trek madone weight

The ultimate race bike Our fastest road race bike ever From a legacy of greatness comes a new standard of speed. Seven generations in the making, Madone SLR is our fastest and lightest Madone disc ever, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with a triple threat of unprecedented aerodynamics, exceptional ride quality, and lightweight design. This race-ready bike is complete with never-before-seen IsoFlow technology that gives you every advantage in speed and handling.

“Trek’s seventh generation Madone blends radical design and performance” What the world is saying about the all-new Madone

“A pure-bred race bike"

“Does an exceptional job of balancing all-day comfort with the agility and aggression needed to be a top-tier race bike.”

“Every inch an aero race bike”

"One of the most visually striking and competent aero bikes available today [...] more aero, less weight, less complication."

“It doesn’t just look damn fast; it is damn fast”

“Seems to crave speed […] and the handling remains responsive at high speeds without lacking in stability.”

“Phenomenally fast and provides one heck of a thrilling ride”

“Offers all the aero tweaks and outright performance without compromising on day-to-day ridability.”

A new standard of speed Now 60 seconds/hour faster* We set out to make Madone the fastest road bike in the world. Years of research and development informed every aerodynamic inch of the seventh generation Madone SLR to create a frame, cockpit, and rider position that’s a whopping 19 watts faster than ever before.* *Compared to previous generation at 45km/h

• Read the white paper
• see the bike

Nearly 300 grams lighter*  

60 seconds/hour faster*  .

Never-before-seen IsoFlow technology Brutal performance. Total comfort. All-new IsoFlow technology soaks up fatiguing bumps in the road so you can ride stronger longer. A race-focused evolution of IsoSpeed comfort, IsoFlow flexes over bumps for a smoother ride, improves aerodynamics, and shaves weight to save precious seconds in the saddle.

Unprecedented road bike aerodynamics The devil is in the details when it comes to heart-pounding, race-winning speed. Every element of the new Madone Gen 7 was expertly sculpted to create our most aerodynamic road race bike ever, including a new generation of Kammtail tube shapes, an aero-optimized cockpit, and all-new IsoFlow technology that smooths air as it moves over the bike and accelerates it through the frame for even more free speed.

Positioned for power Ergonomic and aerodynamic riding position An overhauled bar/stem with a shorter reach and hoods that are 3cm narrower than the drops move you into a more comfortable ergonomic riding position. This narrower hood position also greatly reduces rider drag for extra aerodynamic speed while maintaining control in the drops so you don’t lose power in explosive moments.

Lighter than ever New gram-shaving design A new lightweight design and our best and lightest OCLV Carbon make the seventh generation Madone our lightest Madone disc ever, shaving around 300 grams off the previous ultra-lightweight version.

Behind the bike Hear from Senior Design Engineer, Alex Bedinghaus, on the new Madone SLR.

Pure race pedigree Informed by the world’s best cyclists Madone SLR was rigorously tested with the men’s and women’s Trek-Segafredo race teams to create a completely redesigned bike that’s faster, lighter, and fit for the biggest events on the cycling calendar, including the Tour de France and the first-ever Tour de France Femmes.

The new Madone SL Gen 7 offers the same revolutionary road race technology as the the seventh generation Madone SLR at a more accessible price point, thanks to a 500 Series OCLV Carbon frame and a two-piece flared RSL handlebar and stem. It’s the ultimate race bike, now available to more riders than ever. Our fastest and lightest Madone SL ever

Nearly 300 grams lighter*  

54 seconds/hour faster*  .

*When compared to Madone SL Gen 6 at 45km/h 

Choose your Madone

Madone Gen 6

The original industry-disrupting superbike. -Adjustable top tube IsoSpeed for a smoother ride -Traditional non-flared two-piece bar + stem -Grand Tour-winning aero tube shaping -Madone performance at a better value

Madone Gen 7

Built on a legacy of superbikes, Madone Gen 7 is our fastest and lightest Madone disc ever. -Lightweight, never-before-seen IsoFlow compliance tech -Flared aero-optimized bar (one-piece bar/stem on SLR, two-piece bar + stem on SL) -All-new ultra-fast aero tube shaping -Faster and lighter

Exclusive first ride review of the 2023 Trek Madone SLR 9 Gen 7 – Trek’s aero comfort revolution?

After introducing the 2023 Trek Madone SLR with its unique look and promising updates, we couldn’t wait to put it to the test. We’ve now had the exclusive chance to swing our legs over the € 15,699 Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7. Read on to find out how the new aero bike fares with the reduced weight and complexity of the IsoFlow system.

Trek claim to have developed their fastest bike yet with the all-new 2023 Madone SLR, and caused an uproar in the community while they were at it. When the first photos of the 2023 Trek Madone SLR at the Critérium du Dauphiné went live, the online community went nuts. The reactions ran the gamut from “that’s definitely a mad one” all the way to “at first I thought it was a joke, sadly it wasn’t.” There was a lot of speculation, but now we’ve finally got the first in-depth test results.

The 2023 Trek Madone SLR Disc is more than just a looker with its radical design and all-new IsoFlow system. The American brand promise a wide range of advantages and claim to have solved some of the issues of its predecessor. Trek have completely overhauled the existing IsoSpeed damping system, implemented several aero optimisations such as bigger aerodynamic compensation surfaces, according to the latest UCI regulations, and reduced the weight significantly. Besides the striking IsoFlow design, Trek obviously spec the bike with high-end components, including some from their in-house brand Bontrager, and offer deep customisation via the Project One configurator.

Trek IsoSpeed vs IsoFlow – An overview of the differences

Improved aerodynamics of the 2023 trek madone slr 9 etap gen 7.

It’s not just thanks to the new IsoFlow system that the aerodynamics of the 2023 Trek Madone SLR Disc have been improved, but also via the cockpit and therefore the position of the rider. After all, the rider produces the most wind resistance by far: riding on flat terrain, as much as 75% of the total drag is caused by the wind resistance of the rider, from speeds of just 15 km/h. So, there are a lot of gains to be made by optimising the position of the rider. As such, the handlebar of the Madone has been designed specifically for this bike, bringing the rider into an aerodynamically optimised position.

The slightly flared drops should offer improved control over the bike while also optimising the airflow over the rider’s thighs in order to reduce drag. Even the water bottles and the front mech have been integrated into the frame design, and the enlarged bottom bracket area takes advantage of the latest UCI regulations to further improve aerodynamics, like on the new Cérvelo S5 or SCOTT Foil RC .

Trek have attempted to quantify the promised gains. Accordingly, the American brand claim to save 9.3 Watts with the bike’s improved aerodynamics, i.e. the new IsoFlow system, improved tube shapes and cockpit design (without the rider). The optimised rider position alone should save around 10 W, giving you total saving of 19 Watts at 45 km/h in the drops. All these figures are relative to the 6th generation Trek Madone.

Weight optimization – How much lighter is the 2023 Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7?

As the predecessor, the 2023 Trek Madone SLR is made of OCLV 800, which is the highest grade carbon that Trek offer. The SLR 9 with the eTap groupset weighs in at just 7.36 kg in size 56, making the 2023 Madone SLR Disc the lightest Madone Disc on the market. In total, Trek say they’ve shaved off 300 g compared to the predecessor, which would be a significant weight reduction. However, the previous Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc Gen 6 we had on test tipped the scales at 7.63 kg in size 56, so the actual weight saving is quite a bit less at 230 g, and that’s compared to a bigger frame size.

