The strengths for me are in the women's specific features and the fact that the bike has been fitted and adjusted properly to my body by a trained coach. It makes a huge difference! The other strengths are in the speed, lightness of the frame,smooth responsive handling and the bike corners and manoeuvres really well. I also love the style and colour of the bike (lighter of the two blue versions available).It really is an aesthetically beautiful bike.

I don't know about weaknesses yet because I have only been riding this bike for 2 weeks. So far I have ridden 300kms. Last week I rode the bike for a 70 km ride and there were no problems. It was fast and responsive. I have not ridden it under rainy or very windy conditions yet either. Time will tell about the carbon frame but as long as I don't total the bike (I am a careful rider),I think that it will be as strong as any bike frame.

My bike is actually 2009/10. I changed over to the Madone 4.5 WSD because I wanted a fast ride that was more responsive than my current road bike was providing. The Madone 4.5 has been properly fitted to my body and I ride higher than on my old bike and further forward over the bars which are dropped. The bike is very light and responsive and corners much better. My rides are faster too.I have cut approximately 15 minutes off my daily 21.5 km ride. I have Ultegra components fitted on the back and 105 on the front. The gear changes are much smoother than the ones that I had with Tiagra components. Due to problems with punctures, I have had the Bontrager tyres replaced with Gatorskins. I have noticed no appreciable difference in my speed or quality of ride. I love the bike and am glad that I changed over. I was a bit scared to change from an alloy frame to an all carbon frame because of durability and breakage rumours (meaning huge expense if the bike totals), however this has so far not been a problem. I love to get on my bike each morning and it feels as if it flies, the ride is so smooth. On downhill runs, I travel at around 40 kms/hr and the bike still corners well and close to the edge of the track where I want it. It really beats my other bike hands-down. For a person who really isn't going to do 'Tour de France' or other major events, I would see no need to upgrade to a more expensive bike. This bike is more than adequate. It has speed, responsiveness, is very light and corners and manoeuvres extremely well. Since having the bike, I have caught up with male riders who have been a minute ahead ( I timed them) and beaten them twice in the same ride (while stopping for a drink). I could not have done this on my other bike as easily, or at all. This bike was approximately a thousand AUS dollars more than my other one, but I think that it is worth every cent. I will be happy to use this bike for a long time. It will suit any experienced female rider who wants a light, fast and responsive, easily manoeuvrable road bike. It is not for a novice. It should also not be bought by someone who only wants to ride occasionally because that would be overkill in expense for the purpose of use of the bike. It would be good for women who want to ride in clubs and in racing events, or for those experienced riders who want a really enjoyable, exhilarating fast ride.

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My last bike was a Giant Defy 1 road bike using Tiagra and Sora components. It had an alloy frame and was a male version, not woman specific. The bike handled reasonably well but was not as light, responsive or manoeuvrable as my Madone. it was a good bike, but I wasn't really satisfied with either the speed, cornering or smoothness of gear changes. The Defy is a well-priced road bike for someone who wants a decent ride but doesn't want the expense or components that add to the quality of a ride when riding every day for some distance, or racing when speed and manoeuvrability are important factors.