The Trek Madone Series (Reviews And Advanced Buyer’s Guide)

The Trek Madone is significantly more comfortable than other aero bikes I’ve ridden, and it’s sleek front end and massive sculpted tubing not only make for a fast ride but also block out wind noise. The lightest frame in the world has an aerodynamic design to reduce wind resistance and speed up your ride. This bike’s carbon fiber frame is both sleek and durable, thanks to aerodynamic tube shaping and a robust metal structure.

Bestseller

Madone 9.2Madone by Trek

Ultimate Road Bike

  • Ride quality
  • Performance
  • Comfort
  • Stiffness

Models

Road cyclists look no further than the Trek Madone, as this bike provides riders with top speeds while still allowing for excellent handling. From its class-leading design to incredible speed potential, theTrek Madone is THE road bike to get if you’re looking for nothing but the best.

Trek offers seven different Madone bicycles. Each one is stunning in design and has superior aerodynamics, performance, and quality. You may spend anywhere from $4,499.99 for a Madone 9 frame set to $12,000 for the most advanced built model in the series.

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These cycles come in many colors, sizes, and styles that are sure to appeal to anyone. In fact, each bike size is ride-tuned depending on the rider’s size — meaning, regardless of the actual bike size, each one will ride the same as one larger or smaller. This is a new standard that premiere brands are getting behind.

Trek_Bicycle_Corporation_logo.svg

 

Even better, the Madone collection includes both male and female-specific models, as well as a Madone frame created for endurance riders.

Technical Specifications and Features

The elegant, streamlined design of this bike is emphasized by an elegantly curved frame and beautiful wheels. The Project One system allows you to fully personalize the bike as well. The Madone series by Trek offers a number of characteristics based on component parts, but let’s take a look at some of the characteristics and specifications that characterize the Madone collection.

  • Frame Material: 600 Series OCLV Carbon
  • Fork: Madone KVF Full Carbon
  • Brakes: Caliper
  • KVF Aerodynamics
  • Aero 3S Chain Keeper
  • Puncture Resistant Tires
  • Wheel Size: 700c
  • Made in the United States

Madone 9.9 number 2

Frame

The frame is made with lightweight carbon fiber that has an aerodynamic shape to make the bike go faster by reducing wind resistance. The robust frame combined with Kammtail Virtual Foil aerodynamic tube shaping makes this bike both sleek and strong.

madone 9 series frame

 Trek’s 600 Series OCLV Carbon is created through a patented process that results in an incredibly lightweight yet strong material. This extraordinary material is also able to absorb vibrations and shocks from the road. 

The less dense the material is, the more expertise and money is needed to produce it. However, as you can see from the chart below, Trek’s 600 Series OCLV offers both lightness and affordability.

carbon chart

The handling, pedaling, and ride feel of the Madone series are ideal since the weight/stiffness ratio is just right. Another significant feature of any great road bike is vertical compliance provided by the frame. The 600 Series OCLV from Trek is strong and rigid, with excellent vertical compliance for endurance riders.

H2 Fit
H2 Fit

Advanced Aerodynamics

The Trek Madone collection is designed with aerodynamics as a priority. From the KVF tube shape, to the integrated cable routing, and other components, the Madone is lightweight while also being stiff and compliant.

Any change in geometry – even by a millimeter – could affect the speed of this bike. With these cutting edge parts and design features by Trek, you are certainly getting value for your money.

carbon

Tube Shape

Trek has decided to optimize their tube construction to a KVF tube shape, which complements the Madone bikes’ integrations. KVF stands for “Kammtail Virtual Foil,” which creates a super-aerodynamic frame that is lightweight and on the cutting edge of current technology.

KVF Tube Shape
KVF Tube Shape

Bar and Stem Combo

The Madone’s new bar and stem combination is fully integrated into the frame and features a sleek profile with the lowest drag ever developed.

aero bar and stem combo

Madone IsoSpeed

A smoother ride for cyclists can be obtained with a road-smoothing IsoSpeed decoupler. The seat tube of this device rotates independently from the top-tube-to-seatstay junction, reducing stress on the rider’s body. The design also makes pedaling more efficient, allowing riders to race faster and longer.