Of course, a large part of the weight reduction is down to the new IsoFlow system. Despite all their efforts, however, the Trek Émonda SLR 9 (review here) remains the lightest bike in Trek’s portfolio, weighing in at just 6.86 kg, though the latest generation of the Madone is steadily closing the gap. Whether you stand to gain more from aero or weight optimisation is heavily dependent on the elevation profile of the route, of course. On the climbs, you’ll benefit the most from the lower weight of the Émonda – especially the rotating mass of its wheels. The Madone, on the other hand, can play to its strengths on flat stages and descents.

300 g lighter than its predecessor – the lightest Madone yet.

The 2023 Trek Madone SLR in detail and models variants

The 2023 Madone SLR Disc is available in 6 different models with prices ranging from € 8,199 to € 15,699. If none of the standard models meet your demands, you can let your creativity run wild and even adorn your bike with gold leaf in Trek’s Project One configurator. The new, 7th generation Trek Madone SLR is exclusively available with electronic groupsets. You can choose pretty much freely between SRAM and Shimano, though. From SRAM, Trek offer the Rival eTap AXS, Force eTap AXS and RED eTap AXS groupsets, or the corresponding 105 R7170, ULTEGRA R8170 Di2, or DURA-ACE R9270 Di2 options from Shimano. All the SRAM equipped models also come with an integrated power metre in the cranks. Only the SL models will be available with mechanical groupsets. The SL models will also continue to rely on the old, 6th generation Madone frame featuring the IsoSpeed system, and a different carbon layup. As such, the new IsoFlow technology is reserved for the SLR range for the time being.

Supplied in-house, the 25 mm Bontrager R4 tires keep the bike grounded. These are fitted to Bontrager Aeolus RSL wheels with a rim depth of 51 mm, which, unlike the R4 tires, are tubeless-ready. Before converting to a tubeless setup, therefore, you won’t just need tubeless valves and sealant, but also new tires. Trek recommend a maximum tire width of 28 mm, which they say should give you 6 mm clearance around the tires. If you want to make the most of this clearance and fit wider tires, it’s up to you to decide how far you want to risk pushing this limit. However, doing so isn’t officially Trek approved.

Trek Madone SLR 9 2023

Specifications.

Seatpost Madone 0 mm Brakes SRAM RED eTap AXS HRD 160/160 mm Drivetrain SRAM RED eTap AXS 2x12 Chainring 48/35 Stem Madone 90 mm Handlebar Madone 420 mm Wheelset Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 12 x 100/12 x 142 mm Through Axle Tires Bontrager R4 700 x 25C 28 Cranks SRAM RED AXS Power Meter 172.5 mm Cassette SRAM XG-1290 10–33T

Technical Data

Size 47 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 Weight 7.4 kg

The seat post and handlebar are made especially for the 2023 Madone Disc. The seat posts are available in 4 different variants. Frame sizes 47 to 54 come with a short seat post whereas sizes 56 to 62 come with a long version. Adapting the seat post length according to the frame size is necessary since the seat mast is too short to offer a wide range of adjustability. By making the seat post clamp reversible, Trek were able to maximise the adjustment range, allowing you to adjust the saddle height by 70 mm with both the long and short seat post. Unlike our test bike, the seat post is colour matched, and it comes with 0 mm offset as standard, though there’s a 20 mm offset version available.

The cockpit of the 2023 Madone SLR Disc is made of one piece. Allowing you to dial in the fit, Trek offer 14 different sizes of the one-piece cockpit, which get specced according to the frame size or the customer’s request. If that still doesn’t let you get comfortable, you can fit any stem and handlebar combination you want, as long as it relies on a 31.8 mm clamp. All you need is a special headset cover. The stock bike features a big 160 mm rotor up front and rear, making sure there’s enough braking power. Nothing has changed with regards to the cable routing, remaining almost completely hidden – you can only see a short section of the brake lines peeping out just before they reach the callipers.

As before, the 2023 Trek Madone SLR Disc is compatible with Trek’s Blendr range of lights. There’s a front Blendr mount included with the bike. Unfortunately, you’ll have to buy the mount for the Madone SLR seat post separately – we would have preferred if it was the other way around. After all, you want to be seen by other road users first and foremost. Of course, if you’re going to be training or riding day and night and in all conditions, it’s best to have both. Since it’s reliable and easy to maintain, Trek remain true to the T47 bottom bracket standard. That said, the 2023 Trek Madone SLR Disc is also compatible with 30 mm crank axles – you must just make sure that you’re using the correct bearings.

The geometry of the 2023 Trek Madone SLR Disc

As before, Trek have gone with their “moderate” H1.5 geometry for the 2023 Trek Madone SLR Disc, which sits between the more aggressive H1.0 geometry and the H2.0 variant that they use for their endurance road models. The rider gets put into an aerodynamic position predominantly via the handlebar. The bike will be available in Trek’s usual 7 sizes, ranging from 47 to 62 cm.

The 2023 Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7 on the road – Our first ride review of the new IsoFlow aero machine

The 2023 Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7 looks like it’s raring to go just standing there, looking like it’s in a continuous state of tension and striking a good balance between clean, simple lines and high-quality details – our high expectations of the bike were high. Once aboard the bike, you can feel the flex and pleasant level of compliance offered by the IsoFlow system. While it isn’t adjustable, the amount of flex changes depending on how far you’ve got the seat post sticking out – 77.5 cm in our case. It does a good job of filtering out small bumps, and even bigger impacts get mitigated by the bike before being passed on to the rider. There’s nothing to stop you from taking on longer tours on rough asphalt and poorly maintained roads. The comfort offered by the rear end stands somewhat in contrast to the stiff front end, only providing a bit of compliance when you’re in the drops – if you hit corrugations with your hands on the hoods, you’ll feel your teeth rattle.

Cruising leisurely aboard the 2023 Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7, you’ll quickly realise that that isn’t the bike’s forte. At slower speeds, the handling feels slightly nervous, and the front wheel tends to tip from side to side. This wasn’t an issue when winching our way up steep climbs, but it doesn’t instil you with confidence when rolling slowly up to a red traffic light as you wait for it to turn green. When get up out of the saddle and put the hammer down, however, the bike surges forward and begs for more. The stiff bottom bracket transfers your pedalling input with minimal losses, quickly propelling the bike up to cruising speed despite the deep and therefore relatively heavy 51 mm rims. Once you’re at your desired speed, the bike will hold that pace with ease, not least thanks to the ergonomically and aerodynamically shaped cockpit: the gentle back-sweep puts you in an aero position with your elbows tucked in while the flared drops offer plenty of control and a higher level of compliance. The rounded edges of the tops are pleasant to hold on to in case you feel like assuming a more upright position. Assume the aero position, though, and the 2023 Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7 seems to crave speed, so much so that we feared running out of gears on flat terrain.

