Carbon aero road bike Trek Madone SL 6 AXS cobalt blue: going wireless, 48 mm carbon wheels, 8.11 kg

Trek Madone SL 6 AXS cobalt blue: stepping up to carbon and wireless

An OCLV Series 500 carbon frame, a wireless SRAM Rival AXS drivetrain, Bontrager Aeolus Elite 48 carbon wheels and 28 mm tyres: the Trek Madone SL 6 AXS Gen 8 weighs 8.11 kg in size ML. It is the bike that takes a rider used to aluminium and cables up two steps at once. Its Matte Cobalt Blue/Trek Black/Living Coral paintwork combines a matte cobalt blue and black, lifted by coral touches that give it character.

Technical specifications

Who is it for?

For the rider who has spent a few seasons on an aluminium bike with a mechanical drivetrain and wants to move up a level in one go, for the sporty rider who no longer wants to adjust cables, or for someone torn between an endurance bike and a race bike looking for a versatile compromise.

The LVR workshop view

OCLV carbon, Trek's signature. Since 1992, Trek has compacted its carbon plies under heat and pressure to drive out micro-voids, and the series number reflects the refinement of the layup. On this Madone SL, OCLV 500 gives a painted frame of 1,054 g in ML, plus a 363 g fork: around 270 g more than the SLR frameset, for a far more affordable bike. The frame is still covered by Trek's lifetime warranty.

Put simply: on the scales, the gap between OCLV 500 and OCLV 900 is roughly a full bottle. The SL 6 AXS keeps the Full System Foil silhouette, the IsoFlow and the tyre clearance of the SLR models; what an SLR adds is mainly a few grams saved and a one-piece bar and stem.

Going wireless mainly changes maintenance: no more housings clogging up or cables stretching, and the derailleur stays adjusted for months. Each lever has its own coin cell, and the rear derailleur battery recharges in an evening; the SRAM app also lets you customise what the buttons do.

In terms of feel, the carbon frame filters vibrations better than aluminium, and the IsoFlow accentuates this on the coarse roads through the Minervois vineyards. The 28 mm Aeolus Pro tyres, set up tubeless in our workshop, let you ride at lower pressure; the frame takes up to 32 mm if you want more comfort.

Which Madone should you choose?

Our take: coming from a 9 to 10 kg alloy bike, the SL 6 AXS saves more than a kilo and adds wireless shifting. The SL 7 then only saves 240 g: the biggest leap is already made with this model.

Your questions

Why buy from LVR Cycles? Our Béziers workshop converts your wheels to tubeless, pairs the AXS components and shows you how they work when we hand over your Madone.

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