Close up with the new Trek Madone: Mads Pedersen’s Tour de France bike

Teased as the “ultimate race bike” in the build-up to its release, Trek finally unveiled the new Madone at the Tour de France with several new features. The most striking aspect of the design is a new IsoFlow seat tube technology that replaces the previous model’s IsoSpeed system. The seat tube splits and forks outward to join the seat stays, resulting in an almost diamond-shape hole below the seat which screams out for attention.

So we took a closer look at Trek-Segafredo rider Mads Pedersen’s new bike to get to grips with the new upgrades. The IsoFlow system not only adds compliance for a smoother ride, says Trek, but also brings gains in aerodynamics and weight-saving. In fact Trek says the new Madone is 60 seconds per hour faster than the previous generation thanks to its new aero frame alongside a redesigned integrated handlebar and stem.

The hoods on the handlebar are 3cm narrower than the drops which Trek says allows for an improved, more aero rider position. The new Madone will come with Bontrager’s Aeolus RSL 51 carbon tubeless-ready wheelset, but Pedersen’s bike was fitted with deeper 62mm rims in Copenhagen. It was also equipped with SRAM’s Red eTap AXS 12-speed groupset.

The radical seat tube design creates a floating seat post that is designed to bring improvements in weight, aerodynamics and compliance (Image credit: Peter Stuart) Trek says using its lightest carbon has helped to shave off around 300g of weight – along with that yawning hole below the seat post (Image credit: Peter Stuart) The integrated bar and stem is a completely new system that also contributes to a lighter, faster bike (Image credit: Peter Stuart) In an effort to achieve greater aero gains, the hoods are turned inwards resulting in a 3cm flare at the drops compared to the tops (Image credit: Peter Stuart) The new one-piece bar-stem has been redesigned with a new spacer stack (Image credit: Peter Stuart) Mads Pedersen is something of a local hero at the race’s grand depart in Copenhagen (Image credit: Peter Stuart) The top tube now extends beyond the seat stays, creating a floating seat post that replaces the previous adjustable IsoSpeed system (Image credit: Peter Stuart) The seat post design will lead to gains in aerodynamics, weight-saving and compliance, according to Trek (Image credit: Peter Stuart) Trek says the new positioning of the seat post will flex to add compliance, giving Mads Pedersen and his team-mates a smoother ride to Paris (Image credit: Peter Stuart) The novel approach to the intersection between the top tube, seat tube and seat stays leaves an almost diamond-shaped hole (Image credit: Peter Stuart) The Madone has been fitted with Bontrager’s Aeolus RSL wheelset, which was first released last spring (Image credit: Peter Stuart) The bottom part of the new seat tube has a profile that curves around the rear wheel (Image credit: Peter Stuart) The new Madone is equipped with SRAM’s Red eTap AXS 12-speed groupset (Image credit: Peter Stuart) Mads Pedersen’s bike is set up with a 56/43 chainring combo (Image credit: Peter Stuart) A bigger bottom bracket shell extends above the upper limit of the large chainring, reducing turbulent airflow and improving stiffness (Image credit: Peter Stuart) The new Madone will be available in five colourways, including two matching the men’s and women’s Trek-Segafredo teams (Image credit: Peter Stuart) Trek-Segafredo will use Wahoo Elemnt computers with their new integrated cockpit design (Image credit: Peter Stuart) The new Madone is disc-brake only (Image credit: Peter Stuart) Mads Pedersen’s Trek Madone: Specifications FrameTrek Madone SLRGroupsetSRAM Red eTap AXSBrakesSRAM Red eTap AXS HydWheelsetBontrager Aeolus RSL 62TyresPirelli P Zero Race clincherInner tubes Pirelli TPUHandlebarTrek Madone integrated cockpitStemTrek Madone integrated cockpitChainsetSRAM Red w/ Quarq power meterPower meterQuarq SRAM RedPedalsShimano Dura-Ace R9100SaddleBontrager Verse ProBottle cagesBontrager Bat CageBottlesElite FlyBar tapeBontragerComputerWahoo Elemnt BoltChainrings56/43.