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First look: Trek Madone 6 Series

Bontrager have moved away from paired spoking patterns to a more conventional layout on their latest generation of wheels, saying the wider rim profiles are now stiff enough to handle the asymmetrical loading and can be made lighter than before

  • Trek's newest 6 Series Madone will quickly see duty under Lance Armstrong and the Astana team in this year's Tour de France
  • Trek say their new StepJoint design saves weight and also produces a more predictable ride quality by maintaining tube wall thickness throughout the entire joint with no excess material
  • The stepped male end joins to a similarly profiled female end
  • Trek's new Resin Right manufacturing process yields a much cleaner and more consistent interior surface finish than before
  • The inner surface finish is now just as good as the outer surface, leaving less excess material and thus less extra weight to carry around
  • Last year's deeper-section seatmast design has been traded for a round profile on the 6 Series Madone
  • The 6 Series Madone continues to use a wishbone-style rear end...
  • … but the size difference between the chainstays and seatstays has grown wider
  • The driveside chainstay is taller and thinner while the non-driveside stay is substantially wider and more rounded
  • Inside the head tube lies a new asymmetrical E2 tapered steerer tube that is slightly bulged on the sides for better handling but pared down on the front and back sides for more flex over bumps
  • The new internal derailleur cable routing system can be used with either mechanical or electronic drivetrains. Special plugs and guides are inserted when using Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 electronic group
  • The integrated cable routing is decidedly clean at both the entry and exit points
  • The clever bottom bracket cable guide can also be swapped out for an integrated Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 battery mount
  • The chunky non-driveside chainstay now accepts a DuoTrap integrated wireless speed and cadence sensor
  • Trek claims its 90mm-wide BB90 bottom bracket design is better than BB30 in that it allows for a wider down tube and seat tube plus more widely spaced chain stays. Improved tolerances plus a new slight press-fit sizing in the bearing seats cut down on creaking relative to earlier Madones
  • The asymmetrical down tube's height and width is maintained all the way through to the bottom bracket shell while the seat tube has grown shallower front-to-back for more comfort
  • Trek has adopted a bolder and more aggressive look for its latest Madone range
  • The new seat tube profile forces a switch to a braze-on front derailleur mount that is reinforced at both the top and bottom for more precise shifting
  • The driveside rear dropout now serves double duty as a housing stop and all frame entry/exit points are sized to fit Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 connectors
  • Aluminium is still used at both the fork tips and rear dropouts on the 6 Series Madone for durability
  • Trek will offer a wide range of colour options for the 6 Series Madone in addition to a customisable parts spec. Rather than stock complete bikes, all 6 Series Madones will be stocked as frame-only and then built to order
  • In addition to the standard range of Project One custom options, Trek will also offer special 'Signature Series' versions with more elaborate paint schemes
  • Yes, now you too can have a bike just like Lance's through Trek's Project One programme
  • Trek will also offer the new 6 Series Madone in a WSD geometry with shorter top tubes and longer head tubes
  • Optional 'stealth' graphics made for a subtle appearance
  • Last year's Madone will be renamed as the '5 Series Madone', all using the mid-level OCLV Black carbon construction
  • The 5 Series Madone continues to use the tapered E2 front end design from last year
  • Though the 6 Series Madone now uses a round seatmast cap, the 5 Series will still use last year's more oval-like shape
  • The 5 Series Madone soldiers on into the 2010 model year essentially unchanged from last year and as such is not compatible with the new DuoTrap integrated computer sensor system
  • Women's-specific WSD versions of the Trek 5 Series Madone get updated colour schemes for 2010
  • Trek have also redesigned their third-tier Madone range with many of the features included on the top-end 6 Series flagships
  • Conventional telescoping seatposts are used on the new Trek 4 Series Madone
  • The new 4 Series Madone is also DuoTrap compatible
  • The 4 Series Madone carries on with a simpler clamp-on front derailleur arrangement
  • The 4 Series Madone frames use external cable routing
  • Bontrager have moved away from paired spoking patterns to a more conventional layout on their latest generation of wheels, saying the wider rim profiles are now stiff enough to handle the asymmetrical loading and can be made lighter than before
  • Bontrager have shifted from DT Swiss-made hubs to their own design almost across the board that they say are stiffer, faster engaging and more durable
  • Like all of the all-carbon Aeolus wheels, the 65mm-deep Aeolus 6.5 is based on the Race XXX Lite rim but with an aerodynamic cap bonded on top
  • The newest Aeolus 9.0 wheelset is the deepest that Bontrager offer
  • The Bontrager Race XXX Lite wheels lose two spokes up front and drop 30g per pair
  • Hubs on the lightest Bontrager Race XXX Lite shallow-section wheels, however, are still made by DT Swiss
  • New customisation programmes mean that consumers will now be able to choose between 10 different decal colours for their Aeolus wheels, from orange…
  • … to pink and nearly everything in between
  • Riders preferring the braking performance of an aluminum rim can opt for the Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 ACC
  • The revised Bontrager Race XXX Lite road bar now features slightly forward-sweeping tops to reduce forearm interference while in the drops along with slightly longer hooks to provide more room for your hands
  • The revised Bontrager Race XXX Lite carbon stem is now approved for both road and mountain bike use
  • The opposing-bolt steerer clamp uses replaceable hardware

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Bontrager have moved away from paired spoking patterns to a more conventional layout on their latest generation of wheels, saying the wider rim profiles are now stiff enough to handle the asymmetrical loading and can be made lighter than before

© James Huang