Madone IsoSpeed Decoupler
Madone IsoSpeed Decoupler

The idea behind IsoSpeed is that the new frame allows the inner tube to bend independently of the outer aero shell, avoiding interference with aerodynamics. According to Trek’s findings, their frame is 57.5 percent more compliant than its closest competitor (which was unnamed by Trek).

isospeed 2
IsoSpeed

Integrations

The routing wires are unsightly and are routed through the frame for maximum aero effect. To create the most aerodynamic form, each component is enclosed and protected.

invisible cable routing
Cable Routing Schematic

Trek’s new direct-mount Madone brakes are seamlessly integrated into the frame to minimize drag, save weight, and speed up performance. It also adds to the Madone’s breathtaking appearance. This new Madone has articulated Vector Wings that enclose the leading cables and front brake caliper in a protective shell.

vector wints
Vector Wings

The seamless design also allows for clean installation of computer head units, if that’s something you’re interested in. In conclusion, the wire routing is completely hidden and continues down to the direct-mount brakes, which conceal the cable assembly with the Vector Wings. It also looks fantastic.

Internal Cabling

Micro Adjust Seat Mast

The new frame also has a micro adjust seat mast. The male seat mast cap slides into the female seat tube, and you can adjust the seat post height with a two bolt slider that’s mounted on the outside of the seat tube. To keep the saddle from slipping under big hits, there’s a single rear clamping bolt located at the back of  the tilt-adjustableseat head. There are separate aft/fore adjustments too.

microadjust seat

Aero brakes: They offer a lot of stopping power and, gasp, they’re fun to work on.

Trek isn’t the first to try hiding brake calipers from wind, but they’ve done best thus far. By extending the frame’s front section to hold the front brake cable, Trek reduced drag significantly compared to attaching a standard caliper at fork’s front.

The little cuckoo-clock panels open when you turn bars, giving housing room for brakes movement.

I loathe rim calipers that are positioned underneath a frame’s bottom bracket because they’re generally difficult to work on, and get grimy quickly. The Madone’s rear brake is where it should be – up on the seatstays. Although it doesn’t pack the same power as a Dura-Ace caliper, its modulation is much more consistent. Most importantly, when used with carbon wheels and SwissStop pads, its stopping power is more than adequate for most purposes.

I was most surprised by how simple it is to work on the brakes. It’s easier than most traditional calipers to change and tune the pads. Trek includes a screw on each side for broadness adjustment and another for toe angle adjustment in the absence of a barrel adjuster.

Integrated Brakes
Integrated Brakes, Invisible Routing Cables and Braking

Madone 9.5 Ultegra Di2 Model

Let’s look at the most expensive Madone model, the Ultegra Di2 9.5 model, as an example to see what components you can get for $8,000. The 600 Series OCLV Carbon KVF tube shape, BB90 bottom bracket, Invisible Cable Routing, E2 tapered head tube, IsoSpeed, Aero 3S chain keeper carbon dropouts and Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite 120tpi Aramid bead 700x25c tires are all included in this bike.

9.5 ultegra Di2
Madone 9.5 Ultegra Di2

Madone 9.5 Women’s Model

Also available for $8,000 is the Madone 9.5 Women’s model by Trek.

This women’s endurance bike model is identical to the Ultegra 9.5 Di2 in terms of components, however it has been geometrically and aerodynamically optimized for female endurance riders. nThe saddle that comes standard is also different, as it is a Bontrager Ajna Pro. It is approximately 7 kg lighter than the men’s bike (16.29 lbs). However, beyond outward appearances, this woman’s version is identical to the 9.5 Ultegra Di2.

Madone 9.5 Women's Model
Madone 9.5 Women’s Model

Project One Customization

If you are an extremely serious rider, you may be interested in making one of the Madone models completely your own. Trek offers complete customization from top to bottom through Project One.

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Bottom Line

If you’re looking for the least expensive Madone bikes with carbon frames, the Series Madone road bikes are where it’s at. These road bicycles offer a lot of value for the money and entail few concessions in order to achieve performance at a lower price.

The Trek Madone is a fast, comfortable bike that combines two contradictory elements. The 9.0 build is the most inexpensive and comes with a single-piece stem and handlebar that may be adjusted separately.

The Trek Madone fits similarly to Trek’s H2 geometry. It is a touch higher at the front end than other aero bikes, so many riders will have toe overlap because of its low and narrow fore. Be mindful before purchasing it; however, if everythingexamination out, I highly doubt you’ll be able to find another bike as fast or comfortable as this one.