From cruising back roads to enjoying all-day epics to getting your feet wet in the racing circuit, Trek's Madone 4.5 does it all. This full-carbon beauty boasts a stiff, light frame that floats up the climbs, along with Bontrager's Race Lite oversize carbon fork that provides maximum steering precision. Plus, Bontrager's Race wheelset cheats the wind, while the Shimano components include a slick-shifting drivetrain with the perfect gears to spin up the climbs and powerful dual-pivot brakes for complete control on the way back down. This able roadster sports a sweet spread of Bontrager's carbon and aluminum components, and a plush Bontrager seat, too.
Strengths: Great frame for a first road bike. Very responsive yet absorbs the bumps in the road very well. Feels "racy" without being uncomfortable.
Not that I particularly care what it looks like, but the black matte finish is pretty darn cool and is a nice change of pace from all of the high gloss finishes out there.
Weaknesses: Seat is narrow and would likely only be comfortable for people with fairly narrow sit bones. If your sit bones are wider apart, go with a wider saddle and you won't be disappointed.
Wheelset is OK, but upgrading to a lighter, more aero and stiffer wheelset takes this bike to a whole new level.
The designers were apparently very "sticker happy" when they designed it. I don't think they could squeeze another "Trek" sticker on it if they tried. But whatever - I ride it and love it just the way it is.
Bottom Line:
I am a long-time mountain biker who has gained a few pounds over the years and jumped into road cycling this summer to get back into shape. I live in the hill country of central Texas and the Madone 4.5 (with Shimano 105) is great for climbing and descending, even on rough roads. I feel like the effort I put into cranking or spinning is greatly rewarded. On flats, it feels very responsive when I push on the gas to sprint and it almost wants to jump out from under me. (Love that feeling!) I often find myself smiling unintentionally like a kid - especially on the downhills. The downhills feel seure and solid at 35+ mph. I don't give a second thought to leaning into the corners. I've heard that the brakes are not as great as the rest of the components, but they stop securely and work well enough for me. I read somewhere that you can replace the brake pads with Shimano Dura-Ace pads pretty inexpensively but I have not felt the need to do this yet.
Like others, I quickly upgraded the seat to a Specialized Phenom and it is now nearly as comfortable as a favorite chair. Can ride all day without issues.
The DuoTrap (ANT+) sensor embedded in the frame is nice and slick and even though it's not the least expensive option, I highly recommend it. I paired it with a Node 1 computer and have been pleased.
The Bontrager SSR wheels were great to get started with, felt solid and handled well and were fairly responsive to sprinting and climbimg. But an upgrade to a set of ROL Race SL's (1520 grams) made this great bike even better. Sprinting and climbing improved to a whole new level. I also have to mention that the customer service at ROL is awesome by any measure.
I would highly recommend the Madone 4.5 to anyone looking for a racy, yet budget-conscious, entry level carbon bike. Use the money you save to upgrade to a set of ROL wheels and you won't be disappointed.
Similar Products Used: 2011 Cannondale Synapse (aluminum with carbon fork) - more comfy and less racy than the Madone, but still a really great bike in its own right and a fun bike that you can enjoy all day.
Bike Setup: Frame - Trek TCT Carbon
Fork - Bontrager Race Lite Carbon w/E2 aluminum steerer
Rims/Wheels ROL RACE SL wheelset (1520 gm)
Tires Bontrager R1, 700 x 23c
Crankset Shimano R-600
Chainwheel 50/34
Front Derailleur Shimano 105
Rear Derailleur Shimano 105
Rear Cogs Shimano 105, 10-speed: 11-28
Shifters Shimano 105 STI
Handlebars Bontrager Race VR-C
Tape/Grips Bontrager Gel
Stem Bontrager Race Lite
Brake Levers Shimano 105
Brakes Tektro R540 dual-pivot
Saddle Specialized Phenom
Seat Post Bontrager carbon
Strengths: Fast and smooth ride that handles various road conditions, effortless to ride (especially with wheel upgrade)and especially uphill. Flat black is a nice look that gets plenty of compliments.
Weaknesses: Stock Wheelset and Saddle. The Bontrager SSR wheels were stout but I found them to be heavy (approx. 2000 grams) and didn't spin up very well. Also agree with others that the bike is a little logo happy; although, most bike companies are these days. The Affinity saddle was too harsh and caused numbness.
Bottom Line:
I have owned my Trek Madone 4.5 for about 3 months now and I am very pleased with my decision to buy this bike. The Madone is fast, smooth, and handles all kinds of road conditions. I ride near my home and there are a lot of hills but the Madone attacks and pulls with a stiff well connected ride.
As a turn-key bike it is well equipped, although, I have made several upgrades. Most were minor (seat and stem) but the decision to upgrade the wheels (Mavic Equipe) has made the ride even that much better. The stock Bontrager SSR wheels are just okay but the bike really benefited from the addition of the Equipe's (improved weight and bearings). One of the coolest things about this bike is the Duo-Trap that accommodates a speed/cadence sensor to be embedded into the frame which gives it a clean trick look.
