Good offer on '07 Madone
 

Hubby's been bike shopping for me while I earn the money to pay for it. :) Today he stopped into a shop where he got a good offer on a bike for himself -- an '07 Trek Madone 5.2 (Discovery) on sale for $2150. ('08 MSRP is $3679.99) It has a full carbon frame and a mix of Dura Ace and Ultegra parts. He wasn't able to ride it because it was raining. :( The size was 58 (he's 6 feet tall, long legs). He believes it was the Performance model, not the Pro.

We've been researching Madones (thanks to Tom, who mentioned his friends love theirs) and have read nothing but great things about them.

Assuming it fits him.... is this a steal?

My earlier post was regarding the new '08 Madones, which are a significant redesign from the '07 models.

However the '08 models are in demand and are difficult to get more than a trivial discount on. The '07 Madone was a very well respected bike and I believe the 5.2 had a MRSP of $3350. Lance won a TdF on the '06 Madone, which was almost the same bike, so it must be pretty good!

Now from a personal riding experience, I can't say anything as I've never ridden a Madone and even if I did, I'm not in any position to render judgement on it.

Do it!

I rode one last summer -- a friend's bike -- a sweet ride! It helped me see the path to carbon fiber (2 out of 5 bikes in the RR & cgallagh house are CF). But he should ride it before he begins to haggle. See if there's anything comparable on eBay and Craigslist, so he has some bargaining leverage.

And get yourself one, too, while you're at it. :D

That's just what Hubby will be happy to hear. :)

I still want to ride the Roubaix or Ruby in my size so we are scouting around for those bikes. The Roubaix I rode was soooooo smooooooth, and if the Ruby is a better fit then it could be bike heaven for me.

This evening I stopped on my way home and looked at a Cannondale Synapse Fem 3, last year's model marked down to almost $2000.00. Carbon frame, Ultegra and 105 components. No pedals though, and it was raining. :( I also sat on a Trek Pilot 5.0 in a size too small, but the reach felt comfortable for me.

I have a 07 Madone 5.2 standard. I love it and use it daily.

I have also used the next model up. I think 5.5 or so. It is all Dura Ace. The shifting of gears is crisper and it has some subtle features better than my bike. But there is a lot more money here.

I paid $2,300. No regrets, good bike. The tires will not hold up. You need Bontrager Hard-case if you want to do any mileage.
BTW, I have the 58 and I am just a bit over 6 feet. The next size bigger is too big.
Oh, I forgot, the saddle stinks. I use a Terry Touring saddle.

Hi Yen,

I've heard great things about this bike. Hope it stops raining soon so you can take it for a spin. :)

TruF: About which one -- the Synapse or the Pilot?

Oh, give me a break! Lance could have won the Tour on a frigging Schwinn Varsity, and we all know it!

Scott P
Bend, OR

That is a lot of bike and at a very good price. I don't recall the wheelsets they put on the '07 5.2. If they are the Race X Lites instead of the Race Lites it's even better as they are lighter. However if you're riding mostly rolling terrain the Race Lites are very durable wheels-I have tons of miles on one set I've had for 6 years. If he stepped into a bike like that he should be set for a good long while.

Do you recall which parts were Ultegra and which were DuraAce? I would hope for at least DA shifters (just personal preference) but I bet they are Ultegra.

A 58 should be a very good size for him-unless he has really long legs in relation to this upper torso and arms. The main thing is seeing if they would swap stems if he needs something that is a different length. If I were in the market for a bike and this one was available I'd wouldn't hesitate to take it if it was a good fit.

I ride a 2005 Madone 5.2 and also have a 2004 Trek 5.9 SL which are very similar to the one you're looking at. They are very good, all around road bikes.

That sounds like a good price for that bike, Yen.

I have a Madone 5.0 WSD and I've been very pleased with it. It's light, shifts like a dream and I've had no problems with it since I purchased it over a year ago. The 5.0 is all Ultegra so I can't compare it to the Dura-Ace components on the 5.2. I believe the rear deraileur on the 5.2 is Dura-Ace.

