Trek Madone SL 7 Gen 8 Review: With the SL frameset, Trek offers its successful top-of-the-line racing bike in price categories starting from €3.000. In the upper mid-range, the Madone impresses with its brand's typically sporty geometry, solid components, and acceptable weight.
Trek has significantly streamlined its model range in recent years, including its road bikes. The lightweight Émonda model has fallen victim to the new trend in cycling of combining low weight and aerodynamics in a single platform; at the same time, the flagship Trek Madone has been significantly redesigned. It has lost weight and become more elegant without noticeably sacrificing performance in the wind. The 8th generation Madone thus perfectly meets the demands now placed on equipment in competitive cycling. As an alternative, the Trek Domane with IsoSpeed suspension remains an option, and it has been further developed for gravel riding with 38 mm tire clearance and a storage compartment in the downtube.
Trek Madone SL 7 Gen 8: the highlights
- Frame: OCLV 500 Carbon, frame weight approx. 1.050 g
- Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2
- Wheelset: Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 OCLV Carbon
- Weight: 8,0 kg (without packaging)
- Price: 5999 Euro
Aerodynamically optimized racing machine with high comfort
The Trek Madone SL 7 Gen 8 now also accommodates 32 mm wide tires – so there's no need to worry about a comfort disadvantage compared to other road aero bikes. Quite the opposite, in fact, as the IsoFlow technology, which has been designed to dampen shocks and vibrations without moving parts since the 7th generation, has been further improved in the Madone. IsoFlow decouples the upper from the lower part of the seat tube, creating an opening that also has a positive aerodynamic effect: it allows air to flow away in a channeled manner, preventing it from hitting the seat tube.
Trek has always prioritized a sporty, yet not extreme, riding position on the Madone, complemented by a steering geometry designed for exceptional maneuverability and agility. This includes short chainstays and an overall short wheelbase, as well as a relatively steep head angle, especially on the larger frame sizes. The wide downtube contributes to high frame stiffness; instead of a press-fit bottom bracket, Trek has long used the T47 standard, which combines the ease of installation of threaded bearing cups with a wide bottom bracket shell.
Trek Madone: Small differences in reach make choosing the right size easier
Regarding sizing, the reach of the six frame sizes only increases by 5 to 8 mm each time. Depending on the desired cockpit height, you can therefore confidently choose a slightly larger or smaller frame. However, the maximum seat tube extension, which Trek offers in two lengths, must be taken into account. Overall, though, the adjustment shouldn't pose any problems.
| Size | XS | S | M | ML | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube length (cm) | 40,4 | 44 | 47,6 | 51,2 | 54,8 | 60,9 |
| Seat Tube Angle | 73,8° | 73,8° | 73,6° | 73,4° | 73,4° | 73,4° |
| Head tube length (cm) | 10,0 | 12,1 | 13,6 | 15,0 | 17,2 | 20,1 |
| Steering angle | 71,6° | 72,2° | 72.9* | 73,5° | 73,8° | 73,9° |
| Effective top tube length (cm) | 51,7 | 53,2 | 54,5 | 55,7 | 56,8 | 58,4 |
| Bottom bracket drop (cm) | 7,2 | 7,2 | 7,0 | 7,0 | 6,8 | 6,8 |
| Chainstay length (cm) | 41,0 | 41,0 | 41,0 | 41,0 | 41,1 | 41,2 |
| Fork offset (cm) | 5,0 | 4,5 | 4,5 | 4,0 | 4,0 | 4,0 |
| Trailing distance (cm) | 6,1 | 6,2 | 5,8 | 5,9 | 5,7 | 5,7 |
| Wheelbase (cm) | 97,1 | 97,6 | 98,1 | 98,0 | 99,0 | 100,7 |
| Overhang height (cm) | 70,4 | 73,4 | 76,2 | 79,0 | 82,0 | 86,3 |
| Reach (cm) | 37,0 | 37,8 | 38,4 | 38,9 | 39,4 | 40,2 |
| Stack (cm) | 50,7 | 53,0 | 54,6 | 56,2 | 58,2 | 61,0 |
| Front Center (cm) | 57,2 | 57,7 | 58,2 | 58,1 | 58,9 | 60,4 |
Trek offers the Madone SL with a frame weighing approximately 1.050 grams starting from 2.999 The frameset costs the same – the separately available frameset costs the same, so a complete bike is always the better choice (especially since the seatpost extension has to be purchased separately for €440 with the frameset). The SL 7 is the top model and is equipped with pretty much everything you could want from a modern racing machine. The US brand completes the bike with the proven Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, which is virtually indistinguishable from the top-of-the-line Dura-Ace groupset in terms of feel and appearance; it also comes with an in-house carbon wheelset with rims that are 51 mm deep and 31 mm wide on the outside.
The Trek Madone features a fairly lightweight tubeless wheelset with wide rims.
Its internal width of 23 mm is optimized for modern tire widths; at around 1.600 grams, this is also a fairly light wheelset considering the rim shape. The complete bike weighs exactly eight kilograms in a medium size; the identically equipped Trek Madone SLR 7 Gen 8 weighs less than 400 grams less, but is 2.000 euros more expensive. The lighter frame is unlikely to make a noticeable difference in ride feel.
Regarding the price: Trek hasn't priced the Madone SL 7 Gen 8 too conservatively, although the price of just under €6.000 must be seen in relation to their top-of-the-line models: those can easily cost over €14. Viewed in that light, the aero road bike, available in four color options, isn't actually that expensive.
Wahoo Elemnt Roam: the Class Cool cycling computer
Extensive functionality, ease of use, and intuitive setup: these qualities have made the touchscreen speedometer a favorite among the road cycling community. Velomotion has also opted for the versatile device in its "Class Cool" model.
What makes the "Class Cool" stand out on the handlebars? Sure, there are plenty of good GPS bike computers, but the fact that more and more cyclists are swearing by Wahoo certainly isn't just down to the Gaussian normal distribution. It's more likely because the company doesn't do everything differently, but does many things better than the competition – and it starts with the fact that cycling is absolutely central to Wahoo's product range, rather than just a side issue.
Perhaps the best example of this is the Wahoo Elemnt Roam, which combines the advantages of both the top-of-the-line and entry-level models in the middle of the range. Like the latter, it's quite compact, yet already equipped with a larger screen than the more affordable Bolt. And it shares the touchscreen functionality of the top model, which is a real asset for navigation, significantly simplifying map display with zooming and panning. The sharp color display is an additional plus in this regard.
Despite the high-quality screen, Wahoo hasn't abandoned the six-button operation – and here again the company's cycling expertise shines through. Even with gloves and without prolonged eye contact, it's possible to switch between display windows or change the number of data fields shown. Setup couldn't be simpler, with the optimal customization options being a major advantage of the Wahoo interface. Users can define what and how much is displayed, resulting in an intuitive operating logic that's incredibly easy to use. This makes the Wahoo Elemnt Roam appealing to both young "digital natives" and those who didn't learn how to use electronic devices as children and therefore appreciate ease of access.
Click here for the Wahoo Elemnt Roam 3.
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