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Trek Madone 7-Series Project One - long-term review

Latest madone flagship walks a fine line between aerodynamics, stiffness and comfort.

You can trust Cyclingnews Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

This article originally published on BikeRadar

Gallery: Trek Factory Racing reveal new kit design

We shared our first impressions of Trek's revamped 2014 Madone 7-Series Project One road racing flagship back in July and were generally quite happy with the experience. As always, the handling manners were impeccable, it was fairly comfortable and suitably quick under power – all while supposedly offering greatly improved aerodynamic performance over a round-tubed bike.

Several months later, our initial opinions haven't changed - if anything, they've only been reinforced. The latest Madone is Trek's best in many ways but the controversial rear brake placement hasn't won us over.

Ride and handling: telepathic handling, unflappably predictable

Our Madone reviews are starting to sound like broken records when it comes to describing the handling but given that it's so perennially exceptional, that's hardly a bad thing. When it comes to neutral handing, this really is the quintessential sweet spot between stability and agility. Calm high-speed manners inspire supreme confidence when bombing descents and yet the Madone is still amply quick to turn in when the corners start coming fast and furious. Simply lean it over, set an edge and rail through – often with no need to hit the brakes either.

Fit and rider positioning is still spot-on as well. We went with the more aggressive H1 geometry here with its lower front end and longer top tube, and found it just right when going hard. We've sampled the slightly more relaxed H2 version too, and found it provided a noticeably more upright ride but without compromising the superb handling.

As claimed, ride quality has improved over last year's version. It's a subtle change that many might not even notice, however, and we still wouldn't characterize the latest Madone's feel as pillowy smooth. It's exceptionally well damped and glides across good road surfaces without feeling overly isolating but neither end gives much on bumps of any size.

That being said, it rides quite well for a top-end machine whose primary intent is racing, particularly compared to other aero road machines that can sometimes be downright harsh. At least on the generally good roads we used during testing, the Madone is an easy machine to ride all day.

Overall stiffness is what we've come to expect from the Madone. Excellent front triangle rigidity lends extra precision and confidence to the handling traits, plus it makes for a solid feel when muscling the bars during out-of-the-saddle sprints and climbs. Rear end stiffness can't quite keep up with the front end but it's very good nonetheless and contributes to a generally sprightly and eager feel overall.

And have we mentioned yet that the new Madone is also light? Our complete test sample came with a custom Project One spec that includes a Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 mechanical group, Bontrager Aeolus 3 D3 carbon clinchers, and carbon fibre Bontrager finishing kit. The total weight for a 52cm size without pedals is a wispy 6.32kg (13.93lb). Actual weight of our 52cm frame is similarly svelte at 840g (with rear derailleur hanger and bolt-on housing stops) and the matching fork adds just 340g (195mm steerer, no plug).

Trek even claims some impressive aerodynamic savings over the previous round-tubed Madone: 25 watts at 40km/h, or about two minutes per hour.

So the latest Madone is stout under power, handles supremely well, reasonably comfortable, very light, more aerodynamic than before and puts its rider in a perfect position. What's not to like?

Unfortunately, it's that pesky rear brake.

Trek believes putting the rear brake caliper under the chainstays has multiple benefits. We're not convinced

Trek says the relocation of the rear caliper beneath the chainstays provides several benefits. For one, the chainstays are far bigger and stiffer than the seatstays so in theory, they should make for a more solid foundation and increased braking power. Moving the brake down below also frees up designers to slim down the seatstays for improved ride comfort, plus it cleans up the shape for supposedly reduced aerodynamic drag.

Despite the bridgeless seat stay design and their relatively slim profile, the Madone isn't appreciably more comfortable than other top competitors. The down-below location is also prone to road spray and debris kicked off of the front wheel, plus it's a very awkward location for maintenance. And while we didn't notice any unusual brake rub during our first few rides during the summer, we ultimately got several different wheelsets (including the stock Bontrager ones) to consistently contact the pads under hard efforts, even with relatively generous pad rim clearances.

The revamped brake location may very well over some measurable benefits but even so, we remain unconvinced that they outweigh the real-world drawbacks.

Frame: lightweight with proven OCLV construction

The Madone may not fit the mould of what many expect to see in a supposedly aerodynamic road bike but that's due to its Kamm tail design. Instead of complete airfoil sections, the Madone instead uses clipped profiles that are said to offer similar aerodynamic benefits while still maintaining more traditional aspect ratios for good stiffness and ride qualities – both of which the Madone has in good quantities.

As is the trend with most modern carbon road frames these days, there are no abrupt profile changes, overly sharp edges or wacky shapes built into the design. Instead, Trek has maintained a more engineering-centric philosophy with gentle transitions throughout. Also present are the company's long-standing Madone frame features, such as the extra-wide BB90 bottom bracket shell with drop-in bearings, correspondingly wide down tube and chain stay spacing, a tapered 1 1/8 to 1 1/2in head tube (again, with bearing seats moulded directly into the structure to save weight), and an integrated no-cut seatmast topped by a Bontrager moulded carbon fibre head.

Other niceties include a built-in chain catcher, the Duotrap integrated optional wireless speed and cadence sensor, carbon fork tips and rear dropouts, and internal cable routing that's convertible for mechanical or electronic drivetrains. None of the internal paths are fully guided but even so, we found servicing to be a pretty straightforward process as long as you're careful to first run a section of housing through before pulling out the old inner wires. More importantly, the paths are straight and direct so there's no penalty in friction as compared to an external setup.

The built-in chain catcher is a nice touch

We did encounter one unfortunate manufacturing related hiccup during our time with the Madone: a fork tip that was a touch too long, which kicked the front wheel off-axis if we pulled the axle completely in – not a lot, mind you, but enough that we noticed. We ended up having to ship our test bike back to Trek, where 0.5mm was ground off of one dropout to correct the misalignment. All was good afterward but this is not exactly what you want to see on a bike costing upward of US$10,000.

Equipment: flawless Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 group and fantastic Bontrager bits

Whatever gripes we can air on the rear brake position and fork tip alignment, we have nothing but positive things to say in regards to the new Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 group . It's utterly brilliant in every way that matters and corrects every mis-step of the previous 7900 package.

Shift quality is superb, with smooth and dependable changes under full power – especially up front, which is still best in class. Lever action is light, enviably precise, and silky smooth, plus Shimano has given back the ability to downshift three rear gears in a sweep. Lever ergonomics are also fantastic, with a smooth shape that falls naturally in your hands and a reach adjustment that's usable without detracting from the keen aesthetics.

Despite the unusual rear caliper placement and uncommon direct mount fitment, brake performance is excellent with ample power, a solid-feeling lever, and good control – provided you take the time to resurface the stock carbon-specific Bontrager cork pads. The rear quick-release that's built into the head tube stop is a little awkward to use during a wheel change but thankfully, we never really had to since the Bontrager Aeolus 3 D3 rims are roughly the same width as the 25mm tyres we used primarily during testing.

We had excellent luck overall with Bontrager's latest 35mm-deep carbon clinchers, which are admirably rigid, lightweight, reasonably stable in crosswinds, and seemingly durable thanks in part to well proven DT Swiss star ratchet rear hub internals. Tubeless compatibility would be the icing on the cake but in fairness, it's still a rarity in the road world.

We have plenty of praise for the rest of Bontrager finishing kit too. The Race X Lite IsoZone carbon handlebar does a fantastic job of sucking of road buzz and the matching carbon stem is impressively solid. Despite the minimal padding, the Paradigm XXX Carbon saddle is nevertheless comfortable and supportive for long days on the road too, thanks to its smart shape and generous central cutout.

Price: £10,311 BikeRadar says: "Overall, the latest Madone faithfully carries forward the range's hallmarks of brilliant handling, spot-on rider positioning, very good stiffness and good ride quality. Aero shaping and continuing weight losses only further improve the stock. However, the unusual rear brake position and the associated inconveniences mar what is otherwise a great bike." BikeRadar verdict: 3 1/2 stars More information: www.trekbikes.com

Complete bike specifications

Frame: Trek Madone 7-Series Project One (52cm tested) Fork: Trek Madone KVF full carbon Headset: Cane Creek IS8, 1 1/8-to-1 1/2in tapered Stem: Bontrager Race XXX Lite Handlebars: Bontrager Race X Lite IsoZone Tape/grips: Bontrager Gel Grip Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace BR-9000 w/ Bontrager carbon-specific cork pads Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace BR-9000 w/ Bontrager carbon-specific cork pads Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-9000 Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace FD-9000 Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace RD-9000 Shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-9000 Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-9000 Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-9000 Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace FC-9000 Bottom bracket: Trek BB90 integrated Pedals: n/a Wheelset: Bontrager Aeolus 53 D3 clincher Front tyre: Bontrager R4, 700x25c Rear tyre: Bontrager R4, 700x25c Saddle: Bontrager Paradigm RXXXL Seatpost: Bontrager Ride Tuned Carbon seatmast Weight: 6.32kg (13.93 lbs) w/o pedals

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Trek’s Seventh Generation Madone Blends Radical Design and Performance

Trek's new Madone is made to go fast and win races.

