CyclistThe new Trek Madone: Best of both worldsTreks new Madone superbike, the culmination of 20 years of evolution, has been refined to such a level that its now not only quicker, but also just as light as the brands monda climbers bike. Which is why the American brand has now shelved the monda altogether and put all its high-end road bike efforts into just one model designed to perform at the highest level the Madone Gen 8. So, while its farewell to the monda, its a warm welcome to the fitter, faster, lighter, altogether punchier Madone. Its a blistering fusion of what made both models great and is arguably all the bike you could ever need. So what makes it a world-beater?Weight shavingsTrek has whittled away more than 320g from the previous Madones frameset, putting it on a par with the mondas mountain-ready, lift-it-with-your-pinkie frame. This has been achieved partly with the use of a new composite OCLV 900 for the SLR models said by Trek to be 20% stronger than the previous frame material.Beyond the simple like-for-like weight saving, the manufacturing process vastly improves compaction of the composite and sacrifices no stiffness in its quest for maximum motive force. Now theres nothing standing in the way of blasting a Madone up the likes of Mont Ventoux, and arguably youll have an even better time on the descent.Blistering speedThe eighth-generation Madone is quick. Its a claimed 77 seconds more efficient than the monda. An impressive amount of thought has gone into the bikes aerodynamics, with a unified approach across the build resulting in a holistic aerofoil design (or Full System Foil, as Trek has chosen to name it).A narrow cockpit area promotes an aerodynamic body position, yet the profile of the bar tops, while thicker than before, is designed to slow the airflow before it hits the riders legs which have more of an effect on drag. Narrow seatstays, an aerofoil-profiled seat tube and Treks IsoFlow cavity are all working away behind the rider to reduce the low-pressure wake so that air flows past the back of the bike more quickly.Line of best fitWhether your aim is to be first over the line, to hit the summit before your pals or you simply want to smash along rolling roads in supreme comfort, the experience is made even more enjoyable when you and the bike are working in harrmony. The Madone Gen 8 is a bike designed to give you that edge.Comfort-focussed details such as a redesigned IsoFlow system, which flexes when riding over bumps, provides a claimed 80% more vertical compliance than before, while the geometry of the bike creates a fast and aggressive ride position and sizing has had a wide-ranging rethink. There are now six frame sizes in total rather than eight, and frame tube shapes have been optimised separately for each.The new Madone is clearly a special bike, and in the case of the Madone SLR models you can use Treks Project One customisation programme to make it even more special. Riders can choose from a huge range of bespoke options, ranging from custom paint schemes through to full personalised specification of components.Home in on the rangeThere are eight bikes in the all-new Madone range four SLRs and four SLs. All except the lowest-spec SL5 are set up tubeless. The SL bikes start at 3,250 for the SL5 (which comes with a Shimano 105 groupset), rising through 4,250 for the Shimano 105 Di2-equipped SL6 and 4,750 for the SL6 AXS (fitted with Sram Rival AXS) up to 6,000 for the 7.88kg, Ultegra Di2-equipped SL7.At the upper reaches of the range, the SLR roster starts with the 7.31kg, 8,000 SLR7 (Ultegra Di2), then progresses to the 8,500 AXS SLR7 AXS (Sram Force AXS), the 12,000 Dura-Ace Di2-equipped SLR9 and culminates in the range-topping Madone SLR9 AXS, which comes with a Sram Red AXS groupset, weighs in at 7kg and costs 12,500. To find out more about the new Trek Madone, click hereThe post The new Trek Madone: Best of both worlds appeared first on Cyclist.