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.