Bike Hugger 

While lacking the latest carbon technology, using bonded round tubes and lugs, the Trek Madone is still a favorite race bike contender with it’s predictable, solid handling, reasonable weight, and refined ride. A criticism of Trek is that they rely on 15-yr old technology in their frames. That changed when they started incrementally updating the frames based on the systems approach Lance and company took to bike racing.

What I noticed in the first years of Madones is that there’s a real road feel. Where carbon was always “wooden” and dull feeling, you can feel the road in the Madones. You can also throw that bike into a corner and know what to expect coming out the other side. It’s not the lightest carbon bike, but it’s also not sketchy and descends like it’s on rails.

For 07, the Wines of Washington team is racing on Team Issue Project One Madones – a custom paint job, with Shimano Dura Ace, Ritchey components, and my choice in Hed Jet 60s. I took this photo against a round-about backdrop in the Tri-Cities. We were there for Mother’s day and rode some good miles with old friends.

In upcoming review, we’ll feature the S-Works Tarmac SL, which is about as technologically advanced as a racing bike gets.