Once you’ve summited the peak and start heading downhill, the 2023 Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7 really comes into its own. The handling feels planted and composed at high speeds, yet it remains responsive and precise enough for spontaneous corrections in the peloton or to swerve around a pothole that you didn’t see coming. Trek have struck an excellent balance with the bike’s handling at speed. The bike does get pushed sideways by crosswinds, but it does so evenly and remains easy to control. It doesn’t get jerked around and feel nervous at all! Only the tires tend to lose traction and slide out during hard braking manoeuvres on wet asphalt – we would have preferred a set of tubeless-ready 28 mm tires instead.

You can make the bike significantly more comfortable by fitting a pair of wider tires, though it’s an excellent all-rounder in the stock configuration, nonetheless. All in all, the 2023 Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7 has become significantly more versatile: it’s become lighter and more aerodynamic, it’s a better climber and it’s less complex thanks to the new IsoFlow system, which is a boon for both home and pro mechanics. An (almost) complete all-rounder.

Who is the new 2023 Madone for?

Whether pro athlete or ambitious privateer, criterium or steep Alpine passes, the 2023 Madone Disc is aimed at those who have need for speed. If you know Trek, you will know that the SLR range isn’t aimed at the masses, but rather at pros and all those who dream of being one – assuming you’ve got the money. Still, the components make this aero bike a superb all-rounder for all those looking to save some Watts. If you prefer flying under the radar as you enjoy your training rides, the polarising design of the Madone clearly isn’t the right choice as other riders will try to quiz you about it wherever you go. That’s exactly what some riders want, so it all depends on the type of rider that you are. Want that race feeling, but far away from traffic and asphalt? Then check out our review of the 2023 Checkpoint SLR 7 with its integrated storage compartment (find the review here).

Tuning-Tipp: downsize for more comfort, due to the longer seat post extension | 28 mm tubeless tires

Our conclusion on the new 2023 Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7

The updates made to the new 2023 Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7 have made it significantly more versatile. It doesn’t just look damn fast; it is damn fast, too. And the handling remains responsive at high speeds without lacking in stability. The clever new IsoFlow system reduces the bike’s complexity while offering a similar level of compliance. As such, the new Trek Madone serves ambitious (hobby) racers well and has what it takes to get you on the podium.

• very balanced handling at high speeds
• reduced complexity and improved aerodynamics of the IsoFlow system
• customisation options thanks to the Project One configurator
• high-quality workmanship

• the damping of the IsoFlow system isn’t adjustable
• the Bontrager R4 tires lack grip

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Words: Julian Schwede Photos: Mike Hunger

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Trek’s Seventh Generation Madone Blends Radical Design and Performance

Trek's new Madone is made to go fast and win races.

Takeaway: A pure-bred road race bike designed to win at the WorldTour level. With its latest Madone, Trek ditches the IsoSpeed decoupler for the new lighter weight, more aerodynamic, and visually radical IsoFlow seatmast.

• Drops weight and gains efficiency.
• Proven geometry remains unchanged from the gen-6 model.
• Flared bars for reduced drag.
• Three SRAM and three Shimano build kit offerings.

Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Gen 7

Trek’s Madone is an iconic bike. First launched in 2003, the Madone has evolved massively over the past two decades. The platform’s most significant technological leap came about in 2014 when Trek debuted the Emonda, its dedicated lightweight bike. The Emonda freed the Madone from having to strictly be a light bike, allowing aerodynamics to become its primary focus.

To deal with the notoriously stiff and uncomfortable ride of early aero bikes, Trek’s engineers incorporated an IsoSpeed decoupler, similar to the one used on the brand’s Domane endurance bike. With IsoSpeed, the bike’s seat tube moved independently from the top tube and seat stays, allowing it to absorb road chatter and small bumps. The resulting sixth-generation Madone was incredibly fast against the wind while also receiving praise for its ride quality. But the downside was the added weight.

With the new seventh-generation Madone, Trek set an ambitious goal of reducing weight without sacrificing the comfort and aerodynamic properties of the old bike. The most obvious place to shed grams was the IsoSpeed system, now replaced by the visually striking IsoFlow.

According to Trek, function drove IsoFlow’s development. Aided by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), Trek sought to overhaul the entire aerodynamic package of the Madone. The result was a new generation of Trek’s Kammtail tube shapes, including a smoother head tube, a down tube better optimized for use with and without bottles, a taller bottom bracket area, and the radically designed seat tube.

The new Madone is bold and will not be mistaken for any other bike. But it definitely won’t please riders who prefer a more traditional aesthetic. Trek deserves props for pushing the design language of a bicycle forward. Though its looks won't please everyone, I’m happy to see something other than a cookie-cutter, dropped-stays, aero-ish, all-around-er that seems so popular amongst bike designers.

The new seat mast set-up is well-designed, offering easy and consistent height adjustment. But the best detail was in the seat clamp, which allowed for fore and aft adjustment independent of saddle tilt. It’s a small detail that makes setting up the bike much easier, as it allows for minor saddle angle tweaks while leaving it clamped in place.

These changes account for roughly half of the aerodynamic improvements of the new bike. Trek claims that the new Madone saves riders 19 watts of pedaling energy at 28 mph, but just half of that savings (9.3 watts) is from improvements to the frame. The remaining watt savings come from changes to the rider position due to the new flared handlebar design. The Madone SLR handlebar measures a traditional width in the drops, but the bar's flare positions the hoods inward by 30mm. This narrower hood location puts the rider in a more aerodynamic position when riding, thus saving watts.

Thankfully for riders that are particular about their contact points, Trek made the new bike compatible with standard 1-⅛” stems so riders can set up their cockpit however they like. However, changing to this would give up a large chunk of the Madone’s claimed aero benefits unless riders choose a narrower-than-normal bar width.

More importantly for pro riders and weight weenies alike, the new frameset is now two-thirds of a pound lighter than its predecessor. Our 56cm test bike came in at 16.2 pounds which is pretty svelt for an aero bike with 51cm deep clincher wheels and disc brakes. A big part of the weight saving comes from the new IsoFlow design. The cantilevered design of the seat tube and IsoFlow allows for engineered flex in the new Madone. This design is how Trek maintains the Madone’s celebrated ride quality.

Trek stuck to its H1.5 geometry as used on the previous generation Madone. It conceived this as a meeting point between Trek’s old racing-focused H1 geometry and its more relaxed H2 angles. The wheelbase on our 56cm bike was only 983mm, nearly a centimeter shorter than the Specialized Tarmac SL7 and Giant’s TCR, and 13 mm shorter than Canyons Ultimate. Combined with a relatively steep 73.5-degree head tube angle and a 58mm trail figure, you get a bike that will dive into corners as hard as you’re willing to push it.

Pricing and Build Options

There is no getting around the fact that as the top-of-the-line road racing bike from Trek, the Madone is not cheap. The move to electronic-only groups on all builds of the Madone does the price no favors as well. While equivalent new models of the Madone only get $200 more expensive for 2023. The entry-level build for the 2023 Madone SLR 6 (with Shimano 105 Di2) comes in at $8,000. That is a $1,100 increase over the 2021 Madone SLR 6 equipped with mechanical-shifting Shimano Ultegra. Top-of-the-range Dura-Ace and Red eTap builds retail for $12,750 and $13,200, respectively.

