Refined integration, aero performance and comfort make the ultra-lightweight 2022 Trek Madone SLR the natural selection for rapid progress
Trek’s new Madone SLR is an apex predator. Topping the American firm’s range of performance road bikes, the seventh generation of Trek’s WorldTour and World Championship-winning race bike is lighter, quicker, and seamlessly integrated.
The completely redesigned Madone SLR will be the weapon of choice for the Trek-Segafredo men’s and women’s teams in this summer’s Tour de France and inaugural Tour de France Femmes, where – as we all know – having the world’s ultimate race bike makes all the difference.
Free speed
The new Madone SLR saves a whopping 60 seconds per hour of riding (at 45kmh effort) than the previous generation model, thanks to all-new aero frame shaping, a refined riding position and redesigned bar and stem.
Unlike a traditional teardrop-shaped aerofoil profile, kamm-tail shaping to the carbon frame tubes features a truncated, square end that not only increases stiffness but also mimics the performance of a much longer, wing-like foil.
This Kammtail Virtual Foil (KVF) has the knock-on effect of more reliable performance at yaw angles beyond a block headwind, allowing you to get the maximum speed out of your pedalling input, no matter what the conditions.
More efficient, hands-down
The handlebar/stem of the Madone SLR has been completely reimagined to improve ergonomics and boost aerodynamics. A shallow reach and flared design results in brake hoods that are 3cm closer together than the drops.
And although the centre-to-centre measurement is now taken at the drops, there’s no need to adjust your normal bar size. Not only does a narrower frontal profile assist in wind-cheating but the integration of the bar and stem also lessens turbulence at the front end, with the flared drops significantly improving ergonomics as well as aerodynamics. Head down and away you go…
Let it flow
The all-new Madone SLR range is the first to feature Trek’s revolutionary, race-focussed IsoFlow seat tube technology, taking the company’s unrivalled talent for integration to the next level.
The junctions of the seat tube, stays and top tube form an eye-catching new frame section that ensures a smoother ride on all kinds of road, with the frame flexing over bumps.
This new technology also improves aero efficiency, with airflow directed through its capacious cavity, and contributes to the weight loss of the seventh-generation Madone SLR. Unlike the previous model’s IsoSpeed system, the specially tuned IsoFlow is not adjustable – it’s simply that good that it doesn’t need to be!
Lighter, stiffer
A multitude of design improvements contribute to an all-up weight loss of 300g over the previous generation Madone SLR. And Trek’s best and lightest 800 Series OCLV carbon frame has a major role to play in both this weight loss and the bike’s responsiveness.
Aero frame tubes are traditionally heavier than typical tubes due to the extra material they demand. But Trek’s 800 Series framesets use carbon fibres that are 30% stronger than their previous material while retaining the same stiffness, allowing the Madone SLR frame to be as aero as possible without adding unnecessary weight.
Tireless research and development involving 50 different carbon layups gave birth to 800 Series OCLV, honing the Madone SLR into Trek’s fastest ever race bike.
Finishing touches
Beyond the headline refinements to this world-beating race bike, the finer details of the Madone SLR’s spec are similarly impressive.
Trek’s race-oriented H1.5 geometry is employed, for optimum attack-mode prowess with little or no loss of comfort (the new bar/stem and IsoFlow system take care of that).
There are tubeless-compatible Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 (RSL 51 for the SLR 9) carbon wheels, frame clearance covers tyres up to 28c (this ain’t no gravel or endurance bike), and the cable routing is – as you’d expect – fully hidden from sight.
There’ll be less of it, too, since the Madone SLR range is (with the exception of the Shimano 105 SLR 6) entirely electronic groupset-equipped, with standard build options including SRAM Rival eTap AXS (SLR 6), SRAM Force eTap AXS (SLR 7), SRAM RED eTap AXS (SLR 9), Shimano Ultegra R8170 Di2 (SLR 7) and Shimano Dura-Ace R9270 Di2 (SLR9). With 12mm thru-axles and flat-mount 140/160mm disc brakes it also stops as well as it goes.
The 2022 Trek Madone SLR is available from Trek and through Trek’s global network of retail partners