It’s onerous to conjure a motorbike extra iconic to professional biking than the Trek Madone. The Madone was born out of the glory years of Lance Armstrong’s now-shamed successive Tour de France wins, and named after his key coaching climb – the Col de la Madone. But the Trek Madone achieved the uncommon feat of surviving the Texan’s fall from grace and residing on independently with its personal distinctive legacy.
The Madone Gen 8 is arguably probably the most true-to-nature model of Trek’s flagship racer since its authentic iteration – combining the aerodynamics of the earlier Madone with the light-weight design of the Emonda and taking away the latter mannequin altogether within the course of. It brings Trek’s whole efficiency street bike line again to fundamentals – the Domane continues to be there for the comfort-cum-cobble market, however the Madone is now Trek’s one and solely flagship racer. In the years earlier than the devoted aero bike, that was the norm, and Trek claims to have returned to that with no draw back.
Trek claims that the brand new Madone SLR hits a body weight of 765g and a fork weight of 370g, making it the identical weight because the outgoing Emonda. It additionally manages that whereas exceeding the aerodynamics efficiency of the earlier aero-focussed SLR – by a slender 0.1 watt at 22mph (and marginally sooner all the way in which as much as 40mph).
With its shift again to slender tubes and light-weight efficiency, alongside the top of the Emonda, it appears becoming to tug again and try how the Madone advanced to succeed in this newest and maybe most full iteration.
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The Trek Madone – from the beginning and again once more
Originally billed as an aerodynamic light-weight racer in 2003, it did not dazzle in weight phrases and aerodynamics was restricted to a fin on the seat tube. The bike arguably didn’t disrupt that established order till its second iteration in 2007, and in 2009 got here a sub 900g OCLV masterpiece within the bike’s third and most iterative design. However, it nonetheless seemed, largely, like a motorbike.
In 2015 that was not the case, as Trek unveiled a brand new Madone which utterly remodeled the style. In (unintentional) sync with the launch of the Specialized Venge Vias, the Madone 9 collection was the primary street bike to utterly conceal its entrance cabling – making the entrance of the bike utterly clear with the assistance of built-in Bontrager brakes developed particularly for the Madone. To facilitate that, the headtube of the bike had retractable carbon flaps which might open when the handlebars have been moved to an acute sufficient angle, to be able to let the brakes come out from throughout the headtube.
This was a really unhinged design (albeit with precise hinges) which provided a seismic leap in aerodynamic efficiency and total velocity – I attended the launch in 2015 and assumed I used to be affected by jetlag delirium. The weight suffered because of the aero design. That was exacerbated by the IsoSpeed decoupler on the seatpost which compensated for the tough aero tubes. In the period of rim brakes and early aerodynamic advances, although, total weight being a kilo over the UCI minimal weight restrict was nothing in comparison with the large watt financial savings.
Since then, the Madone developed an adjustable IsoSpeed and gained disc brakes which negated the carbon flaps, earlier than progressively converging again towards a extra all-around bike. The 2022 replace of the Madone sided for lighter weight on the expense of the IsoSpeed, offering as a substitute an exhaust-like cantilever chasm within the seat tube generally known as the IsoFlow – nonetheless current within the design of the Madone Gen 8.
Indeed, having already taken a step towards being an all-around racer, the Gen 8 appears just like the final era Madone has been on a food regimen with thinner tubes, radically reshaped for aerodynamics and luxury, all powered by improved 900 OCLV Carbon – Trek’s proprietary mix of carbon fibre.
On the entire, although, Trek’s purpose was clearly to make an irrefutably quick bike, which wins each on the ascents, descents and solo into the wind.
More of every thing
“To our information this is without doubt one of the if not the quickest street race bike that exists throughout the skilled peloton and out there,” says Jordan Roessingh, Director of Road bikes at Trek.
“When you are evaluating each attributes [weight and aero] of both earlier platform, it is 77 seconds per hour sooner than Emonda. So that is an unlimited distinction in aerodynamic efficiency in comparison with the earlier Emonda regardless of the very fact it is the identical weight.”