Trek offers the new Madone in six builds, three with SRAM (Red, Force, and Rival eTap) and three with Shimano (Dura-Ace, Ultegra, and 105 Di2). All of the Madone builds ship with the new integrated cockpit; Dura-Ace and Red-equipped Madones ship with Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 wheels, while all other builds get the slightly heavier Aeolus Pro 51.

Ride Impressions

The new Madone has an exceptionally smooth ride, lacking the characteristically dead and harsh feel of past aero bikes. But the mellow ride is not without an edge. The Madone does an exceptional job of balancing all-day comfort with the agility and aggression needed to be a top-tier race bike. Under sharp accelerations, especially at speeds under 25 mph, the Madone felt impressively stiff. But accelerations from the high 20s into 30+mph territory felt a bit more muted, which is not inherently a bad trait. A twitchy bike is not helpful when you’re going that fast.

Once the Madone is up to speed, it just wants to stay there. I was impressed with how quickly and easily the bike would get rolling up to 20-22 miles per hour. Combined with the gentle ride quality, it felt like the new Madone would constantly surprise me with how fast I was going. The sensation of speed on this bike is almost sneaky, you get used to what 25mph feels like on a road bike, but on the Madone, the same pace feels calmer and less frantic, at least in a straight line. Throw the Madone into a corner, and it instantly feels sharp and aggressive.

As a racer, I very much enjoyed the Madone’s willingness to corner aggressively, but it did expose one of the bike's faults. The 25mm tires shipped on our test biker are simply too narrow. Trek claims that the Madone can fit tires up to 28mm, but this feels short-sighted. Wheel brands such as Reserve, Enve, and Zipp now design around a 28mm tire as the default width. There is plenty of space in the frame for wider tires, so Trek is likely very conservative in its stock tire choice and maximum tire width recommendation.

Even riding the stock 25mm tires with pressures as low as 65 psi front and 75 psi rear, the narrow rubber still felt like it was missing grip, with the back end stepping out multiple times when exiting a corner. It was also discouraging that a road bike selling for over thirteen thousand dollars does not ship with tubeless compatible tires or the proper bits to easily set up the Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 wheels as tubeless.

Another thing missing from the bike was a computer mount. Usually, it is not something I would expect a brand to include, but the bars require a Trek-specific part. Given the complete bike’s price tag and Trek’s integrated cockpit, it should come with a computer mount. I sourced a Blendr mount from my local Trek store, but it was not without its issues (it rattled loose during a training crit and fell off). It is possible to entirely avoid this proprietary part by using a standard 1-⅛” stem and handlebar but making this swap would involve cutting hydraulic houses and would not be cheap.

I was also pleased to see Trek continue using the T47 bottom bracket standard on this bike. A threaded bottom bracket shell is a win for mechanics everywhere. However, the latest Madone is now only compatible with electronic shifting. We can argue whether it's bike brands like Trek (releasing electronic-only high-end bikes) or component brands like SRAM and Shimano (no longer developing high-performance mechanical road groupsets) or if consumers are just voting with their dollars. But the result is that we are witnessing the death of mechanical shifting from high-end racing bikes. And that's a little bit sad.

Ultimately this Madone, like the versions that have come before, was conceived and designed to meet the needs of World Tour professionals. Everything about the bike, from how it rides, to how much it costs, reflects that niche design requirement. Aside from a small pool of professional racers, very few people will likely make the most of this bike’s capabilities. It’s analogous to the way most drivers will not benefit from driving a Formula One car. It’s a pure-bred race bike designed to win at the highest level. If that’s what you’re looking to do—or you just want to own a bike with that ability—then the Madone should be on your shortlist.

Test Editor Dan Chabanov got his start in cycling as a New York City bike messenger but quickly found his way into road and cyclocross racing, competing in professional cyclocross races from 2009 to 2019 and winning a Master’s National Championship title in 2018. Prior to joining Bicycling in 2021, Dan worked as part of the race organization for the Red Hook Crit, as a coach with EnduranceWERX, as well as a freelance writer and photographer. 

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Trek releases radical Madone SLR, its “fastest road race bike ever”

First Published Jun 30, 2022

Trek has launched a radical new version of its Madone SLR which it describes as its “fastest road race bike ever” thanks to IsoFlow technology – with a huge hole in the seat tube – that’s said to provide dramatic aerodynamic improvements, plus a significantly lighter overall weight. IsoSpeed, Trek’s existing system for adding compliance, is absent but IsoFlow is designed to flex over bumps to smooth the ride.

This is the bike that your intrepid road.cc reporters first spotted at the Dauphiné race in southern France earlier in the month. Let’s face it, we could hardly miss it. 

Brand new Trek Madone breaks cover: exclusive look at radical aero road bike for 2023 

There’s a shedload of detail coming up so let’s get you up to speed with a few bullet points:

• Trek says the new Madone SLR is 60 seconds per hour faster than the previous generation ( see explanation below ) thanks to new aero frame shaping, a redesigned bar/stem, and a more aero riding position.
• IsoFlow is designed to improve aerodynamics, flex over bumps to smooth the ride, and save weight over previous Madones.
• IsoFlow is said to offer a similar level of compliance to the previous adjustable IsoSpeed system in its stiffest setting.
• This is said to be the lightest ever disc brake Madone, about 300g lighter than the previous model.
• Trek claims a frame weight of just under 1,000g and a fork weight of just over 400g.
• The Madone SLR is compatible with electronic drivetrains only.

Okay, let’s go through the various important aspects of the design in turn.

The most noticeable aero feature of the seventh-generation Trek Madone SLR – and the most talked about since we got pictures at the start of the month – is the IsoFlow seat tube. The tube splits in two, each section going on to join one of the seatstays. Then the seat tube resumes out of the top tube to house the aero seatpost. The pictures make things a whole lot clearer. 

The obvious question is: what the hell is going on there?

Trek’s senior design engineer Alex Bedinghaus says, “When we met with our World Tour pros, one of the biggest things that they were passionate about was: how can we make the bike lighter? They were questioning the effectiveness of IsoSpeed so we started to dig into how to make a simpler, lighter-weight system that still gives them everything they would want for aerodynamics and for sprinting stiffness.

“We did a lot of aerodynamic testing in the wind tunnel, in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and computer modelling to figure out in which areas of the frame we could save the most drag and weight. 

“We looked at the front of the frame but this seat tube section is also really important because there's a lot of turbulent flow – a lot of chaos – going down there for the air. 

“We tried a lot of crazy things and weighed the benefits in an iterative and long process. We finally came up with this unique IsoFlow design where we have this hole through the seat tube. 

“We can accelerate the air around the head tube and into this low-pressure zone behind the rider, making the rider and bike more aerodynamic and faster. 

“It also has this cantilevered seat tube and really optimises weight, aerodynamics and compliance. It’s a unique solution that gets us to a lighter weight system than what we had before, and beats our aerodynamic goals by quite a bit.”

Trek’s director of road bikes Jordan Roessingh adds, “IsoFlow is a way to direct some high energy flow into a low energy region of the bike, and that's really what we're trying to do in aerodynamics: get rid of low energy and high drag areas of the bike. 

