Madone Testimonials

Here's a letter we received from a 2008 Madone owner:

Hey Trek,

If I had to use one word to describe the ride, it would have to be "smooth".
simply crazy at how comfortable and road absorbing it is.

the "performance fit" setup with the taller headtube is absolutely perfect for me!
I just set it up with same dimensions as my old bikes, and everything feels perfect.
have not made a single adjustment since day one.

the comfort level of this bike is amazing. you never even notice the seat mast
flexing, but it must be doing a whole lot. super comfortable and smooth.
almost like you have a flat tire all the time.
rear brake cable, did not use the "noodle" and with just cable housing, it is
just fine, never even hit my leg.

Rear end stiffness when out of the saddle is crazy stiff. actually takes some getting
used to, as there is no flex for me. no front chain ring rub.
I'm a guy who's knees really go in when I pedal. some frames in the past I hit me knees
on the top tube and it's annoying. no problem with this frame. I thought the width of the toptube
might be a problem, but it's great. the slope must be perfect.

the bike corners and descends like crazy. I am a total pansy going downhill, and this bike
gives me tons of confidence. seat mast/cap is great. has not slipped, easy to adjust, and have had no issues with legsrubbing on the cap collar. headset has had no issues, easy to adjust, and the stiffness and steering precision is incredible. total bike weight with Sram, carbon bar, and Race-X-Lites is 16 lb 3 oz.

I know you might still think I'm crazy, but it really does feel more aero to me. maybe it's a complete allusion,but every time I go downhill it just feels like it slices through the air easier.  maybe some day you can get it in the tunnel and see if I'm nuts or not.

hands down the best bike I have ever ridden. love it. I'm all about looks and this bike looks awesome. love the graphics. love the frame styling. love that I can run a flat looking stem with no spacers. love the seat mast look. never thought I would say this, but I love the sloping top tube.

I was going up Lookout Mtn (in golden, co) a couple weeks ago, and ran across a mature lady riding up on a new 5.2 madone.  I said, cool bike, how do you like it. she was coming from a Trek 2300, that she said was beating here up. she had just bought the New Madone the night before, and absolutely loved it. fit looked really good for her. it's funny, takes most people a bit before they even recognize that it's a new bike. maybe it you should have made it more flashy. :)

You guys should be totally proud of what you accomplished. in my opinion you hit a home run with this bike. and I'm not just saying that, I really mean it.

AJ

Trek has spent some time on Lookout Mountain near Denver.  It's a good place to test bikes.

TTX; Triathlons and Time Trials

Below is a letter we received here at Trek about our TTX.  It pretty much speaks for itself.  This may start a huge debate but I'm not intending to bash Cervelo - just pointing out the differences between Trek's bike and theirs, according to this customer.

Hi

For what its worth, I have ridden the P3 and TTX in Ironman and shorter races, and have obviously logged quite a few miles on both.

I was a bit apprehensive about swapping over to the TTX, the P3 was fast, no doubt about it.

My reasons for wanting a TTX were two fold, comfort and fit (which translated to comfort).

The P3 has a very aggressive front end or drop form seat to bars (helps make it so aero), but is has a long top tube. So in Ironman, I was getting off the bike with tension headaches and unbearable upper body fatigue.

The ttx has a slightly less aggressive front end, but I worked out I could get the same seat angle (80°) as the P3, the difference being I was not as stretched and therefore uncomfortable. Bearing in mind a lot of pros ride 76 and 78° angles in triathlon (Norman included) so 80° is probably too aggressive for some.

I ride with a powertap, so the first time I rode the TTX, I rode a flat time trial route at similar watts to the P3 and timed it, gues watt? TTX was same speed within 2 seconds over 20km, I was doing 3 x 20km at tempo and I did them twice a week, and honestly there was no or little difference between the two in terms of speed on a flat course, I cut and pasted and compared about 20 powertap files. My impression was that the P3 might be faster in a straight line, ttx handles and corners better, and I felt ttx could climb and descend better.

Biked 10 minutes’ faster this year in PE than last, on a tougher day… yay.

That was for the same average watts. The good news is that I immediately hit higher power outputs, with a lower hear rate… more comfy more relaxed, more powerful setup, more stable.

The bike is miles less twitchy so I can ride more aero wheels, In pE I rode a disc, did not feel the wind, on my P3 the year befor I was nearly blown off the course.