Takeaway: A pure-bred road race bike designed to win at the WorldTour level. With its latest Madone, Trek ditches the IsoSpeed decoupler for the new lighter weight, more aerodynamic, and visually radical IsoFlow seatmast.

• Drops weight and gains efficiency.
• Proven geometry remains unchanged from the gen-6 model.
• Flared bars for reduced drag.
• Three SRAM and three Shimano build kit offerings.

Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7

Trek’s Madone is an iconic bike. First launched in 2003, the Madone has evolved massively over the past two decades. The platform’s most significant technological leap came about in 2014 when Trek debuted the Emonda, its dedicated lightweight bike. The Emonda freed the Madone from having to strictly be a light bike, allowing aerodynamics to become its primary focus.

To deal with the notoriously stiff and uncomfortable ride of early aero bikes, Trek’s engineers incorporated an IsoSpeed decoupler, similar to the one used on the brand’s Domane endurance bike. With IsoSpeed, the bike’s seat tube moved independently from the top tube and seat stays, allowing it to absorb road chatter and small bumps. The resulting sixth-generation Madone was incredibly fast against the wind while also receiving praise for its ride quality. But the downside was the added weight.

With the new seventh-generation Madone, Trek set an ambitious goal of reducing weight without sacrificing the comfort and aerodynamic properties of the old bike. The most obvious place to shed grams was the IsoSpeed system, now replaced by the visually striking IsoFlow.

According to Trek, function drove IsoFlow’s development. Aided by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), Trek sought to overhaul the entire aerodynamic package of the Madone. The result was a new generation of Trek’s Kammtail tube shapes, including a smoother head tube, a down tube better optimized for use with and without bottles, a taller bottom bracket area, and the radically designed seat tube.

The new Madone is bold and will not be mistaken for any other bike. But it definitely won’t please riders who prefer a more traditional aesthetic. Trek deserves props for pushing the design language of a bicycle forward. Though its looks won't please everyone, I’m happy to see something other than a cookie-cutter, dropped-stays, aero-ish, all-around-er that seems so popular amongst bike designers.

The new seat mast set-up is well-designed, offering easy and consistent height adjustment. But the best detail was in the seat clamp, which allowed for fore and aft adjustment independent of saddle tilt. It’s a small detail that makes setting up the bike much easier, as it allows for minor saddle angle tweaks while leaving it clamped in place.

These changes account for roughly half of the aerodynamic improvements of the new bike. Trek claims that the new Madone saves riders 19 watts of pedaling energy at 28 mph, but just half of that savings (9.3 watts) is from improvements to the frame. The remaining watt savings come from changes to the rider position due to the new flared handlebar design. The Madone SLR handlebar measures a traditional width in the drops, but the bar's flare positions the hoods inward by 30mm. This narrower hood location puts the rider in a more aerodynamic position when riding, thus saving watts.

Thankfully for riders that are particular about their contact points, Trek made the new bike compatible with standard 1-⅛” stems so riders can set up their cockpit however they like. However, changing to this would give up a large chunk of the Madone’s claimed aero benefits unless riders choose a narrower-than-normal bar width.

More importantly for pro riders and weight weenies alike, the new frameset is now two-thirds of a pound lighter than its predecessor. Our 56cm test bike came in at 16.2 pounds which is pretty svelt for an aero bike with 51cm deep clincher wheels and disc brakes. A big part of the weight saving comes from the new IsoFlow design. The cantilevered design of the seat tube and IsoFlow allows for engineered flex in the new Madone. This design is how Trek maintains the Madone’s celebrated ride quality.

Trek stuck to its H1.5 geometry as used on the previous generation Madone. It conceived this as a meeting point between Trek’s old racing-focused H1 geometry and its more relaxed H2 angles. The wheelbase on our 56cm bike was only 983mm, nearly a centimeter shorter than the Specialized Tarmac SL7 and Giant’s TCR, and 13 mm shorter than Canyons Ultimate. Combined with a relatively steep 73.5-degree head tube angle and a 58mm trail figure, you get a bike that will dive into corners as hard as you’re willing to push it.

Pricing and Build Options

There is no getting around the fact that as the top-of-the-line road racing bike from Trek, the Madone is not cheap. The move to electronic-only groups on all builds of the Madone does the price no favors as well. While equivalent new models of the Madone only get $200 more expensive for 2023. The entry-level build for the 2023 Madone SLR 6 (with Shimano 105 Di2) comes in at $8,000. That is a $1,100 increase over the 2021 Madone SLR 6 equipped with mechanical-shifting Shimano Ultegra. Top-of-the-range Dura-Ace and Red eTap builds retail for $12,750 and $13,200, respectively.

Trek offers the new Madone in six builds, three with SRAM (Red, Force, and Rival eTap) and three with Shimano (Dura-Ace, Ultegra, and 105 Di2). All of the Madone builds ship with the new integrated cockpit; Dura-Ace and Red-equipped Madones ship with Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 wheels, while all other builds get the slightly heavier Aeolus Pro 51.

Ride Impressions

The new Madone has an exceptionally smooth ride, lacking the characteristically dead and harsh feel of past aero bikes. But the mellow ride is not without an edge. The Madone does an exceptional job of balancing all-day comfort with the agility and aggression needed to be a top-tier race bike. Under sharp accelerations, especially at speeds under 25 mph, the Madone felt impressively stiff. But accelerations from the high 20s into 30+mph territory felt a bit more muted, which is not inherently a bad trait. A twitchy bike is not helpful when you’re going that fast.

Once the Madone is up to speed, it just wants to stay there. I was impressed with how quickly and easily the bike would get rolling up to 20-22 miles per hour. Combined with the gentle ride quality, it felt like the new Madone would constantly surprise me with how fast I was going. The sensation of speed on this bike is almost sneaky, you get used to what 25mph feels like on a road bike, but on the Madone, the same pace feels calmer and less frantic, at least in a straight line. Throw the Madone into a corner, and it instantly feels sharp and aggressive.

As a racer, I very much enjoyed the Madone’s willingness to corner aggressively, but it did expose one of the bike's faults. The 25mm tires shipped on our test biker are simply too narrow. Trek claims that the Madone can fit tires up to 28mm, but this feels short-sighted. Wheel brands such as Reserve, Enve, and Zipp now design around a 28mm tire as the default width. There is plenty of space in the frame for wider tires, so Trek is likely very conservative in its stock tire choice and maximum tire width recommendation.

Even riding the stock 25mm tires with pressures as low as 65 psi front and 75 psi rear, the narrow rubber still felt like it was missing grip, with the back end stepping out multiple times when exiting a corner. It was also discouraging that a road bike selling for over thirteen thousand dollars does not ship with tubeless compatible tires or the proper bits to easily set up the Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 wheels as tubeless.

Another thing missing from the bike was a computer mount. Usually, it is not something I would expect a brand to include, but the bars require a Trek-specific part. Given the complete bike’s price tag and Trek’s integrated cockpit, it should come with a computer mount. I sourced a Blendr mount from my local Trek store, but it was not without its issues (it rattled loose during a training crit and fell off). It is possible to entirely avoid this proprietary part by using a standard 1-⅛” stem and handlebar but making this swap would involve cutting hydraulic houses and would not be cheap.

I was also pleased to see Trek continue using the T47 bottom bracket standard on this bike. A threaded bottom bracket shell is a win for mechanics everywhere. However, the latest Madone is now only compatible with electronic shifting. We can argue whether it's bike brands like Trek (releasing electronic-only high-end bikes) or component brands like SRAM and Shimano (no longer developing high-performance mechanical road groupsets) or if consumers are just voting with their dollars. But the result is that we are witnessing the death of mechanical shifting from high-end racing bikes. And that's a little bit sad.

Ultimately this Madone, like the versions that have come before, was conceived and designed to meet the needs of World Tour professionals. Everything about the bike, from how it rides, to how much it costs, reflects that niche design requirement. Aside from a small pool of professional racers, very few people will likely make the most of this bike’s capabilities. It’s analogous to the way most drivers will not benefit from driving a Formula One car. It’s a pure-bred race bike designed to win at the highest level. If that’s what you’re looking to do—or you just want to own a bike with that ability—then the Madone should be on your shortlist.