As Will mentioned the Bontrager saddles aren't too comfortable. I've changed to a Specialized saddle on mine. I have two other Trek bikes and the Bontragers have been changed out on them also. Other people have no problem with them but they evidently don't fit my tush:o

If it is the 2007 Madone SL 5.2, then it has a Dura-Ace RD. Info & pic here:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...ive/madonesl52

Under "Colors Available" you can click on the blue/black to see it in that color combo.

Never really looked at the treks but in the higher range of bikes- they are something to be proud of and worth having. In fact they do a WSD version so another bike for you to look at. Discount for Bulk Buys?

And I am afraid that I am not a Bontrager fan. It may be the inhouse name for Trekk parts- but I am afraid that I am not keen on anything that has the bontrager name attached to it. And I have to agree about the saddles. Try to get upgrade it before you leave the shop.

Bontrager was an independent bicycle & parts manufacturer that Trek bought out a few years back. That is now their trade name on Trek designed parts. Several of these parts are manufactured under contract by Shimano and SRAM. Just like Shimano and SRAM, they offer a full range of parts, from low to high prices. On the high end consider that many of the parts on Trek's TdF-sponsored race team, the team has finished #1 overall in several recent TdF's, were Bontrager-branded parts.

On the $8200 Trek Madone 6.9 Pro, it has Bontrager-branded wheels, fork, tires, saddle, handlebars, and stem.

Unlike a store-brand line, which is often intended to be a lower-cost off-name line, Trek considers the Bontrager brand to be a first-rate brand name. Worthy of consideration at any price point, for any level of competition.

My problem with Bontrager parts is that they are Mediocre parts at high prices. Never owned a trek, except for an old 820, but from mountain biking- Guess who's the mechanic for his mates? Bontager MTB wheels are not good. Saddles uncomfortable- Cranksets flexible- Seat and bar stems heavy- And as for the tyres---Rubbish.

Had a mate who had a Puncture on a ride. Bontrager wheels- We bent the rim trying to get the tyre off- Next week he was back with new Warranty wheels- Tried before the ride and loaned him a pair of wheels. Sent the wheels back to the shop and asked them to get the tyres off. 2 weeks later and a new set of upgraded wheels arrived. 4 weeks later another puncture- Tyres came off the rim with the puncture and a wrecked rim. That was the front wheel. Shop said it was abuse so I took the rear wheel in- let the air out of the tube- and pushed the tyre off the rim with one finger-- No lip on the rim to retain the tyre. We got a set of Mavics to replace them.

Perhaps my experience with Bontrager parts has not been good- or bad luck- but I do not like Bontrager parts. And I dare say there are people out there with the same opinions on Specialised- or Ritchey- or Formula? Formula are another component manufacturer that I rate as highly as Bontrager so it is not a crusade against one Make.

My local trusted LBS owner, who has been extraordinarily candid with me about manufacturers, being quite critical of some of lines and parts that he carries, has told me that over the past couple of years, his experience with Bontrager parts has been extremely positive. Same with SRAM. But much less so with Shimano, especially in their lower to mid-priced components.

I pointed out that many of the tags hanging from his bikes promote that they have Shimano drivetrains and he replied that it sells bikes. But that from his experience in servicing warranties (he owns 4 bike shops and sells hundreds upon hundreds of bikes a year) is that Shimano parts have higher failure rates and he has a more difficult time in getting them to stand behind their warranties. Told me on the bikes that I was looking at that if I got SRAM drivetrain components (X.7 or above) and Bontrager wheelsets, that the odds of me having problems would be much lower.

Oops! The Feminine.

There is such a wide range of quality and price within the range of any brand of parts, that it is silly to make general claims about all of them based on a few good or bad examples.

I recently took a test ride on a Cannondale Synapse and was favorably impressed by it ... for a road bike. It had a smooth ride, shifted very crisply, handled well. Rode most of the time on the flats, tried a bit down on the hoods but just can't get comfortable there. Stayed out of the drops entirely. Of course riding on the flats presents problems when one wants to shift gears or brake.