Comfort, it’s the same as the madone, the difference is marked and noticeable, feels like a heavy bike or solid bike… was a staggering 1.5kg lighter without wheels.

I did training camps in PE with Raynaard Tissink, on the P3 I would stand every km cos the roads are so rough, as does Raynaard, on the ttx, never noticed the roads are rough. I descended hills that I had to sit up on the year befor, and lost Raynaards wheel and got mocked. Dropped him this year.

If it sounds too good to be true, ride one, the difference is marked.

Ironman is about getting in your bars, staying comfy and powerful and not being fatigued off the bike. TTX is a clear winner, most okes riding P3’s are good fro a lap then have to start sitting up and stretching. Guys I know are too nervous to ride aero wheels cos the bike is twitchy (narrow wheel base, steep front fork).

Other points, internally routed cables, cables tucked neatly away at top tube, better paint and quality finish (I like details), 2 water bottle cage holders, means I don’t ride with a seat cage (gaureenteed to make u 5 minutes slower..)

I also like to stand out.. enough P3’s around..

Enough said

Lawrence

VICTORY! Well done Discovery and Alberto Contador!

(photo credit Graham Watson)

As you may know by now, Alberto Contador has been awarded the final yellow jersey of the overall winner of the 94th Tour de France. Way to go Contador! Some are saying this may be the best Tour ever for the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team (formerly USPS). The team came away with the overall win, the best young rider’s jersey, won the team classification, first, third and eighth place (that’s THREE riders in the top ten!),  as well two stage victories (Contador and Leipheimer) and the fourth fastest time trial in the history of the Tour. And all this after losing Thomas Vaitkus to an unfortunate crash early in the race.

For us here at Trek, we are especially happy since the team rode the all-new Trek Madone throughout the tour. Kelly Stone laid up all the team frames, ahead of production starting, so the riders could have them in time to put enough miles on the bikes to gain confidence in the new equipment before racing the Tour.

We are also proud to be a part of the TT stages, providing Trek Equinox TTXs to the team. The TTX is the fastest currently available bike we’ve ever had in the wind tunnel. That’s thanks in part to our use of CFDesign software (digital wind tunnel) powerd by AMD computers, and to taking so many prototypes and engineers to the wind tunnel over the years. We’ve also bought other bike brands’ TT bikes to compare to ours so we are super confident that it has paid off. Perhaps most importantly, all this engineering and R&D has given the riders the mental advantage of having confidence that they are on the fastests bikes possible.

Thank you to Alberto, Levi, Johan and the entire support team. We are very proud of you!

"Just one thing went wrong"

That is what Johan said to me.  "The plan worked perfectly, just one thing went wrong, Rasmussen was too strong."  Today, Rasmussen put a pretty big strangle hold on the yellow jersey.  The boys rode perfectly.  Watching the top four contenders riding together up the final climb was a huge thrill.  I was about to jump out of my skin as Contador attacked Rasmussen twice.  Unfortunately Rasmussen was just too strong today.  Looking at it from the other side, it is nice to be in a position to be a little bummed about a 2nd and 3rd place finish on the hardest day in the Tour.  The "Green Team" is now number one in the Team Classification and they are, 2nd, 4th and 9th in the GC.  That is amazing!!!  It is not over yet, going home with the Team Clas sification and two riders on the podium is the goal now, however unlikely it would be amazing if one of those riders was standing on the top step!

In the Press

The big news of the day should have been what Levi, Contador and the Discovery Team was going to do to topple Rasmussen from the top step of the podium.  Instead it centered around Vino and Astana leaving the Tour in a cloud of shame.  The impact was immediate and hard felt.  How much more pain do the fans and the participants of cycling have to endure before the Phoenix rises from the ashes and burns the low hanging mist off of cycling? 

As I sat in the packed room for the Team's press conference I was starting to get irritated with the reporters questions.  Why are they focusing on negative things that have nothing to do with the Discovery Team?  I was about to leave when the true light of the race started to shine through and I was privileged to hear the delivery of two comments that left me anticipating the rest of the race.  There was a comment by each Alberto and Levi.  First Levi said that he thought that his position in the Tour put Contador at an advantage, he said his legs are good and he is willing to sacrifice himself to help Alberto win the Tour!  I thought that was great to hear; Levi is in the middle of riding his best Tour ever and he is willing to sacrifice that to help the good of the team.  Alberto mentioned that he has already accomplished everything that he wanted to accomplish at this year’s Tour and more.  To him going home in sixth or in second will not matter, he is going to gamble big and go for it in an effort to win.  If he fails he will be happy with his performance.  If he succeeds he will be forever remembered. 

