Trek Madone 2023 Review | Trek Ditches Iconic IsoSpeed System!

When Trek launched the latest, 7th generation of the Madone SLR, it turned heads thanks to its radical rethink of the seat tube / top tube junction.
Trek called it IsoFlow, removing the previous compliance-improving IsoSpeed system entirely, with the intention of improving aerodynamics and saving a little weight.
But that wasn’t the only change to the latest Madone. There’s a straighter top tube, deeper profiles around the head tube and bottom bracket to fill the UCI’s so-called ‘compensation zones’, plus a remodelled integrated bar-stem that’s said to help the rider improve their aerodynamics.
It all sounds pretty enticing to a racer or a speed-obsessed sportive challenger, but does the Madone belong at the top table of aero-optimized race machines?
What do you think of the IsoFlow system? Would you choose the Madone or the endurance focussed new Domane? Let us know your thoughts in the comments
Chapters
00.00 Intro
01:05 Specs
03:30 Geometry
04:18 Performance
06:24 IsoFlow
07:38 Finishing Kit
09:17 Groupset, Wheels & Tyres
11:15 Conclusion
#bikeradar #trekmadone #review
NEW Trek Domane | Lightest Disc-Brake Domane EVER!
→ • NEW Trek Domane | Ligh...
Aero Vs. Climbing Wheels: Which is Fastest?
→ • Aero Vs. Climbing Whee...
Dura-Ace Is Pointless | NEW Shimano Ultegra Di2 Groupset Review
→ • Dura-Ace Is Pointless ...
2022 Orbea Orca Aero Road Bike Review | *Aero Lunchbox Not Compulsory
→ • 2022 Orbea Orca Aero R...
Giant Propel 2023 | A 6.91KG Aero Road Bike... With Disc Brakes!
→ • Giant Propel 2023 | A ...
9 Ways to STOP Noisy Disc Brakes!
→ • 9 Ways to STOP Noisy D...
Listen to the BikeRadar Podcast
→ www.bikeradar....
Follow BikeRadar on our social media channels:
→ / bikeradar
→ / bikeradar
→ / bikeradar
BikeRadar is supported by Mountain Biking UK and Cycling Plus Magazine -For more information and to subscribe please visit
→ bit.ly/3nMr3Rn
For more content like this see our latest subscription offer -
→ www.cyclingplu...
→ www.mbuk.com/s...

[@asams7255]

I think it's a good looking machine but the price is ridiculous.

[@ivanbb1070]

My favorite bike design was the BMC Timemachine. But, the new Trek Madone SLR 2023 is the coolest looking bike now not bec of the ISO flow design but just from the overall design. ISO flow design definitely makes it unique and very recognizable from other models.

[@MrAttilaabri]

I have the Time Machine and I love it but I’m really tempted to pull the trigger on this one!

[@Blah-blah-sure]

I agree. Too me a lot of bikes look like they were made in a Chinese cookie press factory.

[@whizler]

With a headline that blares "YES, the Isoflow Hole DOES Work!" you'd think there'd be some real meat in this review to prove it. But that's not what we got. The main takeaway seems to be that Isoflow fixes a problem of Trek's own creation. And with the bike's eye-popping cost, you have to wonder whether that's because of the added complications of building an Isoflow frame. A frame that still doesn't appear to add very much, except cost. If I were an "aspiring racer", I certainly wouldn't pay a minimum of $8k for this bike, with its mere Shimano 105 Di2.

[@amitkumar-wj8gn]

Thank you for saying this!!

[@nickzeller5931]

Trek makes one solid road bike - the Emonda.

[@PuneethBedre]

Price on bikes have gone absolutely out of control. Between groupset price increases to frame sets.

[@shanewiseman5729]

The chinese must of lifted their supply costs 🤣

[@sudochugi]

Love Trek bikes. That is all I have purchased for 40 years.

[@edlorenz1552]

Wow. Think of all the great bikes you've missed on the opportunity to ride.

[@MiguelGuila]

I really like the Trek look and most colors on the higher end, however, these prices are ridiculous. The Canyon Ultimate Ultegra Di2 Aero is only a little more than £5k and already comes with integrated power meter.

[@del4189]

I think the Aeroad CFR Di2 is more comparable, that comes in at £9,099.

