This article originally appeared on BikeRadar
The all-new and very radical Trek Madone launched last summer and saw race action in the major tours. It and the new Scott Foil and Specialized Venge Vias show the pinnacle of the latest trends in aero road bike design – which led it into the 'superbikes' category in our stablemate Cycling Plus magazine's recent 2016 Bike of the Year roadie mega-shootout.
- Highs: It's highly evolved aero machine that's fast, light, and seriously smooth
- Lows: The complexity and price tag
- Buy if: You're seriously rich and want to go as fast as possible yet not be beaten up by your bike
Added IsoSpeed ingredient
This bike has a significant trick in its back pocket – an IsoSpeed decoupler (just like the one found on the Domane). This mechanical 'pivot' at the intersection between top tube, seat tube and stays is combined here with a 'seat tube within a seat tube' (meaning the outer aero section stays independent of the moving parts).
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That makes the back end of the Madone simply the most comfortable aero machine we've tried. In fact, it's not just the most comfortable aero bike, but also up there with the most comfortable race machines around.
Now you might think that the added complexity of the IsoSpeed, the direct-mount centre-pull front brake (with its 'Vector wing' covers that pivot outwards when turning on sprung hinges yet stay slippery and aero in a straight line), and the Di2 control centre encased in the down tube, are all going to add significant weight. But as our 58cm test machine tipped the scales at just 6.8kg, it's really not an issue. Yes, it's heavier than its brethren, but it's not exactly what you'd call a porker. Trek claims an H1 (the lowest, raciest fit) 56cm frame weighs in at 950g, and that's seriously impressive for such a complex design.
As our test machine came as part of Trek's Factory program, we got it in exactly that full-race spec H1 fit. That means a slammed front end compared with the H2 fit that's become the norm on the majority of Trek's high performance range (both of the other Madone models come in H2 fit as standard).
Seriously smooth, seriously speedy
Proficient performer, but hard to live with
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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