“When you're riding a bike, there's a really low energy area behind you. As you pedal, you create these counter-rotating vortices, and that creates a lot of drag. That [IsoFlow] hole right in front of that low energy area introduces a jet of fast-moving air that reduces the drag for the whole system.”

That’s a short explanation of how IsoFlow is designed to work. To put a figure on it, Trek says that compared with the previous generation Madone SLR, the new version will save 60 seconds per hour at 45km/h (28mph). Of course, anything travelling at 45km/h will cover 45km in an hour; what Trek means is that you'll achieve 45km more efficiently. If you ride at the same power, you'll hit 45km 60 seconds sooner.

“A ride that would take you an hour normally would take you 59 minutes on the new bike,” says Trek aerodynamicist John Davis. “If I bring that down to 35km/h (21.7mph) we still get a 59-second gain, and if I bring it down to 25km/h (15.5mph) that's a 58-second improvement from the new bike. 

“Going from the old bike to the new bike and keeping the same bar size, we’ll see about a 19-watt improvement in drag at 45km/h (28mph).”

In other words, you’ll save be able to achieve that speed while pedalling at a lower power.

“That 19-watt number, that's the whole system: the rider and the bike. About 9.3 watts comes from the bike and then 9.7 watts from the position change on the new bike.”

We’ll come back to that position change in the bar/stem section .

Other aero features

Putting IsoFlow to one side, Trek says that it has been busy developing new Kammtail profiles for the new Madone SLR.

“We have a new generation of Kammtail shapes across the bike,” says Jordan Roessingh. “We have optimisation software, and we have a supercomputer where we can run thousands of iterations of the shapes, and so we look at aerodynamics or unsteady aerodynamics to better mimic the real world. 

“We can also analyse these shapes for structural efficiency and weight. Then from those thousands of shapes, we choose the most optimal for our use case, in this case, a really aerodynamic bike that we still want to reduce the weight on. And then we can plug those in and check how they do in CFD.”

Alex Bedinghaus says, “The cockpit [ see below ] is all-new, revised for ergonomics as well as aerodynamics, and then the head tube is a little bit smoother, more structurally efficient, while still being really aerodynamic. 

“The down tube is optimised for the airflow over bottles as well as without bottles – you get the aerodynamic benefit with and without them – and the top tube is optimised in cross-section for aerodynamics. The thickness [in the middle section] of the top tube is for adding flex to the IsoFlow. It allows the seatpost member to flex a little bit more by having a thin cross-section in front of the IsoFlow. 

“The seat tube cross-section is optimised for aerodynamics and weight, and then as we transition down, there’s a shelf just below the seat tube water bottle, right above the bottom bracket, and that improves the flow of the air as it goes over the crank and the back of the bike. 

“With this bike, we added this removable front derailleur hanger, which is super cool because the drag of the front derailleur is substantial. We can give the 1x [single chainring] rider a cleaner aesthetic.”

The bar/stem

Trek has given the new Madone SLR a new one-piece bar/stem that features flared drops – so the tops and hoods are narrower than the drops. 

Find out about handlebar reach here 

“If you keep the same bar size [the width on this bar is measured at the drops], your shifters will move in 3cm – so you're faster when you're on the hoods because you're narrower,” says Jordan Roessingh, although Trek insists that the main motivation for the change is mainly ergonomic.

“Because the bar is wider in the drops, you have more control and more power in that position. There's also a new drop shape with a shorter reach [80mm] and a different curvature. It provides easier access and it’s a position that you can be more comfortable in, so you can spend more time in your drops than previously. 

“It allows you to tailor your position to what’s going on in your ride. If you want to go fast you can get on the hoods, but if you need control or power, you're sprinting, going through a corner, those drops are an awesome position.

“We tested that in the wind tunnel just to see what would happen, and [it saved] an extra 9.7 watts on top of the 9.3 watts that the bike was already contributing, so it was a bonus. 

“If you don't want to get your hands any narrower, you still get the 9.3 watts that the bike is giving you just by itself.”

Aside from the width, the handlebar/stem profiles are also shaped for aero efficiency.

“The tops of the bar include the new shapes that we came up with in our optimisation, and we did a lot of work on the stem and the spacer stack,” says Jordan Roessingh.

“They influence the aerodynamics of the rider because they're upstream of the legs.

“If you look at the flow visualisation, there's a lot of interaction of the flow coming off that, and the vortices that are created on the rider, so we did a lot of really small tweaking in our CFD and in the tunnel to optimise the shape.”

If you’d rather not use the Madone-specific handlebar/stem, you can fit any standard 31.8mm stem or bar/stem.

Weight and comfort

Okay, so Trek says that IsoFlow improves aero efficiency but IsoSpeed was included on previous Madones to add compliance, so its absence presumably affects the way the new bike feels.

Alex Bedinghaus says, “One of the biggest goals with the seventh generation Madone was to reduce weight as much as possible, so we looked all over the bike [and said]: how can we take the things that we’ve already done, the things we know work well, and simplify them?

“We took out the [IsoSpeed] pivot, we took out that unique flexing component, and we just integrated that into the way the frame is designed. The frame is [now] designed to be the flexing component. It’s stiff, it’s aero, it's lightweight, but it’s compliant in the one way we want it to be, which is the vertical compliance at the saddle.

“As we developed this awesome new IsoFlow technology, we were able to take out some of that added complexity of IsoSpeed and crank up the stiffness just a little bit. With it, we do take out a little bit of the comfort, but we add back a performance benefit to give the perfect formula of weight, aerodynamics, and compliance.”

Trek says that the Madone SLR’s cantilever design – the fact that the top section of the seat tube is attached to the rest of the frame only at one end – means that non-adjustable IsoFlow gives as much compliance as adjustable IsoSpeed in its stiffest setting. Trek also says that there will be no effect on durability as a result of this design feature.

Trek claims that the new Madone SLR is almost 300g lighter than previously across the whole bike (not just the frameset), making it the lightest disc brake Madone it has ever made. It says that about half the weight savings come from the frame and the other half from the bar/stem combo.

“Most of the gains that we see in road bike system improvements are 10g, 20g, 30g… to go to 300g is huge,” says Alex Bedinghaus. “With the previous design, we focused on aerodynamics as a whole system of the bike, so if you look at the head tube, there are larger cutouts in the previous design. We could shroud the fork or shroud the cockpit by adding a little bit of frame material that stretched above the head tube. 

“But with this design, we wanted to keep things clean so that we could be efficient [in terms of] weight and structural rigidity, so we took out some of those cutouts of the head tube. 

“The previous generation cockpit left some room for improvement [regarding] aerodynamics and ergonomics. The weight improvements of the aerodynamic cockpit are huge, and then we were able to get quite a bit of improvement over the previous frame with IsoFlow and make a really clean, elegant solution to all those weight, stiffness, and aerodynamic parameters. 

“We also use a different layup philosophy in this OCLV 800 [the carbon that Trek uses on its top-level frames] and were able to take some more weight out that way, and the new seatpost clamp also takes off quite a bit of weight.”

Trek claims a frame weight of just under 1,000g for the frame and just over 400g for the fork. Complete Madone SLR bikes start at a claimed 7.1kg. That weight refers to the Madone SLR 9 – built up with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 – in a 54cm size.