Test Editor Dan Chabanov got his start in cycling as a New York City bike messenger but quickly found his way into road and cyclocross racing, competing in professional cyclocross races from 2009 to 2019 and winning a Master’s National Championship title in 2018. Prior to joining Bicycling in 2021, Dan worked as part of the race organization for the Red Hook Crit, as a coach with EnduranceWERX, as well as a freelance writer and photographer. 

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Meet the new Trek Madone

Our fastest road bike ever. Period.

The holy grail of road bike engineering is a perfect balance of aerodynamics, light weight and comfort. With the seventh generation of the Trek Madone, the mad scientists at Trek’s laboratories may have finally found the sweet spot for what we can proudly, and unequivocally, call our fastest road bike ever.

The secret is hiding in plain sight. Each frame is sculpted with IsoFlow technology, which splits the seat tube, creating a funnel beneath the seat mast that smooths and accelerates air through the frame while also creating flex near the saddle to smooth out those bumps in the road, so you can ride even farther. 

IsoFlow is both eye-catching and revolutionary. You can see it at work already for the Trek-Segafredo men’s and women’s teams at some of the biggest races of the year, including the Tour de France. If you love speed, you’re going to love this bike.

The full bike and a good look at IsoFlow.

A cockpit built for speed.

Trek engineers didn’t stop at IsoFlow to improve the Madone’s aerodynamics. Painstaking research went into the frame, cockpit and rider position to make sure that riders got every ounce of free speed possible. The result? The new Madone is 19 watts faster than the previous generation at 45 kilometers an hour. That’s a savings of approximately 60 seconds per hour. 

A split seat post helps eat bumps in the road.

A more comfortable position means longer games of "tag."

Power, comfort and control

Riders are now placed in an even more ergonomic riding position compared to the previous Madone, thanks to an overhauled cockpit that features a shorter reach and hoods that are 3 centimeters narrower than the drops. Combined with IsoFlow, riders can expect to feel faster late into their long efforts.

Climb or descend like the best.

Lighter than ever

It may not beat the mountain-eating Émonda , but the new Madone has always been plenty snappy on steep gradients, and it’s even more so now. The new Madone is around 300 grams lighter than the previous version, again thanks to IsoFlow, as well as our best and lightest OCLV Carbon. Take on your hometown’s killer climb (you know the one) without fear.

No detail overlooked.

Coming to a peloton near you.

You want a lighter, faster, more comfortable road bike? Well here it is. The Madone compromises nothing to give you the ultimate ride. There’s simply nothing like it. 

Our fastest road bike ever

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The Trek Madone is an absolute speed weapon. The deep-section tubes with the radical-looking cutout help, as does the newly designed handlebar, which is narrow and provides good wrist support for the ‘aero-hoods’ position. And then there are the 51mm deep Bontrager Aeolus Pro wheels. The handling is incredibly fast, responding to the smallest shift in weight and the tiniest tweaks of the bars, and ride quality is so impressive that it’s almost possible to overlook things like the narrow tires and ungenerous clearance - but you can’t ignore the price. If you have the budget and want a WorldTour-level race machine with exceptional handling and ride feel, this is the bike.

Super smooth ride

Light for an aero bike

Striking aesthetics

Limited adjustability

No power meter

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

• Construction

Value and conclusion

For this latest Gen 7 version of the Madone, Trek’s aero bike, the US brand removed the IsoSpeed Decoupler of the previous Gen 6 model and left, in its place, a big hole.

OK, it’s not the crude, reductionist approach it sounds like.

The old bike’s micro-adjustable suspension system at the top tube/seat tube juncture added weight and was mostly redundant since Trek discovered most riders would ‘set and forget’.

And by radically reengineering the frame Trek claims to have saved 300g, and says the new bike is almost 20 watts faster than its predecessor, which equates to 60 seconds per hour when ridden at 45kph. It looks radical, too - always a good thing for a new bike.

In our 2023 Race Bike of the Year grouptest we awarded the Madone 'best aero bike' against competition that included the Cervélo S5, the Canyon Aeroad and the Giant Propel.

However, over $9K / £10K for an Ultegra bike has to be unchartered territory - so how does it compare overall to the best road bikes ?

Trek Madone 7 Gen 7: construction

Let’s peer a bit more closely into that hole or, to give it its real name, IsoFlow. The aerodynamic explanation for it is: “It’s a way to direct some high energy flow into a low energy region of the bike.” What that means is that the seat tube area creates a disproportionate amount of drag and the hole helps to dissipate this by adding what Trek calls a “jet of fast moving air.”

It turns out that only half of the claimed watt saving comes from the IsoFlow hole. Trek has entered the integrated cockpit wars (along with Colnago, Canyon, Cervélo et al) with a completely new and very slick-looking design but it’s neither adjustable nor V-shaped: according to Trek it saves watts by changing rider position rather than via the aerodynamic properties of the cockpit itself.

A standard 42cm bar becomes 39cm at the hoods and 42cm at the drops and there’s a backsweep so that a flat-forearms aero position on the hoods becomes very aero indeed.

There are 14 different combinations available and, since the backsweep gives the bar a shorter reach, it’s important to get the right one - if you’re like those of us who rode this bike, you’ll need a longer stem. You can change this at point of purchase at no extra cost, Trek told us, or the 1 1/8in steerer is compatible with a non-integrated stem and bar (though the frame is electronic groupset only).

The same goes for the seatmast. The cutout in the seat tube leaves less room for a long seatpost and less adjustability (around 6cm minimum to maximum) so if you are long-legged but prefer a smaller frame you may need the tall version that comes with the size 56 upwards (as I ideally would have done). There are also two offsets available.

Our size 54 with a standard short mast could only manage a maximum saddle height of 74cm and the reach felt very short with the 90mm stem cockpit it comes with.

The latest geometry is called H1.5 (halfway between the old H1 race and H2 endurance). The reduced reach combined with the shorter reach of the swept-back bar works very well for that super aero hoods position, but it does feel surprisingly short. The kamm-tailed rear of the stem is much closer to your knees than you’d expect.

The new SLR bikes are all made from Trek’s 800 OCLV carbon - from the 105-equipped SLR 6 up to the flagship SLR 9 - and are impressively light, especially compared with other aero bikes such as the Cervelo S5. Trek says this is its lightest ever disc Madone.

There’s clearance for 28mm tires max, which is tight by modern standards. This model comes with Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 tubeless-ready wheels, set up with Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite 25mm tires and inner tubes - again, surprisingly narrow.

Despite the fact that the fit wasn’t optimal - I could have done with the size up - the ride quality of the Madone is absolutely incredible. That’s the first thing that strikes you, or rather doesn’t strike you.

Aero bikes used to supply a harsher ride simply because deep, bladed tubing doesn’t flex like round tubing. This was undoubtedly the reason why Trek bolted the IsoSpeed decoupler onto the Madone two iterations ago. So you might expect that with its suspension system gone, the latest bike might have gone backwards in comfort. Not a bit of it.

It feels like a coiled carbon spring - full of potential energy and floating over bad road surfaces seemingly without any effect on its speed. And this is on 25mm tires that aren’t even the best (at this price they really ought to be).

The handling is also exactly right. The shortish 90mm stem section of the cockpit could have made it a little twitchy, but thanks to the sweeping shape I found my weight sufficiently over the front wheel in the hoods position, and steering was fast but balanced on descents and tight corners.

So it passes ‘comfortable’ and ‘fast’ with flying colors (actually Deep Smoke for this one).

At 7.5kg it’s light for an aero bike - or any disc brake bike - and it leaps up hills as if it weighs even less. I was so impressed with its performance that I kept forgetting Trek also has the Emonda climbing bike. The next Emonda has its work cut out (pun intended).

Finally, stability in crosswinds. There’s one particular gateway on my test loop where any bike not designed for big yaw angles will be gusted and the Trek was indeed blown sideways slightly - but not alarmingly considering the deep wheels and frame tubes.

This bike is incredibly good but it’s also incredibly expensive. It’s a full $1,000 / £1,000 more than the equivalent outgoing Gen 6 Madone SLR 7, and you’d have to look hard to find a more expensive Ultegra Di2-equipped bike from the other mainstream brands. 

The Canyon Aeroad CFR with Dura-Ace costs $8,999 / £8,799, while the Cervelo S5 with SRAM Force AXS costs $9,000 / £9,200. The Giant Propel Advanced SL1 also with SRAM Force costs $8,000 / £8,999.

You might also reasonably expect a power meter at this price - those three bikes all come with them - but it’s just the regular Ultegra crankset here.

So the price is stratospheric but compared with the current aero bikes I’ve ridden so far including the Colnago V4RS , Canyon Aeroad SLX , Cervelo S5, Tarmac SL7 and Pinarello Dogma F, the ride quality is superior.

