Did TREK Lie About The New Madone Being MORE Aero? 

I understand the new water bottle system is part of the new bike. But it’s not a bike part new to that bike. It’s a water bottle system, so if your gonna run the wind tunnel test, at least run it on the same round water bottles for both or the same aero bottle for both before you claim a bike is more aero

At this point ... you just need Pogi's legs

Gen 7 was a piece of art. Just stunning to look at. Gen 8 is a boardroom product.

I've gone to a trek dealer and put the emonda next to the new Madone. The head tube is absolutely wider on the new Madone than the emonda. But the fork is much stiffer in a test ride and more areo looking. I have a Gen7 Madone and have zero plans for Gen 8

It’s obvious to me that they built a new Emonda and the bean counters forced them to pick one to sell - so now is called a Madone…lighter but not necessarily faster.

I ordered the new aero bottle cages/bottles for my gen 7 Madone 🤷🏽‍♂️

2 reasons for not going full aero in the front of gen 8. 1) That would have added weight they tried hard to remove 2) It leaves room to incrementally improve for gen 9

4 days after the official release of Gen8 I ran out and bought a Gen7 Pearl Grey SL7.

I enjoy your perspectives and your approach to the bike industry. Keep making the videos.😊

So I got an S-Works SL8 as an aero bike. However sometimes I feel it’s not as aero as it claims and should’ve picked the Foil RC or Cervelo S5 as an aero bike. I just say the SL8 is definitely a blast to ride and very comfortable

All trek did was remove mass form gen 7 frame and got rid the emoda line in the end. Blame part limiting number of products foe easy bookeeping and UCI rules that are now out of date on bike weight. Bike tech and manufacturing has caught up and the rule is forcing companies just to go an all round model as road race bikes cannot get any lighter with it being illegal to race. Relying a certain bottle + cage gimmick dose not work long term.

No plans to dump my Gen 7 SLR Madone. I love it. May look into the bottle upgrade though.

Most companies are lying about the aero of their bikes. Just bought an SL8 this month and its not faster than my 10yo Cervélo. Of course its much more confortable and fun to ride and brakes much better, but these aero claims are mostly scams. I wonder why most people who tested it were impressed. All shills ? Or paid ?

It is like the SL7 Works compared to the SL8 Works... just buy the Roval Rapid Cockpit for the SL7 and you have better whitepaper aero gains than the SL8! The weight is better (lighter) on the SL8 but thats all!

As always, awesome dialogue about industry happenings. I’m a simple guy, I see GC performance, I click.

Great video. We need more love handle analysis for sure

I wouldn't really worry about it. No one believes these marketing claims anyway. Its a nice bike, amd people are going to ride it

You are so right. Thats why I keep my Gen 7 Madone and put the new bottles on it 😉.

Great shakedown. I really appreciate what you do. 👍🏻👌🏻👏🏻

After a Iot of research I put a deposit down on a gen 7 Slr today instead of a gen 8, can still change if I want . Is one actually noticeably faster to an amateur ?

Trek also tried to spin making fewer sizes as a good thing for the consumer 😂 they're cutting costs everywhere they can, yet the price isn't coming down. The math isn't mathing here.

here's another question, what if you took the new bottles and put them on the Emonda, would that make it faster than the new madone with round bottles?

I'm currently on 2020 Emonda (the one before all cables are completely hidden). I ride a good mix between flat and hills. Would you say I'm better off with Madone gen 7 (with 35mm wheels) or Magone gen 8 (with 50mm wheels)?

for me personally the biggest bummer with this release is the weight. compared to lets say an sl8 this thing is more than half a kilo heavier with less deep tubes at the front. i dont get it.

Great video...I run a gen 7 with tt bottles - way fast.

I will be ordering the aero bottles for my gen 7 madone. It's definitely faster than the gen 8.

So… the old madone would be faster with the new bottles ?

All of this has been pretty obvious to me, but let's call the Gen 8 Madone what it really is... an Emonda. Trek should have just called the new bike an Emonda 8 (with 900 oclv carbon). Something's adrift when a bike company uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to justify water bottles. Talk about a race to the bottom. Testing a new bike with CFD is 100% the norm, but it sounds awfully desperate when CFD is needed to sell proprietary water bottle / cages. Did you know it cost $100 for a new Madone Gen 8 water bottle / cage? Yes, two will set you back $200. lol

Look at it this way, get the gen8 and make it a climbing bike.

I loved riding my Trek Emonda and preferred it over Madone. For me I wanted a serious climber and a fast galloper on the flat. It ticked my boxes as far as I was concerned. I think for me the new Madone is not all it could be and I'm happy to wait for its next iteration, which I expect will be a giant killer

I work at a trek dealership in Mexico and I bought the new Madone with the 105 Di2 specs hopefully arriving by the end of next week, coming from a TCR with rim brakes and aluminum wheels of course I expect a huge improvement in my ride experience and performance. My boss and his son have the Madone Gen 7 top or the range and they are not going to update to the new Gen 8, they love the brand and they sell Trek bikes but they don't think that there's a huge improvement on the new Gen.