[@Flashback_Jack]

One year later, the bike gods heard you out. The 2024 Madone SL7 Gen7 is pretty much identical spec to the Canyon Aeroad Ultegra Di2.

[@kidsafe]

Fact check: The previous Madone already came in H1.5, not H1/H2.

[@Timtimzi]

the bike industry ran out of ideas and marketing dept is high af .. If you get one, make sure you stick a baguette through the hole The s5 having a hole makes more sense. Similar design to the Hayabusa motos

[@gamingaccount4935]

Tips for other bike brands: 1. build a radical design that is different from other manufacturers, as if there is an extraordinary innovation in the research. 2. The design made must be very complex so it is difficult to prove it's improvement over previous model. If people can't prove your claim wrong, then your claim is true... 👍🤣 (But don't forget to put a CFD animation video on the ad)

[@ThomasHubik]

3. Next gen: take out, and saying u wanted simpicity and weight reduction, and anyway it is not needed now, with the wider tires/gears/smaller handlebars/etc. Then go on with the same tires size as before and the smallest max tire size among the new bikes! :D

[@danielnatorp1493]

I simply like the Bike, it is among the most interesting bikes of contemporary road racing.

[@aneczka2114]

I think this is the best looking bike iv seen in a really long time

[@davehause8571]

With the amazing aero gains and claimed wattage savings, I'm surprised WVA rode Quinn Simmons off his wheel in the TdF. Also, shocked that the entire Trek-Segafredo team didn't place 1 through 8 at the Tour. Maybe Trek needs to put a hole in the head tube.

[@johnamiellorzano677]

its the rider not the bike 🤫

[@robpittman3132]

Or you know, their team needs stronger riders. Though, Pedersen had his share of wins this year aboard the Madone.

[@justingrout8037]

@@robpittman3132 pretty sure this was sarcasm

[@dascott60]

I had a Domane with IsoSpeed once, it added a hunk of weight without much benefit. Wider tires, lower pressures now take my comfort way beyond IsoSpeed. Comfort on carbon frames has been transformative for me.

[@robpittman3132]

I've got a Boone with IsoSpeed and with 12 000 km on it in the last couple of years, I've never experienced any lower back pain. It's obviously going to be less relevant on a road bike, but it doesn't hurt...except in the added weight, which, on the previous generation Madone and Domane had gotten to the point of being ridiculous.

[@Ih8GoogleandApple]

I’ll continue to race with my Caad 9 with rim brakes and manual shifting. And my 58 with Hyper wheels weighs 14 1/2 lbs

[@henryponiovasquez]

You are sourgraping because you can’t afford a new tech bike

[@NoahStephens]

@@henryponiovasquezyep

[@amitkumar-wj8gn]

A 105 equipped bike (no don't give me the IT IS DI2) for almost 7k. At this point, I genuinely do not know what is happening in the bike market. There are genuine geniuses with decades of experience who will build frames to your size and needs for much lesser than that. And I am sorry, Trek has tried to solve a problem it created. "Less complication" because they made things more complicated. And at 8.3 kg without "pedals, bottle cages" it is a bike over 9 kilos with a bottle of water. Unless you are Pro, "Aero" won't hold advantage of normal roads beyond a few mins every hour or so. Cycling, eh

[@DavidTodor]

You’re right… and I see no reason to buy this bike. If aero is the main selling point, there are many other offerings from other manufacturers, but this bike is a fail in my opinion.

[@raphaeltiziani7476]

it wont go on forever. People will just stop buying these bikes in times of economical regression. Chinese brands will rise.

[@amitkumar-wj8gn]

@@raphaeltiziani7476 that is the hope. And let's be honest, it is thanks to KZbinrs like China Cycling, Trace Velo, even Cam Nicholls, Hambini and Peak Torque that we are seeing the truth. These channels wouldn't have highlighted Chinese frames at all.

[@raphaeltiziani7476]

@@amitkumar-wj8gn very true

[@vika0194]

@@raphaeltiziani7476 These bikes sell 30-40% cheaper after 1 year. I don’t understand why anybody would buy a brand new one at these prices.

[@valiantabello]

You have no wind tunnel and yet claim IsoFlow "works". Ok. This is an AD.

[@mattk8810]

Lol. Exactly its an advertorial!