• Frame: 800 Series OCLV carbon
• Fork: KVF carbon, tapered steerer
• Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2
• Wheels : Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51
• Tires : Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite 25mm
• Cockpit: Madone integrated
• Seatpost : Madone aero internal
• Saddle: Bontrager Aeolus Elite
• Weight: 7.5kg
• Contact: www.trekbikes.com

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Simon Smythe is a hugely experienced cycling tech writer, who has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2003. Until recently he was our senior tech writer. In his cycling career Simon has mostly focused on time trialling with a national medal, a few open wins and his club's 30-mile record in his palmares. These days he spends most of his time testing road bikes, or on a tandem doing the school run with his younger son.

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The Trek Madone 6.2 is a road/triathlon bike with a carbon OCLV frame. The frame comes in colors like   Range  Red  /  white ,   red  /  black  /  white and   black  /  white  /  Chi  Red .

Originally released in 2011, there are 6 versions of this bike. Due to the frame materials and other factors, we estimate that this bike weighs around 20 pounds. The Madone 6.2 is fully rigid.

The Madone 6.2 comes with Shimano Ultegra components, including a Bontrager Race X Lite stem, an integrated, tapered, Top Bottom Cane Creek IS-2 headset and Shimano Ultegra shifters.

The Madone 6.2 has 10 speeds and has Shimano Ultegra rear cogs and a Shimano Ultegra derailleur.

It comes with Bontrager R3 tires (622mm x 23mm) and tubeless Bontrager Race Lite rims.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

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Trek Madone long-term review: Hyper-aero, surprisingly comfy

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The Madone is the oldest model name in the current Trek road lineup, with the first dating back to 2003. That nameplate has worn several hats in that time, but it’s always represented the best that road bike Trek had to offer. The latest generation is no different, offering cutting-edge aerodynamics, an incredible level of integration, and a level of comfort that is unmatched by its competitors.

But what’s it like to live with a Madone over the long haul? CyclingTips US technical editor James Huang sought to answer just that, spending nearly two full years of quality time on a workhorse Madone 9.5 model. The honeymoon ended long ago, and there have been some rocky moments since then. But for the most part, it’s been a pretty solid relationship.

Aero performance without compromise?

The science of bicycle aerodynamics has greatly matured in recent years, and it seems like every major industry player has cracked the code on how best to reduce drag. While it could easily be argued that aero road bikes from different brands are looking increasingly derivative, it could just as easily be argued that it’s because there just aren’t many ways known to do it well without sacrificing other performance metrics, such as chassis rigidity and weight, and staying within the stringent UCI technical guidelines for frame design.

As a result, the never-ending fight to save watts is increasingly a matter of splitting hairs, but even independent third-party tests have confirmed that Trek’s latest Madone is one of the absolute best in this regard. It’s fast when pointed straight into still air, but also posts enviably low drag numbers at a wide range of wind angles, meaning that it also maintains that aerodynamic edge in more realistic outdoor conditions.

Trek was one of the earliest proponents of the flat-backed, Kamm-tail tube profiles that are now so common; its original Speed Concept time trial/triathlon bike debuted the concept almost 10 years ago, at the 2009 Tour de France. It’s not surprising that Trek has continued to refine the idea, incorporating the philosophy fully in this latest Madone. While the down tube, seat tube, head tube, seatstays, and fork blades all look conventionally deep in profile, a closer look reveals that they all have clipped tails, with the theory being that the truncated shapes maintain the aerodynamic efficiency of full airfoil sections, but with the weight and stiffness advantages that come from the rounder cross-sections.

Details matter as always, and Trek has complemented the frame’s basic shape with similarly well thought-out ancillary components. The front and rear rim brake calipers are nicely integrated into the surrounding structures, and Trek has gone the extra step of partnering with TRP to create dedicated units specifically for the Madone. They blend in so well, in fact, that were they painted to match, they’d almost be invisible at first glance.

Up front is a proprietary one-piece carbon fiber cockpit; the steerer clamp is matched with profiled headset spacers for a cohesive surface contour. Save for very brief appearances at both derailleurs and the rear brake, cable routing is fully internal from tip to tail, running inside the flattened bar tops, through the bulbous molded carbon-fiber stem, and down the sides of the unique square-profile steerer tube before making their way inside the frame. On the down tube, just aft of the head tube, is a small hatch with either a holder for a Shimano Di2 junction box or a barrel adjuster for a cable-actuated front derailleur. It’s very slick.

Overall, the layout is strikingly clean, and it makes other aero bikes with exposed cabling look comparatively unfinished and cluttered.

Other examples of integration include proprietary bolt-on accessory mounts for computers and front and rear lights, a pocket in the non-driveside chainstay for a wireless speed and cadence sensor, and Trek’s now-commonplace BB90 press-fit bottom bracket shell , whereby the crankset bearings are pressed into seats that are molded directly into the shell; no separate cups are required. A chain keeper is mounted to the base of the seat tube, too.

Such deep-section tubing would normally produce an unyieldingly stiff ride quality, but it’s here where the Madone shines brightest.

Trek has incorporated its ingenious IsoSpeed “decoupler” into the Madone, which places a pivoting axle at the seat cluster to promote movement on rougher roads. Even adding a pivot axle and a pair of cartridge bearings isn’t going to make a deep-section seat tube flex much under load, however, so Trek has instead developed a rather brilliant tube-within-a-tube design. That aero-profile extended seatmast necks down at the seat cluster to a much smaller, round-profile seat tube that is hidden inside the seat tube. In this way, the main frame can still be shaped to cheat the wind, but the ride quality is akin to a more traditionally shaped frame.

As on the previous three generations of Trek’s flagship road racer, this latest Madone features a clever semi-integrated seatmast design that requires no cutting. Although it looks cool (and omits many of the hassles of full-length integrated seatmasts), it’s also what makes the IsoSpeed concept possible since more traditional designs with overlapping frame-plus-seatpost layouts would make that area too stiff.

It makes little sense to report a traditional frame-only weight here since there is so much integration on the Madone and so many proprietary parts that must be included for it to function. Instead, it’d be more telling to describe the “module,” including the frame, fork, headset, headset cover, seatmast head, cable hardware, front and rear brake calipers, and bottom bracket. Actual weight for that configuration is 2.27kg (5.00lb).

A different approach toward bike reviews

It’s commonplace for us here at CyclingTips to test bikes for several weeks — or sometimes, several months — before sharing our impressions. The current Madone iteration had already been around for a couple of seasons by the time I took delivery of my review sample, and since I was unlikely to add much to the existing conversation, I decided to take a different approach. Savvy readers may notice that the Madone model pictured here is thoroughly out of date, but that’s because I’ve been evaluating it for the past two years .

Piling on miles quickly is obviously one way to get to know a bike, but there’s no substitute for simply living with the thing over an extended period of time: winter, spring, summer, fall, repeat.

For this unique ultra-extended test, I went with a workhorse Madone 9.5 model, built around Trek’s second-tier 600 Series carbon frame and its standard H2 semi-upright geometry. The bike arrived with Shimano’s now-previous-generation Dura-Ace mechanical groupset, Bontrager aluminum/carbon aero clincher wheels, and Bontrager finishing kit, with a total weight of 7.26kg (16.00lb, without pedals). Nearly every component was traded in and out over those two years, but that’s just as well; I was mainly trying to get thoroughly acquainted with the frameset.

And let’s just say that after two laps around the sun, I got to know the thing quite well.

For more information on current Madone models, visit Trek .

A sleek shape, a comfy ride, and lots of integration

Having already spent several months on a flagship model prior to starting this review, I was already familiar with most of the Madone’s salient performance traits, and am happy to report that most of them carry forth on this more affordable version.

Aerodynamic efficiency is always a dubious thing to evaluate from the saddle, but the Madone indeed feels fast on the road, especially when fitted with matching aero wheels. The bike accelerates just like non-aero bikes of similar weight and stiffness from a standstill, but it’s when you’re moving at higher speeds that you notice how much easier it is to do so. Scoff at the concept of aero gains all you wish, but the effect is real — and tangible, in this case.

More striking is the bike’s surprisingly comfortable ride. Most carbon fiber aero road bikes do a decent job of filtering out high-frequency road buzz, but kick back hard on bigger impacts. However, the Madone’s pivoting seatmast even manages to quell those handily. Whereas you’d normally brace for impact when approaching ugly-looking bumps on more traditional aero road bikes, you quickly learn on the Madone that you can simply stay seated and pedal through.

IsoSpeed is now featured on Trek’s Madone, Domane, and Domane SLR road platforms, and it’s perhaps worth noting how the ride quality differs between the three. Whereas the original Domane — with its rear-only IsoSpeed design — offered a pillowy ride out back, the fully rigid front end was comparatively harsh, and the feel was markedly unbalanced as a result. Trek corrected this on the Domane SLR with its new Front IsoSpeed device and newly adjustable rear IsoSpeed design, and the ride quality is decidedly more cohesive as a result.

