2014 Trek Madone 5.9 Review

I have been lucky enough to get a new 2014 Trek Madone 5.9, this bike is very similar to the Madone 5.2 I reviewed last year. The frame has not been changed since last year so I will not spend too much time reviewing that part of the bike, for more information on the frame design see my review of the 2013 Trek Madone 5.2 that I posted last year.

Falls Creek

There are a few differences between the Madone 5.9 and the Madone 5.2, the biggest difference being the most obvious, the Di2 group set. Along with this however is the upgraded wheelset, the Bontrager Race Light wheel set rather than the Bontrager Race on the 5.2. This upgrade saves a couple of hundred grams, having this weight saving off the wheels makes for a huge performance benefit. There are also the different handlebars and a titanium railed saddle that save a little bit of weight compared to the Madone 5.2.

For 2014 Shimano have really improved their Ultegra Di2 group set, the technology from last years Dura Ace group set has trickled down to the more affordable Ultegra level. The motors in the front and rear derailleurs are dramatically smaller than last year and they come with a much nicer finish on them making for a very good looking group set. The new crank set is a fantastic innovation, no longer do you need to swap crank sets to be able to run compact or standard chain rings. This new crank will accept any size chain ring from 34 tooth to 53 tooth, no need to have a second crank set, just change the chain rings as needed. 

New, smaller, front derailleur.

New, smaller, rear derailleur

This one goes up to eleven

Being reasonably new to using Di2, one of the first things I did was to spend way too much time changing gears. Gear goes up, gear goes down, gear goes up, gear goes down etc. The ease and consistency of each shift is what really catches your attention. It encourages you to use your gears more, for example, in a situation where the road is undulating gently and you might normally either spin out in a gear that is too small or stomp your way through in a gear that is too big, you will instead change up or down as needed even if it will only be for a few pedal strokes. This can make a big difference to your overall ride experience, allowing you to stay fresher longer and possibly even hold a higher average speed. The speed of the shifting is the other big thing you notice initially, so immediate that sometimes you will doubt that the shift was actually completed. The minimal effort required to shift on a Di2 system makes the still minimal effort required on a mechanical set seem like hard work. Being able to shift easily up or down with nothing more than your little finger feels pretty cool, I am not sure if the novelty will wear off at some stage but after a couple of months riding and a couple of thousand kilometres I am still enjoying it as much as day one. The feel of the Di2 levers compared to the mechanical version is just awesome, they are a much smaller shape to fit into your hand better and they allow more hand positions to be used on the bar and levers. I will find it difficult to ever go back to mechanical gears.

Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend the upgrade from the Madone 5.2 to the Madone 5.9, it is well worth the extra money just for the Di2 group set alone, the other improvements are simply the cherries on top. 

- Brad.

7 Peaks Domestique Series - Christmas Holiday

Hello everyone, it has been a little while but I wanted to fill you all in on my adventures over the Christmas break. I decided to go up to Falls Creek for a few days to do the 7 Peaks Domestique Series, three days of riding up four of the seven peaks in the series. I am still struggling to  find time to train so I went up with quite a bit of trepidation as to how much pain I was in for over the three days.

The first climb was Falls Creek, 30km of climbing is hard in anyone's book but at the start of the ride I noticed the temperature on my Garmin telling me it was a cool 42.6 degrees. This added a whole new layer of pain on top of the actual climbing, just trying to keep cool was taking it's toll on my body. The first twenty kilometres went by reasonably easily but the last ten kilometres was soul destroying. I was telling myself that I had no business up there in those hills and that I needed to just get in the car and drive home with my tail between my legs. I finally managed to finish the climb and get my 7 Peaks passport stamp for proof then I started climbing the rest of the way up to my hotel room. I figured I would stay the night and go home in the morning.

Falls Creek

                                                                    Falls Creek

Two Down

The next morning however I woke up feeling reasonably good so I thought I would take a crack at the next mountain, Mount Hotham. Another 30 kilometre climb here but with some steeper ramps than Falls Creek has and a few descents thrown in to really mess with your head. After grinding away for so long to gain all of those vertical metres it is heartbreaking to just throw them all away on a quick descent knowing the whole time that you are going to have to climb them all over again. Towards the top of Mount Hotham the surroundings really open up to a moonscape type environment, the crosswinds up there are just brutal. I was struggling to stay upright and not get blown all over the road. The Hotham climb is split up into three distinct ramps with flatter sections in between, the first of these ramps being a section called "The Meg". This was the spot when I started to doubt my decision to ride again, I was really hurting already and still had most of the climb to go. It didn't help when I saw one of the Domestique Series organisers Andy van Bergen come past me on this section in his big chain ring seemingly doing it easy. This scenario kept going for the rest of the climb, telling myself that I was a fool for even attempting these rides with my severe lack of fitness. But I kept on going with the thought of reaching my goal of completing all seven peaks this year. I barely made it up to the top for my passport stamp then had to ride back down to Mt. Beauty where I parked the car.

