Carbon aero road bike Trek Madone SL 5 Pro era white: Aeolus Elite 48 carbon wheels, 105 2x12, 8.44 kg

Trek Madone SL 5 Pro era white: carbon wheels for climbing

The Trek Madone SL 5 Pro Gen 8 uses the OCLV Series 500 frame of the SL 5 and adds Bontrager Aeolus Elite 48 carbon wheels, with mechanical Shimano 105 2x12, for 8.44 kg in size ML (tubeless sealant included). That is 200 g less than the SL 5, saved largely on the wheels, where lightness is felt most when accelerating. The Era White colourway gives it a pure, bright white, perfect under the southern French sun.

Technical specifications

Who is it for?

For the climber who wants a lively carbon bike without going electronic, and who targets the cols of the hinterland rather than sprints. It also suits the sportive rider who rides a lot alone and appreciates wheels that hold their momentum.

The LVR workshop view

OCLV carbon, Trek's signature. OCLV has been Trek's in-house process since 1992: heat and pressure compact the carbon layers so that almost no voids remain between them, the usual weak point of a composite frame. On Trek's scale, the 500 of the SL 5 Pro marks the first road tier and the 900 of the SLR models the top; as you move up, the amount of material needed for a given stiffness decreases. Trek lifetime warranty on the frame, as on all OCLV models.

Put simply: the SL 5 Pro keeps the OCLV 500 frame of the SL 5 and invests where the gain is felt most, in the wheels. A 48 mm carbon rim reduces rotating mass and improves the way it cuts through the air; the SLR frameset would only save about 270 g more.

On climbs, what rotates counts double: a 48 mm carbon rim is lighter and stiffer than the alloy rim of the SL 5, and the difference is felt as soon as the gradient kicks up on the Caroux or towards the Col de Fontfroide. The frame is the lightest Madone SL frameset Trek has ever designed.

The 11-34 cassette gives welcome margin on 10 % sections; if you are a lightweight climber, you will also appreciate IsoFlow, which softens the rear end when you stay seated for a long time. On descents, the hydraulic disc brakes let you brake late and precisely, even with carbon rims in wet weather.

Which Madone should you choose?

Our take: the SL 5 Pro saves 200 g over the SL 5 with far better wheels. The SL 6 gets down to 8.16 kg thanks to Di2 and its 50 mm wheels: it is up to you to decide whether electronic shifting is worth those 280 g.

Your questions

Why buy from LVR Cycles? We build your SL 5 Pro in our Béziers workshop, set the wheels up tubeless if you wish and adjust the position for the mountains.

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