Like the original Domane, the Madone features IsoSpeed only at the rear end, but it doesn’t suffer from the same mismatched feel. Whereas the first-generation Domane (and current second-tier ones) are plush out back, but very firm up front, the Madone’s stock IsoSpeed tuning is firmer to begin with, and feels more balanced overall. It strikes a pleasant balance between bump isolation, road feel, and efficiency with no noticeable saddle movement during normal pedaling. A plush endurance machine the Madone is most certainly not, but it’s still a striking improvement over the vast majority of aero bikes on the road.

If you want an even smoother ride, bear in mind that Trek officially approves the Madone for use with tires up to 28mm-wide (and rims up to 30mm-wide). Two years ago, Trek equipped the Madone 9.5 with 23mm-wide tires on 17.5mm-wide rims; today, the Madone 9.5 comes with 25c tires, which actually measure closer to 27mm when mounted to 19.5mm-wide rims. Especially in that configuration, the Madone is far more comfortable to ride than you’d expect based on appearances alone.

Such clearance would be meaningless without brakes that can handle the extra width, but the Madone’s proprietary calipers are up to the task. Integrated set screws individually adjust each arm’s position and spring tension, and handy quick-release levers are incorporated into the design as well for fast wheel changes. The direct-mount, center-pull design is also impressively rigid and yields excellent lever feel.

I found the calipers easy to control, but overall power is a bit lacking as compared to standard Shimano direct-mount calipers. Most of this difference was eventually sourced back to the stock TRP pads, however, which seemed overly hard and lacking in initial bite. Switching to SwissStop’s purple BXP compound helped tremendously, as did installing a set of HED Jet 6 Black aluminum/carbon clinchers with their aggressively textured sidewalls.

As I’ve come to expect from the Madone family, handling was unflappably capable. Years of refinement have produced a geometry that simply goes where you want it to, when you want it to, with no drama or objection, and with minimal input required of the rider at either the bars or hips. It’s not overly twitchy or stable, but rather as middle-of-the-road as could be for a high-end, everyday road racer; basically the embodiment of neutral handling.

While some might classify that sort of quiet competence as boring, I’d say it’s the perfect scenario for day-to-day riding.

Some will find the fit to be much more polarizing, however.

All of Trek’s aero road bikes wear the same “Madone” label, but there are essentially two different bikes on tap here. Not long ago, Trek offered many of its Madone models in two fit variants: the aggressive H1 version with its pro-friendly long-and-low rider positioning, and the masses-friendly H2 fit, with its taller head tube and slightly shorter top tube. These days, however, the only way to get the H1 fit is to go with a bare Madone 9 Race Shop Limited frameset and build it up from there; every complete Madone is now offered solely in the H2 version.

For my preferred 52cm size, the difference in reach is only 3mm: 379mm vs. 382mm, which basically just takes into account the head tube extension and still offers plenty of room to stretch out. The difference in stack, however, is a much more substantial 552mm vs. 523mm, for a whopping 29mm gain. For the sake of comparison, it’s not far off from what Specialized does with its Tarmac vs. the Roubaix families of road bikes.

Whether that’s a good or bad thing will depend on your personal setup, but Trek has obviously opted to favor the majority of the bell curve here. Truth be told, I was perfectly happy height-wise on the H2 setup just by removing all of the headset spacers. But that said, riders interested in the Madone who want or need a more aggressive position will either need to remove all the headset spacers or start from scratch.

Compounding the fit issue is the aero carbon fiber integrated cockpit. The effective stock stem length on my 52cm sample size was a stubby 90mm, and I definitely needed to go longer; other sizes are equipped with similarly short cockpits as well. Trek supplied me with a longer cockpit per my request, but the internally routed cabling doesn’t make the change remotely quick or easy.

I’ve noticed several Trek Factory Racing team riders opting for more conventional stems and bars for various reasons. However, I would encourage most Madone buyers to invest the time to get the properly sized one-piece cockpit installed because it’s very good once you get the right size. The flattened tops have more rounded edges than many other designs I’ve used, so they’re surprisingly comfortable to hold on long climbs (although I would recommend against leaving them bare as Trek supplies from the factory). And while I would have preferred a bit more wrist clearance when sprinting, the variable-radius drops offer a wide range of comfy hand positions. The monocoque design is also impressively stiff without being overly so, and as long as you’re running one of the supported brands, the slick Blendr bolt-on computer and light/camera mounts make for an ultra-clean setup.

I anticipated all of these fit issues right from the start, but what I didn’t anticipate was the difference in stiffness between the H1 and H2 frames.

Trek builds the top-end, H1-fit Team Issue frames with its premier 700-Series carbon fiber blend; the H2-fit versions get the lesser 600-Series mix instead (and are also made in Asia, not Wisconsin). The modest increase in weight isn’t a big deal, but the softer feel is harder to ignore.

I’ve never found Madones of any generation to be unusually rigid, but I’ve usually been happy to accept that given their balanced ride qualities. The 600-Series frame squirts forward with pedaling pressure well enough, but front triangle torsional rigidity is particularly lacking as compared to the stouter-feeling 700-Series Madone. The chassis feels a little soft when climbing or sprinting out of the saddle, and is especially distracting when hitting bumps in mid-corner, where the sudden out-of-plane twisting can knock you off-line and disrupt your rhythm through a series of turns. No matter how much time I spent on the Madone 9.5, that sudden wiggle was something I never grew accustomed to, and it ultimately sapped my confidence on fast downhills.

After the honeymoon period

It’s relatively easy to gauge a bike’s overall personality after just a handful of rides, but long-term issues often only rear their ugly heads over time.

Trek does its best to make the internal routing setup more liveable, including cleverly split headset spacers that allow for bar height alterations without having to re-run all of the cabling, and built-in adjustments on the brake calipers that can accommodate a reasonably wide range of cable tensions. As with many internally routed bikes, there’s also a big port at the underside of the bottom bracket to help guide everything through. Indeed, just changing inner cables is only mildly anger-inducing.

It’s usually better to replace both the cables and housing at the same time, however, and there’s no point in sugarcoating the process — it’s a royal pain in the ass. Trek thankfully provides guidelines and tutorials for the process, including detailed housing lengths, but there’s still a lot of fishing and disassembly involved. Whereas a reasonably experienced home mechanic could do a complete cable and housing replacement on an externally routed bike in the time it takes to watch a single episode of Game of Thrones (new bar tape included), it’s best to set aside a half day or so here.

Repeated rides in wet weather revealed a few more chinks in the armor.

Cable exit points are reasonably well sealed, but the slot for the semi-integrated seatmast topper is basically open to the elements. Water spraying off of the rear wheel easily gets in, but at least can drain out through the holes in the bottom of the bottom bracket shell. That said, any associated dirt or mud isn’t likely to flow out as well (and yes, I mostly stuck to asphalt for this one).

That’s a good thing in terms of the bottom bracket bearings, which on some frames can corrode from within. There’s an internal plastic sleeve that does a decent job of shielding the Japanese NSK cartridges from that sort of water exposure, but they’re not wholly immune to weather. And from the outside, the supplemental bearing shields — don’t you dare call them “seals” — do little to protect the bearings from road spray. And unlike a more conventional design that uses separate press-in or threaded cups, the molded carbon-fiber structure doesn’t provide as much flexibility for updating those seal designs.

It’s predominantly dry here in Colorado, so this Madone didn’t see nearly as much foul weather as it would have under someone who would ride it day-in and day-out in a wetter climate such as the U.K. Perhaps as a result, my bike stayed pleasantly creak-free during its stay in the Rocky Mountains. But nevertheless, periodic inspections of my bottom bracket bearings revealed a surprising amount of grime behind those plastic shields, and if dust and dirt can weasel their way in there, so can water.

As it turns out, it doesn’t take much online sleuthing to find heaps of Madone owners reporting premature bearing wear. Sure, the cartridges are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace if you have the correct tools, but even that reveals a more critical downside to the BB90 design.

BB90 is extremely efficient from an engineering standpoint since it eliminates every redundant part from the assembly. But since the bearing seats are molded directly into the carbon fiber structure, it’s the frame itself that gradually wears with every bearing removal and installation. Eventually, the bearing seat dimensions will change to the point where a bearing no longer fits tightly, which leads to creaking and even faster bearing wear. Trek’s solutions include oversized bottom bracket bearings for a tighter fit, as well as a factory repair of the bearing seats to restore their original dimensions.

