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TECH NEWS

First ride: All new Trek Madone 2013

Integrated brakes and aero… everything, Mat takes the brand new design for a spin in Belgium

The newly redesigned Trek Madone is a lightweight and very fast race machine that’s smooth-riding with it.

We told you about the tech features of the bike when we went to the launch in Belgium last week. We got the chance to ride it the following day and here are our initial impressions. We’ve brought a 6 Series bike home with us to ride for a while so we’ll have a full review shortly too.

One of the key frame features that’s included on the 5, 6 and 7 Series Madones is the positioning of the rear brake. Rather than attaching to a bridge between the seatstays, Trek have moved it down to sit behind and below the bottom bracket. Why? It reduces aerodynamic drag and removes the braking forces from the seatstays, allowing Trek to use less material.

Of course, locating the brake at the BB isn’t a new idea. You’ll find similar on many time trial bikes and countless traditional bikes stretching back years and years. It works just fine. In terms of braking performance, there’s no difference and there are no sticky out bit where mud or water will collect on damp rides.

With the previous Madone design (and it remains on the 4, 3 and 2 Series bikes), the whole of the area between the brake bridge up to the seat tube was filled in. In other words, the seatstays joined at the brake bridge and stayed joined from then on. The new design is very different. The seatstays don’t join at all; they remain separate right up to the seat tube junction.

Visually, that takes some getting used to. It looks odd on a road bike. But in terms of performance, you really wouldn’t notice. The lack of that big wedge of material at the top of the seatstays makes no discernible difference to rear-end stiffness. The back of the bike still feels fully locked into place.

The biggest change of all to the frame design is the shape of the tubing. As we said in our write up from the launch, Trek have taken the Kammtail Virtual Foil (KVF) tube profiles from their Speed Concept time trial bike and incorporated them into a road bike design. Essentially, it’s an aerodynamically shaped tube with the tail cut off square. The idea is that the air behaves in virtually the same way as if the tail was still there, but the design sticks within the UCI’s rules on frame design, saves weight, and improves handling.

Trek reckon the new Madone has 330g less drag than the previous model. Their figures say that riding at 40kph/25mph (with a wind at 10° yaw) takes 25W less power than before. Or, for the same effort, a ride that would have taken 1hr now takes 57:56mins.

That’s a tricky one to verify without the benefit of a wind tunnel and it’s pretty much impossible to take a view on while riding on unfamiliar Belgian roads so, sorry, we’re going to pass on the question of aerodynamics.

 

We can tell you, though that the new Madone accelerates beautifully. It’s a really punchy bike that picks up speed ridiculously easily. We have the 6-Series frame with a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset and Bontrager’s Aeolus 3 wheels) in a 58cm model and it weighs in at 6.8kg (14.96lb) without pedals. That’s bang on the UCI’s minimum weight limit for racing which is good news if you’re thinking of taking part in the Tour de France. The newly introduced 7 Series is a little lighter still.

Fire up your muscles and the Madone responds in a nanosecond. We were out on a big group ride in Belgium and inevitably the testosterone kicked in and someone tried to jump off the front. It always happens. And then it keeps on happening. The Madone springs into life and is up to speed instantly.

It’s an excellent climber too, as you’d expect of a sub 7kg bike. That chunky front end is very stiff so there’s no hint of flex when you’re rocking it about and the bike is very pingable on the descents. You can chuck it about in confidence and end up exactly where you need to go. Lovely!

As for the new-design Bontrager brakes… well, we were using them on unfamiliar carbon rims so we’ll reserve judgment for the time being. Initial feelings are positive but we’ll swap the pads and fit some alloy-rimmed wheels before we write our full test.

All in all, the immediate impression is that this is a superb bike. It feels light and airy but it’s solid too; Trek haven’t sacrificed any stiffness in the quest for weight saving. We’ll be back with a proper review soon but, in the meantime, if you’re after a high-level performance machine you need to take a good look.

The 2013 6 Series Madones start at £3,800 with the 7 Series bikes costing from £6,860. The 5 Series bikes, with the same frame features, are £2,000 and upwards. Go to www.trekbikes.com for more details.

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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8 comments

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Bikelink | 7 months ago
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10 years and held up well weather rough roads tons of locked into trainer time. 
 

I commented on the Seatpost and rear brake under someone else's comment.

But one huge thing: the H1 option. So everyone talks about it being more aero. But not everyone's fit is the same. The H1 was amazing for me as someone with long torso (short legs) with my body position fit racy but not extreme. I got the 6 instead of the 5 as the H1 only came in the 6 and 7 (I don't believe the carbon layup stuff makes a difference to my mediocre amateur .... ahem ... racing results). 

Essentiallt nothing fits me and yes will be looking at a custom steel (or ti?) but 10 years ago I believed the hype that this was way better so didn't look into it but should have (again, not doing mountain climb races in TDF  3

So I'm 5'10'' out 165mm cranks on it have size 56 in H1 with 120mm stem (probably should have gone 130 but everything seemed odd 120 works. If super long legs short torso H3. So while the 'typically proportioned' rider may see 'super low drop to front end,' 'normal but race position,' 'endurance' position/fit, 3 riders could have the same 'fit on H1, H2, and H3 56's (me, 'typical oropotooned,' and 'long legs' 1/2/3). 

i know I'm more to one side of the bell curve than most but wonder why that hasn't gotten more traction as a. Major adjustment of 'stack' for each size of 'reach.' 
 

 

 

 

Avatar
mikeb | 11 years ago
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Thanks for the Trek Madone review. I just confirmed my order of the bike in the pictures (the 6.5 with Ultegra Di2). Can't wait to ride it! We should start seeing the new Madone in the shops in a week or so.

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beanzo | 11 years ago
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Mat, did you gents have a consensus on which was the best looking paint scheme? None of them look that great, but the pics are low rez and a little washed out, so it's hard to tell. It's even harder to tell on The Project One site.

Avatar
Mostyn | 11 years ago
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Would rather sacrifice a we saving in aerodynamics; and have the brake put in the usual place. I wouldn't buy a Trek Bike anyway, but, the positioning of the brake at BB would certainly put me off any Bike.

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Bikelink replied to Mostyn | 7 months ago
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I have this bike its not a big problem occasionally inconvenient but not much. But the caliper release up front on cabling didn't hold up well...but agree not worth any incremebtal gain. But 'we' always expectthe new model always has to be x secnds faster. 

Soeakong of non standard spec? The seat post mast thing. It hasn't been a PROBLEM but cant use any other and IT is round not even 'semi aero' (bije theme) maybe it fivrs more 'vertical comoliance' than aero shape ... I'm comfortablr on it forever but dont have comparison exoereince to say it's a more dampening feel there  (as some review said they were imoressed by).'

So fat round seatoost (i hope as above that traded off aero for comfort in sadlle wouod be cool if on ouroose) has one bolt to saddle rails. That - single bolt - has been fine - for my mis sized road bike self (low 70s kg) but probably was to shave a few grams off looks good on papwr thing. Bigger rider may realize for fitst time they nerd 2 bolts there...dunno if ever an option.

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mr_stru | 11 years ago
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But if there's no seat stay bridge what do you attach the mudguards to?

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seanieh66 replied to mr_stru | 11 years ago
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mr_stru wrote:

But if there's no seat stay bridge what do you attach the mudguards to?

 1

If you can afford a Madone7, then you can afford a cheap winter bike.

Avatar
jackh | 11 years ago
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That bridge-less seat stay design is very, very cool  26

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