The actual promote is that the brand new Madone nails the Emonda’s weight whereas matching the earlier Madone’s aerodynamics. “When you are evaluating to a Madone, it is the very same aerodynamic efficiency,” Roessingh says. “But 320g lighter – so an unlimited weight saving between these two. So once more, we’re taking the perfect of each worlds right here and merging them and nonetheless reaching the best efficiency of each attributes.”
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The new tube shapes play an enormous position within the decrease weight, higher experience and claimed aero advantages. It’s odd because the cross-sections of the aero tubes look blunt and devoid of aerofoil or Kamm-tail shaping. However, when taken as a complete system, sandwiched between a horizontal cross-section of the entrance rim profile, aero bottles and the rear bottles, the tubes kind a form of neat holistic aerofoil.
Said with virtually a grimace, because it’s grow to be an trade cliche, Trek boasts that the bike has higher vertical compliance alongside extra lateral stiffness. The central IsoFlow seat tube hole claims an 80% enchancment within the Madone’s vertical compliance and a 24% enchancment over the IsoFlow-less Emonda.
The new Madone carries over the identical splayed built-in bar idea because the Gen 7 – positioning the rider 2cm inward on the hoods in comparison with the drops for aero beneficial properties whereas sitting on the hoods (which has more and more grow to be the usual aero place).
Strangely, Trek claims the handlebars are much less aerodynamic than the Gen 7 iteration, however with a wider cross-section supply a greater total aero efficiency when air interacts with the bars after which the rider.
In one other gravel-like nod to versatility, the brand new Madone has clearance for 33mm tyres – up from 28mm on the earlier Madone. Trek argues that the earlier Madone might have dealt with 30mm or bigger in most rim mixtures, and for the Gen 8, equally, 33mm is a conservative estimate. We can imagine that given the seen clearance.
Sizing, spec and bottled-up velocity
Trek’s aero bottle design is intriguing as a result of that is floor that the bike market had trodden earlier than. Aero water bottles have been commonplace in triathlon and time trial for over a decade, and have crept up into the construct of aero street bikes every so often however by no means managed to interrupt via.
It’s additionally intriguing as a result of the Madone is slower than its earlier iteration with spherical bottles. What’s extra, with none bottles on the bikes in any respect, it’s slower – so no ditching your bottles on the base of the climb.
Given the fixation on aero beneficial properties, it’s shocking that the claimed 3.7-watt beneficial properties with Trek’s RSL water bottles haven’t been adopted throughout the peloton. In actuality, although, aero bottles current just a few points. Typically the aero cages prohibit using spherical bottles, whereas any minor problem in liberating a bottle is an enormous problem to a WorldTour rider on a important climb. Trek claims to have solved each of these issues.
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“These bottle cages are suitable with spherical bottles” explains Adam Bird, Trek’s Design Engineer for the Madone. “So from a sensible perspective, it is one thing that we count on the professional riders to be attempting on the Tour de France – they’re really intending on utilizing aero bottles on the tour. But they want to have the ability to seize any water bottle from any staff or any impartial service and be capable to put it in there. So we’re balancing the aerodynamic efficiency with sensible efficiency.”
In phrases of breaking via to riders within the WorldTour the place up to now the concept might have been dismissed as impractical, Bird argues, “There’s a distinction within the rider mentality… lots of the riders now within the peloton are actually younger. They’re very thinking about studying about all these slight efficiency beneficial properties that they might doubtlessly discover.”
“Ten years in the past, we’d have proven them this water bottle and they’d be like: screw off! There’s no method we’re gonna virtually attempt them in a peloton. Three Watts? We do not actually care about that.”
The proof of idea will likely be in whether or not Lidl-Trek riders commit to those bottles all through the Tour – a bit of trivia of staff tech which I’ll personally be following carefully.
The bottles are nonetheless not in a position to be stacked upright, given their angular nature. So don’t pop it on a desk prepared for a refill.
The change is a daring one given the biking neighborhood’s aversion to alter, and for now will likely be shipped as normal solely with SLR – the bottles will likely be an add-on for lower-tier SL bikes (therefore making them comparatively slower than the outgoing Madone SL).
