Trek Madone 7 2014 Long Term Review + Long Hill Ride

Posted in: Blog, Cycling | Oct 5, 2014 at 8:21 AM

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INTRODUCTION

I have originally posted my first ride review with Trek Madone 7 2014: http://www.tfsconsulting.com.au/trek-madone-7-2014-with-zipp-303404-review/. It has now been 3.5 months since I wrote that post and I have finally had the opportunity to take my Madone to a long hill ride.

My bike and rider profile:
Height: 170cm
Weight: 70-73.5kg (depending on season)
Riding profile: Never race, commuting to work daily (~40km a day) and weekend short hill (~40-60km) or long hill ride (~150km)
Groupset: SRAM Red 22
Size: Small, 53.7cm top tube
Bike weight: 7.02kg
Stem: 90cm
Handlebar: 420mm (42cm)
Saddle: Chinese carbon saddle
Pedal: Speedplay Frog
Shoes: SIDI Drako Carbon SRS Venice MTB
Wheels: Enve 3.4 SES

OWNERSHIP LONG TERM REVIEW

Now that I’ve owned the bike for 3.5 months, I know it’s not that long yet but I think it’s long enough to gauge what the maintenance will be moving forward.

Brake Rub

I mentioned in that initial review that I get brake rub especially on rainy day. I’m happy to report that I can now adjust my brake so it no longer rubs which I’m very happy about.

Cleaning

No problem with cleaning the bike. The paint was very well done and it’s not a matte paint so cleaning is very easy and doesn’t leave any stain. Cleaning the area around the crank obviously needs a bit more work (just like with any other bike, you will need to take off your crank to clean the surrounding area).

SRAM Red

3.5 months in with more than 3000km clocked in with the groupset and it’s still running as smooth as it was originally. I have no problem with shifting whatsoever.

Braking Power

I don’t have any problem whatsoever with the braking power. Both front brake and the hidden rear brake work as well as other bikes I’ve owned in the past. If anything it comes back to the brake pad and the braking surface of the wheel and not so much about the brakes nor their position on the Madone.

RIDING LONG TERM REVIEW

So how does it ride now that I’ve done more than 3000km on it? I will also give feedback based on my long hill ride. Please also see my Strava activity page for the ride stats: http://www.strava.com/activities/202974368/

I also did similar ride with my Roubaix S-Works with a cut-down route though: http://www.strava.com/activities/129300010

NOTE: This is my 1st weekend long hill ride after about 4 months off it due to winter and just personal commitments. Therefore, I may not have the same flexibility nor the strength I used to have because I used to do weekly long hill ride but not anymore.

Flat

I still believe that this bike is very great for doing breakaway ride. It just slices through the wind very-very well. Compared to my Roubaix S-Works I feel that I’m faster on the Madone. Am I really faster though? I think so. When I look back at my previous commute to work rides in Strava, with the exact wind speed, I either ride faster; or at the same speed but with less heart rate. It means that I’m more efficient on this bike.

Can it due to my increase fitness? Definitely but I definitely feel faster on the bike. It feels a bit duller on Roubaix S-Works when the day is windy.

In Perth we get at least 15-30kmh crosswind almost everyday. If you’re lucky you will only get very slight wind in one of the 30 days in month. If you’re unlucky, storm forms and the wind can be up to 50kmh. In the morning the wind is not as strong (eg. ~15kmh) but later on in the afternoon the strength usually increases.

When I did the long hill ride, since I’m not that strong of a rider, it took me about almost 7 hours to complete the 150km ride with 1650m elevation (as per my Strava ride). So I started at about 7AM and arrived home about 1.20PM. In the afternoon the ride felt a lot more painful and long due to fatigue I’ve built during the climbs. The crosswind then didn’t help either. But luckily I rode the Madone.

This bike definitely makes my pedaling a lot smoother. I could still push the same speed  in the afternoon as I did when I first started the ride in the morning when my legs were all fresh. I remembered that on my Roubaix that my legs were simply struggling and I could only ride very slowly after KM 130; but not with the Madone.

I’m so surprised that I could still survive after 150km long hill ride especially this was my first time doing it after 4 months off it.

Climbing

Let me say that the Madone simply climbed superbly. Stiff and I felt that I didn’t lose any single power on every stroke I put on the pedal! Just simply awesome. I love the geometry with shorter wheelbase compared to Roubaix so when I climbed it didn’t feel like I was pulled backward. I put on a lot of personal records on the same climbs I did previously with my Roubaix. See my 2 Strava links above.

Both standing or sitting down the Madone simply performed. It helped my cadence to be higher than the usual. I could climb sitting down at 70-80RPM and standing at 65-70RPM. Seriously…I wish I can detail how it felt.

I felt no flex whatsoever.

Descending

Compared to my Roubaix, the Madone was a lot more stable during descend. Again, I achieved personal records for the same descend I did. I felt a lot safer descending on this compared to my Roubaix. Whether you have your arms on the hood or on the drops, the Madone was simply super stable.

Rough and Bumpy Road

Now this is where Madone loses a bit compared to my Roubaix. There were sections during the climb and flats which road surface was super rough. I don’t know what you call it, it’s asphalt but hasn’t been maintained for ages. They had some patches, gravels, etc. Anyway it’s super rough in my opinion. Let me tell you that riding on the Madone felt so bumpy on these roads.

Had the road been slightly smoother, the Madone would be fine. But on these very rough roads…man….it made climbing and riding so much harder. First of all the tires rolled worse due to greater resistance and secondly those vibrations were transmitted to your body by the Madone. And mind you, the Madone – as I initially reviewed – was in that middle ground between Tarmac S-Works and Roubaix S-Works in terms of comfort. I can’t imagine what it would be like to ride these roads on a harsher bike.

So on normal road the Madone was superb. I don’t even talk about silky smooth road. Normal asphalt or even country-out-of-town-road will be fine. But anything harsher than that, Madone struggles.

Sprinting

With the aggressive position I had on the Madone, sprinting is a lot easier. The bike is very stable and can help you hold your line very well. I often sprint when the traffic light is about to turn yellow and red and the Madone is very-very easy to sprint with.

It’s a stiff bike with some comfort built into it; and definitely it doesn’t waste any single power you put down through the pedal.

CONCLUSION

Still hands down, the best all-rounder bike I’ve ever owned. It feels solid on flats, cuts through the wind very well; and yet feels light and stiff through the climb. On the descend this bike is very stable and I feel very safe descending on it.

At the end of the day, after 7 hours on the saddle, I didn’t feel like I was beaten up badly. Sure I was tired because I haven’t done these long hill rides for ages; but it could have been worse with other bikes. As I mentioned earlier, the Madone helped and allowed me to still push the same speed in the middle of my fatigue.

There is nothing I can fault with the Madone. Therefore, it all comes back to the rider and his legs. As long as you have the legs, the Madone will help you push further.

Review is coming up for the Enve 3.4 SES wheelset.

Cheers,

Tommy

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