All new Trek Madone SLR drops IsoSpeed for IsoFlow for lightest bike yet

At this point, if you’ve been paying attention you’ve probably already caught a glimpse of the new Madone SLR. Trek hasn’t exactly been hiding it from view, but now it’s official. To make the lightest Madone yet, Trek followed input from their top racers to redesign the IsoSpeed system to make the bike lighter – while simultaneously making it more aero and maintaining the ride comfort as well.

Looking at the back of the bike, it’s clear that the new frame is different. The adjustable IsoSpeed system is gone in favor of a wild-looking seat tube junction with a large hole in the middle.

This also results in a seat tube that is cantilevered out from the top tube. Combined with the IsoFlow design below, this is said to provide much of the vertical compliance of the original IsoSpeed system, but in a lighter design and without any moving parts. Trek claims the new bike is almost 300g lighter than the previous Madone.

The IsoFlow design combines with refined Kammtail shaping for the frame tubes, and a new bar/stem combo to make the entire package more aerodynamic. The result is a claimed 19 watts saved, or roughly 60 seconds per hour faster than the previous-gen 6 Madone when measured at 45km/h. As Trek tells it, of those 19 watts saved, 9.3w from come from the bike itself, while 9.7w stem from position change of the rider thanks to the new bar/stem.

2023 Trek Madone SLR Geometry

Built around Trek’s H1.5 geometry, the Madone is aggressive enough for pro-Tour riders, but can also be fit for the average cyclist. Obviously, the new seat tube design will somewhat limit saddle height, so there are two different seat masts, Tall and Short. The geometry chart above shows the minimum and maximum saddle rail height with both options for every size. Bike sizes 47-54 will ship with the short post installed, and bikes 56-62cm bikes will get the tall. Additional posts will be available, and all stock posts are 0mm offset. There will be a 20mm offset post as well.

New Bar/Stem

Up front, the Madone will feature a new SLR bar/stem design which uses flared drops to put the rider in a more aerodynamic position. The 3cm flare means a rider on a 42cm bar will be 39cm at the hoods, and 42cm at the drops. That should make you more aero when you need it, while providing power and control while sprinting.

Bare/Stem Details

• The width on this bar is measured at the drops
• The tops are 3 cm narrower than the drops
• Reach: 80 mm
• Drop: 124 mm
• Blendr compatible
• Stem/Bar combo sizes per frame size: 47cm: 38×80 mm, 50 & 52: 40×90 mm, 54: 42×90 mm, 56-58: 42×100 mm, 60-62: 44×110 mm

While Trek is excited about the new Bar/Stem combo, they also know that it won’t work for everyone. Because of that, the Madone has different bearing covers for the headset to allow it to work with any standard road stem on the market.

Frame Details

Built with Trek’s premier 800 Series OCLV carbon, it’s paired with a KVF full carbon fork with a tapered carbon steerer. As you might expect from a modern super bike, the Madone SLR is only compatible with electronic drivetrains. You’ll find a T47 threaded bottom bracket, standard 142 x 12mm and 100 x 12mm thru axles, and flat mount disc brakes with a maximum rotor size of 160mm. There’s also a removable front derailleur hanger – so if you want to go 1x (which Trek says is more aero), you can. Trek also claims that the cable routing is basically the same as the previous generation Madone. Finally, Trek gives the Madone an official tire clearance of 700c x 28mm.

The new Madone SLR will be available in a handful of colors and in six different builds–three SRAM and three Shimano builds, including the new 105 Di2. At the time of launch the Madone SLR will not be available on Project One, but it will be in the near future.

2023 Trek Madone SLR Pricing

2023 Trek Madone SLR Claimed Weights

trekbikes.com