Trek has unveiled an all-new Madone, a bike the company is unabashedly calling the ‘Ultimate Race Bike’. According to Trek, the unveiling of the latest generation of one of the world’s most popular race bike platforms brings along with it a completely rethought road bike ideal.
‘Unburdened by convention, Trek engineers chased a new vision—a bike that would not only set a new standard in aerodynamic design but would ride unlike any previous aero offering. The result is the all-new Madone, a new bike that surpasses all previous achievements in aerodynamic design and ride quality, and is enhanced through a collection of integrated technologies adapted from the most hallowed of Trek’s speed design breakthroughs.’
Advanced aerodynamics
For the new Madone, Trek’s design team developed all-new KVF (Kammtail Virtual Foil) tube shapes, taking the drag-minimizing truncated airfoil profiles to ‘never-before-seen levels of aerodynamic performance and creating the most refined aero frame and fork designs ever.’
Trek adds that the virtual tail of the airfoil bends to respond to the angle of crosswinds, significantly reducing drag in the real world. First utilized in bicycle design by Trek engineers, Kammtail has been proven on some of automobile racing’s biggest stages. Madone’s new KVF-optimized fork also claims to increase lateral stiffness for more precise handling along with unique moulded carbon dropouts that reduce weight.
Madone IsoSpeed
Trek holds the words ‘Ultimate Race Bike’ in great reverence and adds that such a title is not earned simply by being the most aerodynamic bike in the world. The company goes on to point out that the ultimate race bike has to ride as its moniker would suggest. By pairing an all-new integrated tube-in-tube IsoSpeed decoupler, which allows the inside tube to move independently of the outer aero tube shape, with Madone’s advanced aerodynamic design, Trek has ‘created an aero bike that is 57.5% more vertically compliant than its nearest competitor.’
Continuing integration
Having integrated and connected technologies from seat mast design to wireless communications, the new Madone is positioned as another leap towards a more seamless cycling experience. As much a visual journey as it is experiential, the depth to which Trek engineers dove into the design becomes evident at the first glance of Madone’s proprietary one-piece Aero Bar/Stem Combo.
Fully integrated into the frame, the Bar/Stem is billed as the sleekest, lowest-drag profile ever developed. It fully houses all of the cables that can clutter the cockpit of rival race bikes. Madone is designed for completely Invisible Cable Routing, with all cables routed through the frame for increased aerodynamic performance.
Madone’s direct-mount brakes are fully integrated into the frame to cut drag, increase speed, save weight and add to the bike’s aggressive aesthetic. This aesthetic is provided by Madone’s articulating Vector Wings, which enclose the leading cables and front brake caliper in a protective shell.
At the heart of the new Madone is Control Center—‘cycling’s first frame-integrated electronic drivetrain battery port.’ By designing the frame around emerging cycling technologies, Trek’s engineers have aimed to provide greater rider accessibility and ease of use while simultaneously keeping Madone at the leading edge of aerodynamics.
The all-new Madone is available in ‘H1’, Trek’s lowest, most aggressive, and aerodynamic race fit; ‘H2’, which is the optimal fit to put most riders, including many of professional athletes, in the right position for power and performance; as well as a Women’s Specific Design (WSD) geometry engineered to fit more female riders from the start.
Available Madone models include 9.2, 9.5, the flagship 9.9, 9.9 WSD, and Race Shop Limited. Madone Race Shop Limited will be available as a frameset in both H1 and H2 fits, as well as a complete bike.
Cyclists will be able to customize their new Madone through Project One, Trek’s comprehensive custom bike program, starting later this summer. The all-new Madone is handcrafted with Trek’s OCLV carbon and is now being made available to riders the world-over immediately, exclusively through Trek’s global retail network.
