Radical new aero bike spotted at Critérium du Dauphiné

This competition is now closed

A new and unreleased Trek Madone aero bike has been spotted at the 2022 Critérium du Dauphiné, with a wild design that features a hole in the seat tube.

The new Madone largely sticks with a similar aero silhouette to the previous bike but features a large cut-out beneath the seat cluster. This creates a hole where the top tube, seatstays and seat tube meet.

This design has, presumably, been added in the name of aiding rear-end compliance and reducing aerodynamic drag.

Notably, this cut-out doesn’t appear to be marketed as an ‘IsoSpeed’ system, according to road.cc.

Trek’s signature frame technology sees the seat mast pivot on a bearing inside the top tube, allowing it to rotate more freely, increasing comfort.

IsoSpeed first debuted on the brand’s Domane endurance road bike in 2012. It was rolled out to the Madone in 2016 and, more recently, the Checkpoint gravel bike.

On the new Madone, an integrated seat mast sits above the cut-out, which sees the seatstays flow directly into the top tube.

The seat mast and rear of the top tube essentially cantilever over the hole in the seat tube.

We assume this adds enough flex to remove the need for the mechanical intervention of IsoSpeed, although Trek is yet to confirm any details about the claimed merits of the new design.

The seat mast itself is similar in design to the current generation bike, with a narrow aero-profiled seat post sitting inside an extended seat tube.

Elsewhere, the area around the bottom bracket appears to have increased in size.

This great big slab of carbon flows into the seat tube, which now hugs the profile of the rear wheel tightly.

The top tube is no longer humped, following a straight path from the head tube back to the seat cluster.

The integrated one-piece cockpit also looks to have been updated. This now features a slimmer profile that tapers into a more heavily sculpted clamping area. There is also a distinct ramp pointing down towards the top tube of the bike, at the rear of the stem.

With ‘Madone’ printed on the front of the bar, there’s little doubt this is an update to Trek’s flagship race platform, which, in its pre-aero form, dates back to 2003.

More recently, the Madone platform has only seen modest updates since it was given its aero revamp in 2016.

The bike was last updated in 2020 when it moved away from Trek’s contentious BB90 standard, adopting the threaded T47 standard.

Prior to this, 2018 saw the introduction of adjustable IsoSpeed and disc brakes.

The Madone sits alongside the Emonda SLR in Trek’s road race range, with the latter pitched as a lightweight-aero all-rounder following a redesign in 2020.

With this new Madone emerging, it appears Trek is continuing to back the Madone as a dedicated aero road bike alongside the Emonda.

However, the new Madone presents a significant change from the outgoing model and, in an age where the likes of Specialized are pinning their colours to a single all-rounder in the form of the Tarmac SL7,  we look forward to learning more as details emerge.

Jack Luke is the deputy editor at BikeRadar and has been fettling with bikes for his whole life. Always in search of the hippest new niche in cycling, Jack is a self-confessed gravel dork, fixie-botherer, tandem-evangelist and hill climb try hard. Jack thinks nothing of bikepacking after work to sleep in a ditch or taking on a daft challenge for the BikeRadar YouTube channel. He is also a regular contributor to the BikeRadar podcast. With a near encyclopaedic knowledge of cycling tech, ranging from the most esoteric retro niche to the most cutting-edge modern kit, Jack takes pride in his ability to seek out stories that would otherwise go unreported. He is also particularly fond of tan-wall tyres, dynamo lights, cup and cone bearings, and skids. Jack has been writing about and testing bikes for more than five years now, has a background working in bike shops for years before that, and is regularly found riding a mix of weird and wonderful machines. Jack can also often be seen zooming about with his partner aboard their beloved tandem, Cecil.

Pre Order the Official Tour De France Race Guide 2022

From £10.99 including free delivery to any UK address*

*Offer is available for UK residents only

Get a pair of G-form Sorata trail gloves when you subscribe

Plus, save 30% off the shop price! 

Sign up to receive our newsletter!

Thanks! You've been subscribed to our newsletter.

Already have an account with us? Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences

Would you like to receive offers, updates and events from BikeRadar and its publisher Our Media Ltd (an Immediate Group Company)?

Get a pair of G-form Sorata trail gloves when you subscribe to Mountain Biking UK today!

SUMMER SALE OFFER | Try 3 issues of Cycling Plus magazine for £5