Jack Bobridge’s Project One Trek Madone

The aero ride of the Australian national champion

January 21, 2016 at 11:00 am

Just 12 months ago, Australian Jack Bobridge was riding laps of a Melbourne velodrome attempting to take the world hour record. He fell just short (by an agonisingly close 550m) of the then record of 51.852km – not quite what the once U23 time-trial world champion was looking for.

Fast-forward to now, and the 26-year-old is once again proudly wearing the national colours on his fresh Trek-Segafredo team road jersey. The gold and green stripes come after an impressive 90km solo attack at the Australian National road championships from earlier in the month. Such a win is proof that Jack is very much back and now has his sights set on a return to the track for the Rio Olympics.

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Both new to the trek-segafredo team, jack bobridge and ryder hesjedal chat prior to the start of the 2016 santos tour down under :

Team Trek-Segafredo’s new signings Jack Bobridge and Ryder Hesjedal chat at the Tour Down Under

As a breakaway specialist, Bobridge is at the Tour Down Under on Trek’s recently released aero superbike – the Madone. More specifically, it’s the Madone Race Shop Limited with Project One paint.

Compared with the Madone 9.9 you may find in a store, the Race Shop Limited offers a lower ‘H1’ head tube and 700-series carbon. Additionally, it’s made in Trek’s own Waterloo, Wisconsin carbon factory.

The new Madone is part of a new generation in ‘integrated’ bikes, where items such as the brakes, handlebar, stem and seat post are all designed from the ground up to best suit the machine.

The frame is a effectively a manual in aero design. Using deep Kammtail Virtual Foil (KVF) tube cross-sections, the frame now looks quite similar to the brand’s Speed Concept time-trial bike.

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Integrated brakes offer an impressively sleek frontal profile : integrated brakes offer an impressively sleek frontal profile

There are few bikes on the market with such refined integrated features

Tube shapes are on thing, but it’s the integrated features that really set it apart. Such examples are the Trek brake calipers designed to sit perfectly flush within the fork and rear of frame. Built around this, the head tube features fairings that open to allow space for the front brake as the handlebars are turned.

Perhaps the Madone’s most truly singular feature is its ride comfort, which we can attest defies its aero look. Here, Trek has employed the ‘IsoSpeed’ technology from its endurance-based Domane bikes, something that isolates the seat tube from the top tube via a pivot point and promotes frame compliance while seated.

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The madone 9-series comes with its own xxx handlebar and stem combination: the madone 9-series comes with its own xxx handlebar and stem combination

The handlebar and stem form a key part in the reduced frontal profile

Up front, the Madone XXX integrated handlebar and stem is certainly an item worth mentioning. It offers an incredibly minimal frontal profile, with the add-on SRM bracket perhaps being the largest part. The 120mm stem length and 40cm handlebar width combination is readily available to order.

Each member of the trek-segafredo team at the tour down under is riding a special project-one bike in the colours of their country:

All seven members of the Trek-Segafredo Tour Down Under team are on special Project One bikes

Showing off Trek’s Project One custom bike program, all members of the Trek-Segafredo team are riding nationally coloured bikes at the Tour Down Under. Coincidentally to Bobridge winning the national jersey, his TDU bike is covered in a flawless coat of yellow and green.

The rest of the bike is familiar from past Trek team bikes. Shimano’s Dura-Ace shifting is used with an SRM crank. Meanwhile the rolling stock comprises 50mm-deep Bontrager tubular wheels with VeloFlex tyres.

Via Trek’s Project One program, you can buy a bike that’s near exact to this, although such a bike starts at a cool AU$16,000 / $13,000 / £9,750.

Complete bike specifications

Frame: Trek Madone H1, 56cm
Fork: Trek Madone
Headset: Madone integrated, 1-3/8″ top, 1.5″ bottom
Stem: Madone XXX Integrated Bar/Stem, 120mm x -7 degrees
Handlebar: Madone XXX Integrated, Shallow bend, 40cm (c-c)
Tape: Bontrager Cork
Front brake: Trek Madone integrated
Rear brake: Trek Madone integrated
Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 STI Dual Control ST-9070
Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 FD-9070
Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 RD-9070
Shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 STI Dual Control ST-9070
Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-9000, 11-28T
Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-9000
Crankset: SRM Shimano 11-speed, 172.5mm, 53/39T
Bottom bracket: Trek BB90, steel bearing
Pedals: Shimano 9000 Dura-ace
Wheelset: Bontrager Aeolus 5 DR3 tubular
Front tyre: Veloflex Criterium, 23mm
Rear tyre: Veloflex Criterium, 23mm
Saddle: Bontrager Paradigm XXX, 138mm width
Seatpost: Bontrager long, 25mm set-back
Bottle cages: Bontrager XXX Cage (2)
Computer: SRM Power Control 7, Bontrager DuoTrap ANT+ speed sensor

Critical measurements

Rider’s height: 1.8m (5ft 11in)
Rider’s weight: 65kg (143lb)
Saddle height from BB, c-t: 752mm
Saddle setback: 85mm
Seat tube length (c-t): 525mm
Tip of saddle to middle of bar: 615mm
Saddle-to-bar drop: 100mm
Head tube length: 140mm
Top tube length (effective): 560mm
Total bicycle weight: 7.21kg (15.90lb), without SRM Power Control 7 head unit