The Trek Madone SLR 9 Gen 8 tears up the roads and conquers climbs

Summary

Living in northeastern Illinois, I lacked opportunities to try the new Madone on extended climbs. Traversing the rollers in the far northwestern suburbs of Chicago, however, the bike's utility on climbs was apparent. Compared to my usual ride, an endurance-focused road bike, I felt like I was getting the first few seconds of a climb for free. The Madone felt lightweight, nimble, and responsive each time I hit an ascent. What surprised me the most about the Madone was its performance on long rides. I went into testing with the assumption that I would be trading speed for comfort—and I was happy to be proven wrong. The combination of Trek's aerodynamic frame design (which it calls IsoFlow), carbon wheelset, and tubeless tires really makes a difference on uneven pavement; there was almost no trade-off between pace and comfort. With the integrated cockpit, you may need a new mount for your bike computer. Eric Bangeman With the integrated cockpit, you may need a new mount for your bike computer. Eric Bangeman Never a welcome site on your expensive road bike. I made it home before the bubble burst. Eric Bangeman Never a welcome site on your expensive road bike. I made it home before the bubble burst. Eric Bangeman With the integrated cockpit, you may need a new mount for your bike computer. Eric Bangeman Never a welcome site on your expensive road bike. I made it home before the bubble burst. Eric Bangeman What didn't I like? The water bottles, mainly. My review bike came equipped with a pair of Trek RSL Aero water bottles, which fit in a specially designed cage. Trek says the bottles offer 1.8 W of savings at 22 mph compared to round bottles. That's not worth it to me. The bottles hold less (~650 ml) than a regular water bottle, are irritating to fill, and getting them in and out of the RSL Aero cages takes a bit of awareness during the first few rides. Thankfully, you don't need to use the aero bottles; normal, cylindrical water bottles work just fine. The price bears m...