It wouldn’t be the Tour de France with out a bike launch and Trek is the latest heavyweight to unveil it latest machine.
With LOOK Bicycles lifting the lid on their flagship 695 AeroLight on Thursday, and Ridley Bikes unveiling special editions of their Noah FAST and Helium SL machines, the American supplier to the RadioShack-Leopard team has presented the latest iteration of its Madone 6 and 7 series race bikes.
RadioShack-Leopard will ride the flagship Madone 7, pictured above in the team’s signature “Leopard Blue”.
Ben Coates, road production manager at Trek, said: “We’ve been pushing the boundaries of weight and ride quality for ten years with the Madone.
“The latest generation continues on that tradition with significant improvements of its predecessor while retaining all of the qualities that riders love.”
Trek claim a frame weight of 725 grams for their flagship frame, one that continues the truncated aerofoil shape of its predecessors. They call the profile a Kammtail Virtual Foil (KVF), and claim it bends in crosswinds.
Greater compliance is offered by the fork, say Trek, one equipped with weight-saving moulded carbon dropouts.
The integrated brakes introduced on the previous iteration of the Madone have been retained; another weight-saving design, according to Trek, who highlight the absence of mounting plates and bolts.
The new Madone’s chainstays have been redesigned, with Trek claiming improved ride quality and braking power from the new profile.
Trek have included the new Madone 7 in their Project One custom colour and spec programme. The “Leopard Blue” colourway is already available, a spokesman said.
