First Ride on the 4.7 Madone

Today I embarked on a road bike adventure. Nice 84° temps, not a cloud in the sky. After yesterdays downpour, the trail was not an option.

I didnt have too much time, so a 25 miler was in play for me. My usual route consists of some decent climbs, fast downhills and out of the saddle flat stuff. I have to say that this bike just blew me away. It is not OCLV carbon-Trek's TCT carbon-but this thing just kicks when you push on the pedals. Being the SS Moron that I am, I wanted to run it through it's out of the saddle, gear mashing, big gear, hill trounsing...ok I will stop there-climbing abilities. Sure enough, I was not dissapointed. Being 186 lbs, the last thing I need is anything loose in the caboose. I felt as if I had a little more umph in the engine on the climbs. No flex at all-NONE. This bike begs to be pushed hard, that's for sure. The bike comes in-before my upgrades at 17.1 lbs, not to bad. Mine as it is now is 16.1-even betterer.

Descents were equally smooth. No twitchiness to be felt; just sit back and enjoy the flight. The cockpit is roomy enough to get back on the saddle and still be in control.

On the flats I felt lighter than my actual weight. I am not a spinner, so hammering on the flats is something I certainly would demand of any road bike, and this delivers on the spot. All the shifting, braking is supplied by Sram Rival hoopla-the best. If you havent tried the Double Stuff yet, do it. Very crisp, clean and precise. I do have a Red group I am putting on, though just cause I can. Why are you putting this stuff on a 4.7? Most of the stuff I get is through trades, so it doesnt cost me anything, and a Madone equipped with the Red stuff is 6k, soooo.

Anyway the bike is great as is. My two nit picks are the compact crank 50/34 which is waaaay to spinnery for me, so the 53/39 will find its way on it. The other is the 12-28 cassette. This is not a mountain bike folks. A 34 mated with a 28 in the rear is insane, but there are some that insist on it. You could put on Richard Simmons' Spinning to the Oldies with that thing.

This is a superb offering from Trek. You would be hard pressed to find a better equipped, better handling bike. Over and Out!