Trek says that at 40km/h, the Madone 9-Series saves you 19 watts over a non-aero road bike.
But that number changes depending on how fast you’re going and whether you’re drafting (it goes down to 14 in that case). Your absolute savings can also depend on other factors, including your position on the bike and even what you’re wearing.
So what might be more meaningful to know is how riding this aero race bike feels, compared with an ultralight but non-aero road race bike: Like getting a rocket-start in Mario Kart, only all the time. Everything is a little easier and yet you’re moving a little faster. In a group, going at a social pace, you may have to feather the brakes a bit more than usual to avoid half-wheeling the rider next to you.
If for some reason you end up lollygagging and dropping behind by more than a half a km on a descent (say, to take a photo), you can relax knowing that in about 15 seconds you will coast up behind the pedaling pack. You may even feel a subtle “turbo boost” when you’re speeding into a hill after a small dip, traveling a few extra metres before running out of momentum.
And even when you take the Madone’s intensely engineered aerodynamic features – like its airfoil tube shaping and frame-specific integrated brakes – out of consideration, so much else about this bike is designed to make you go faster. The carbon frame of the women’s version we tested is identical to the standard Madone 9-Series in the H2 fit – shorter and more upright than the H1 frame most of the pros ride, but just as effective at allowing you to make watts (says Trek).
When you’re hammering, the bike shoots up the road with mercenary efficiency. In a sprint, the bike feels unified from the one-piece bar and stem – which on the women’s bike is narrower and has a shorter stem to accommodate a smaller rider – through to the back end, with no flopping.
And my, does this bike take a corner. The Madone 9-Series laser-cuts turns so precisely, and feels so stuck to the road that when you’re heading fast into a flat, 90-degree right hander you may decide that instead of lopping off the apex, you’ll surgically follow the curve of the road.
Compared to other race bikes, the Madone strikes a wonderful balance between quickness and stability—a sure shooter that steers easily from the hips, making it fun to aim into hard turns.
The IsoSpeed decoupler technology allows an internal seatpost to flex inside the airfoil-shaped seat tube, contributing to a ride that’s not just smooth for an aero bike, but on par with non-aero race bikes like the Specialized Tarmac and Amira. Compared to the top-end Madone 9.9, with the Bontrager Aeolus 5 wheels, the Madone 9.5 with its Vision Metron 40 wheels is a little harsher on very chopped-up surfaces. But everywhere else, the Madone 9.5 rides smooth enough to be pleasant for long rides, and it’s even not-bad on more mannerly gravel roads.
And it won’t scare the crap out of you in crosswinds. The ultrareliable Ultegra Di2 group ensures that you’ll waste no pedal strokes in a misshift, and the women’s Bontrager Ajna Pro saddle that we tested is a comfortable seat from which to push power for hours.
Trek says that many riders who buy this bike don’t actually race. I hear that: Who doesn’t want that edge in town-line sprints or on long hammerfests with your friends? Depending on your reasons, you may find it less important to go faster than to feel faster. But either way, on the Madone 9.5, you’ll do both.
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