Mount Hotham

Mount Hotham

I went straight to get some food in Mt. Beauty and then went down to the river to cool off and soak a bit. Again the internal dialogue was that I needed to just get back in the car and drive home but the food and the soak made me feel a bit better so I went to the start of the third climb, Mount Buffalo. Only 22 kilometres of climbing here and apparently one of the easier climbs in the seven peaks series. Easy is a very relative term, it killed me too, but it was a beautiful climb and again I finally made my way up to the top and collected my stamp. I must have looked pretty bad at that stage as people were asking after my well being with very concerned looks on their faces. I was an absolute mess, and yes, yet again I was telling myself to drive home and give up.

Mount Buffalo

Four Down

Lots of food and a good sleep can work wonders, I got up the next day thinking that I could just drive home via Omeo instead of the Hume Highway, and since I was going past the start of the last climb anyway I might as well give it a go and see how far up the road I could get before turning around and going home. Dinner Plain was the last climb of the three days and is also the longest, 42 kilometres. There are some long descents on this climb so the average gradient is relatively low, but considering the length of these descents it means that the road gets up to about 12% gradient in some spots. OUCH! I was cursing my decision to do this last peak, but again I just ground away on the pedals and slowly made my way to the top for my fifth of seven stamps in my passport.

Dinner Plain

Five Down

After getting my stamp I started to work my way back down the "descent" of Dinner Plain, I was OK on the actual downhill sections but when the second of the three climbs on the way down came up, I was finished. I was telling myself that I just needed to get back to the car in any way I could, since I had ridden up all four peaks I figured I was allowed to take it a bit easy. I had three separate people offer me a lift back to my car, yes I still looked that bad, but I needed to complete this under my own steam. So I reluctantly turned them all down, they were all cyclists as well so they understood what I was going through and cheered me on as they sped off.

I somehow managed to get back to the parked car at Omeo and went straight into the river to cool off and start to recover. Wow, I had never been through anything like this before, I know that I  could usually ride all of these peaks without too much trouble but to do it without any fitness and in these temperatures I went further into the "Pain Cave" than I have ever ventured before. I made it out the other side though, so I feel absolutely terrific that I did complete the climbs, my confidence to tick off the last two peaks is right up there at the moment. With only Mt. Buller and Mt. Baw Baw to go, I have done both of these climbs before so at least I know what I am in for, LOTS of pain and some gorgeous roads, I can't wait.

If you are interested in joining us on the last ride in this years Domestique Series up Mount Buller then follow this link for details and to register for the ride.

- Brad.

Dirty Deeds Spooky Cross : 2nd of November 2013

The Dirty Deeds Urban Cyclocross series for 2013 finished in style with the second annual Spooky Cross race. The end of season event has fast become known as a great party to say goodbye to the Cyclocross season for another year, costumed racing is encouraged with a 50% discounted entry fee for any one sporting a costume at registration, $5.00 instead of $10.00. Considering that some events entry fees are in the hundreds these days this is a refreshing change back to the affordable racing that I remember when I was young. This also encourages people to give this magnificent sport a try even if they feel that they will be off the back of the race, just to be out there amongst it and absorbing the atmosphere. 

The race format for the Spooky Cross races is somewhat different to most Cyclocross races too, this year we had a short (ten minutes) scratch race followed by another short handicap race for all of the race divisions. These were followed by a relay event, two people racing on one bike taking turns each lap, this was some of the most entertaining racing I have ever witnessed. Riders are encouraged to match up with another rider who is of a very different size to them so that the bike ends up being comically oversized or undersized, great to watch but not so fun to be the rider on a bike that's too big for you. The transition area was one of absolute carnage as riders finishing their lap would come flying into the transition area way too fast for them to be able to get off their bike smoothly to pass it onto their partner. This lead to many comical pile ups and tangling of bikes, to everyone's credit though there was nothing but smiles and laughs all around. The relay event was followed up with the main event, the Brunswick Cycling Club Dirty Deeds Cyclo Cross Single Speed Cyclo Cross World Championships or "BCCDDCXSSCXWC" for short. This was another short race but this time with only one gear, for the single speeders exclusively. Again, another fun looking race, I may need to invest in a single speed cross bike for next year...

