Not so much a First Ride, this, as a Twenty First Ride – or thereabouts. But early days, nevertheless, in the process of getting to know Trek’s Madone 6.9, which the Wisconsin manufacturer will supply in Team RadioShack livery if asked. We didn’t but that’s how it came and it has to be said that the colour scheme goes well with the old RCUK jersey.
It is, however, both expensive and singular and may not be to everybody’s taste. So, if not, imagine the bike decked out differently and read on.
Let’s start by stating unequivocably that the Madone 6.9 is a simply superb riding machine. RCUK has used it for time trialling, criterium and road racing, tooling around the Surrey Hills and commuting and, in performance terms, it has yet to fall short of the highest expectations.
High praise indeed and one might reasonably ask what it really means. After all, the bike can’t be perfect. It is not, but its deficiencies are so minor that they are only worth mentioning in passing. Perhaps the most serious is the width of the top tube, which is wide enough to rub the knees of anyone who, as does the reviewer, rides even slightly knees-in. This may or may not be a deal-breaker; over a two and a half hour road race it caused no problems but may do so over the duration of a sportive such as the Dragon Ride. We shall see.
Mildly annoying is the fact that the exceptionally wide down tube will not fit the writer’s workstand…
Less so is the provision of those threaded in-line barrel adjusters for the two gear cables. In order to run the inner wires internally, they run straight into the top side of the down tube, creating a visual effect reminiscent of the way ant antennae sprout from the insect’s head. The adjusters fitted do not have anything like a spring or notches to keep them tensioned and the front cable slackened during a Crystal Palace crit, presumably as a result of vibration, to leave the cage rubbing the chain in a high gear. The middle of a crit is, of course, not the ideal moment to start fiddling with an adjuster.
Anything else? Not really. I used carbon fitting compound to prevent the seat post slipping down. To get the ‘bars the right distance in front of the bottom bracket axle I fitted a longer stem by Rotor since a suitable replacement Bontrager Race XXX Lite carbon stem was unavailable. At the same time I replaced the Bonty Race XXX Lite bars with my favourite bend, the Bontys having a pronounced curve to the drops that I found uncomfortable.
But, once set up satisfactorily, the Madone flew. It feels absurdly fast, especially on slight inclines where the UCI-limit weight shows, and is massively stiff, putting power right where it should be, whether sprinting or bashing along a dual carriageway in 50×12.
And yet the ride is as comfortable as that of the RCUK test Indy Fab Club Racer, effectively softening the bumps and troughs of London Tarmac. High-frequency vibration still gets through but running slightly softer tyre pressure might solve the problem.
Confirmed Madone fan David Arthur rates the Madone’s handling highly and he is right; stable at speed, it is responsive with accurate turn-in and a neutral yet crisp feel mid-turn.
Know what? Even the Bontrager RXL saddle, which looks a bit severe, has proven perfectly acceptable so far. Long miles beckon…
Trek Madone 6.9 with Team RadioShack colour scheme £7,161
