Trek Madone 5.2

Author's product rating:   

Value for money	Excellent
Durability	OK
How does it compare to similar products?	Average

Advantages:	GREAT LOOKS .  HANDLING .  COMFORT  .  SPEC .
Disadvantages:	WHITE PAINTWORK (BUT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE MORE FRQUENT CLEANING)

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Lance Armstrong suggested that Trek name their top end bikes 'Madone' after the Col de la Madone in southern France. A mountain that Armstrong used to use as a training run in the run up to The Tour de France. His times up the mountain side let him know if he was ready or not!

It's no surprise then, that the 2009 Trek Madone 5.2 weighs in at around 7.7kg (just under 17lb for the oldies). A bike needs to be light if it is to haul it's rider up a mountain side without killing them.
The lightweight nature of the bike, which costs around £2500, and the rigidity of the black OCLV carbon frame and forks, make it very responsive when getting the pedals down. The same things that give you confidence throught the corners and on a descent.
The Trek Madone 5.2 comes in three different fits depending on ride comfort required. The WSD (women's), Performance (longer headtube for higher and position) and Pro ( smaller headtube ). You also have the option of a Compact (20 speed) or a Triple (30 speed) delivered through the Shimano Ultegra 10 speed groupset. I live in Yorkshire, in Pennines and Dales country, and as such, I find hills unavoidable but I have found that the 20 speed Compact is more than adequate for getting up the steepest of climbs I have encountered. Gear changes are quick and accurate.

The bike has an integrated seat stem which unlike most of it's competitors, allows for about 9cm of adjustment.
Trek have also simplified the bottom bracket, which only has around 4 parts to the usual 9 or so with easily removable crank arms. Which will simplify things for anybody wanting to service their own bike rather than take it ti the local bike shop.

Wheels , bars and seat etc come from Treks in house Bontrager brand and all add to the comfort and ride quality.

The only downside is the white paintwork on the Perfrmance fit which I own, but at least it forces me to look after it and keep it clean.
Trek do offer a service called Project One where you can customize the paintwork (at a cost, of course).

The specific criteria ratings are not really applicable in my view as this review is based on my experiences (18 months cycling). Durability is something which can only be gauged over time and my bike is less than 6 months old but so far so GREAT! As for compare it to similar products, it would beunfair to even try without having experienced the rides myself.
I genuinely believe that I have got value for money though. The hills hold no fear and the other side of them bring a huge smile on a fast descent.

Contrary to the title of Lance Armstrong's first autobiography, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BIKE!