Carbon aero road bike Trek Madone SLR 7 purple phaze: 796 g frame, Ultegra Di2, Aeolus Pro 51, 7.52 kg

Trek Madone SLR 7 Purple Phaze: climb without giving up aero

Equipped with OCLV Series 900 carbon, Shimano Ultegra Di2 2x12 and Aeolus Pro 51 carbon wheels, the Trek Madone SLR 7 Gen 8 comes in at 7.52 kg in size ML. Its painted frame weighs just 796 g in this size, making it a true climber's bike despite its profiled tubes. The Purple Phaze/Amethyst Marble colourway blends a deep purple with amethyst marbling and shifting reflections.

Technical specifications

Who is it for?

For the climber who collects mountain passes, from the Caroux to the Pic de Nore, and who until now was torn between a light bike and an aero bike. It will also appeal to lighter riders: this colourway goes down to XS, with 160 mm cranks in XS and S.

The LVR workshop view

OCLV carbon, Trek's signature. Since 1992, Trek has pressed its fibre sheets under heat and pressure to drive out micro-voids. Each step up the OCLV range reduces the amount of material needed for a given stiffness, and the Series 900 of the Madone SLR 7 is the pinnacle: 3D moulding, fewer sheet overlaps, and strength up to 20% greater than OCLV 800. The result: 796 g for the painted frame in ML and the Trek lifetime warranty.

Put simply: with the same groupset and wheels, the step from the Madone SL 7 to the SLR 7 comes down to the frame and cockpit. You save 350 g on the complete bike in size ML, and the one-piece Aero RSL bar/stem replaces the separate bar and stem, at the cost of less flexible position adjustment.

The old dilemma between Émonda and Madone is gone: Trek has merged the two models into one, with an SLR frame and fork 320 g lighter than those of the Gen 7 Madone. On climbs, this saving shows when you accelerate out of the saddle, and the aero profile takes over as soon as the gradient eases.

On the long, steady climb of the Caroux, the 36x30 suits a lean climber; at a moderate pace, a wider cassette (34 teeth maximum on the derailleur) can be considered in the workshop. The cotton-casing Aeolus RSL RD tyres deliver real efficiency on the rough roads of the hinterland.

Which Madone should you choose?

Our take: in the mountains, every gram counts: the SLR 9 saves a further 470 g over this SLR 7, but most of the gap with the SL 7, namely 350 g, is already gained here thanks to the OCLV 900 frame.

Your questions

Why buy from LVR Cycles? In Béziers, at the foot of the hinterland's mountain passes, we build your Madone in our workshop, adapt the drivetrain to your mountain riding and look after its maintenance.

Please note that the specifications may be changed without prior notice by the manufacturer, based on the availability of components and other factors.