Laplacian

My Madone has hit 1000 miles and 72,000 feet of climbing so I'm posting a review of it so far.

Specs:
58cm, ~16.2 lbs (w/o cages, computer, pedals)
Shimano Ultegra 6700 (reviewed below)
Bontrager Race Lite wheels
Bontrager Race Lite bars, anatomic
Bontrager Node 2 cyclocomputer (reviewed below)

Here are some more recent pics with my new bars, dirty bar tape, and invisible chain upgrade:






For comparison, you should know that my old bike was 2007 Fuji Team (carbon fiber frame) with 105 5600 shifters, Ultegra 6600 derailleurs, FSA Gossamer crank, cane creek brakes.


Geometry: This is very personal, but it fits me well. I ride the drops about 95% of the time and I still like being as low and flat as I am. It has a shorter head tube and wheelbase than the Tarmac, Addict, TCR.


Ride/handling: The ride of this bike really is fantastic. It is very stiff--when I put a lot of torque on the pedals in a hard effort/sprint, it responds very quickly. Unlike my previous bike, I don't feel any flex at all in the BB or cranks (probably because both are beefier).

It corners well and responds quickly to small corrections in course but doesn't feel twitchy. This is probably because of its shorter wheelbase. Even though it corners nicely, it has never felt unstable or like it over-steers.

It is a little forgiving over rough roads, but not to the point where road feedback is dulled. It does a good job smoothing out rough patches, but I wouldn't want to take this bike over cobblestones or really bad pavement for 100 miles straight. For such a stiff bike it really does smooth the bumps, but stiffness and raciness are the primary attributes. If you want a smooth, super-comfortable ride over crappy pavement, this bike is not for you. I have no complaints about its comfort level though--it's exactly what I wanted and expected.

On the flip side, it feels very connected to the road and I feel very comfortable pushing it through fast turns. So far I've only had it up to about 53 mph down a hill and it felt rock solid--like I could go faster with no problem. My old bike could handle that speed too, but it didn't feel nearly as stable.

New 2010 Ultegra 6700: I test rode bikes with 6700 and 7900 groups. I could not tell the difference in performance, not even a little bit.

Ergonomics of shifters: Probably the best attribute of the new group. The hoods have a bigger flat section and less of a rounded section. I have big hands and never really liked the shape of the 5600/6600/7800 hoods so I rode my drops almost exclusively. I now find myself on my hoods a little more and I'm really comfortable being on them now. Braking from the hoods is definitely more confident simply because of better brake lever shape (a bigger curve in the middle)--but I have big hands so your results may vary. Shifting reach from hoods or drops is about the same as previous models.

A small complaint about the otherwise great ergonomics is that the underside of the hoods (where your middle and ring fingers grab) is not covered in rubbery hood material. Instead you can feel the metal/plastic pieces of the inner shift lever. Not a huge deal at all, just weird at first.

Rear shifting: As noted multiple times, you can only downshift a max of 2 cogs at a time (compared to 3 from the last gen). The rear shifting is quicker and smoother than older models. When getting used to it I would often have to look down to see if it actually shifted (because it felt more like it got caught halfway up), but it always did shift. Shifting takes more hand strength but less reach--I don't mind that at all.

Front shifting: The front shifting really is a huge upgrade over the last gen. On 5600/6600 I couldn't even shift big->small under load. With 6700, it is absolutely no problem. Going small->big is the real improvement, though--it is very smooth and quick. Cross-chaining is only a problem with extreme/extreme combinations.

Brakes: They modulate well and are plenty strong enough to lock up either wheel in an instant from either hoods or drops. This is a moderate improvement over my old Cane Creek brakes. I use Kool Stop pads with all my brakes.


Other components:

Race Lite Wheelset: Stiff and strong, but not exceptionally light. These haven't come out of true yet (probably within 1/2 mm) and I like my brakes very tight. The only issue is some gouging (see other post) on the freehub from the floating cogs. Braking is good. I like these wheels a lot more that I though I would.