Its a emonda with isoflow. Im proud owner g7 slr7 and im keeping it! I also have a 2023 emonda sl6 pro and im also keeping it! But my madone is way faster specially on downhill

you and me both brother.(except you got me by 20lbs) but that bottle system is going on my BMC . You carry TREK?

It's a compromise between Madone and Emonda. It will never be as light as my 2017 Emonda SLR 9.

I completely agree so I bought the Gen7 Madone SL6. It's really hard to find a size 58 frame here in Japan.

of course they do, they do on every single weight spec on completes, wheels, bars etc

Neither the women’s or the men’s Lidl Trek world tour teams are using the stupid “aero” bottles. Both teams are using round bottles !!

The did lie. They seem to lie a lot. They lied to me when they fit me for a bike in their shop and swore they'd have a Madone SL7 for me in a matter of weeks. They ghosted me, so I went and bought a Canyon Aeroad instead. Fuck 'em.

What are they going to change for the next generation model??

Madone, Emonda, Domane, all these names are combinations of the same 6 letters, could someone tell me why trek did that? As non-native English or French speaker, at first glance it looks all the same!

Let’s call it what it is…An Emonda with an A-hole. Seen it, rode it…It’s not a Madone. For the Emonda lovers…They are happy. For the Madone lovers…there is nothing to love. Blew it…I guess it’ll be Specialized or Time on future purchases.

Superb GC - Lots of marketing spin from Trek on improved claims

I find it interesting this video didn't come out before Trek announced thwy went direct to consumer 😂😂😂

Totally agree 👍

Considering you attend none of the bike industry expos, take some time out of your busy schedule and take this bike to the wind tunnel!

I'd go for a time or a look blade rs

Everything you say in this video might be true but the plain fact is that none of this makes any difference to 99.99999% of riders who absolutely will see no performance advantage/disadvantage from one gen to another. I mean when we say something is “way faster” these days we mean that if you are a TDF rider and can sustain 400 watts for an hour plus you will see a couple of seconds difference. Personally I think the new bikes look fantastic and as always Trek has nailed the finish and paint schemes. If you are in the market for such a bike and like it just buy it, and don’t lament that it is theoretically slower/faster in a wind tunnel.

its faster than the emonda because its the emonda successor using gen 7 madone technology and design cues

To be fair to trek they have been really clear on the bottles being required for the similar aero performance. Bigger issue seems to be that this 320g doesn't seem to be showing up on the scales. The claimed weights are 7100 g for the gen 7 with dura ace and 7080g for the gen 8 with dura ace. Actual weights from early reviews seem to be showing at least 200g higher. I guess those bottles were excluded from the weigh in.

I don’t have interest in the new Madone but Bontrager’s bottle cages are some of the coolest looking in the biz right now. If they can stylize and bring the price of the new bottle cages down it would probably sell like hotcakes.

To create sales and generate profits they (Bicycle manufacturers) must always come up with new ideas. I don't have a problem with that what I do have a problem with is when they make false claims or not being transparent about what they do and why they do the things they do.

I won’t fault Trek for needing to run a profitable business. I’m reserving judgment until it’s been wind tunnel tested by a third party and I’ve done a test ride on it myself

I will not lie,it looks good but I don't believes what they say until I can ride and test the bike myself.

Only Merida called Specialized !

Good video. Agreed also

If you had the coin what would you buy? A Madone Gen 8 or a SL8?

lol! All I know is I bought one and it’s faster than the old Gen 7. As long as it's fast and climbs well I don't really care about aero. 🤷🏾‍♂️Even better they reduced the price of the frameset this week from $6000 to $5000

agree 100%

It would've made more sense for Trek to launch it as new Emonda and discontinue Madone if they really wanted to decrease their sku

Trek claims the gen 8 is AS aero, not more aero than gen 7.

Madone used to be this all-round bike, (maybe) even slightly more focused on climbing before it got all aero back in 2016. Heck, the name Madone itself was taken from a climb Col de la Madone in Nice. So when I heard they're going back to their roots, personally I am really excited because to be honest I don't like when they go all aero but still carried the Madone name. It's just these aero claims over the Gen 7 that requires a big asterisk (you have to use the aero bottles) that really bugs me (and a lot of other people). Hopefully now people will see Madone being an all-round bike, so the aero BS controversy will be over once the Gen 9 comes out in a few years time. Now I just wish that they're not gonna kill the Domane as well, especially their budget-friendly AL models.