Trek has been using BB90 (and its BB95 analogue) on a huge portion of its higher-end bikes for over a decade now, and these problems aren’t exactly ubiquitous. But when they do arise, neither of those “solutions” are particularly palatable for those affected. Without question, the design is extremely elegant and does save weight, but as with most press-fit bottom bracket systems, I’m left to question whether the performance gains made on paper are worth the real-world costs.

Where the Madone goes from here

I once welcomed with (relatively) open arms the engineering advantages that the BB90 press-fit bottom bracket shell design promised. That was back in 2007, when it first debuted. But the long-term ramifications after a decade of accumulated owner data are impossible to ignore. It’s time for this design to either go away, or at least get a major update in the form of more durable (metal?) bearing seats and/or compatibility with modern oversized cranksets. The new T47 threaded fitment seems like it could be an excellent alternative, and the wide-format version of that would retain much of the current Madone’s existing frame design, too.

I’d also like to see Trek re-introduce the once-plentiful range of H1 and H2 fit options. Trek clearly doesn’t feel it has the demand to support offering H1 and H2 variants of the Madone as it did before — and indeed, the road market has softened to the point where it probably isn’t economically viable — but that doesn’t mean that I don’t miss having the choice. For me, it seems that an H2-fit Madone built with the stiffer 700-Series carbon blend would have been ideal, but alas, such a combination doesn’t exist. At the very least, Trek needs to bolster the front end of the 600-Series frames to lessen the performance gap.

And will we see a disc-brake version soon? That seems inevitable, but it’s anyone’s guess when that might happen.

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2024 Trek Madone SL 7 review: This is the one to get

The flagship Madone is lighter and very slightly more aero, but also more than twice as expensive.

Second-tier models – ones that look the same, but use less-expensive materials and parts to lower the cost – typically aren’t nearly as exciting as their more premium cousins. But in the case of the Trek Madone SL vs. the Madone SLR, the difference in performance is so small – and the difference in cost so dramatic – that it’s hard not to consider the “lesser” version to be the one to get, even if you have the money for the flagship model.

The short of it: The same cutting-edge aerodynamic performance of Trek’s flagship Madone SLR, distilled into a much more affordable package. Good stuff:  Heaps lighter than before, tangibly speedy, surprisingly good ride quality, superb handling, lots of tire clearance, user-friendly two-piece cockpit, sharp lines. Bad stuff:  Polarizing IsoFlow aesthetics, poor weathersealing, narrow wheels and tires.

An aero primer

Trek went perhaps a little too far down the “aero and comfy” rabbit hole with the 6th-generation Madone, which was impressive in the wind tunnel and surprisingly comfortable to ride, but also among the heavier options in the category what with its complicated (and hefty) IsoSpeed pivoting seatmast design. With the latest iteration of the Madone launched last June, Trek supposedly improved the bike’s aerodynamic performance while also simplifying the structure, ditching IsoSpeed in favor of an even more radical-looking seat cluster configuration called IsoFlow.

In short, IsoFlow comprises a giant hole where the seat cluster would normally be. The seat tube stops just shy of its normal height, the seatstays bypass that area entirely and connect further forward on the top tube, and the semi-integrated seatmast is now cantilevered off the back of the top tube like the business end of an ice hockey stick.

Trek claims IsoFlow yields smoother airflow through that area, saves almost 150 g relative to the outgoing Madone (for the flagship SLR trim, at least), and – thanks to some clever carbon tuning in that area – also supposedly provides a better ride quality than you’d otherwise expect from such chunky frame proportions.

Trek has been one of the biggest proponents of Kamm-tail tube profiles since first using it on the Speed Concept way back in 2009, and those flat-backed shapes are very much alive and well on the latest Madone – if anything, they’re deeper than ever thanks to recent revisions in the UCI technical guidelines. The down tube, seat tube, seatstays, and fork blades are all more aggressively shaped than ever, and the head tube and cockpit areas are particularly sleek so as to keep air flowing cleanly over the carefully sculpted surfaces. 

The revised frame shape only accounts for about half of the new Madone’s claimed aerodynamic performance gains, however. The other half comes from the rider – or, more specifically, handlebars that have been radically narrowed by about 3 cm across the board in order to place the rider in a more aerodynamic position. 

Taking all of these factors together, Trek is touting some bold performance gains, saying the 7th-generation Madone frameset module (including the frame, fork, cockpit, and seatpost) is not only about 300 g lighter in total than the 6th-generation one, but also about 19 watts more efficient aerodynamically in a wind tunnel (at 45 km/h), which Trek says translates to a 60-second advantage per hour at that speed.

A single letter with small differences

All of those changes sound well and good, but keep in mind that when those announcements were made in June 2022, they only applied to the flagship Madone SLR models, whose retail prices start at US$8,000 / AU$11,800 / £7,600 / €8,200 (for a Shimano 105 Di2 build!) and top out at a whopping US$13,200 / AU$19,000 / £14,500 / €15,700 with a SRAM Red AXS groupset. More power to you if you can swing that kind of cash, but for most performance-minded riders, that’s just not in the cards. 

Trek has for years offered a less-expensive version in the Madone SL, but given how the 6th-generation Madone SLR was already overweight, the Madone SL was a veritable boat anchor. For example, a sample I tested a couple of years ago with a mid-range SRAM Force AXS wireless groupset and Bontrager’s reasonably light Aeolus Pro 51 wheels came in at a whopping 8.59 kg (18.94 lb), a tough pill to swallow, aero advantage or not.

Thankfully, the weight loss plan introduced with the Madone SLR now also carries over to the recently updated Madone SL. Despite the lower-grade carbon fiber blend here, claimed weight for a 56 cm Madone SL frame is now 1,200 g, plus 476 g for the matching fork. That’s still 208 g more than a comparable Madone SLR frameset, and hardly a featherweight given the selection of sub-800 g options now on the market, but still pretty good all things considered. If you take Trek’s aero claims at their word, those extra grams aren’t going to matter much at all against the stopwatch on most courses, and realistically speaking, the person considering a Madone these days will probably be more concerned about grams of drag.

Like with the previous Madone SL, this one again uses the exact same shape as the Madone SLR, so its aerodynamic performance should be identical, with one exception: the cockpit. The Madone SLR uses Trek’s latest one-piece carbon fiber handlebar/stem, but the Madone SL uses a more conventional two-piece setup that includes an aero-focused forged aluminum stem with a separate aero-shaped carbon fiber handlebar. And whereas the hose routing on the Madone SLR is fully internal, it’s hidden – but still largely accessible – on the Madone SL, with the brake hoses peeking out just a bit underneath the bar clamp before ducking away again into a plastic shroud bolted to the underside of the stem. 

Trek says this equates to a six-second hit to the Madone SL’s aerodynamic performance relative to the Madone SLR. Don’t worry; I’ll get to that soon enough.

Trek also says there’s a negligible difference in chassis stiffness – less than 5% – and ride quality shouldn’t take much of a hit, either. If anything, the lower grade of carbon fiber in the Madone SL might even make that bike more comfortable than the Madone SLR, not less.

Aside from the different carbon fiber blend and the two-piece cockpit, the rest of the feature list is identical, including Trek’s slightly modified T47 oversized and threaded bottom bracket shell, a built-in chain keeper, and the brand’s now-signature semi-integrated seatmast. Unlike true integrated seatposts, though, this one doesn’t have to be cut and will still squeeze into most standard travel cases, and Trek has gone to great lengths to ensure a proper rider fit. If the included proprietary seatpost doesn’t quite accommodate your position, Trek also offers a longer option – each with 65 mm of total height adjustment – and both are available in 0 mm and 20 mm offsets. Given the rather goofy component dimensions, Trek thankfully has a broad range of dedicated front and rear accessory mounts to accommodate stuff like lights and computers, too.

Both versions are also offered in eight sizes: impressive for a mainstream brand.

Otherwise, the differences between the Madone SL and Madone SLR simply boil down to more economical build kits. 

My Madone SL 7 test sample is the nicer of the two complete Madone SL bikes Trek offers currently, and comes equipped with a complete Shimano Ultegra Di2 2×12 wiredless electronic groupset, Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 carbon fiber clincher wheels wrapped with 25 mm-wide Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite tires, a Trek RCS Pro forged aluminum stem, Bontrager RSL Aero carbon fiber handlebar, and a Bontrager Aeolus Comp snub-nosed saddle. 

Actual weight for my 52 cm sample is 8.01 kg (17.66 lb), without pedals or accessories, and retail price is US$6,500 / AU$10,300 / £7,500 / €8,000.

You know what feels fast? Money left over in my pocket

Having fun on a road bike largely revolves around going fast – and holy cow, is the Madone SL fun in that respect.