New Madone Seatmast: It works fine as a seatmast while I'm riding, but there are a couple of quirks that I'm not crazy about. It is really hard to adjust seat tilt because of how the cone-shaped Al supports fit into the CF mast. In fact, I had to pull it off and really work it just to loosen the cones. When I put it back, I put a bunch of CF assembly compound so I won't have this problem again. Also, like certain other custom seatposts, this one grips the seat by the sides of the rails instead of the top and bottom. If you have a seatpost with rounded rails, you will have no problems. But for my flat-railed Selle Italia Flite, it doesn't grip the flat side very securely. Even after applying CF assembly compound it still squeaks when I hit a bigger bump.


Bontrager Node 2 Cyclocomputer: The new Madone has the integrated DuoTrap sensor which requires an Ant+ compatible wireless computer. I highly recommend the Node 2 to people who don't already have a Garmin or PowerTap one and need Ant+ (even if not for DuoTrap). It is relatively cheap ($140) and has a lot of nice features: HR (comes with strap--those are usually $60+), cadence, speed, power, altitude, temperature, and distance. It also has an interval timer. HR zones can be set by the user. The only discrepancy is that the altitude reported by the computer differs from what I get on mapmyride. It's about a 12% difference (my computer shows less climbing than the website). Not sure which one is more accurate, but the computer is always consistant with net altitude measurements (within 1-2%).

=====

All in all, it is a great bike and I am very happy with it so far. It makes me want to get out and ride hard and fast--that's the most important feature.

SVThis

I need to upgrade to your chain. I bet that is about as light as you can get.

mzeffex 

Good review. That computer sounds sweet - it is not necessary to have the build in censor (meaning you need a Madone), is it?

MR6690

I literally read about the Node 2 last night. Sounds like a great little computer, too bad I JUST got a Flight Deck

Laplacian

No, it's not necessary. It works with any Ant+ (or Ant+ sport) sensor. Bontrager makes regular speed and cadence sensors, but you can get another brand if you like.

RacerOne

How much was the invisible chain mod? Looks like a great set up!

I've got a about 1/10th the miles you do on mine but I find your review to be very close to how I feel. Especially on the aspects of ride. It just goes where you point it and on the downhills I've never felt anything like it. Simply amazing. I would depart a little on the ride over crappy pavement, my impression is that it's smoother than my old steel bike.

I really haven't had any issues with the seat cap though, you've got to hold the seat pretty tight and really crank down the torque but it works fine for me. Of course I'm using the stock seat so that may be the difference.

The Node 2 is super cool, I spend too much time staring at it with all the info it can dish out.

In all, I love the bike as well.

RacerOne

+1 Bontrager makes a traditional sensor you can mount on any bike, but the Duotrap sensor is sweet if you've got the bike.

Laplacian

Compared to my old CF bike the Madone is more rigid over bad pavement. But my old one was definitely flexy and dulled most road feedback anyway.

Yes, that exactly the difference. The metal rail holder is designed to grip a rounded seat rail. Since my Flite saddle has a flat seat rail, the metal rail holder only grips it from the edges. The contact patch is really small so there is some play when going over a big bump or something.

rollin

Thanks for the post. Good review of the Ultegra


Was the frame "horizontally stiff yet vertically compliant"?

Laplacian

Thanks.

No, unfortunately it's just plain stiff. Let me know when you find one of those magical frames. So far, only bike reviewers and marketing execs seem to experience this.

Don't get me wrong--the Madone is not bone jarring, but stiff enough to get a buzz over some harsh pavement. I had the experience of riding it over 1/2 a mile of stripped road as they were repaving--my hands hurt after that.

RacerOne

^^ I think only a full suspension would fix that!

roy5000x2

In other words, you can grab yourself a Quarq

rumrunn6

is this like what Lance will ride in the summer?

sh00k

great review and excellent machine!

waterrockets 

Careful now.

I'm hopeful that there's no ticking sound, or maybe a digital beep every second coming from the BB shell. I ignored mine and was sorry I did.

Glad you like your ride

Laplacian

It is same frame that Team Radioshack will use, yes. But Lance rides SRAM and I'm pretty sure all of his other components will be different too. I bet his will be slightly more expensive.

bent eagle

Nice bike and great review.

What kind of lube do you use on an invisible chain?

sh00k

It's the new silent drive system - no lube required. now you can save the lube for other things. >.<