It's developed Emonda only no need to walk with the name you can decide by eyes. But in the end it is butifull bike. and you can exchange second watter bottles by bontrager mini air pump and add small bag top of down tube behind hed tube. And sing 🎶 that song I believe i can fly I believe I can touch the sky 😂

Wait, did you say Trek is removing the Madone? 😢

Name it a new "Madmonda" all in one race bike. 😄

Common people crying about weight don't think about the fitness😂😂

That bike&design is discusting ... not to mention that seat stay hole, so called aero gains 😂😂😂 Trek aka Drek

First i don"t like the new look second i don't like the new handle bar and l don't like the price . At this price i prefer the Scott Foil Ultimate and is brand new Wheels 😊

Maybe your lovehandles also act like the bottle system and makes you more aero?

They killed the Madone and jacked the price 1500. How much you wanna bet the replacement cost of an Emonda frame is 1500. So in the end, Trek is producing 1 bike and getting paid for 2.

GC i watch your videos twice and comment once just for the algo

Just like the Wavecel launch, slightly iffy claims from only one source......

I have a Trek madrone (older version) and Speed Concept (new version...triathlete here) however I'm done with Trek. While I love the SC I can't see why a new Madone should cost more than the SC, the Gen 8 is a gimmick and again the price has just gotten stupid. Trek prices used to be with in reach of the "everyday man" but not anymore. Sad

Stuyven would have won on old madone

Old one looks way better which, for me is more important.

Oh man, as I guy who would but a Emonda any time of the day over a Madone, I like this new bike. I really don’t care about this difference, because meu legs até not strong enough to make any difference…😂😂😂😂

88mm deep dish wheels turns an Emonda into a Madone, quiet is kept

I don't care so much about a little bit of more or less areo!!! The problem is that the old one looks like a space ship, while the new one looks like any other bike... lacks personality...

Ppl who buy these new bikes are absolute suckers. A decade old venge is faster than this

Trek hasn't won a single stage in the Tour, maybe would have if they were on the Gen 7

I wonder where you got this idea 😉

They essentially shaved carbon off and replaced it with plastic aka cost savings. The real complete bike is within 100gms of the gen 7 so the over 300gm claim is dishonest. White paper has all sorts of inconsistencies and gotchas. Not only did they test with different bottles vs last gen, they didn’t disclose what parameters such as winds speeds or yaw angles in their “simulations.” You can make any bike look faster than the other by playing to its strengths and not disclosing it. They really failed on this one and I’m a big trek fan. Not a fan of the deceptive marketing.

😮

Its obviously just marketing BS... but the price alone is enough to not even bother thinking about this thing. its hilariously overpriced.

So much BS marketing going on with this bike. I’ve been a TREK fanboy forever and I already thought them quoting gains due to body position changes on Gen 7 was a bit cheesy, but this takes the cake. First they want to compare frameset weights but when they’re comparing their modeled times for a 7 hour race the bikes are compared “as sold” aka Gen 8 with aero bottles and Gen 7 without (who races without bottles). In their 200w comparison they’re doing Gen 8 aero bottles Gen 7 round with same size tires (even though they didn’t come that way “as sold”). They’re basically being very choosy with what setup to present the bikes with so that it fits whatever narrative they want to create. All this is is a slightly tweaked Emonda with IsoFlow and aero bottles to make up for the aero losses of the frame they were too lazy to properly develop, and now they’re selling this ultimate compromise as some kind of innovation.

It’s not as aero as gen 7 and is heavier than the emonda. It is a complete settling situation as a business decision. That’s fine. But don’t give us all the BS Trek.

The Tarmac SL8 and new madone are not more aero than the SL7 and the gen 7 madone.

gen 8 Madone = emonda. and havier than emonda.

Does Trek lie? Well they are in business.

they just play geometry game,cut some weight with size

Who was the break away rider that just lost the tdf stage because of this slower madone. Not a good look for trek. At least specialized non aero bike is light.

It makes me laugh, all the brands have done a full circle. All the bikes look like they did some what 10 years ago, but with disc brakes and electric groupsets🙄🤣

Is such a heavy bike, definitely going to laugh and pass

today i actually brought up this topic with a Trek store sales person who is very young and seems to have knowledge. he said that G7 is more aero only under very heavy (head) wind, i think that's what he meant. under normal wind condition, G7 and G8 are the same, but G8 is lighter so that gives G8 an edge.

Gen7 is better looking, by the way I doubt Gen8 can sustain cobblestone race.

Not a fan of trek because of bullshit style American marketing and corporate shit (same reason I don't like apple). this bike actually looks pretty good, but imo this move is a nail in the coffin for trek road bikes. It's not sl7. So not aero killer because no one will fuckin use those funky bottles xd

Ghastly looking bike

Out of the big 3 Tarmac > Propel > Madone

Gen 8 is not that great.

I hate the look of new madone

An honest critique - why is this video so long? I assume he wanted to pass the 10 minutes mark to enable monetization, but majority of the information provided could be given with one minute. I'm not saying he should make a short or a tiktok out of it, but it's just 10 minutes of mumbling the same things over and over again.