Foldable Bikes Party: Trek Madone 9 Series first ride review

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

Trek Madone 9 Series first ride review

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Aero road bikes might slice through the air with relative ease but as a category, theyâ€™re not exactly known to be comfortable or light. The new Trek Madone 9 Series should go a long way toward dispelling that reputation with a super sleek and comparatively feathery chassis thatâ€™s not only fast but freakishly cushy on rough roads, too. Weâ€™ve only logged a few hundred miles on our long-termer so far but initial impressions are extremely favorable.

Highs: Cuts faster through the wind but without beating you up along the way, fantastic handling, still impressively light
Lows: At least interest rates on second mortgages are still low
Buy if: You want to get there in less time but still want to be able to ride the next day, too

The first two rides on this bike were on the â€˜dairy roadsâ€™ surrounding Trekâ€™s global headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Itâ€™s a seemingly endless expanse of sinuous tarmac thatâ€™s gloriously free of traffic but also relatively coarsely paved with plenty of frost heave and other imperfections that often seemed perfectly sized to swallow a road tyre â€“ not exactly an ideal proving ground for a bike thatâ€™s anything less than smooth.

Such deep-profile tubes wouldn't normally suggest a smooth ride but the new Madone is remarkably comfy

But alas, the new Madone isnâ€™t just comfortable â€œfor an aero road bikeâ€ but comfortable, period â€“ no caveats required. Despite appearances to the contrary, the deep-section carbon frame ably damps road buzz but it also rounds off bigger and harsher bumps in a way usually only expected of more traditionally shaped bikes.

It doesnâ€™t take long before you how youâ€™re seeing all of those bumps but not really feeling them through the rear end â€“ and in fact, I even found myself consciously aiming for stuff I would normally avoid if only just for the novelty. Credit goes entirely to Trekâ€™s awesome IsoSpeed â€˜decouplerâ€™ â€“ a mechanical pivot at the seat tube-top tube intersection â€“ and the Madoneâ€™s clever dual, nested seat tube design that, in combination, allows for much more flex at the saddle than youâ€™d otherwise get out of a more traditional frame.