Claimed weights for other complete bikes are in the specs and prices section (below) .

The Emonda SLR remains the lightest road bike platform in Trek’s range.

Geometry and seatpost

Although Trek talks about the new Madone offering a more aero riding position than previously, that’s down to the dimensions of the handlebar/stem; the bike retains the company’s H1.5 race-orientated geometry and all key frame measurements are the same as before.

Click on the image of the table in the gallery for a (slightly) clearer view.

The only real differences in terms of fit are the saddle rail heights that are possible on the various sizes as a result of the redesigned seatpost system.

Bikes sized 47-54cm will get a short seat post, and bikes sized 56-62cm get a tall seat post. All stock seatposts are 0mm offset (the saddle sits directly above the centre of the post with no layback).

Specs and prices

Here are details of the 2023 Madone SLR range:

Trek Madone SLR 6 Groupset Shimano 105 R7170 Di2 Wheels Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 Claimed weight 7.8kg Price £6,850

Trek Madone SLR 6 eTap Groupset SRAM Rival eTap AXS Wheels Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 Claimed weight 8.0kg Price £7,450

Trek Madone SLR 7 Groupset Shimano Ultegra R8170 Di2 Wheels Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 Claimed weight 7.5kg Price £9,150

Trek Madone SLR 7 eTap Groupset SRAM Force eTap AXS Wheels Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 Claimed weight 7.8kg Price £9,600

Trek Madone SLR 9 Groupset Dura-Ace R9270 Di2 Wheels Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 Claimed weight 7.1kg Price £12,700

Trek Madone SLR 9 eTap Groupset SRAM Red eTap AXS Wheels Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 Claimed weight 7.3kg Price £13,800

Trek Madone SLR Disc frameset £5,000

All of the Sram-equipped bikes include power meters.

The wheels are all tubeless-compatible, but the bikes will be fitted with standard inner tubes and non-tubeless-compatible tyres and rim strips.

Trek says that Project One customisation is coming at a later date. 

Final details

The Madone SLR is compatible with electronic drivetrains only; it can’t accommodate mechanical shift systems.

Trek says it’ll take tyres up to 28mm wide. That allows for 6mm of clearance around the tyre, so you might be able to fit something slightly wider if you wanted to.

The Madone SLR uses a T47 threaded bottom bracket, which is a standard Trek has been moving towards over the past few years.

The brakes are flat mount and the bike will take rotors up to 160mm front and rear. Like most other similar road bikes, the Madone takes 100x12mm (front) and 142x12mm (rear) thru-axles.

www.trekbikes.com

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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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22 comments.

I'm old enough to remember when 13 grand got you a bike that weighed less than 6kg, now it doesn't even get you near the legal minimum 

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Trek have never been the cheapest though have they?

Fastest bike ever? And I thought that it was the legs which propelled the bike. 

At least when it inevitably starts cracking around the seat cluster you won't have to be seen riding such a monstrosity while making the warranty claim

The problem with all these cutting edge bicycles is that every year they get replaced with an updated version which is so significantly improved in every marketable way to the extent that 5 year old models must become unmoveable, lumpen monstrosities with the handling characteristics and appeal of 3 day old fish by comparison.

Think how bad toothpaste must have been 50-60 years back...

And dog food.

I'll admit to nibbling on the odd Bonio dog treat when I were kid. Seem to recall they were no worse than the cat crunchy I accidentally ate a couple of weeks back when I thought I'd picked up the bag of peanuts.

I'm rather partial to these salami sticks for a nibble. Daughter asks why I'm eating cat treats!

They are great for tubeless punctures. 

Trek really does try too hard to be different. Fugly has never been a design philosophy that would get me to part with my money. 

I reckon the new Domane will be a better ride on real world roads. 

I don't now what's happened between the original story on this bike and now, but it's grown on me and I actually quite like it. I'd sill be nervous about the longevity of the seat... er, ledge with the weight of a rider who's not a five-foot, skinny pro over rough, bumpy roads - so I doubt this'll be my next bike.

These prices are crazy. £2300 extra to go from 105 Di2 to Ultegra Di2 with the rest of the spec staying the same?!

Ribble are charging £700 for the same upgrade.   

I think best bet would be to get the SLR6 and then upgrade the shifters later. Couple of hundred grams extra but you'd save yourself a fortune

These price points do seem questionable to put it politely. And would anyone serious pay £900 more to stick 200grams on your bike and less reliable performance in eTap over Dura Ace? 

I'm sure there are other spec differences, but on the face of it... hmmm.

and that's ignoring the near £14k asking price for the top of the range model... come on, when will people start questioning this stuff.

Personally, my next bike will be a quality open mould frame with some fancy dance paint on it. Mechanical campag grouspet (assuming Campag doesn't do a Shimano in the coming weeks), and probably some hunt wheels. 99% of the performance for a third of the price. 

I'm guessing the upgrade will also include the fancy bar/stem combo? Or better carbon etc etc

I quite like the bike...but too much £££ for me

Nope, identical spec bar the groupset. You could get the 105 Di2 SLR6 and upgrade the whole drivetrain to Ultegra Di2 for less than the SLR7

Ssco wrote: Nope, identical spec bar the groupset. You could get the 105 Di2 SLR6 and upgrade the whole drivetrain to Ultegra Di2 for less than the SLR7

Plus (or minus, depending on which way you look at it) you could eBay the 105 groupset for probably £1400, meaning the whole upgrade would cost you around £700. £2300 for an approximately £700 upgrade in groupset with no other differences is simply an outrage.

Yeah but Ribble will never be able to deliver your bike, whilst having had your cash for months/years.

2 bikes released today that both claim to be faster, lighter and comfier than the model they replace. 

The Scott I'd seriously consider if I were in the market for a fast sunday best bike (and my decrepit spine could allow me to ride it) but the Trek? No way. Apart from the fact that design is fugly I'd have serious concerns it could take my weight in the long term and the resale value of these will be through the floor.

I know we don't buy a bike thinking of selling it but it must be a consideration in this design.

4680 quid to save half a kilogram - Ultegra Di2 vs SRAM AXS Red and some slightly better wheels. This has got to be the piss take pricing of the year so far. 

I'm sure it's going to get a lot of hate because it doesn't look like something good 'ol Eddy rode but chapeau to Trek for shaking off the shackles and buidling a 21st Century bike.  Let's not forget it is intended to win World Tour races, is a pro machine and I doubt anyone ever stopped to consider the needs of a commuter or gravel rider whilst designing it.

Exactly, and it's grown on me a bit. Certainly better looking than the new Scott Foil. Trek pricing is up the spout though!

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I remember him having problems at the start of his pro career because he was so scared of riding in a bug bunch, especially on fast descents.

"including bruising or tearing of the handlebars, pancreas or spleen, says Dr Arneitz"...

CCIB roundup, yes do tell me again about that dangerous e-scooterist you caught...

These electric bicycles catching fire spontaneously are a total menace......

Nothing to do with his tyres or excessive speed for the conditions then....

To be fair - he has been put before the beak many times already, only to be repeatedly released to continue his thieving. Is it any wonder plod...