Going back to touch on the issue of Bontrager saddles. A number of people in various BF forums have spoken negatively of their saddles. Not everyone, as I have also read positive reviews. But it seems like there are more negatives than normal.

I've followed up on this by stating at three different large Trek stores, "So, I read on the Internet that many people are dissatisfied with your Bontrager saddles." I do this just to see how they react. Each time they have seemed surprised by this and have said that they hear few complaints about the saddles. That when their customers bring bikes back in for service and tuneups, they almost always still have Bontrager saddles on them. This includes, so they say, the road bikes.

Personally, I don't have an opinion on the issue, as I've only ridden on them during test rides. I've found the hybrid saddles reasonably comfortable, but have disliked the road bike saddles. But I dislike all road bike saddles - hard little pointy instruments of pain that they are.

I do find it interesting that there seems to be two different populations of bike riders that do have disparate opinions. I agree with the Trek people that seeing bikes come back in with the original saddles still on them, and having people speak well of the bike, is a valid argument. But then there are so many people here who hate them.

Got my 05 Madone 5.2 (in the special Red, White & Blue) for $2,000 about 18 months ago. Love the ride.

Your $2,150 is a great price. Not unexpected with the 08 model changes placing them in demand and 07 & earlier as "old" tech.

I would jump at it, BUT my guess is that he needs a 60cm and would find a 58cm a little small.

I am one that tends to change out the stock saddle for something better. The Madone 5.2 still has the original Bontrager saddle on it, even though I have a choice of other saddles in the spare parts bin.

Hey everyone, thanks so much for your replies.

Hubby rode an '08 Madone 5.2 today, 58cm. He was able to take it for a ride through town, and LOVED it. They took his measurements, put them into the computer, and seemed to determine that the 58 is a good fit for him (his Trek 7500 is a 57, and is plenty big enough). He loves the fit of his Schwinn road bike (an old '72 he's had for years) so he's already accustomed to the feel of a road bike.

At the store where he saw the '07 5.2 yesterday, he said they have 2 size 54, and 2 size 58. Hmmmmmm... one for each of us! :)

I have yet to ride another bike this week due to the rain. He called around for me today and found a Roubaix Elite at two different stores, one is size 54 (the other size is unknown). Also a Roubaix Comp in a 54, and Madones in lots of sizes.

Last night I stood over an '07 Cannondale Synapse Fem Carbon 3, MSRP $2300, on sale for $1840, 53 cm. But it was raining... He said they could probably come down on it further. I also liked that they will fit me on the bike if I buy it there.

The thrill of the hunt!

A couple of random observations based on earlier comments in this thread. I bought an '08 Madone 5.5 ("performance" fit) last fall, after riding a 5200 for several years.

1) The bike has Bontrager Racelite wheels, which seem fine, but the factory-built wheels were messed up. Several of the spokes on the front wheel were almost completely loose, and did work completely loose after 100 miles or so. I had to have the wheel re-trued twice in the first couple of weeks.
2) I hated the stock Bontrager saddle. I rode it 20 miles when I first got the bike, and was already sore from it. I swapped it out for the Specialized Toupe which I had been happy with on the 5200.
3) This one is dumb, but annoying. When they taped the bars they didn't insert any tape into the bar ends, but just cut the tape off flush with the ends. Thus the bar caps were very loose, and I lost one somewhere along the line in the first couple of weeks.

Hopefully some of these issues were just early-model run hiccups, and they've ironed the problems out since then.

Other than that I've been extremely happy with the bike, and would be out riding it today if it weren't for the ****** freezing rain that's coming down!

If it is full DA then the price is good if the mix is just an Ultegra FD then that is probably good as well. If it does not have DA brifters, crank and RD then I would probably buy an 08. You can get a brand new 08 Madone with Ultegra SL for about $2,800 around here.