[@bikeradar]

Hey Valiant. We have amended the title of this video to better reflect the nature of this review, which is an assessment of the Madone's ride quality, where it sits in the market and performance. It's true that we don't have access to a wind tunnel (as much as we would love to!) and the title didn't reflect the fact we haven't put Trek's aero claims to the test. I will, however, add that all of BikeRadar's reviews are editorially independent and will *never* be for sale. Any sponsored content we produce will be clearly marked as such (I've included an example at the end of this comment). Check out this article if you would like to learn how BikeRadar makes money: www.bikeradar.com/news/how-does-bikeradar-make-money/ I hope that clarifies things and apologies we didn't get it right with the first title. Jack Luke kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5fMl4VmrZeKfMU

[@rickbeckner9906]

Jack Luke - thanks for clarifying, but I don’t quite follow the first and second sentence of your second paragraph. Isn’t a paid promotion in a sense ceding some editorial control to the paying company? Or does the first sentence only apply to non-sponsored content?

[@bikeradar]

@@rickbeckner9906 Hey Rick. That's correct - our reviews (such as this video, and any reviews you see on BikeRadar.com) are not for sale. We value and fiercely defend our editorial independence. Sometimes we will, however, work with commercial partners to produce content where their support helps us make the content we want to produce. The wheel depth comparison video linked above is a good example of this. Another example would be our Gravel Diaries series, which we produced in collaboration with Genesis Bikes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kILKXq2ulKxqgpY Fundamentally, BikeRadar is made up of a great team of passionate cyclists and we value the trust our audience places in us. I'm happy to answer any more questions you may have on this, either here or via [e-mail] Jack

[@rickbeckner9906]

@@bikeradar thanks for the prompt response and clarification.

[@djtreyb3835]

Thanks guys so much for posting and honest review there doesn’t seem to be much content or formal reviews of the bike or many in the wild as demos since the launch. Be cool if you could have done a compare to the gen 6 current one and differences. Maybe is it really faster etc

[@zzhughesd]

Yes sandwiches fit. It does what it says on tin. It retains lunch items.

[@ApolloHeliosPhoebus]

Unless you stick a ruddy great unexpected hole in said tin.

[@2wheelsr2wheels39]

Trek bikes have been light with a great feel for many years. Unfortunately the mark up in the cycling industry especially the upper echelon have been way overpriced for many years. Now MSRP prices are absolutely insane.

[@NoahStephens]

If the prices are “insane” why do people keep paying them?

[@zegerderoose5401]

great review , may I ask how tall you are ? ( I'm 180 cm and in the middle between a size 56 OR 58)

[@AshleyQuinlanBikeRadar]

Hi, I'm 188cm / 6ft 2in tall. I tend to prefer riding a bike on the smaller side given the choice, as I tend to flit between 56/58cm myself depending on geometry and fit. AQ.

[@zegerderoose5401]

thank you@@AshleyQuinlanBikeRadar

[@thatguy9051]

"Trek says their isoflow works".............. next customer.......

[@JFomo]

It's a cool bike and I like it. Sad about the price but oh well, it's where the industry is going. Buy it now!

[@shanewiseman5729]

Treks new Iso cashflow

[@edjack1993]

It’s no doubt been tested to destruction but that seatpost still looks like an obvious point of failure. Suspect this design will date pretty quickly too. All that said, I haven’t ridden this bike, so what the fuck do I know.

[@petetube99]

The guy that reviewed it said the best thing about the seatpost is you dont notice it, so you're right.

[@mateussousa3551]

A minha está chgando!🎨🚲🚴🚵

[@TnFruit]

How can you save 40 seconds for example at 40km/h? This is bs.

[@ravenone6255]

You would think at that price the color would be better 🤔

[@alexm1841]

There are 5 color options

[@Spartan_-du9wi]

Understandable TREK basically said "You want comfort?........Go buy the Domane" Interesting part of the review is the tester using the hoods turned in. That alone can count for speed. Overall good review.

[@RicoRico1982]

I wonder if the seatube base can withstand heavy riders when hitting a hump or small pot holes

[@joseruben777]

How this compares with the Ribble Ultra SLR?

[@michaelborromeo8238]

Well written and well delivered review. Great video!

