2023 TREK MADONE SLR BREAKS NEW GROUND

IsoFlow is in, and IsoSpeed is out.

It’s a funny thing how some random, little known and relatively short French mountain road can be thrusted into cycling history as much as the Col du Madone has been. The story is well told. Though the road had been there for years, it wasn’t until Lance Armstrong discovered it and convinced Trek Bicycles to name his new bike in its honor as it was his own personal training ride that proved he was in winning shape for the 2003 Tour de France.

Despite what the record books say, the Trek Madone enjoyed repeated wins in the Tour de France. In the years since riders like Lance and George Hincapie raced the bike, the Madone has carried on its winning ways under a variety of guises and great riders.

For the 2022 Tour de France, Trek is unveiling what is likely its most radical version of the Madone ever. Gone is the Isospeed suspension and the blocky, Transformer-like frame shape of old with something called IsoFlow bringing a wild aero development to the frame. Below is everything we know about the Gen 7 Madone so far. 0

BUT FIRST A TREK MADONE GALLERY

Former Team Discovery team rider Tom Danielson poses with some NASCAR drivers along with his team spec Madone.

BACK IN THE DAY MADONE MOMENTS

2003 Trek Madone powers Armstrong to his record-tying 5th straight Tour win.
2004 Rewrite the record books. Trek and Lance Armstrong dominate the Tour de France with his 6th consecutive victory aboard a Project One Madone SL with Bontrager wheels.
2004 The U.S. Postal team enjoy their most successful year ever aboard the Trek Madone 5.9.
2004 Trek engineers unveil the lightest production OCLV frame ever, the 950-gram OCLV 55 which is used by Lance in three stages of the Dauphine Libere’. Special prototype Bontrager wheels, also using new 55GSM OCLV carbon fiber, are used by Lance in the Tour de France.

For as long as the Madone’s has been a big deal for Trek, the in-house Bontrager component brand has also relied heavily on the pro riders for R7D and marketing needs, especially for the Aeolus wheels.

The flame paint scheme of Trek’s Project One program was popularized in particular by a rider from Texas.

Trek was always happy to oblige Lance’s request for a special “Paris Bike” to ride down the Champs in Paris. This was a replica of the gold leaf edition with yellow spoked Bontrager wheels that he used for his sixth Tour de France victory and 600 bikes were sold to the public.

Being the high-brow kinda guy he was, Lance became a celerity icon in his winning days and teamed with artist Damien Hirst to build the “Butterfly” Madone which after selling for $500,000 eventually became one of two most expensive bikes ever (the other being the Keith Haring/Cinelli Laser).

Remember when Andy Schleck was leading the way aboard his Team Leopard Madone back in 2011?

The simple, but effective Trek Madone ridden by Jens Voigt.

Koen De Kort aboard the most recent version of the Trek Madone that stands out with its massive billboard-like tubes.

Here’s a complete look back on the Trek Madone.

BUT WAIT, WHAT ABOUT THE NEW MADONE?

GEN 7 MADONE TECH NOTES

Six models to choose from
300-gram weight savings over the previous Gen 6 version
Five colorways plus Project One options
28mm max tire size
Electronic drivetrain dedicated
14 different length/width handlebar/stem options
3mm flare to one-piece Bontrager handlebar
Removable front derailleur hanger
T47 bottom bracket
(claimed) frame weight is “sub-1000 grams”
2 different length seat posts w/ 2 different setback
H1.5 geometry

From Trek

Trek launched the all-new Madone SLR, topping off their performance bike line-up with their fastest road race bike ever. Seven generations in the making, the Madone SLR is the ultimate race bike, complete with never-before-seen IsoFlow technology, dramatic aerodynamic improvements and an all-new gram-shaving design.

This completely redesigned race bike will be ridden by the Trek-Segafredo men’s and women’s teams at the biggest events on the cycling calendar, including the 2022 Tour de France and the first-ever Tour de France Femmes.

Unprecedented aerodynamics

The new Madone SLR is a whopping 60 seconds per hour faster than the previous generation (measured at 45 km/h) thanks to all-new aero frame shaping, a redesigned bar/stem and a more aero riding position.

Revolutionary IsoFlow technology

IsoFlow is a first-of-its-kind seat tube technology that flexes over bumps for a smoother ride, improves aerodynamics and shaves weight to save precious seconds in the saddle.

Lighter than ever

A new lightweight design and Trek’s best and lightest OCLV Carbon make the seventh-generation Madone the lightest Madone disc ever, shaving 300 grams off the previous ultra-lightweight version.

Refined integration

An all-new one-piece bar/stem and integrated IsoFlow seat tube technology take Madone’s unrivaled integration to the next level. An all-new bar/stem with 3cm of flare and shorter reach offers improved ergonomics and aerodynamics. Riders who use a 42cm bar/stem will now be a 42cm in the drops and 39cm in the hoods, reducing
rider drag while allowing for powerful sprints.

2023 Madone bike weights

23 Madone SLR Model	lbs	kg	size
Madone SLR 6	17.1	7.8	56
Madone SLR 6 eTap	17.7	8.0	56
Madone SLR 7	16.5	7.5	56
Madone SLR 7 eTap	17.1	7.8	56
Madone SLR 9	15.6	7.1	54
Madone SLR 9 eTap	16.2	7.4	56

2023 Madone SLR Pricing

Model	US
Madone SLR 6	7,999.99
Madone SLR 6 eTap	8,399.99
Madone SLR 7	9,049.99
Madone SLR 7 eTap	9,699.99
Madone SLR 9	12,749.99
Madone SLR 9 eTap	13,199.99
Madone SLR Disc Frameset	4,599.99

For more: trekbikes.com