The two best Cyclocross riders in this country, Allan Iocuone (National Champion) and Lewis Rattray (Australian Cyclocross World Championships representative) sharing a moment over a beer mid race.

Relay transition area.

So, at the end of the day it was all a bit sad to think that we will need to wait till next winter before we can  do this all over again. But I did manage to talk some more people into trying the sport out next season. Whether you have a Cyclocross bike or not you can still race with us and have a great time in one of the open category races on any bike you like, the more inappropriate the better. In the mean time I plan on organising some rides through the bush this summer that a Cyclocross bike would be perfect for, keep an eye out on our Facebook page and Twitter for details, all are welcome.

- Brad.

Sycacross #3 : 1st of September 2013

Just a quick post to keep you up to date with the events I have been attending, this past weekend I went to the third round of the Sycacross Cyclocross series. This series is being run by the good folk at Whittlesea Cycling Club who are doing their best to promote all aspects of cycling in the Whittlesea area. They are holding all of their Cyclocross events at the Sycamore Reserve in Mill Park, this park features a BMX track that they have made good use of by incorporating it into the Cyclocross course.

We rode a full lap of the BMX course, albeit it backwards, on the cross bike. Great fun, although when riding the wrong way around a BMX track you will find that the track doesn't flow all that well. However, considering the alternative, this was a good choice by the organisers. Going the right way around the track would mean riding some fairly steep kickers that would have been difficult on a cross bike. After our BMX lap, we went around the outskirts of the track starting with a barrier jump followed by three logs that could be ridden if you could manage to hop your bike over in time. 

Then some nice reducing radius turns through some trees and a dip down to a gully where you had to hold as much speed as possible to get back out the other side and dodge some rocks that were hiding well in the grass. This lead to the longest "climb" of the course, this got harder and harder each lap, where you also having to contend with the headwind as you changed direction. A few more sharp turns and we went into a tight 180 degree turn up a hill, a spot for many a stalling rider. 

We then headed down a descent into the wind where you needed to pedal to keep any speed up,  before a left hand bend that lead into a hay bale barrier and the one big water feature of the course, a very deep, very stinky mud puddle.  This is where some spectators had set up a pole hand up, a hand up is when a spectator hands a racer something during a race. Usually something to drink or eat, beer, water, cash, whatever, but when attached to the end of a pole the racer HAS to go through the centre of the puddle to reach the hand up, crowd participation at it it's best.

The last round of the Sycacross series is being held on the 29th of September, they have classes for everyone from kids to hybrid to mountain bike riders and of course cyclocross riders. Come out and give it a try and support a cycling club that is doing their best to support the local cycling scene. Even if you come out just to spectate and heckle it is all appreciated and you will have a great day out at the same time. See you there.

- Brad

Trek Crockett 5 Disc Review

Any one who has read one of my blog entries or talked to me in person will know just how much I love the sport of cycling and of all the different aspects of the sport my absolute favorite has to be Cyclocross. I have been following the sport since the 1990's and got my first Cyclocross bike in 2002. Back then the major players in the bike industry did not bring a Cyclocross model to the country so the only way you could get one was by importing one yourself from the USA or Europe. Needless to say, you never got to see too many cross bikes out and about back then. 

Fast forward around a decade and almost all of the major bike industry players have a cross bike to offer the Australian consumer, a lot of them offering 3 or 4 models. The Cyclocross bike is a perfect bike for a lot of people. You can use it for racing Cyclocross, commuting, touring, bike track riding, rail trails, light duty mountain bike trails and you can put a set of road tyres on and use it for your favorite road ride as well. I have used my cross bikes for all of these and more. 

For 2014 Trek have expanded their range of cross bikes, in 2013 they signed a number of big named Cyclocross riders to their "Trek Cyclocross Collective" team. Probably the biggest name of these was Katie Compton, 2013 World Cup overall winner. Katie is well known for being a very meticulous rider, wanting her bikes to perform flawlessly and has worked with Trek to help them develop this new range of cross bikes for 2014. The bike that Katie rode last year was a prototype of the Crockett that is now available to us mere mortals. The geometry of this new platform is completely different from previous years cross bikes and should lead to a bike that handles the rigors of Cyclocross even better than the Cronus and Ion from last year.

