Trek Madone SLR 6 rim H2 P1

Aero road. Those two words carry plenty of weight these days. A sleek bike that practically encourages solo breakaways. Other aero road bikes have been saddled with a punishing ride quality and pudgy numbers on the scale. But not the Madone SLR.

Trek took a close look at the previous-gen Madone 9-series and looked at what worked and what could be improved upon. The new Madone SLR bikes are all constructed of Trek's premiere 700 Series OCLV carbon fiber, allowing the engineers free reign when designing in aerodynamics, lightness and torsional strength. The overall shape of the current (and previous) Madone road bicycles comes from a demanding field in aerodynamic design: Le Mans sportscars. When long-tail racing cars proved to be unstable in crosswinds, designers lopped off some of the tapered rear end of the cars. They discovered that the change had almost no effect on top speed, but helped to keep overall weight down as well as improve control in gusty crosswinds. Cool, huh? At speed, the airflow rejoins behind the car as if the bodywork was still there. Called Kammtail Virtual Foil (or KVF), the Madone's shape takes full advantage, making the bike a much lighter and more controllable machine.

From top to bottom, the Madone SLR takes well-thought details and produces a super-clean bike that shows almost nothing to the wind. By submerging all the cables inside the multi-piece handlebar, stem, frame and fork, the Madone SLR's drag number stay very low. An aperture in the left chainstay for a DuoTrap S speed/cadence sensor eliminates the need for clumsy zip-ties. Even the adjustable 3S chain keeper got an aero makeover.

All this might sound like the kind of stuff Trek's competitors would do when trying to build a copy of the Madone SLR. But there's one thing they can't build into their bikes: adjustable IsoSpeed. The previous generation Madone SLR took the world by storm with an IsoSpeed rear seat mast, making it more comfortable than plenty of road bikes in general, not just other aero road machines. With this Madone's adjustable IsoSpeed component found under the top tube, the bike can adjusted for different rider weights, different road surfaces and expected ride quality in general. Like the Domane SLR, two allen wrenches are all that's needed to do a roadside adjustment in seconds. The IsoSpeed unit also features a reduced rebound by 13%, keeping the bike from feeling "bouncy" over repeated impacts. A fresher rider will race the last mile of any event better than a tired rider. IsoSpeed just makes sense for everyone. This Madone SLR is built with Trek's more upright "H2" fit geometry, allowing a wider range of riders -and rider flexibilities- to get comfortable.

Shimano's 11-speed Ultegra R8000 components keep up with the rest of this new Madone SLR by adding better aerodynamic design, more precise operation and improved overall performance. The rear Shadow-style Ultegra derailleur is tucked out of the wind with a lower profile design, while also shifting more precisely under hard pedaling loads. The toggle-pivot Ultegra front derailleur also requires less hand strength to operate. The Ultegra levers are also an adjustable-reach design for smaller hands. A Shimano 105 crankset with 50/34T chainrings and a Shimano 105 11-30T cassette brings a wide gearing range to every hilly ride or race.

The Madone SLR 6's Bontrager Aeolus Pro 5 wheels are built with an OCLV carbon fiber rim with an eye towards very low drag. A 50mm deep rim and bladed spokes carve through the wind like a hot cinder through jell-o. The wheels are not only crazy light (1605 grams!), but also boast a slightly wider 19.5mm inner profile that allows a given tire's "footprint" to be wider for enhanced grip. Bontrager R2 Hard-Case Lite 700x25c bring a smooth feel and low rolling resistance to the Madone SLR.

This Madone SLR has a set of brake calipers integrated into the frame and fork, hiding from the wind better than many brakes on other bikes. They're direct-mount, 2-bolt units enhancing brake lever feedback and improving pad life. Pads specific to a carbon fiber wheel's brake track are installed.

A Bontrager Aeolus Comp saddle sits atop the IsoSpeed seat mast, adding a comfortable perch to the bike. The Madone-specific stem allows the shift and brake cables to be routed internally, while the KVF-profiled carbon fiber handlebar can be rotated and adjusted for a more precise fit.