Trek Madone SLR Long-Term Review

„How now – another Madone review?“, some readers may be asking themselves right now. Indeed. Less than two weeks after NoPain's First Ride, we are now delighting you with a long-term test of the Trek Madone.
However, we did not stop time in Haushofer's manner and as the only people in motion behind an invisible wall quickly racked up the necessary kilometers. The solution to the riddle lies rather in the detail:
The brand new, more cost-effective SL version was only briefly visiting our editorial office recently. On the other hand, two examples of the Madone SLR presented last July have been in the (private) hands of our esteemed authors Julia and Hannes Lederer for over three months. And it's about their experiences with the aerodynamically and comfort-optimized race bike for World Tour pros, BB testers, and other luxury creatures that we want to talk about here.
Well then!

Attentive observers will surely have noticed that I have made some modifications to my Madone SLR 7. The Ultegra Di2 had to give way to the also electronic Dura Ace, which I took from my old bike. The crankset was replaced with a Power2Max power meter with Rotor Aldhu Carbon arm, and the Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5 carbon wheels had to make room for my Zipp 404s.

Technically, switching from Ultegra to Dura Ace makes no sense, as both shift equally well. However, I was able to save quite a bit of weight.
Race-ready, my custom SLR now weighs exactly 7.4 kg. Certainly not a lightweight, but for a muscular bike like the Madone, it's a pretty decent value.

Modern racing bikes all look the same, don't they!?
Hate it or love it – for my part, I love the look of the new Madone!
And: It doesn't only look like a spaceship, it rides like one too. The bike has incredible propulsion, runs straight as an arrow, and is also very comfortable to ride.
Plus, it climbs quite decently. With my hill-climbing wheelset, the Zipp 303, the Madone becomes almost light-footed, although climbing is not really its specialty. For that, Trek has the Emonda in its range.

In gusty wind, due to the massive tubes, it's understandably a bit more nervous, and one should not hold the handlebar too loosely, especially with the Zipp 404. With the original Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5, it's a bit better, but it is what it is.
But once you reach a certain speed, the sailing effect kicks in and the bike seems to convert side wind into brutal propulsion. That's really fun and invites you to speed up.

The seat mast naturally allows for fewer seat height adjustments than a normal seatpost would. Trek offers two different lengths for this purpose. Up to frame size 54, the short one is installed as standard, from 56 the longer one is used.
Although with my height of 181 cm and an inseam of 86 cm according to Trek I would already need frame size 58, I consciously chose the 56er. For me the perfect choice: It fits like a glove and can be precisely adjusted to my needs.

Based on experience, when in doubt, I always have to take the smaller frame size with Trek.
As mentioned before, starting from this frame size, the long seat mast is already included, which just works out with a seat height of 75 cm. If I were to sit one centimeter lower, the mast would be too long - and that despite the smaller frame.
But I'm sure that the Trek dealer you trust will advise you correctly and find the perfect setup for you.

Unfortunately, you don't really get to see IsoFlow while riding. This sight is reserved for other cyclists. Whether the same is positive or negative for the individual, everyone must decide for themselves.
What you do constantly have in your field of vision while riding is the new cockpit. Less bulky than some of the aerocockpits of the competition, it feels fantastic in the hand and looks mega. At the hoods, in my case 39 cm wide, it becomes 42 cm wide in the drops. From gravel bikes, we are long used to handlebars with a significant flare. On the road bike, this was also new to me. But it makes quite a lot of sense.
If it's about every single watt, you'd best make yourself as small as possible with your hands on the hoods. For more control on descents, but also in sprints, the wider handlebar gives you more security and noticeably improves handling.

Regarding comfort, the Madone leaves no wishes unfulfilled for me. Even on cobblestones, it remains stoically unfazed. And forgives so many an inattentively overlooked pothole...
Although the Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite rides quite decently, there are better tires that offer more safety, especially in wet conditions. Unfortunately, it is also only 25 mm wide and comes factory-fitted with a butyl tube. In my opinion, it's always worth switching to 28 mm wide tires. They offer more comfort, better grip, and on modern wide rims, they hardly have an aerodynamic disadvantage anymore.

Julia: The Trek Madone was not only love at first sight, but also at second glance. Despite the best material: I will still always lose against Hannes. It's definitely not the bike's fault anymore, but rather the shape for sure.

Hannes: Hate it or love it! For me, the Trek Madone is not only technically but also visually a treat.
It offers unconditional propulsion, combined with good comfort, to shine even on the cobblestones of Paris–Roubaix. If you use a bit of trickery, it can even climb well, although the Madone itself does not claim to be born for the mountains.
If you want to break free from the everyday mush of racing bikes, this bike is exactly right.