Trek Crockett 5 Disc 

I was lucky enough to receive one of the first Crockett's available in Australia, good timing too, I got it the week before the National Cyclocross Championships and the final round of the Dirty Deeds Cyclocross series. A weekend of cross racing to break in a brand new bike, sounded good to me. 

Nice clean lines with no brake at the top of the fork.

I got to take the bike out for a quick spin before the first race, not nearly long enough but it gave me an idea of what to expect. The geometry of this new model is more in line with the Trek road bikes than their current range of cross bikes. This leads to a quick handling bike that is still stable through the corners and at speed. Standing up and stomping on the pedals results in an immediate response at the wheel, very efficient and stiff without having an overly harsh ride quality. The new frame is made of Trek's Alpha 200 series aluminium, their top of the line alloy material. 

I love a nice new shiny cassette. 

The alloy frame no doubt contributes to the stiff and efficient ride quality. The frame is also set up to run the gear and brake cables internally to keep them out of the mud and help reduce wear to the cables caused by being exposed to the elements. The carbon fiber fork is the same as the fork they designed for their Domane road bike. This IsoSpeed fork has been designed to offer good vertical compliance for the bumps but still be stiff laterally for steering precision. The backwards facing drop outs mean that the fork will handle like a straight blade fork but with the comfort of a raked fork. This along with Trek's patented E2 tapered steerer system makes for a stiff and yet comfortable ride. The frame also comes equipped with the Trek 3S integrated chain keeper which stops the chain from bouncing off the crank set to the inside, handy considering the rigors of cross racing.

The parts attached to this frame are reasonably modest but I think are a good choice for cross racing. Cyclocross is notoriously hard on components and having cheaper parts means that when the inevitable breakage does happen it isn't too much of an impact on your wallet to get the part replaced. This also means that the bike has a recommended retail of only $1,999.00, not too bad as a way to try out Cyclocross.  The bike has mostly Shimano 105 parts with an FSA 36/46 Cyclocross specific crank set spinning in a press fit BB86.5 bottom bracket. Avid BB5 mechanical disc brakes, post mount, with 160mm rotors handle the stopping duty. The wheels are an in house Bontrager set with 135mm rear hub spacing and are tubeless tyre compatible. 

The package comes together nicely; the new geometry and stiff frame works in conjunction with the Cyclocross specific build to make for one very impressive Cyclocross race bike. The handling of this bike is rock solid, with lower US style bottom bracket height and a longer top tube you end up being in a long and low riding position that really helps to put the power down and maintain stable handling. The disc brakes help with confidence in that they will start braking straight away when you apply them, not having to get rid of a layer of water and mud off of the brake surface before you get any friction. The 36/46 chain ring combination matched to a 12/30 cassette makes for a very usable gear range for its intended purpose.  I found myself staying in the big ring for longer and also using more of the cassette while in the big ring which allowed for a straighter chain line, this is great for helping to reduce wear. 

The handing of this bike is going to suit a more aggressive rider who has the ability to push the bike to its limits, when you get to those limits though it feels very secure and stable. The aggressive geometry allows for a very quick handling bike, very responsive to input from the rider. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing depending on your skill level. If your inputs are the right type of inputs then you will get great results, if those inputs are wrong though the results might not be so pleasing. Quick changes of direction, a staple of cyclocross racing, are perfectly handled by the Crockett. High speed corners are another place this bike shines, you would normally expect a fast handing bike to be less stable at speed but, like Trek's road bikes, this is simply not the case. They manage to bring the best of both worlds together for a ride quality that is hard to understand until you have ridden one.

I have got to say that I am impressed with the new Crockett cross bike, fantastic bike for the money. Having Trek's proprietary technology designed into a cyclocross frame has definitely helped create a bike that is perfectly suited to it's intended use. Given the price point of under two thousand dollars the weight of the bike is quite reasonable and if you spent some money on upgrading the wheels you could bring the weight down quite a bit. You could pretty easily take half a kilogram off the weight of the bike right there. As a first timers cyclocross bike you really couldn't ask for a better package, good quality parts without being overly expensive, built in versatility with the hidden fender mounts, good consistent braking in wet or dry conditions and the famous Trek handling has carried over as well. Well done again Trek, very pleased.