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Trek Madone SLR 7 Gen 7 review - very fast and very expensive

The latest Madone may have a hole through the seat tube but we couldn't find any in its performance

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The Trek Madone is an absolute speed weapon. The deep-section tubes with the radical-looking cutout help, as does the newly designed handlebar, which is narrow and provides good wrist support for the ‘aero-hoods’ position. And then there are the 51mm deep Bontrager Aeolus Pro wheels. The handling is incredibly fast, responding to the smallest shift in weight and the tiniest tweaks of the bars, and ride quality is so impressive that it’s almost possible to overlook things like the narrow tires and ungenerous clearance - but you can’t ignore the price. If you have the budget and want a WorldTour-level race machine with exceptional handling and ride feel, this is the bike.

Super smooth ride

Light for an aero bike

Striking aesthetics

Limited adjustability

No power meter

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

• Construction

Value and conclusion

For this latest Gen 7 version of the Madone, Trek’s aero bike, the US brand removed the IsoSpeed Decoupler of the previous Gen 6 model and left, in its place, a big hole.

OK, it’s not the crude, reductionist approach it sounds like.

The old bike’s micro-adjustable suspension system at the top tube/seat tube juncture added weight and was mostly redundant since Trek discovered most riders would ‘set and forget’.

And by radically reengineering the frame Trek claims to have saved 300g, and says the new bike is almost 20 watts faster than its predecessor, which equates to 60 seconds per hour when ridden at 45kph. It looks radical, too - always a good thing for a new bike.

In our 2023 Race Bike of the Year grouptest we awarded the Madone 'best aero bike' against competition that included the Cervélo S5, the Canyon Aeroad and the Giant Propel.

However, over $9K / £10K for an Ultegra bike has to be unchartered territory - so how does it compare overall to the best road bikes ?

Trek Madone 7 Gen 7: construction

Let’s peer a bit more closely into that hole or, to give it its real name, IsoFlow. The aerodynamic explanation for it is: “It’s a way to direct some high energy flow into a low energy region of the bike.” What that means is that the seat tube area creates a disproportionate amount of drag and the hole helps to dissipate this by adding what Trek calls a “jet of fast moving air.”

It turns out that only half of the claimed watt saving comes from the IsoFlow hole. Trek has entered the integrated cockpit wars (along with Colnago, Canyon, Cervélo et al) with a completely new and very slick-looking design but it’s neither adjustable nor V-shaped: according to Trek it saves watts by changing rider position rather than via the aerodynamic properties of the cockpit itself.

A standard 42cm bar becomes 39cm at the hoods and 42cm at the drops and there’s a backsweep so that a flat-forearms aero position on the hoods becomes very aero indeed.

There are 14 different combinations available and, since the backsweep gives the bar a shorter reach, it’s important to get the right one - if you’re like those of us who rode this bike, you’ll need a longer stem. You can change this at point of purchase at no extra cost, Trek told us, or the 1 1/8in steerer is compatible with a non-integrated stem and bar (though the frame is electronic groupset only).

The same goes for the seatmast. The cutout in the seat tube leaves less room for a long seatpost and less adjustability (around 6cm minimum to maximum) so if you are long-legged but prefer a smaller frame you may need the tall version that comes with the size 56 upwards (as I ideally would have done). There are also two offsets available.

Our size 54 with a standard short mast could only manage a maximum saddle height of 74cm and the reach felt very short with the 90mm stem cockpit it comes with.

The latest geometry is called H1.5 (halfway between the old H1 race and H2 endurance). The reduced reach combined with the shorter reach of the swept-back bar works very well for that super aero hoods position, but it does feel surprisingly short. The kamm-tailed rear of the stem is much closer to your knees than you’d expect.

The new SLR bikes are all made from Trek’s 800 OCLV carbon - from the 105-equipped SLR 6 up to the flagship SLR 9 - and are impressively light, especially compared with other aero bikes such as the Cervelo S5. Trek says this is its lightest ever disc Madone.

There’s clearance for 28mm tires max, which is tight by modern standards. This model comes with Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 tubeless-ready wheels, set up with Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite 25mm tires and inner tubes - again, surprisingly narrow.

Despite the fact that the fit wasn’t optimal - I could have done with the size up - the ride quality of the Madone is absolutely incredible. That’s the first thing that strikes you, or rather doesn’t strike you.

Aero bikes used to supply a harsher ride simply because deep, bladed tubing doesn’t flex like round tubing. This was undoubtedly the reason why Trek bolted the IsoSpeed decoupler onto the Madone two iterations ago. So you might expect that with its suspension system gone, the latest bike might have gone backwards in comfort. Not a bit of it.

It feels like a coiled carbon spring - full of potential energy and floating over bad road surfaces seemingly without any effect on its speed. And this is on 25mm tires that aren’t even the best (at this price they really ought to be).

The handling is also exactly right. The shortish 90mm stem section of the cockpit could have made it a little twitchy, but thanks to the sweeping shape I found my weight sufficiently over the front wheel in the hoods position, and steering was fast but balanced on descents and tight corners.

So it passes ‘comfortable’ and ‘fast’ with flying colors (actually Deep Smoke for this one).

At 7.5kg it’s light for an aero bike - or any disc brake bike - and it leaps up hills as if it weighs even less. I was so impressed with its performance that I kept forgetting Trek also has the Emonda climbing bike. The next Emonda has its work cut out (pun intended).

Finally, stability in crosswinds. There’s one particular gateway on my test loop where any bike not designed for big yaw angles will be gusted and the Trek was indeed blown sideways slightly - but not alarmingly considering the deep wheels and frame tubes.

This bike is incredibly good but it’s also incredibly expensive. It’s a full $1,000 / £1,000 more than the equivalent outgoing Gen 6 Madone SLR 7, and you’d have to look hard to find a more expensive Ultegra Di2-equipped bike from the other mainstream brands. 

The Canyon Aeroad CFR with Dura-Ace costs $8,999 / £8,799, while the Cervelo S5 with SRAM Force AXS costs $9,000 / £9,200. The Giant Propel Advanced SL1 also with SRAM Force costs $8,000 / £8,999.

You might also reasonably expect a power meter at this price - those three bikes all come with them - but it’s just the regular Ultegra crankset here.

So the price is stratospheric but compared with the current aero bikes I’ve ridden so far including the Colnago V4RS , Canyon Aeroad SLX , Cervelo S5, Tarmac SL7 and Pinarello Dogma F, the ride quality is superior.

• Frame: 800 Series OCLV carbon
• Fork: KVF carbon, tapered steerer
• Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2
• Wheels : Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51
• Tires : Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite 25mm
• Cockpit: Madone integrated
• Seatpost : Madone aero internal
• Saddle: Bontrager Aeolus Elite
• Weight: 7.5kg
• Contact: www.trekbikes.com

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Simon Smythe is a hugely experienced cycling tech writer, who has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2003. Until recently he was our senior tech writer. In his cycling career Simon has mostly focused on time trialling with a national medal, a few open wins and his club's 30-mile record in his palmares. These days he spends most of his time testing road bikes, or on a tandem doing the school run with his younger son.

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Trek Madone SL 7 Gen 7 bike review: IsoFlow + burrito is a perfect match

The trek madone sl gen 7 now completes the line matching the more expensive slr and offers almost the same ride quality..

