Meet The Madone: The Fastest Just Got Faster

After much anticipation, Trek has finally gone and done it – the new Madone is here! Brand new for their 2023 roster, the Madone has had a serious facelift and is showing off some cutting-edge aero tech that’s got us pretty excited! This is easily their fastest-ever road bike, and we can’t wait to get our hands on one. Let’s take a closer look at what’s new!

IsoFlow

The first thing you’ll notice when looking at the new Madone is the hole in the seat tube – it’s pretty hard to miss, and has got everyone talking, but what is it for? IsoFlow is a brand new development from Trek, and to say it’s unique would be an understatement! The spaceship-esque aesthetics don’t just look the part, they also serve a purpose for both performance and comfort. 

IsoFlow is the natural progression of the IsoSpeed decoupler previously found in the Madone, first made popular by their classics-crushing Domane. With many aero bikes at the time known for having a particularly harsh and unforgiving ride quality, this combination of comfort and speed was an absolute game-changer. In the never-ending pursuit of lower weight and enhanced power transfer, IsoFlow replaces the decoupler with a cantilever system to provide compliance, offering the same comfort-enhancing properties but without the excess material.

In terms of aerodynamics, IsoFlow is said to accelerate the airflow through the hole as you ride to reduce your overall drag. Breaking that down into numbers, Trek claims a 3W saving from the IsoFlow alone! Aero gains, reduced weight, improved stiffness yet just as comfortable – it really has got it all!

The Fastest Madone Ever

The improvements don’t end there – as you would expect, with brand new tube shapes and some fat trimming, the latest incarnation of the Madone is faster in every way than its already-fast predecessor. 

As well as looking the part, the sleeker frame cheats the wind with its new truncated tube profiles, saving a claimed 19W with the rider aboard at 45km/h. This equates to a time and space-bending 60-second saving over what would previously have taken an hour (apparently 60 minutes was too long for Trek!). Though speeds like this may be hard to reach for mere mortals such as ourselves, these savings still remain significant for the everyday rider with savings only dropping to 58 seconds at 25km/h!

Aero gains don’t have to weigh you down, and this new Madone has gone on a hypothetical diet. With a significant 300g weight-saving overall thanks to the introduction of IsoFlow and a refined carbon layup, the system weight for a 12-speed Dura-Ace-equipped 54cm Madone is only 7.1kg – a mountain goat when compared to other aero bike offerings on the market!

Geometry

For the perfect balance of comfort and aero, the new Madone adopts the same geometry specifications as the latest Emonda with H1.5. This meets their previous H1 and H2 in the middle, opting for versatility and ultimate efficiency over unrelenting aggression – to finish first, first you have to finish!

Much of the drag you’ll experience will be down to the position you’re in, so even the handlebars have been overhauled – introducing a brand new integrated setup that not only reduces weight but improves your position on the bike. By utilising a flared design, Trek has narrowed the hoods by 3cm compared to the drops, intended to keep you as aerodynamic as possible while still providing enough leverage and control in the drops for all-out sprints and confident descending. 

Like what you see? If you’re interested in getting your hands on the new Trek Madone, head in-store or contact us for more information on availability.