Carbon aero road bike Trek Madone SL 7 black for training: Ultegra Di2, R3 Hard-Case Lite tyres, 7.87 kg

Trek Madone SL 7 black: the racer's training tool

An OCLV Series 500 carbon frame, Shimano Ultegra Di2 2x12, Aeolus Pro 51 carbon wheels and 28 mm Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite tyres: the Trek Madone SL 7 Gen 8 weighs 7.87 kg in size ML. This version is designed to rack up the training hours without punctures or adjustments. Its Gloss Dark Star/Matte Deep Smoke paintwork combines an intense gloss black and a matte smoked grey, with a thoroughly professional understatement.

Technical specifications

Who is it for?

For the licensed racer who rides five or six times a week, for the cyclist preparing a specific goal and following a training plan, or for someone who wants a race bike that can go from intense sessions to long rides without changing kit.

The LVR workshop view

OCLV carbon, Trek's signature. OCLV stands for Optimum Compaction, Low Void: since 1992, pressure and temperature have driven out the air trapped between the fibre layers. The Madone SL 7 uses the 500 series, shared by all Madone SL models, and it is its components, more than its frame, that set it apart from its little brothers. Like all OCLV frames, it is covered by Trek's lifetime warranty.

Put simply: the SL 7 combines the SL frame with SLR-level components, Ultegra Di2, Aeolus Pro 51 wheels and a carbon handlebar. Moving up to the SLR 7 with the same groupset saves 350 g, mainly on the frame and cockpit: noticeable on a col, much less so on the flat or sitting in a group.

Ultegra Di2 brings valuable consistency to training: shifts stay crisp after thousands of kilometres, and the derailleur can connect to a compatible computer to display the gear selected. The battery recharges through the rear derailleur port, every few weeks depending on use.

On this colour, the cranks are 165 mm in XS and S, 170 mm in M and ML and 172.5 mm in L and XL, slightly longer than on other versions of the SL 7. For interval sessions on the flat roads of the Orb plain, the R3 tyres cope well with gravel; for racing, faster tyres are easy to fit.

Which Madone should you choose?

Our take: the SL 7 at 7.87 kg is more than enough for training and racing; the SLR 9 with Dura-Ace Di2 gets down to 7.05 kg, an 820 g difference that is mainly justified for elite amateurs.

Your questions

Why buy from LVR Cycles? Our Béziers workshop looks after your Madone throughout the season: Di2 drivetrain checks, brake bleeds and new tyres before your key events.

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