Carbon aero road bike Trek Madone SLR 7 matte grey: successor to Émonda and Madone, Ultegra Di2, 7.52 kg

Trek Madone SLR 7 Deep Smoke: the successor to both the Émonda and the Madone

Built with OCLV Series 900 carbon, a Shimano Ultegra Di2 2x12 groupset and Aeolus Pro 51 wheels, the Trek Madone SLR 7 Gen 8 weighs 7.52 kg in size ML. It single-handedly replaces the Émonda and the Gen 7 Madone, so it is the natural choice for owners of either bike. Its Matte Deep Smoke paintwork, a very understated matt anthracite grey, shows off the lines of the frame without any flashy effects.

Technical specifications

Who is it for?

For the rider currently on an Émonda or a Gen 7 Madone who wonders what they would gain by changing, or for anyone who wants a top-end race bike with discreet paintwork, from XS to XL.

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.

Compared with the Gen 7 Madone, the clearest difference is weight: 320 g less on the SLR frame and fork, with the same aerodynamics according to Trek. The adjustable IsoSpeed system gives way to IsoFlow, which is lighter and not adjustable, and there is no storage built into the frame.

Against the Émonda, the gain is measured in speed: 77 seconds per hour at 200 W, as measured by Trek. Another concrete improvement: the 28 mm tyres fitted as standard replace the 25 mm tyres of the former Madone, with clearance up to 32 mm.

Which Madone should you choose?

Our take: an owner of a Gen 7 Madone SLR would gain mainly in weight and comfort; an Émonda owner, in speed on the flat. The SLR 9 only saves 470 g over this SLR 7, a difference few amateur riders can feel.

Your questions

Why buy from LVR Cycles? In Béziers, we compare your current bike with the Gen 8 Madone with you, carry over your position measurements and build the new bike in our workshop.

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