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It’s been almost exactly one year since Trek launched the Madone SLR Gen 7 with the IsoFlow seat tube cutout. Trek is finally releasing an SL version that is said to maintain many of the same bold claims but with a lower price tag. The Trek Madone SL Gen 7, in a way, completes the Madone Gen 7 lineup since, for the last year, if you wanted the latest Madone frame design, you had to shell out over $8000 for an SLR.

The differences are subtle, but the most impactful is the new Trek Madone SL Gen 7 uses Trek’s 500 series OCLV carbon. Really, that means it is a slightly heavier composite that adds weight but also increases durability. The Trek PR for the new Gen 7 SL is claiming “nearly 300 grams lighter than the bike that came before it.” However, on the weight spec sheet, they claim 1676 grams for a painted frame and fork, while the Trek website says the Gen 6 SL frameset is 2120g. That is a difference of 444 grams.

No matter which way you look at it, they have cut weight. My size 56 Madone SL 7 Gen 7 test bike hit the scale at 17.68 pounds. It is the higher spec of the two versions offered. Trek said they have decided to consolidate models for this generation and are only offering the SL with either Shimano Ultegra or 105. It is also worth noting that the frameset is electronic shifting compatible only.

The next biggest difference from the SLR is that the SL uses the Bontrager flared RSL aero handlebar along with the RCS Pro stem rather than the one-piece cockpit. This means the brake hoses are exposed as they leave the headtube and under the stem. If I am being completely honest, I prefer this two-piece option, and it makes it much easier to adjust fit. Not to mention that shipping the bike or airline travel bike bags is much easier to fit into.

What’s the deal with IsoFlow?

Trek is claiming two major things with the under-seatpost opening. First is improved airflow, and the other is comfort. While airflow is hard to validate without a wind tunnel and a lot of calculations, comfort is something we can all experience. Beyond that, Trek says that IsoFlow is tuned to balance aerodynamics, weight, and comfort across all frame sizes. For me, it seems like the best place to put a burrito for the spin back home after a solid ride.

This unique design is where I found myself in a tough position. The seatpost only offers 6.5cm of adjustment up and down. Trek offers two seatpost lengths, meaning that each size technically has a 10cm adjustment. I received the longer of the two seat posts, and it seems that the claimed lowest height for a size 56 is about 5mm higher than the geometry sheet says.

With limited time between receiving the bike and its launch date, I let a few of my trusted riding mates have a go on it since they are a bit taller than me. I did have a few rides on it using my offroad pedals and shoes since they have a taller stack. The saddle was still a bit higher than I prefer, but I agree with the feedback that I received from the others.

The Ride Experience

The Trek Madone SL 7 Gen 7 is, without a doubt, a performance bike with performance geometry. While that can mean a lot of different things to different people, The SL uses the same race-oriented H1.5 geometry as the SLR. For us, it is responsive but not hyper-responsive. This makes riding in groups easy while also allowing an experienced rider the ability to push the limits in corners.

Less experienced riders will still enjoy the stability and predictability of the bike, but if a mistake is made, you will know it. This sort of modern performance geometry makes race bikes much more versatile and fun for the general rider, and in my opinion, is a great balance for most riders looking for a performance feel from a road bike.

The overall feel of the bike is fast, but the Madone SL seems to do a pretty good job of muting the road feedback. Bigger road imperfections are still impactful and a bit jarring. I normally like a bike with these aspects, but for some reason, there is still a mentality in the performance road segment that if it’s comfortable and smooth, then it’s slow. The Madone seems to balance this fine line well.

Cornering is responsive yet stable at both high speeds and slower, more technical twists. At 17.68 pounds, it’s not super light, and you feel it most when you are on very twisty roads that require you to quickly transition from a hard left curve to a hard right curve. The bike feels stable, but the weight seems to labor the transition.

You also feel the weight when you are climbing, especially out of the saddle. Don’t get me wrong, it climbs well, but at almost 18 pounds with pedals and all the rest, it’s not a featherweight.

The lateral stiffness and pedaling efficiency seem very good, so a lighter set of wheels would probably transform the entire ride. The stock Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 wheels have a claimed weight of 1600 grams. That isn’t bad for wheels this deep, but I have a feeling that is a wheelset weight that is not ready to ride and will still need rim tape. If you want to go tubeless, you will need to purchase valves separately and get tubeless-ready tires.

The Good and Bad

As we look closer into the specs of the bike, there are some key aspects that I like and don’t like. First and foremost, I like that Trek has included the required headset cover in the headtube measurement on the geometry chart. The carbon frame measures 13.4cm, but with the cover, it’s 15cm. It seems like a small detail, but I appreciate it.

The next is that just like the SLR, Trek is using a T47 threaded bottom bracket. Historically, Trek used a proprietary bottom bracket that complicated getting parts and fitment. The T47 interface is dependable, easy to work on, and has extensive compatibility. Once again, it’s not a game changer, but the small things make all the difference.

My seatpost length and fitment issues aside, the interface and adjustment of the seatpost is easy. Trek explicitly says not to use carbon grease on the post, and we haven’t had any issues. The wedge system is retained by the seatpost, so no worry of dropping it into the frame. The simple 4mm Allen tool through the slot in the frame means that even a compact saddle bag tool could be used.

Okay, now for the not-so-good. Trek is one of the largest bicycle brands, but they are missing a few key aspects when it comes to a bike performance bike at this level. $5,500 and $6,500 is a lot of money, at least in my household, for a bike. So why are the tubeless wheels that come on both of the SL models not complemented with tubeless tires? This is a performance bike, and road tubeless has been proven to be the fastest choice.

Sure, the Madone SL 6 Gen 7 comes with Bontrager Aeolus Elite 50 wheels that only have an internal width of 19.5mm, but they are tubeless-ready. The version I am testing comes with the Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 wheels with a 23mm internal width. Why is it that Trek is pairing both models with the non-tubeless Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite tires in size 25c and tubes in 2023-2024? The bikes don’t even get shipped with the tubeless conversion parts.

While I like the idea of consolidating the Madone line, why is there no SRAM build? All of the SLR SRAM builds come stock with a power meter. I think that is a huge added value, and all of the Shimano bikes are missing it. Even partnering with someone like Stages or, better yet, the new 4iiii Precision 3+ power meter with integrated Apple Find My tracking for all of the Shimano bikes.

Overall, There isn’t a lot of “new” with the Trek Madone SL Gen 7, and that is fine. Since the SLR version has had a year in the wild, there have only been a few isolated issues, making it a great platform for the SL level. I love that it has a two-piece bar and stem combo, but I am disappointed that Trek isn’t supporting road tubeless out of the box.

The Madone SL and SLR are competing in a very competitive road segment. The aero-refined bikes remain a top choice for consumers of all levels, and while I can’t say this is a favorite, the simple seatpost adjustment does bump it up on my list. Plus, unlike many of its competitors, almost any 31.8 stem or cockpit will work, major bonus points.

Weight: 17.68 lb, actual weight, 56 cm size, without pedals Price: US$6,499.99 / AU$10,299.99 / £7,500.00 trekbikes.com

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