- Brad.

Dirty Deeds #2 : 11th of August 2013

It has been a while since my last entry here, so let’s visit the last event first, the Dirty Deeds Cyclocross round two on the eleventh of August. This event was held at Darebin Parklands in Alphington. This was held the day after the National Cyclocross Championships and would be the first event for the newly crowned 2013 National Cyclocross Champions, Lisa Jacobs and Allan Iacuone. 

Personal commitments and an accident that destroyed my Cyclocross bike kept me off my wheels for a month. I got my replacement bike built before race day but my first ride was actually at the National Championships on Saturday, (the less said about that event the better), so hardly an ideal preparation. 

Upon arrival at Darebin Parklands, I was struck with the usual sight of a massive line for registration followed by the not so usual sight of a fly over in the middle of the course.

Fly Over

Fly Over

This is a fairly regular addition to courses overseas but it is the first time I had seen one here in Australia. The course was the usual work of art that the crew at Dirty Deeds are now famous for, excellent use of the available elevation and great use of the existing track network.

Just after the start of the course we were sent through an increasingly soggy section of grass / mud that led into the one barrier on the lap. This section got to the point that I was sinking almost to my ankle as I got off to jump the barrier, tough. We  then ran over to climb the stairs up the fly over, remount at the top and fly down the ramp, Woo Hoo! After the fly over, we went around a couple of off-camber corners before dropping down a hard pack track full of rocks. Holding your speed through this section meant a great lead in to the next descent which led into the biggest mud pit on the course.

Probably the best place to spectate and heckle from, there was a huge crowd there and each lap I was going harder and faster into that mud pit. This seemed to keep the spectators happy; the bigger the splash, the bigger the cheer. This lead into an off-camber left hand bend that saw most riders drifting and/or crashing around, great fun! 

 Mud Pit

Left Hander after the Mud pit

After coming around that corner we went around a few hairpins on the flat before climbing our way back up away from the mud pit. This lead into a tight right hand turn on a climb that lead to a quite a few more interesting stalls and crashes and another hot spot for the crowd. A few more turns and we started heading up again past the pit area, a fairly gentle climb but on soggy grass that was very bumpy meant it was tougher to ride than it probably looked. Then we went along a nice hard pack section of dirt, ah relief, before coming back into the start finish area to go and do it all again, Yay!

This event marked the first Cyclocross event for a friend of mine and it was fantastic to see him racing with such a huge smile on his face.  

First Time Cyclocrosser

I have managed to convince a few people to try Cyclocross out now and am pleased to say that everyone who has tried it seems to agree with me about just how much fun this sport is. It is a very special type of pain that you go through in these events, you learn a lot about yourself and what your body is capable of.

You also remember why you ride your bike in the first place, to have fun! Slipping and sliding around in the mud and just generally doing all the things you have been told to never do on a bike you remember what it was like doing these things as a kid.

I think that anything that helps you connect with that side of your personality is a good thing. When you see the smiles on the faces of the other competitors even though you know that they are in pain, tells you something about just how much fun this sport is. 

Well that is it for now, until I write about the next event, get out there and try something new, something different just to see if you will enjoy it. As they say, don't knock it until you have tried it.

2013 Trek Madone 5.2 Review

Trek have made some major changes to their 2013 road racing range, along with the introduction of a completely new range of road bikes with the new Domane they have also done a major revamp of their Madone range. 

First seen early this year at the Tour of California, the new Madone is a radical departure from the previous year’s model. The most noticeable feature is the brake placement and design. The brakes have been integrated into the frame design which means that they are both placed nicely out of the wind. The rear being tucked down under the chain stay and the front nestled in under a specially designed head tube. 

Trek have included a design feature usually seen on heavy duty brakes for BMX and Mountain Bikes and scaled it down for road use. The new brake is a twin post mount design as opposed to the single post that the majority of road bikes come with.

The second post helps to distribute the braking load over two mounts rather than only one which translates to increased braking power and better feel at the lever.  Because the rear brake mount has been taken away from the seat stays, Trek have been able to tune the ride to flex where needed. Also, because the brakes are placed neatly out of the wind the bike ends up being more aerodynamic.

The other major change is the shape of the frame tubes. Over the past few years Trek designers have been developing their "Virtual Kammtail" design on their time trial bikes. This design effectively takes all of the advantages of an air foil design and does away with its disadvantages. The design creates a shape that mimics the airflow characteristics of an air foil  with  less material, which means lower weight. It also means that the air foil will maintain its relationship to the wind. In other words, the "tail" of the air foil will always be parallel to the wind the tube is slicing through.