For however many full-blown aero road bikes I’ve ridden over the years, it’s still shocking every time I get on a particularly good one and can so immediately feel – feel! – how much faster they are. It’s startlingly easy to hit – and hold – high speeds, but it’s also tangibly easier to just casually cruise if that’s what you feel like doing that day. The beauty is that the option to go fast is always there if you want it, and even after however many years I’ve done this, that thrill never goes away.

Those huge tube sections and all that material are also put to good use in terms of chassis stiffness. It’s wonderfully responsive when you lay down the watts, and it feels every bit like the race bike it’s supposed to be. High-speed jumps are where the Madone SL excels given that aerodynamic shape, but the combination of that stiffness and the new weight loss make it a surprisingly good partner on steep climbs, too. That rigidity also feels nicely balanced from tip to tail with no section of the frame coming across as more flexible than another. The Madone SL obviously doesn’t feel as light heading uphill as something truly feathery, but sub-8 kg is still pretty darn light, and if speed is truly what you’re after, the aerodynamic benefits should more than make up the difference. 

I fully expected my test sample’s 36 cm-wide bars (at the hoods) to feel very weird – and to be fair, they did, but literally only for the first few minutes, after which I almost completely forgot about it. I did miss the additional leverage of my usual 40 cm-wide bars on particularly steep climbs, but that was about it. Consider my eyes opened.

That the Madone SL efficiently cuts through the air and feels fast doing so shouldn’t be a big surprise. The old one was known to be very aerodynamic, and this one is supposedly a big step up from there. But a big aspect of being fast on the road is also being comfortable, and more specifically, that you are able to achieve and maintain an efficient position while also producing a lot of power.

And that’s where the Madone SL’s two-piece cockpit comes in.

One-piece cockpits may look cool, but I don’t always get along with them. Even if the bar width and stem length is correct, sometimes the bend just isn’t my favorite, or the cross-section doesn’t feel right in my hands, or the drop dimension isn’t quite there, or whatever. More often than not, I find myself having to adapt to the bar since there aren’t any other options available instead of the other way around. 

The two-piece setup on the Madone SL may be slower than the fancy (and lighter, and far more expensive) one-piece cockpit on the Madone SLR, but being able to easily adjust and tune the front end to my liking is something I find invaluable. In the case of the Madone SL, the stock bar actually worked quite well for me: an appropriately deep drop with a semi-anatomic bend, a nice flat platform behind the hoods to rest your wrists, and tops that are aero-profiled but still refreshingly comfortable to hold. 

The stem, on the other hand, was a hair too short given my shorter-legs-longer-torso proportions. On a one-piece setup – particularly one with fully internal routing – even a simple adjustment like that on an internally routed one-piece setup is literally hours of work. And while Trek may offer the fancier one-piece setup in fourteen different size combos, you still have to buy the thing (unless you go through Trek’s Project One custom program and pick the right one from the start). But on the Madone SL, it took me all of ten minutes (and many dealers would likely be willing to swap the stem for you). Oh, you also want to try lowering the stem for a bit before cutting the steerer? Just stack some totally normal round spacers on top for a bit. Brilliant. 

Such simple things shouldn’t be so refreshing, but these days, they are.

Speaking of comfort, the Madone SL rides much better than I’d expected. While the ride quality is on the firmer side, it’s very well damped and also effectively takes the edge off of bigger impacts. Tactile feedback is still superb, too, and it’s striking how well the front tire communicates grip levels through the bars without feeling harsh. And as much as I enjoyed the cushiness of the old IsoSpeed system, I have to admit that there seems to be something to Trek’s claims about how the IsoFlow mast flexes over bumps. I’m not sure what it’d feel like under someone appreciably heavier than my modest 72 kg (159 lb), or how well that sort of cantilevered arrangement will hold up over time, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t impressively comfy.

If you are after an even softer ride, don’t forget there’s room for tires with a measured width up to 33 mm – or even more if you’re willing to stomach the risk of running less than 4 mm of clearance at the chainstays.

Handling is another bright spot, as the Madone SL feels much like every other Madone I’ve ridden over the years. The steering geometry is quick and incredibly intuitive without ever feeling twitchy or nervous. It initiates turns with but a flick of the wrists and just a little tilt of your hips, falls naturally toward the apex, and then readily snaps back upright when it comes time to rocket out of the corner, never fighting you at all along any point of the process. High-speed stability is fantastic, too, with not a hint of drama – just relax and keep it pointed where you want to go. That magical combination is something I’ve long enjoyed about the Madone, and I hope Trek never changes it.

One change I’m quite fond of, however, is the new Madone SL’s edgier aesthetic. Gone is the incongruent mix of shapes on the previous model in favor of a more cohesive assortment of mostly straight edges. I’m particularly keen on how the seatstays, down tube, top tube, and chainstays seem to form a perfect parallelogram in profile. There’s beauty in the symmetry. 

That all said, it’s hard for me to ignore some of the Madone SL’s quirks, too.

Trek has engineered a surprising amount of saddle height adjustment considering the relative stubbiness of that integrated seatmast – not to mention the fact you never need to take a hacksaw to your brand-new bike. But the gap between the seatpost and seatmast base is big and unsightly, and the exposed slots further down are begging to suck in whatever’s flying off of your rear tire. 

Trek says that area is entirely sealed off from the rest of the frame so you theoretically shouldn’t be regularly filling your bottom bracket area with gnarly road spray. “You could drain any water that may get in there by tipping the bike upside down, and the material is carbon so there wouldn’t be any damage if water got in,” I was told. Ok, but wouldn’t it be better if it wasn’t so easy for water to get in there in the first place? And sure, the main parts are carbon fiber, but let’s not forget all of the metal hardware that fixes those pieces in place – hopefully not permanently someday. Trek has long demonstrated the ability to mold rubber bits in places like wire and hose ports, so it’s a mystery to me why the seatpost area is left so comparatively unfinished.

Speaking of sealing, just as I’ve noticed on other recent Trek road bikes, the upper headset bearing is perilously exposed to the elements. In fact, there’s enough of a gap between the headset cover and the head tube that you can very easily see the shiny (for now) silver of the upper bearing’s outer race. Trek may very well be using stainless bearings (I didn’t bother to ask), but even if so, that only applies to the races – not the bearing balls – and given the enormous cost and hassle of servicing headset bearings with fully internal routing, I want to see headset bearings be more protected, not less. 

“We’ve had a high volume of bikes in the field with this same RCS-stem compatible headset bearing cover with similar clearance to the frame for some time (Gen 4 Domane SLR and SL, for example) and have not seen an uptick in the amount of headset service reported by Trek shops,” explained Trek bike product marketing coordinator Jake Glahn.

Consider the old shop mechanic in me unconvinced.

Build kit breakdown

Trek has outfitted the Madone SL 7 with solid, no-frills component mix and I have few complaints.

I’ve extolled Shimano’s latest Ultegra Di2 12-speed wiredless groupset several times in the past already, and my opinions haven’t changed. Shift performance is superb front and rear, lever ergonomics are excellent, and the brakes are strong and mostly silent, and with superb lever feel. Riders in particularly hilly environments might want to consider adjusting the 52/36-tooth chainrings and/or the 11-30T cassette, but Shimano’s use of a long pulley cage across the board for this latest generation of Ultegra Di2 at least lessens the financial hit.

The Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 carbon wheels share the same rim profile as the higher-end Aeolus RSL 51 – just with different carbon materials – and the DT Swiss 350-based hubs aren’t quite as nice as the RSL version’s DT Swiss 240-based one, either. As such, they’re essentially a wash in terms of aerodynamics, and while the nearly 200 g weight penalty can be noticeable when sprinting or climbing, it’s not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. 

Perhaps more questionable are the Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite tires. The tires themselves are perfectly reasonable for everyday use: decent rolling resistance, reassuring grip (at least in dry conditions), seemingly good puncture protection, surprisingly comfortable ride quality. But with even top road pros moving to 28s and beyond , the choice of 25 mm-wide casings here seems a little behind-the-times, even though the actual inflated width is just a hair over 28 mm. 

Bumping up a size would enhance the ride quality even further while also improving cornering grip, and there’s certainly room in the frame and fork to spare. The reduced weight of this latest Madone SL was clearly a big story for Trek, though, and my guess is the product manager didn’t want to add any more. But another likely explanation is the shape of the Aeolus Pro 51 rim, which is currently aerodynamically optimized around that tire size. My hunch is the next generation of Aeolus wheel grows in width, at which point I’m guessing the tire size will grow as well. 

“25 mm tires are what’s fastest on our current lineup of 23 mm internal-width rims,” Glahn said. “Further, 25 mm tires on 23 mm internal-width rims are what was used in the wind tunnel testing for the Gen 7 IsoFlow Madone, and therefore contribute to the basis of our aero claims for this platform.”