[@usman5140]

You mean ad

[@ccrccrosa]

Good review! I was just curious of my Madone 2011 weight. For my surprise, with aluminum wheels it weighted 8 kilos. I rode triathlon with Trek Madone 2020 ( previous version from this video), it is quiet nice. But I wonder, is this Trek design a bit overblown ? In my case If had to decide I would go for Emonda, not sure how much that Madone aerodynamic would give advantages other than tiny advantage in final sprint...

[@philchevrier]

No matter how much they claim they removed the isospeed due to weight concerns, there's no denying that it was a big failure reliability-wise and cost Trek a LOT in warranty frame replacements. As someone who finally managed to get my faulty gen6 frame replaced for a new gen7 (not a fast, simple or frustration-free process I assure you), I can only celebrate the fact that I won't have to deal with and swear at that system...

[@NewPolishScientist]

Price for 105 - lol

[@ilanpi]

I thought BikeRadar did a video on how to pronounce "Bontrager."

[@haksaw123]

Definitely a beautiful design excercise. But is it worth the price when it has yet to produce the goods. I do like the looks but am not impressed by marketing BS. They made it cheaper to cover a previous experiment and charge more. Go figure.

[@Sir-Prizse]

Modern road bikes are just too over-complex for me.

[@KoenMiseur]

All good and well with the isoflow, but if you ride on a wet road, aren't you going to get more wet on the back of your legs?!

[@alainpfammatter8224]

Love the new Madone. Its a shame you cant buy it atm! At least in Switzerland not available….

[@Numeriwar]

Id rather take the Propel or the Foil Rc. That isoflow and seat tube look ridiculous.

[@petetube99]

Nearly 9 kg with pedals? A used Specialized Allez off ebay would smoke this up a climb. 🤣🤣

[@twatts4436]

Either the marketing claims, or the explanation of them, need to be reviewed. If you're travelling at a given speed, you can't save time. Speed is distance over time. What is more likely is that at the same power needed to travel X speed on the old model, you're travelling at Y speed - hence to travel the same distance you save some time. I get that folks better understand time, rather than Watts - bit the way the aero savings are described are illogical.

[@LeesChannel]

Well, watts are more favorable, because the faster you go the less watts make a difference. If you were to compare speed for a given wattage the difference would be negligible, because wind drag scales with the square of speed. Basically, every 8mph requires a doubling of wattage, so a few watts makes nearly no difference.

[@JogBird]

now stap on some lights, a saddle bag for spares/tools, and a couple of water bottles and see how aero it still is

[@ramonrios9271]

It's a race bike. It's not supposed to have lights or saddle bags. I think we, as consumers, should stop looking and buying pro level equipment that were clearly not designed for everyday use. You don't see people criticizing Ferrari for not having enough seats or a luggage rack

[@davehause8571]

And put your average 180 lbs rider on it.

[@LeesChannel]

@@davehause8571 That 180 lb rider will be 145 after all the organs he had to harvest to purchase the bike.

[@petetube99]

@@ramonrios9271 None of these bikes will get raced, they are aimed at rich poseurs. No crit racer wants to lose £10,000 snapping that heavy slow arsed frameset in a crash.

[@NoahStephens]

@@ramonrios9271Thank you. The Ferrari comparison is perfect. People really are kinda dumb.

[@jevgeniardassov]

Thank you. I’d take my Domane with Force AXS for 4000 usd.

[@CharlesCarranza]

Seems like the bike is more style than substance. Too bad bc it's probably one of the nicest looking bikes out there right now.

[@yspegel]

since I don't race.... I just prefer to look at bikes that don't care about UCI. The nr1 most stupid narrow vision behavior lots of cyclists have. We look at bikes with restrictions that don't apply to most cyclists. Yet paying for materials that cost more for less performance because they have to adjust to those stupid limiting rules.

[@greenbee001]

Does the dirt fly through the IsoHole and lands on the water bottle ?

[@styven77]

Yes it does! Witnessed this yesterday in a rain ride, a mate has one of these bikes. His front bottle was filthy 😂

[@mjharrisleeds]

Yes I noticed on my first ride

[@mattk8810]

This is an AD!

[@adamkubiak1933]

Thank you. Size L, meaning 58 or 56?