The Tour continues as it always has and hopefully always will.  I have a lot of respect for the people in cycling that hold their heads up high, cycling is still about passion and that can never be clouded!

2008 Madone weights, stiffness and WSD

We've been slow to publish our weights on the 2008 Madone.  There are several reasons we have never published weights in the past but I won't go into that here.  Although we plan on making our weights public, we only have data on the two bikes that are currently in production - the 5.2 and 5.5.  The 5.2 Performance fit weighs 16.25 lbs / 7.37 kg and the Performance fit 5.5 weighs 15.50 lbs / 7.03 kg (both are without pedals).  The difference is due to the spec of the parts (both frames are OCLV Black).  These weights are pretty darn low considering they are mid-level priced carbon bikes.

Some of you bike savvy people have asked to see comparative torsional stiffness and deflection values.  You've commented that by us stating that the new Madone is 48% stiffer at the BB than the 2007 bike isn't enough information.  I agree with you but I'm compelled to mention that stiffness is only a portion of what makes a bike feel the way it does.  Our goal from the beginning of the project was to make a complete package - a balanced bike that is stiff, light and good looking.  It may not be the best bike in any of these categories but it is competitive in all three.

But we know these stiffness values are important to you as consumers.  We know that you like to compare one bike to another.  These comparisons come in handy when you can't ride competing bikes back to back (here's a good place to plug our Ride the Best tour where you can test ride many of our new bikes free of charge, on your roads.)  We'll work on getting you some stiffness data to ponder.

On a side note, a group of us got a chance to ride a frame that our composite engineers put together, just to prove extremes.  It was made entirely out of our Ultra High Modulus material and cost a fortune.  It was dubbed the Kelly Special because the lay-up specialist that put the UHM in the mold is named Kelly.  We were all pretty excited to ride this bike because of the seeming benefits you'd expect from a frame with super stiff ride qualities.  But, it rode very poorly.  It felt like wood.  It was super repsonsive when you stood out of the saddle and accelerated well but it had no life; no soul.  And it was very harsh on your feet and butt.  For those of you that say there is no way to make a frame too stiff, I beg to differ.

Next beef: replaceable derailleur hanger.  We have experimented with various ways to make a replaceable hanger but have yet to put anything into production.  We have felt the pressure from consumers and foreign distibutors that deal with warranty issues in far away lands so there is motivatioin to create something that works.  Shifting performance suffers when you bolt or clamp two materials togther and attach a sophisticated gear changer to the structure, or so our research says.

And best for last, Women's Specific Design bike dimensions.  Sorry for the delay.

What's to come?

As I sit in my hotel room writing this on the second rest day of the Tour de France I can't help but wonder what's to come?  Contador has said that he will lay down all his cards in an effort to take over the yellow jersey.  If history shows us anything, I would bet on Contador.  In Paris-Nice and Castilla y Leon, two races Contador won, he was marked but was still able to slip off the front and make up enough time to take the overall.  Those races were not the Tour where the stakes are a bit higher as is the motivation.  Can he do it again?  That is the question.  I think Alberto needs to make up at least a minute on Rasmussen during Wednesday's stage to put himself within striking distance for the final TT.  Rasmussen surprised everyone with a stellar TT in Albi but I am not sure he is going to have the strength to repeat that after a week of defending the yellow jersey.   As the yellow jersey hangs in the balance, we will just have to wait and see which side is falls on. 

With a little inside view I can tell that the machine is working.  Johan, Dirk and Sean are all busy researching and devising a plan that will help insure victory.  All we can do now is wait and see what the final day in the mountains will bring......

A Blur of White

I heard Johan say that his team was like the team of old yesterday on the final climb up Plateau de Beille.  I think he meant that they played their cards perfectly to get the result they predicted at the start line in the team meeting.  The boys worked perfectly, only pulling at the front when they had to and when they pulled they made it worth while.  Both Hincapie and Popovych deserve a lot of credit for the work they did to dwindle the final group down, leaving Levi and Contador to turn the final screws; and turn the screws they did.   Alberto  was the only one of the contenders to counter Rasmussen's quick accelerations and in the end Alberto was to quick for Rasmussen sprinting past him at the line.  Both Contador and Rasmussen put time on the rest of the field.  Levi and Alberto moved up to 4th and 2nd in the GC; pretty good day.