The new Madone is ready to go from a 105-equipped SL5 for £3,250.00 ($3,499.99) to a £14,700 ($16,999.99) Madone SLR 9 AXS P1 (Interstellar) with the one deviation within the body itself being 500 collection OCLV within the SL vs new 900 collection OCLV within the top-tier SLR. The SLR can also be suitable solely with electrical drivetrains.
Interestingly, the general providing has shrunk from eight sizes to 6.
“We had lots of sizes that had lots of overlap,” Roessingh explains. “Many riders might really experience two completely different sizes and that created some confusion of simply what body measurement to experience, as there have been some that have been like unbelievably shut to one another.” In some instances as little as a 4mm distinction in stack peak.
The fewer sizes are billed as lowering confusion and consolidating the design of every measurement. The cynic in me naturally assumed that there was maybe some manufacturing saving at work there, however Roessingh later walked me via a few of the logistics of producing on the dimensions wanted for the Madone. Essentially, lowering eight moulds to 6 might supply substantial financial savings for a small body producer, however when promoting hundreds of frames per 12 months the turnaround of worn moulds means fewer mould sizes doesn’t essentially imply fewer moulds.
First experience impressions
Trek’s international launch passed off close to Cebreros in a mountainous nook of the Castile and León area in Spain. Our driving took us immediately into the mountains and into open windy plains.
I used to be driving the second-tier (Ultegra Di2-equipped) SLR 7, although it was equivalent to the top-spec SLR 9 so far as the body design and materials. No shock, then, that there was an instantaneous sense of velocity, energy switch and sharpness driving the Madone.
The earlier aero-focussed Madone all the time excelled in consolation, nonetheless, its cumbersome tubes in the end gave it the feeling of driving a beefy sports activities automotive, whereas the brand new SLR not solely felt palpably lighter however appeared a lot nearer to the Emonda usually experience high quality. This has the sharp flip of velocity and energetic dealing with of a light-weight climber whereas promising the identical velocity as an all-out aero machine.
When it involves all-out velocity, it’s very onerous to quantify that via a pair of preliminary check rides. Perhaps the perfect I might say is that it carried velocity effectively on flat terrain, and at occasions felt merely blisteringly quick, and was really a beast on the descents.
It has been too lengthy since I’ve been on a protracted alpine descent, and regardless of the comparatively shallow inclines, I discovered myself fortunately edging towards 80kph. The Madone undoubtedly dared me to take extra velocity into corners, with a inflexible dealing with character and sat extraordinarily steadily at excessive velocity.
While I all the time rated the IsoSpeed system for its plentiful consolation, the slight detachment between the back and front of the bike with the 9 collection was a little bit of a sacrifice for the ensuing experience high quality. With the IsoFlow system, I didn’t discover any discomfort or bumps on the rear finish that I felt wanted to be filtered out, and the reward in weight and connection to the street was palpable.
The ending package tweaks have been in all probability probably the most shocking ingredient of my first experience. The squeezed-in handlebar hoods make a lot sense. The slight splay in a bar has lengthy been a pattern in gravel – providing the broader drops for stability and the slender for velocity. It works very effectively on the Madone and I used to be left questioning why we ever trouble with hoods which can be 42cm aside.
The bottles, regardless of my scepticism, have been simple to deal with and by no means as soon as a problem to stow or launch from the cage.
Early verdict
While I’ve solely had a fleeting experience expertise with the Madone, my first impression is it is a bike that actually exhibits the maturity of biking tech at its greatest. While it’s frequent to chase wattage beneficial properties from minor body modifications, Trek is correct to concentrate on the bike holistically from an aero perspective, the place a saving of three watts on the bottles might eclipse large price and weight beneficial properties if those self same aerodynamic margins have been sought on the body.
Meanwhile to hit 7kg (within the top-spec SLR 9) with range-topping aerodynamic and stiffness efficiency is one thing we didn’t dream of with a disc brake street bike even 5 years in the past. That comes with the advantages of wider tyres and a greater expertise throughout climbing, descending and sprinting, alongside nice consolation.
With that in thoughts, the brand new Madone could be very a lot the every thing race bike, however one that would bridge that appreciable hole between the wants of the WorldTour’s greatest and the traditional lovers.
I’m excited to spend extra time with it, and the place this new path will take some of the storied bikes in biking’s historical past.