (at no additional charge.) The ones we take off go back into our stock which we use to fit bikes that go to other owners in the future. I don't understand shops that don't do this. The investment in stock is small and when you're no longer selling models that use those pieces you sell the items as take offs and recover your investment. Sure we may not make any money off selling our customers new posts and stems, but at least we've done right and earned a return customer.

[eliflap-scalpel]

instead of this adventure, i ordered and receive a Trek Boone disc 2016 frame kit.

no BB and no seatpost ... as described in the Trek website ...

results : bike to be assebled yet ....

[garysol1]

So I am a little late to the party but I also experienced the to short of a mast on a 54cm Emonda. The supplied mast goes to a saddle height of 73cm. I am 5'8" which is very average height for a guy on a 54 and I need to purchase the taller mast for my needed 74cm saddle height.....

[Calnago]

The taller mast will look much better on it anyway. How much do they charge for just the seat mast?

[garysol1]

The taller mast will look much better on it anyway. How much do they charge for just the seat mast?

Retail is somewhere around $169.00 for the taller mast.... Here is a picture of my new build still with the original mast..

[Calnago]

Wow! That's pricy. If you knew you'd need the taller mast when you bought it would they have just made a straight exchange I wonder? If not, they should.