As for the Bontrager finishing kit, the Aeolus Comp saddle is one of my favorites: a sort of hybrid between a Specialized Power and a Pro Stealth, mixing the overall profile of the former with the wider nose of the latter. It seems hard at first, but the high-density padding offers excellent support that arguably gets better as the hours tick by. 

I know I’ve already mentioned this, but the Bontrager RSL Aero handlebar was a pleasant surprise. The narrow width is initially jarring, but the overall shape is very comfortable, and there’s excellent wrist clearance when you’re in the drops. Kudos to Bontrager for not merely following trends and slapping a shallow drop on this thing, too. It’s an aero bar meant for performance riding, and so the 80 mm reach and 124 mm drop strike me as just about right. I do wish Bontrager had included more room in the middle for a computer mount, though. Unless you’re running something with a particularly narrow clamp, you’re stuck with some sort of stem-based computer mount.

It’s a winner for me

I haven’t always been a fan of the Madone SL in recent years. Although I loved the aerodynamic performance, it was just too darn heavy. Now that Trek has lopped so much weight off of it, though, it’s not only become much more appealing in my view, but also arguably the one to have if only for that more livable two-piece cockpit design.

If you’re on a budget, yes, there’s also the Madone SLR 6 that comes with Shimano’s new 105 Di2 wiredless electronic groupset, which would more closely align with the old “buy the best frame you can afford” mindset. The complete bike is about 250 g lighter overall than the Madone SL 7 despite the groupset being 130 g heavier, comes with the same wheels, shift quality would be virtually identical, and if the mid-compact gearing of the Madone SL 7 seems a little too tall for your liking, the 105 setup includes a friendlier 1:1 ratio for clawing your way uphill. 

But the braking performance of 105 isn’t quite as good as Ultegra, you can’t add remote shifters, and the supplemental upper buttons on Ultegra and Dura-Ace that are so handy for things like controlling your computer are missing, too. And then there’s that potential fit and comfort issue of that Madone SLR’s one-piece front end I’ve already mentioned, plus the Madone SLR 6 is still US$1,500 more expensive. 

Get the best frameset you can afford, sure. But when the second-tier one is this close, I know which one I’d be buying.

More information can be found at www.trekbikes.com .

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Trek Madone Road Bike Review  

  December 27, 2017

By   Max Shumpert

Reviewed by Jeroen De Haas

The Trek Madone SLR 9 is designed with the professional racer in mind, offering both speed and precision when handling.

Its lightweight frame has been engineered with an aerodynamic shape to minimize wind resistance and improve speed. A robust carbon fiber frame with Kammtail Virtual Foil aerodynamic tube shaping makes this bike both sleek and strong.

Trek’s 800 Series OCLV Carbon is made using a patented process that produces a lightweight, almost impossibly strong material that’s also compliant enough to absorb shock from the pavement.

A road-smoothing IsoSpeed decoupler also helps to provide a smoother ride for cyclists. This decoupler allows the bike’s seat tube to rotate independently from the top-tube-to-seatstay junction, reducing stress on the rider’s body. The design also makes pedaling more efficient, letting riders race harder and for longer.

The Trek Madone’s frame comes in an H2 fit , which is engineered to place most riders in the optimal position. This helps to prevent cyclists from losing any power as they pedal. The frame can comfortably seat individuals ranging from 4’11.8” to 6’5.2” and can carry a load up to 275 pounds.

The technologically advanced Shimano Di2 electronic drivetrain or the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 makes Madone bike models easy to handle . Shifting gears is seamless , even at high speeds, and riders don’t have to worry about accidentally slipping out of gear as they move.

Trek's Madone gives riders a variety of options when it comes time to purchase a bike.

The company produces several different bike models that cater to every lifestyle and budget, including:

• Madone SL 6 : This is the most simplified Madone racing bike model, the SL6 boasts a lightweight frame and high-performance Bontrager Aeolus Comp tires. The Shimano Ultegra 11 speed shifter makes it easier to change gears, even while racing at high speeds.
• Madone SLR 7 : The Madone 7 is slightly more expensive than the SL6 model, but it also comes with a more advanced build that helps riders to reach and maintain incredible speeds . Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3 tires keep the bike grounded without weighing it down.
• Madone 7 Women’s : This bike is designed with women in mind, offering a comfortable ride for the female rider. Its touchpoints are specifically designed for women, and it includes a specially engineered Bontrager Ajna Elite saddle to reduce stress on the hips.
• Madone SLR 9 : The SLR9 is the top-of-the-line Madone model , offering unparalleled speed and comfort for riders. Instead of a Shimano Ultegra shifter, it uses more advanced Shimano Dura-Ace Di2. Bontrager Aeolus 5 D3 tires give the bike a smooth ride without losing traction on the road.

FRAME SIZE : 800 Series OCLV Carbon BRAKE TYPE:  Integrated Madone Aero SHIFTER:  Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, 11 speed or Shimano Ultegra Di2, 11 speed WHEELS:  Bontrager Aeolus 5 D3, Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3 or Bontrager Aeolus Comp TIRES:  Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite, 120 TPI, aramid bead, 700x25c

Things We Like

First off, we love the look of the Trek Madone SLR 9.

Its curved, aerodynamic appearance is highlighted by an elegantly curved frame and sleek wheels . The bike is also fully customizable through Project One.

You can order the Trek Madone in a variety of personalized colors, making your bike easier to spot in a crowd while also making a statement. Models come in a variety of color combinations, including:

• Trek Black/Viper Red
• Radioactive Orange/Trek Black
• Viper Red/Trek White
• Radioactive Yellow/Trek Black
• Matte Quicksilver/Gloss Blue (Madone SLR7 Only)
• Matte Dnister Black/Quicksilver

The Madone women’s model has entirely different color palettes that include both soft pastels and bold metallics.

You can customize the women’s model of the Trek Madone by choosing from four color combinations:

• Radioactive Pink/Trek Black
• Radioactive Purple/Deep Dark Blue
• Matte Metallic Gunmetal/Trek Black
• Matte Dnister Black/Gloss Old Style

The bike comes pre-assembled, so it’s ready to go right out of the box. If the bike comes to you damaged, or if you need help getting it road-ready, you can register it to take advantage of Trek’s lifetime warranty . Under this warranty, free Trek Care will fix and fine-tune your bike free of charge .

The chances are, though, that you won’t need to use Trek Care’s services very often.

The Trek Madone may be lightweight, but we love how durable the frame is. It’s made from 800 Series OCLV carbon, Trek’s strongest carbon fiber to date , which makes the bike nearly indestructible. The frame can withstand harsh weather, rough terrain, and other unfavorable conditions without taking on too much damage.

Perhaps our favorite aspect of the Trek Madone is its smooth ride. The bike’s IsoSpeed Decoupler design helps to make pedaling easier and more efficient by helping to absorb shock from the road.

With so much to brag about, it’s no wonder that the Trek Madone has won top marks and Bike-of-the-Year awards from many of the cycling industry's top media outlets. The bike is also ridden by a number of racing pros.

• Customizable
• Lifetime warranty
• Durable frame
• Smooth ride

Things We Don’t Like

While the Madone frame is sturdy, it can only hold a load of up to 275 pounds.

This is less than some competing models and may be a drawback for heavier riders or for those who wish to transport gear. The frame is liable to break if overloaded.

Our least favorite thing about the Trek Madone has got to be its price.

While the bike is a top-of-the-line piece of equipment, the old adage is true: you pay for quality. The Trek Madone starts at around $4000, with more advanced models costing upwards of $12000.

• Can’t hold much weight

Our Buying Advice

The Trek's new Madone is the ideal bike for racing cyclists , boasting a lightweight, aerodynamic design .

It comes in models for both men and women , offering optimal comfort without sacrificing quality.

More advanced cyclists may want to opt for the more advanced Madone 9.5 or even 9.9 model, as the design of these bikes allows you to achieve even faster speeds on the road. High-performance wheels and a superior drivetrain make these models the perfect choice for the professional racer. 

Recommended - trek emonda review

The Trek Madone provides everything that a cyclist could possibly want in a racing bike, with a carefully crafted design that allows riders to reach incredible speeds without compromising handling.

If you’re looking for a road bike that’s the top of its class, you should look into the Trek Madone and all that this bike model has to offer. You can also check out trek's hybrid bikes. Trek FX1 leads the category on sales, reviews and popularity.

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• Rider Notes

2011 Trek Madone 5.5

A carbon frame aero bike with high-end components and rim brakes.

For This Bike

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A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

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I've made it here to Liege to chase a little bike race around France, but before I begin Trek was kind enough to invite me to their new Madone launch. And I'm glad they did. Besides having a lot of fun, I've had the opportunity to meet many of the people behind Trek and the innovative products they produce. Back in

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