Residing in northeastern Illinois, I lacked alternatives to attempt the brand new Madone on prolonged climbs. Traversing the rollers within the far northwestern suburbs of Chicago, nevertheless, the bike’s utility on climbs was obvious. In comparison with my standard trip, an endurance-focused street bike, I felt like I used to be getting the primary few seconds of a climb totally free. The Madone felt light-weight, nimble, and responsive every time I hit an ascent.
What shocked me probably the most concerning the Madone was its efficiency on lengthy rides. I went into testing with the idea that I’d be buying and selling velocity for consolation—and I used to be glad to be confirmed flawed. The mix of Trek’s aerodynamic body design (which it calls IsoFlow), carbon wheelset, and tubeless tires actually makes a distinction on uneven pavement; there was nearly no trade-off between tempo and luxury.
Eric Bangeman
With the built-in cockpit, you could want a brand new mount on your bike pc.
Eric Bangeman
Eric Bangeman
By no means a welcome web site in your costly street bike. I made it house earlier than the bubble burst.
Eric Bangeman
With the built-in cockpit, you could want a brand new mount on your bike pc.
Eric Bangeman
By no means a welcome web site in your costly street bike. I made it house earlier than the bubble burst.
Eric Bangeman
What did not I like? The water bottles, primarily. My overview bike got here outfitted with a pair of Trek RSL Aero water bottles, which slot in a specifically designed cage. Trek says the bottles supply 1.8 W of financial savings at 22 mph in comparison with spherical bottles. That is not price it to me. The bottles maintain much less (~650 ml) than a daily water bottle, are irritating to fill, and getting them out and in of the RSL Aero cages takes a little bit of consciousness in the course of the first few rides. Fortunately, you needn’t use the aero bottles; regular, cylindrical water bottles work simply positive.
The value bears mentioning once more. That is an costly bike! In case your biking finances is huge and also you need each final little bit of aerodynamic profit and weight financial savings, get the SLR 9 along with your favourite paint job. Drop all the way down to the Madone SLR 7, and also you get the identical body with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, 52t/36t crank, and a 12-speed 11-30 cassette for $7,000 lower than this SLR 9. The SL 7, with its 500 Collection OCLV carbon body (about 250 grams heavier), completely different handlebars and fork, and the identical Ultegra Di2 groupset because the SLR 7, is $2,500 cheaper nonetheless.