Trek Madone SL 5.2

Price Paid:  $1999.00 at bicycle outfitter

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
portola loop

Bike Setup:
Stock with Continental gp 4000

Summary:
After 2 years, a great value, constant enjoyement. Light, fast, supple, strong, tough, but replce the stock tires asap with continental gp 4000's.

Strengths:
ever ready

Weaknesses:
stock tires are c--p

Similar Products Used:
40 years of road bikes I. E. Specialized, Bianchi, Bottechia, etc.

Price Paid:  $4500.00 at Action Sports, Baker

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
See Canyon Road in San Luis Obispo

Bike Setup:
Look Keo Pedals - Sprint
Garmin 305 computer
Bontranger Race X Wheel set
Bontranger carbon crank
Bontranger carbon seat
Bontrager carbon bottle racks
Shimano Dura-Ace chain
Shimano Ultegra components

Summary:
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

This bike is an awesome ride. I've never had problems, so I've never had to deal with any issues regarding repairs. If you want a bike that you'll always be happy with, this seems to be a good fit...at least for me it is.

Strengths:
very light
very smooth ride

Weaknesses:
pricey

Similar Products Used:
I don't have much experience with other bikes.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at LBS

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
All

Bike Setup:
Pretty stock; upgrade stem and wheels

Summary:
Here's what I sent to Trek today and as you can see, I'm not happy w/ Trek. 2 failures in 761 miles and I'm only 185lbs and don't ride it that hard. I'll update this once I get a response from Trek. Right now I value it a 1.
---


To Whom It May Concern,

Last year (7/24/07) I purchased a Trek Madone Discovery 56cm, triple Ultegra bike. I have had many friends who have owned Trek carbon bicycles and while a fan of titanium, I decided to purchase a bike that was still made in the USA.

I am an avid bicycle rider but not a racer. I ride many centuries and long, multi-day rides; or at least that’s what I like to do.

This year, when I started training for a few of those rides, I had my first incident w/ the bike about 5/08. The non-drive train side, lug popped out of the carbon chainstay. I took it to my local shop (see below) and it was sent to Trek for replacement or repair. This happened just as the biking season began and the start of my training. The bike at the time had maybe 500 miles on it. A repair that I suspect took about 15 mins, took an entire month to get my bike back. It somehow got “lost” at the Trek return center. Today (7/20.08) I was breaking down a hill as I was making a turn and the other lug did the exact same thing. I now have a grand total of 761 miles on this bike and it has failed twice!

This is unacceptable! If this is what the term “Made in the USA” stands for and I should be ashamed. I am preparing for a 7 day ride in a few weeks and I can NOT be without my bike. I can NOT wait a month for a repair. You have the opportunity to restore a customer’s faith in a US company or to lose a customer for life. I hope that you are actual road riders like myself and understand that if you can’t trust your bicycle to remain intact during the most basic maneuvers how can you ever trust it and enjoy it?

I will return this bike to my local store tomorrow but I do not want it back “repaired” and I’m asking you for alternatives. I do not want another ‘repair’ since I can no longer trust that this bike will not destruct under even the most basic riding and if I were to get hurt with another failure the obvious liability would be on Trek.

I would like to hear what my options are as quickly as possible so that I can either purchase another manufactures bike or restore my faith in Trek and so that I continue to train for this 7 day charity ride which is in early Aug., 2008.

Strengths:
Value

Weaknesses:
2 failures in 1 year and in 761 miles!!!!

Similar Products Used:
Specialized, Airborne, Fuji, Litespeed.

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Price Paid:  $1100.00 at Used

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Old Mission Peninsula

Bike Setup:
Stock except replaced the 130 long Bontrager stem with a carbon 100 long.

Summary:
I just stepped way up from my 30 year old Schwinn touring bike to the Madone with the lucky find of a good deal on a used model. After about 150 miles I am ecstatic. While I am still finding my groove and making adjustments I can confidently say that this unit is great. Road surface variation is soaked up by the carbon frame. The very light weight is a huge adjustment for me, but I love the acceleration and hill climbing feel. The Ultegra shifting and brakes are working great. This bike has the two chain rings in front, not three, but the derailleur indexes to all three positions, so I have to click thru the middle position depending on which rear wheel I am on. The bike came with the stock saddle, which is too squishy and has not center channel, so I intend to replace it. I am a short torsoed 6'-3", 165 pound guy, and bought the 62 cm frame. The frame is the right size with my 36.5" inseam, but I had to go to a shorter stem.

Strengths:
Light weight. Smoothness of road feel and balance. Shifting and brakes.

Weaknesses:
Price of new model. I will revise my review if troubles show up, but so far so excellent.

Similar Products Used:
None really

Price Paid:  $2300.00 at Lakeland Trek

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Suncoast

Bike Setup:
60cm
Ritchey WCS stem (100)
Bontrager XXX lite Seatpost (330)
Keo Carbon Pedals
Selle San Marco Era Luxe Saddle
Cat-Eye Strada Cadence Computer

Summary:
I personally feel the the Madone SL 5.2 is the best bargain for the active cyclist. It has a full ultegra build kit, which has all the performance of dura-ace, but is much more reliable to cheaper to maintain.

The frame if excellent. It is stiff without being overly stiff, so it absorbs road vibrations well. It is light and excellent quality

The wheelset is a great training and everday use set. Not the lightest but very strong. For racedays a better wheelset would be a good idea.

The stem and seatpost are a bit on the chunky side and could use and upgrade. I am all legs and no upperbody, so I switched out my 250 Race X lite seatpost with a 330 Race XXX Lite. I also replaced the stock 120 Race Lite stem with a 100 Ritchey WCS. I loved the VR bend of the stock bars for I kept them.

As on all nearly all trek bikes the stock bontrager seat is aweful. I replaced it with a Selle San Marco Era Luxe, which works very well for me.

Overall this bike is everything 99% of riders will ever need, and comes nearly perfect from Trek.

Strengths:
- Light
- Stiff
- Excellent components overall
- Absorbs vibrations
- Good geometry
- Quality

Weaknesses:
- Horrible saddle
- Stem and Seatpost could use an upgrade

Similar Products Used:
Trek 5400
Trek 2300