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Trek Madone 5.5 - fresh air never felt so good

Posted by James on March 25, 2008 9:37 PM | Permalink

RIGHT, we’ve thought long and hard about how to start this review off and perfectly sum up the 2008 Trek Madone 5.5 in just a couple of words. Here goes – like riding fresh air!!!

We’re not joking either, Trek’s 2008 offering for the 5.5 is literally like riding nothing, nah-da, zip, zilch, a vast expanse of nothingness.

Forget about other carbon road bikes because they’ll feel like a sack of spuds after you’ve got your hands on the Madone 5.5 (RRP £2,600).

Bikenut once again teamed up with Trek Bikes UK and Liverpool-based Quinns Bikes to review the Madone 5.5 and what a review it was. Nursing a severe hangover is probably not the best way to start your review, but if you’re riding the 5.5 it wakes you up faster than a full English.

To give you a quick example of how light this bike it, let me tell you how the first few minutes of riding it unfolded. First of all, I wobbled from side to side until got used to the almost zero gravity of the Madone 5.5.

Next, I decided what better way to test just how really light it is by taking it up the short, but steep hill near where I live in West Lancashire. Now, for those of you not in the know, Shepherds Lane is a nasty, little hill. It starts out fine, but then really kicks up.

My fastest time up this little blighter has never been quicker than 58 seconds and that’s after warming up properly. What I didn’t expect to do, considering my morning-after-the-night-before state, was to smash that time – completely.

Remember that I said the Madone 5.5 was like fresh air? Well, here’s the proof – I soared up Shepherds Lane in 32 seconds. Must have been that rocket fuel I drank the night before, maybe. Can’t wait until I have another crack at it – this time a little less worse for wear.

Anyway, let’s get back to the bike itself. The Madone 5.5 has proven ProTour geometry that delivers predictable, confidence-inspiring handling thanks to its optimal balance of lateral stiffness and vertical compliance – in layman terms, it’s a bloody good ride.

The Madone 5.5 also utilises inherent vibration damping qualities of OCLV carbon to deliver just the right amount of road feedback to keep you in-tune with the riding surface, meaning that you can actually feel the road’s profile without the drawback of suffering from the comical effects of vibration like the cartoon coyote in Roadrunner.

A 30mm taller headtube compared to the Pro fit bikes gives you a more upright position, while Trek’s Tapered Joint Technology results in precison-feathered joints that minimise carbon overlap and therefore reduces frame weight without sacrificing strength.

Meanwhile, OCLV Net Molding technology is used in creating the Precision Fit Sockets technology that saves 80 grams without compromising bearing performance or durability.

Weight-saving is also drastically reduced through the use of an all-carbon, no-cut seat mast that saves weight compared to traditional designs but still offers multiple offset options, up to 100mm of on-the-fly vertical adjustment, six degrees of lateral adjustment and infinite saddle tilt.

But does the 2008 Madone 5.5 ooze ‘sex appeal’? Yeah, of course – more so than any other bike we’ve ever seen. Put it this way, Bikenut stopped off at the cafe mid-way through a weekend clubrun plagued by gale-force winds and heavy downpours and left it outside – under cover and locked up tight, we might add – with a few other bikes belong to those mad enough to venture out in bad weather and the 5.5 had everyone, roadies and non-roadies, lining up to take a closer look – it really is that phoooaaarrrr-ish.

The new Madone displays more aggressive profile and sleeker lines – including a first-for-Trek sloping top tube – more radically-shaped tube sections and lugs, as well as an eye-catching paint job.

Arguably, the most defining feature is the 90mm-wide bottom bracket shell around which the rest of the frame is based, whereas brackets on standard road bikes measure a relatively puny 68mm.

Standard-sized cartridge bearings are integrated directly into the new bottom bracket shell and the bearing seats are formed during the initial molding process using a new 'Precision Fit Socket' technology.

According to Trek, the new procedure not only eliminates the need for post-mold machining operations, but also provides a perfect slip-fit for the bearings without any need for weighty aluminum inserts or even installation tools.

More importantly, the new interface is compatible with all major external-bearing crankset systems, including Shimano, Campagnolo, FSA, and SRAM.

Trek may have been slow to develop its own integrated seatpost, but that patience has paid off. The seat mast on the new Madone is only moderately extended and the carbon fiber seat 'cap' is significantly longer with more overlap, but still much less than a conventional seat post design.

As a result, the new Madone offers up to 95mm of saddle height adjustment without having to cut the frame by using the optional tall cap and is still 25 per cent lighter than traditional post designs.

Trek offer caps in three different offsets (+10mm, -5mm, -20mm) to satisfy most fit requirements and the mast is fully sealed against contaminants. But the seat mast is not intended to offer a more solid pedalling platform.

They actually intentionally designed a measurable amount of flex into the system to provide more rider comfort and the new Madone delivers a whopping 39 per cent increase in vertical compliance compared to last year's version.

The new Madone’s down tube is now a full 74mm wide at the bottom bracket shell, while the new box-type chainstay yoke measures 75mm across and the widely-set chainstays are also asymmetric to better combat each side's unique applied loads

A much larger tube sections deliver a claimed 40 per cent increase in lateral rigidity on the down tube side of the bottom bracket shell and 20 per cent on the chainstay side.

Trek offer the Madone in three distinct fits: the Pro Fit, Performance Fit and a Women's Specific Design – all available with either 15mm or 5mm headset cones.

FINAL VERDICT: While the Madone 5.5 may have a £2,600 price tag, it's got everything you could ever want in one package. Not only will your money buy you an amazingly lightweight carbon frame, but also a full Shimano Dura-Ace/SRAM groupset thrown in as well. Plus, I'll say it again, it's like riding fresh air. Put it this way, the Madone 5.5 is going to be Bikenut's next purchase (massive discount please, pretty please Trek?) - 10/10.

Full Specs of Trek Madone 5.5
Frameset: Frame OCLV Black Carbon (Sizes 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64cm)
Fork: Bontrager Race X Lite, carbon w/E2 aluminum steerer
Wheels: Wheels Bontrager Race Lite
Tires: Bontrager Race X Lite, 700x23c, folding
Drivetrain: Shifters Shimano Dura-Ace STI, 10 speed
Front Derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace
Crank: Bontrager Race X Lite 50/34
Cassette: SRAM OpenGlide 1070 11-26, 10 speed
Pedals: n/a

Components
Saddle: Bontrager Race Lite
Seat Post: Carbon seat mast cap
Handlebars: Bontrager Race Lite VR, 31.8mm
Stem: Bontrager Race X Lite, 7 degree, 31.8mm
Headset: Cane Creek IS-2 Integrated w/cartridge bearings, sealed, alloy; 1.125" top, 1.5" bottom
Brakeset: Shimano Dura-Ace w/Shimano Dura-Ace STI levers