Hello,

Long time lurker but new poster so I'll give a quick intro first:

I got into riding (road bikes) about 3 years ago as a way to get back in shape and destress from my job. My first road bike was an '08 Specialized Roubaix Ultegra and has served me well. I've been getting much more serious about cycling, primarily for fitness, personal competition, destressing and, at some point, I'd like to start participating in local events.

A few days ago I received my new '11 Trek Madone 6.9 SSL P1, which is a crazy upgrade I know and more bike than I deserve at the moment, but that's beside the point . What I'm curious about is whether it is normal to see smudges or what appear to be scuffs under the clear coat. It's really hard to describe so I took a couple pictures:





These sorts of marks are everywhere. I've contacted my LBS about this and will see what Trek says but I'm not optimistic. When I first went to see the bike as it was being prepped, I noticed some white marking on the seat mast where it meets the top tube. The tech at the LBS that I was dealing with contacted his Trek rep and was told that this is normal. At first I wasn't sure but I do realize that the seat mast has a different finish for obvious reasons, so let the issue go. Unfortunately, I didn't notice all these other marks until I was getting ready to wax the bike in the sun (and no, it isn't wax residue - took these pics before waxing it .)

I know bikes are meant to ridden rather than displayed as "trophies" and I could accept wear and tear in the finish down the road but the bike came to me in this condition. I'm very meticulous when it comes to things with nice finishes (cars, bikes, guitars, etc) and take pride in my things.

I guess I'm just looking for feedback as to whether this is truly something you'd expect right from the factory or whatnot. Perhaps dark finishes on carbon frames exhibit these sorts of artifacts, I don't know. It almost seems like a prepping/cleanliness issue as though the paint wasn't clean before being clear-coated.

Other than this minor niggle, I'm absolutely loving the bike! I know it's typically all about the rider but this bike rides SO much better than my '08 Roubaix. Di2 is just amazing. My '08 "only" had Ultegra components and I've ridden Dura-Ace equipped bikes in the past, but electric shifting is just amazing. It's ironic because while I've always seen the benefit of things like dual-clutch gearboxes (DSG/SST, etc) in cars (e.g. Evo X), I've always preferred tracking with a good old manual (e.g. the 6spd in my STI.) Strange that I prefer eletric shifting on a bike.

Thank you again for any feedback.

It's fine, that's how that model of Trek looks with that paint.

Wow, fast reply! That's what I was sort of hoping for and in the back of my mind sort of assumed already. It just seemed strange to me and not something I'd ever seen before except with bad autobody repainting. I guess one sure fix is to just ride the damn thing and not worry about it - can't see it then, right?

I wish I had taken a closer look at the Trek rep's 6.9 that I rode before making the purchase. That'd probably have saved me a lot of mental anguish since I'd have known in advance that it was normal and to be expected.

Thanks.

I just remember someone posting almost the exact same thing not too long ago. Final conclusion was it's normal.

I did Google it, but no references came up that I could find (and I assume this forum is indexed like other forums.) I'll do another search here and see what I can find. Thanks for the tip.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ghlight=madone

Yep, just found that too and was coming to post a link. After reading through that, it sounds like it is normal on a black/dark finish. Cool.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

Yep that's just the carbon don't worry about it. Some carbon parts show more than others

Great upgrade

It really is an awesome upgrade. I'm sure the bike deserves a better rider but it'll have to be patient with me. So far I'm absolutely stunned by the Madone's ride quality, handling, and responsiveness. There is a very pronounced difference in those areas over my Roubaix.

If my light would have arrived on time, I'd probably be out riding right now!

Thanks again everyone for allaying my concern.