[@alfonsolizarazo9806]

Seriously I’m loosing interest in cycling because of all these reasons overpriced and over complicated gear. I own a trek with iso speed and can’t really tell the difference, I don’t race and probably never will again..

[@samuraioodon]

When you ‘rip someone a new a-hole,’ where does the new one go? Trek madone.

[@willalm830]

What's it called BS, man they all go into a wind tunnel, and they all lock the same as do cars that aero is same o and now they have a polo bike with a hole Bs bang another 3 grand on delivery next year fingers crossed, at least Orbea has a giant lunch box more useful than a hole

[@mohamadjamil3164]

Can you please do the pinarello dogma f

[@doctorj7112]

Are these bike manufactures aware that the prices of these bikes are IN SANE!! In the early 2000s I remember buying a BRAND NEW DUCATI for 17k... BRAND NEW!!! These bikes are ENGINELESS and damn near that amount. It's Its crazy man. I have a 2017 Cervelo S3 and I thought about upgrading. When I saw the prices of these bikes and how they have double in the last 6 years, I'll just keep what I have SMH

[@HMSITH]

The time savings claimings by trek doesnt make sense, you cant save 60 secs at 45 kph, 59 secs at 35 kph , 58 secs at 25kph, its impossible, drag is not linear, increases more as fast you go , this is next level bs, wait until Hambini roast this claims.

[@mitchellsteindler]

You forgot to do math. 25kph is 45% slower, which means it takes 45% longer to get that 58-60s time savings.

[@kidShibuya]

@@mitchellsteindler Shh! Let him think he and hambini are geniuses.

[@HMSITH]

@@mitchellsteindler what trek claim is his bike saves 58 secs in a hour of ride compared with the previous version at the same speed, of course you cover more ground at higher speed, but we are talking about drag, the claims are impossible to achieve you cannot save basically the same at 25 and 45 kph, doesnt make sense

[@mitchellsteindler]

@@HMSITH they're not clear on if they're talking about over a 1 hour period, or over the same 45 km, but I'm guessing it's over the 45 km, otherwise it wouldn't makes sense.

[@HMSITH]

@@mitchellsteindler nothing of this make sense, its just marketing to sell a expensive bike at a overprice pricetag.

[@ironray123]

I would take a Madone if somebody gave it to me. Honestly though, after riding for 40 years, you get used to whatever level of bike you've got. A superbike is nice but certainly not a necessity to enjoy the great open road.

[@GNX157]

BikeRadar, you’re saying Bontrager wrong.

[@lopon12]

Still not convinced.

[@LeesChannel]

$30,199!!! You could buy a brand new car for that money! A 2022 Ford Mustang is only $27K! Anyone who pays for that is out of their minds, just think about it from a pure materials standpoint. That bike is almost pure profit. You could buy 2 full velomobiles for that price! A bike made of pure, precious silver would be six times cheaper!

[@LeesChannel]

I sure hope that was 13K and not 30K I heard.

[@overthetarget9401]

@@LeesChannel It's 13K but the guy pronounced it like 30K for some reason. Maybe the amount they get for shilling these overpriced and cheaply manufactured throw-away bikes. Truth is, the engineering and QC on even the most expensive mass produced carbon frames out there ranges from barely acceptable to absolutely atrocious.

[@LeesChannel]

@@overthetarget9401 I'd still rather have that Mustang over 2 of these bikes. It's just insane what they're charging for what you're getting. It's magic bean territory.

[@overthetarget9401]

@@LeesChannel Agreed, it's sad to see the bike industry moving into this direction but not surprising, whatever industry you look into that started out with smaller, more individual manufacturers eventually gets taken over by the money hungry global corporate conglomerates who couldn't care less about the product they are hawking nor their customers, it's all about the bottom line.

[@ravenmoto5948]

@@overthetarget9401 If people stopped buying these overpriced bikes, prices would go down

[@petetube99]

Another dentist barrister bike, meanwhile actual amateur racers seek out lightweight, often rimbrake, bikes from 5-10 years ago. The bike industry has badly lost it's way.

[@drooghead]

Definitely no. Give me a bike with non-proprietary parts over some quirky gimmick.

