lennyparis

I have always been a Madone rider and thinking of new bike
Any thoughts between new Madone and SL4?
My latest Madone is 2 years old
So may wait until new 11 speed Ultegra comes out (will it be electronic also at same time mechanical comes out?)

Rode Madone and even though not my size it felt fast and climbed better than current bike
Also my short SL4 ride (all be it on flat pedals on a cold/windy day) felt kind of sluggish and stiff

kenji666

Have you looked at the Trek Domane?

lennyparis

Not really interested in Domane
Don't need the more compliant with inserts

gc3

Try a more comparable test ride on the SL4 and then let us know. "Sluggish" is simply not an adjective that I (or any others that have owned them) would ascribe to the Tarmac...

DerHoggz

Did you try putting it in a reasonable gear?

MegaTom

Or spinning the legs faster..

Campag4life

My view, and I prefer Specialized to Trek, that all the name brand bikes are so good, it is all personal preference. It is hard to make a compelling case that any top end bike is better than another. Both are great race bikes. I rode this past weekend with a very strong rider on a new Domane. He loves it. I believe this guy would be fast on any bike however. At the end of the day, its personal preference including paint job that matters. I will also add that a 2 year Madone is still a tremendous bike and there will likely be no speed difference on any new bike.

Vaio_s

The new 2013 Madone has a sharper geometry than the one you currently own, if that helps anything.

oldbobcat

Please explain. My understanding is that Trek tried to leave the geometries unchanged, but there are very slight differences in top and head tube lengths. Millimeters.

For medium through the largest frame sizes, Madone forks are 45 or 40 mm, depending on the head angle, and Specialized are 45 and 43 mm. That means in larger sizes Treks have a bit more trail. This would tend to make the steering more jittery, heavier, or more precise, depending on your point of view.

Ride them and see. I just got a '12 58 cm Madone 5, and I have to say that it hits bumps harder and is a bit more of a handful on packed dirt and bad roads than my old Giant TCR.

Also, for their nominal sizes Tarmacs fit a bit longer, so if you're between sizes consider sizing down.

Campag4life

Does that mean you have to be careful not to cut yourself?