Aesthetically the bike is quite striking, receiving many compliments but is a bit logo happy. I like the white of the 2012 a little more but not enough to pay out the additional money.
Overall, I would recommend this bike because of it's overall ride quality, components, and good looks.
Bike Setup: Full TCT Carbon 56 cm H2 Fit road bike with compact crank (50/34), 10-speed Shimano 11-28 cassette, Shimano 105 groupset, Race X Lite stem, carbon seat post and Cobb V-Flow Plus saddle, Bontrager Node 1 computer with frame embedded Duo-trap sensor, Speedplay X5 pedals, Mavic Equipe wheels with Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick tires.
Strengths: Fast ride, handles road irregularities and bumps well, effortless to ride, climbs well, handles curves expertly, absolute beauty to look at.
Weaknesses: Haven't found any yet. Minor detail but I could have done with a few less or Trek logos. Too many on this bike.
Bottom Line:
With the new 2012 line ready for market, I got a great deal on the 2011 model. The new paint scheme is super-cool but I figured the 2011 wasn't so bad either. I wanted to wait until I put over 100 miles on the bike before I wrote a review. Didn't have to wait too long in spite of my demanding day job. Took me just over a week. I never feel like stopping when I start riding this bike. Very responsive, power transfer you can feel, extremely smooth shifting and an ace at climbing, although I haven't done a lot of the latter. I was a bit wobbly over the first couple of rides but that was due to my ineptitude as a rider on his first road bike. It compensates very well for my lack of riding strength by converting even light efforts into surprising speed and agility.
Very comfortable to take on long rides although primarily built to be a stiff racer. Mine weighs about 18.5 lbs with a pair of Look Keo Classic pedals. Took me all of 5 minutes to get the bike fit to me (although that may vary from person to person) and I have not faced any challenges even on long rides. The most common (and only) complaint I heard about it in all the reviews I read was that the saddle was uncomfortable. Maybe its just me but saddles are meant to be uncomfortable and you get used to them over time - I had no major discomfort or pain on a 4.5 hour long ride I did last week.
The Shimano 105 groupo is only a few grams heavier than the Ultegra - something most riders won't notice and the shifting and braking are super-smooth. This bike is worth every penny you'll spend on it and more. It is fast, comfortable, effortless, visually stunning and most importantly, provides very gratifying riding experiences. Thank you, Trek for the Madone 4.5!
Bike Setup: Full TCT Carbon 58 cm H2 Fit road bike with compact crank (50/34), 10-speed Shimano 11-28 cassette, Shimano 105 groupset, Look Keo Classic clipless pedals, Bontrager SSR wheels with Bontrager R1 700x23C tires, carbon seatpost and Bontrager Affinity 1 saddle.
Strengths: Light and fast
Effortless shifting
Quiet and smooth
Weaknesses: Saddle
Bottom Line:
Recently purchased my new Madone 4.5 and after putting 60 miles on it I couldnt be any happier. It climbs real well and I have noticed how quiet the ride is compared to most other cyclist I go by on the road. The LBS could have tightened up some of the adjustments before leaving the shop. I did test ride at least 4 other bikes including the Cannondale, Specialized Roubaix and Cervelo but the Madone was far smoothies and quicker. Only one complaint would have been the Bontrager saddle, that was replaced within 20 miles. I read complaints on brakes but I have no issues with them.
Strengths: comfortable
package works well together
Weaknesses: Tiagra brakes inadequate - SSR wheels are heavy - seat very uncomfortable
Bottom Line:
This is my first bicycle purchase in over 35 years. Bike technology has sure changed over that time span. The Madone 4.5 is a sweet bike. The Madone 4 series are manufactured in Taiwan, higher level Madones are still made in Wisconsin.
To keep at a price point, every model year has "cheaper" components on them. The 2010 model year has a mix of 105, Tiagra, and no-name Shimano components.
Almost every review dissed the seat. Yup, after actually trying it out, I can confirm that is is wasted manufacturing resources. It was gone after about 1/2 of a mile. Another complaint is the weakness of the Tiagra brakes. On-line vendors have decent prices on Ultegra brakes and I swapped out the Tiagra brakes next.
Slowly, over the past year, I've been swapping out all the 105 components to the point where now only the shifters are 105, the rest of the bike is Ultegra.
I purchased my bike with the triple crankset. Glad I did for use in the hills around my area. Frame geometry is Trek's "H2" geometry, which is their comfort configuration, (as opposed to race configuration).
I had to shorten the stem by 10mm to give me a comfortable fit. Love the traditional shape of the handlebars.
Have heard complaints about the wheels also. They are fine, but I did swap them out for lighter wheels that I took from another bike after I upgraded the wheels on that one. The wheels are heavy, but robust.
Rode a century the other week, and had no issues on the ride. This bike will last a long time.
Bike Setup: Except for shifters, now fully Ultegra. Vuelta Team Super Light wheels, 52/39/30 triple - 11-28T cluster, Selle SMP Lite 209 saddle, Ritchy stem - all else as purchased.
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