[@ehywa9799]

😍😍😍👍👍👍

[@Timtimzi]

the bike industry ran out of ideas and marketing dept is high af

[@donwinston]

I think the iso flow thing is a gimmick and looks terrible. I like the flatter top tube, new handle bars, aero fork, and aero down tube/head tube. Unfortunately it is frigging expensive. The new Giant Propel is just as "aero", lighter, and cheaper.

[@jonathanzappala]

If this bike can save that many watts, then the first madone disc was garbage. How about compared to the rim brake madone which did really well in independent tests? Peak aero is real. That is a pretty bland paint job, I’d say I’d even rather have all black. I’d rather have a better looking bike, like the venge disc (rip).

[@crimson177]

Imo a lot of aero bikes especially the Cannondale's are disgusting. But this madone has a lovely silhouette.

[@klaxxon__]

Jeez, a 105 bike for $7900...

[@paulwilliams4990]

£13800 for an ugly bike with boring colourway 😂😂

[@Blah-blah-sure]

Maybe they did away with the isospeed because it had troubles?

[@turner02]

trek makes some of the most fugly bikes out there. why anyone would buys these overpriced pos is beyond me

[@mioutdoors426]

Good old bont-rager.

[@wakeawaken430]

The roadie bike market is the most fashion victim market that exist You spend much money to gain 100gr or a more aero thing, that doesn't offer anything at all

[@laszlozoltan5021]

I would expect that seat post design to crack over time....perhaps it does already and that's why they are ditching the design. Looks cool though

[@BikeLife154]

Eyesore flow! Terrible looking bike!

[@usman5140]

I agree, it looks horrible imo

[@ferree1709]

I wish people would learn what "Iconic" means rather than using it willie-nillie.

[@Vazter]

Another BS marketing from bike industry 😂😂😂

[@robshennessy1]

absolute bull

[@HolmsOnBikes]

Please don't say "Bont Rager". It's one word, not 2 lol. BON-TRAG-ER. and aero trumps weight...every time!

[@chrischabrowicz4563]

Best looking bike, but complete bullshit from engineering point of view.

[@silver_c1oud]

Trek is Moving Away from Giant and Leaning Towards Cannondale... still Trek is my Least favorite among the big Brands

[@nelsdale1137]

Uhhh Giant is moving away from Giant except for the TCR.

[@BornInArona]

Overpriced GG

[@jeremysweeten2792]

Nope

[@solitaryrefinement6787]

That cantilevered seating section is going to fail when real world riders (i.e. non-pro 100kg+ weekend warriors) take them out on less than ideal roads. And I called IsoSpeed's demise years ago. They are just an additional area of wear that would over time become less effective and a source for structural failure (a lot like Cannondale's current headtubes). I also called the death of the PFBB's. Next to go? Lowered seat stays. I already see it happening in newer models. 25.4 seat tubes? No more. Also, the OEM 15lbs bike is a dinosaur until technology catches up. Moving forward, 16lbs out of a factory will be considered super light especially with all the aero tubing being introduced to frames (even on climbers) and mandatory disc brakes. Having said all that, the Madone between this one is by far the most beautiful areo bike ever (and I'm a Cannondale man), but if I ever buy another carbon bike, it's going to be the Specialized Aethos. Nice double triangle design, proper raised seat stays, standard BB & seat post sizing, tire clearance options and insanely light. That's a future proof design. The only thing my current '16 SuperSix EVO is missing out on is tire clearance options (25 max) and it's got the cursed PF30 (even though it's been trouble free for me). But the ride on it is what bikes today are trying to get back to.

[@andrewkeir2047]

I'll just stick to my Madone 5.9 and carry on being very competitive against these stupidly priced bikes.

[@Madtriboy]

Madone used to have a very pleasant "look". This new model with a hole in the frame is just plain ugly- an eyesore. Aero or not it's sadly no longer an attractive bike.

[@Madtriboy]

@bikeradar hitting you up for that prize 😉

[@joehiatt1992]

The bike industry has hit the wall ,all these are carbon fiber with just different tube shapes ,this trek is just sales BS ,you have standard & aero tubes, all these other shapes like this is all sales gimmicks & will disappear soon,same with shifting, its gone electronic from wired to wireless ,now they dont know what else to do so they have a GO TO which is add another useless gear which u dont need,so basically pick what u like & dont pay attention to the 5% this,10% that sales BS...until they come out with another nano tube bike everything now is just reshaped tubes,dont waste ur money