Out in the real world where wind is rarely, if ever, a straight on headwind, the aerodynamic traits are always consistent. This technology has been incorporated into almost every tube on the frame, from the head tube right back to the seat stays. Along with the internal cable routing this makes for a very fast, low drag bike. The best features of last years Madone have carried over as well, such as; E2, Duotrap, ride tuned seat cap and the long renowned Madone handling.

I have ridden a long series of different road bikes through the years from steel to aluminium to carbon fibre to a combination of materials. Last year when I had the opportunity to ride the 2012 Madone, I could not believe how stiff yet comfortable it actually was. I have been on stiff frames that seem to accelerate with every pedal stroke but they also transfer EVERY shock from the road right through to the rider. With the Madone though, I found it was almost as stiff when it came to sprinting yet when I hit an unexpected bump in the road the shock transferred through to me was negligible. After a long ride this was a welcome design feature, leaving me feeling fresher for longer.

So, when the Trek representative told me the new Madone was even better again I struggled to believe him; more aerodynamic, stiffer, lighter and more comfortable.

So it was with great excitement that I received the new 2013 Madone 5.2. I couldn't wait to get out on the roads with it and see how far off the representative really was.

My first ride was the weekly Gran Prix Bicycles group ride, a great chance to show off my new toy. This is obviously a very well known ride for me so it was a great test to see how the new bike would stand up against last year’s model. The first thing I noticed was the incredible advancement in the braking; a few times I almost got myself into trouble when I grabbed a bit too much brake. I needed to "re-calibrate" my fingers with these new brakes, easy one finger braking is all that is needed. The next thing I noticed was the bikes ability to hold its speed. Once up to full speed, I felt like I was able to hold it there for much longer without going into the red zone. Great in the final sprint (it felt like I was cheating a bit). 

The new Madone's first big ride, Mount Donna Buang.

My first big ride on the new Madone was up Mt.Donna Buang, riding from The Basin up the 1 in 20 to Monbulk then over to Warburton and on to the summit of Mt.Donna Buang. It was on the first climb that I noticed the other great new feature for this year, less weight! I was able to spin quite well all the way to the top, admittedly at a very low speed, but much easier than my last trip up there. 

She is very pretty.

I rode up the West side of Mount Donna Buang, which meant that the road was mostly gravel, albeit smooth gravel. The Madone ate it up, even when I accidentally hit braking bumps and pot holes, the new more forgiving ride allowed me to keep the power on and concentrate on keeping my speed rather than keeping the bike upright.

Mostly gravel on "La Strada Don Fangoso" 

(a.k.a. Mt. Donna Buang's west side)

La Strada Don Fangoso

Then, on the descent, I noticed the new aerodynamic frame coming into play. I was able to hold a higher speed while coasting than I could previously. Then I was introduced once more to the new brakes and how much more powerful they really are. Flying into corners and braking at the last possible second, braking so hard that I could hear the tyres starting to let go, the whole time using only minimal finger force on each brake lever. These brakes remind me of when I upgraded from cantilever brakes to V-brakes on my mountain bikes, a whole new world of performance.

Overall, the first decent ride on the new Madone had proven to be a revelation. Lighter than last years model, more aerodynamic, better braking and more comfortable, by the end of this first ride I had been in the saddle for about six and a half hours and if it weren't for the fading light I could have kept going.

The comfortable ride is fantastic, encouraging you to ride for longer, which is always a good thing. The stiffness when out of the saddle is awesome, it really feels like none of your energy is being wasted by flexing the frame; all of your effort is being transferred to the rear tyre. When I wind the bike up to speed I feel that I am able to hold my top speed for longer before I hit my red zone, which I would attribute to the improved aerodynamics. The brakes are confidence inspiring, all that power allows you brake later into corners and stop faster in case of an incident. This bike really is as good as the Trek representative said.

After two months of riding on the new Madone, I can safely say that I am in love. Each time I take the bike out I struggle not to add that one extra loop or those few extra kilometers to the end of my ride. Since I started riding the new Madone, I have broken almost all of my previous personal records from when I was riding last years model and I am feeling fresher at the end of every ride, both good things.

Well done Trek,  thank you for such a well designed and produced bike.

- Brad.