The Madone 3.1 is the most affordable road bike in Trek's women's range, which extends to the Madone 7 for f ast 10,000 euros. The exalted design - shades of blue with gold accents - proved to be polarising among the testers. On the other hand, the orientation is undisputed: Trek's H3 geometry enables an upright riding position without appearing unsportsmanlike. However, one tester found the cockpit too much of a good thing: The short stem somewhat impairs the straight-line stability, and even small hands have little room in the narrow bend of the lower handlebar. There is hardly any criticism of the manoeuvrable frame: Apart from the fork comfort, it has no weaknesses. The quality of the equipment mix falls a little short, but it works perfectly.
PLUS good carbon frame; functional equipment; comfortable saddle; good value overall package
MINUS Short stem; little space in the lower link
Price Complete wheel 1,799 euros
Weight 8.5 kilos
Available in specialised shops
Reference/Info www.trekbikes.com
Frame sizes** 47, 50, 52, 54, 56 cm
Seat/top tube/head tube 505/545/170 mm
Stack/Reach/STR*** 574/380 mm/1.51
EQUIPMENT
Brakes Bontrager Dual Pivot
Circuit Shimano 105
Bottom bracket SRAM S350 (50/34 T., BB90)
Wheels/tyres Bontrager/Bontrager R1
Handlebar/stem Bontrager Race
Saddle/post Bontrager Affinity 1 WSD/Bontrager Race Lite
*The frame set accounts for 40 % of the overall grade, the equipment for 60 %. The grades are calculated with all decimal places up to the final grade; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are given with rounded decimal places.
**Manufacturer's specification, test size bold.
***Stack/reach: projected vertical/horizontal measurement from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube; STR (stack to reach): 1.45-1.55 means a sporty riding position, below that a racing position, above that a comfortable position.
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