The team was all smiles when I met up with them later.  They won the stage, Alberto is in white and they took over the team classification.  There was champagne at dinner, jokes and an air of relief.  I am sure the tension is back on for the start of todays stage but they took their time focusing on the good work they have done.  Martinez was the only one bold enough to suggest that he expected to be drinking champagne in France, only half joking.  The Team has put themselves in a very powerful position with two guys in the top five and less than a week of racing left.

It should be know that in the three times the race has finished on the Plateau de Beille the winner of the stage was the eventual winner of the Tour in all cases.  I am sure that Contador would see trading his white jersey for a yellow one as a significant upgrade.  With a lot of racing left this week, including 2 very hard mountain stages and a time trial, there is still room to win or lose.   

By the Numbers

Yesterday, one of the staff members from the Team told me that there would be two Discovery Team riders in the top five after the Individual Time Trial.  After a long day in the cold rain, they were exactly right.  Alberto Contador finished in 7th and Levi Leipheimer in 9th, good enough to move them up to 3rd and 5th respectively.  For a little icing on the cake Popovych also placed in the top ten on the day.  Not a bad day for the "green team," not bad at all.

It was an interesting race today.  Most of the riders had to face a rain soaked course, the few that did not were lucky and had a distinct advantage over the rest.  Rain or shine Astana was unstoppable today.  Vino looks to be back in full force; he was so good today that he almost clawed his way back into the race, almost.   It was all around a surprising day.  The course brought more of the top contenders tumbling down.  The biggest surprise to me was Valverde, he crumbled hard today.  With each of the early favorites starting to falter, the chances of seeing a Discovery rider or two on the podium in Paris are better and better.

Pictures are not loading so check back, I will get them up as soon as possible......

Up to date

A lot has happened since my last post.  The first rest day passed, the race started to take shape, the sprinters got another chance at some glory and I visited the oldest city in France.  Here is a quick recap and some info on what has been going on. 

What happens on a rest day? For starters, not a lot of rest.  The staff usually blows off a little steam at a party the night before, hence the funny picture.  They can't get to crazy because they have to work during the rest day.  The typical rest day usually consists of a press conference, some riding, some laundry and some bike work.  The athletes cannot take the day completely off the bike because their bodies would protest the following day with massive amounts of tension.  So they ride easy, active recovery, for an hour or two.  This means the bikes have to be prepared to ride and then washed and prepared to race the following day.  Since Tigne is in the mountains most of the teams drove down to some flatter roads to make the days training a little easier on the riders.  Everyone gets to relax a little on a rest day but it is by no means a day off.

Tuesday was the best day of racing that I have seen in a long time.  There was a lot going on, some breaks, some big climbs and behind it all the race for the yellow jersey really began to take shape.  The final climb on the day was the Col de la Galibier.  I had the opportunity to ride the Galibier when I was in France for the Dauphine, it took me almost two hours to ride up and down it, while these guys seem to do it in half that.  It was great to see how strong they are compared to the average cyclist.  After Tuesday people started to talk about who is looking good and who is not.  Alberto and Levi are both on the looking good list while Vino may have very well kissed his chances of wining the Tour goodbye.  Since Vino was the favorite going into the Tour and he cracked, there is a lot of buzz surrounding who might be able to fill his shoes. 

Wednesday and Thursday should have been relatively straight forward and easy stages, good for a break or for the sprinters.  However the days turned out to be brutally hot and the pace was savage.  I was told that the team went through 160 bottles each day, that is 15-20 per rider!  Vino seemed to find a little form and Moreau fell victim to him and his team flexing their revived legs.  Bad for Moreau good for us; Moreau lost enough time that everyone is saying that he is out of contention.

That leads us to today.  I can’t help but look past today’s stage even though it is a difficult rolling hill stage that could catch some by surprise.  All the fun is ahead of us.  9 more days of racing, 2 mountain top finishes, 2 time trials and the grand finale.  Tomorrow we will see if Rasmussen has improved on his TT.  “A TT doesn’t lie, it puts you in your place” that is what Chris the mechanic tells me.  I can’t wait to see where our guy’s place is........  There is a lot of speculation around the young rider from Spain, Alberto Contador.  He is riding exceptionally well but is not know for being an incredible time trialist.  Will he be able to rise to the occasion?  Will Levi do what he has showed up to even thought the UCI forced him to change his super aerodynamic position?  Only time will tell.