Trek has officially unveiled the new Madone. This bike is the eighth generation. Trek claims that it has the same aero performance as the 7th generation Madone, but is as lightweight as the Emonda. The new Madone will replace both bikes, and Trek will join a growing number of bicycle brands that are abandoning separate aero and lightweight bike offerings.

Since the new bike was first spotted under the pros in early 2024, its skinnier look compared to the 7th generation Madone has led to intense speculation as to whether it is the new Madone or the successor to the Emonda.

The bet was on the new Emonda, as the 7th generation Madone was launched only two years ago, while the lighter Emonda was launched only four years ago.

Indeed, the new 8th generation Madone replaces both the 7th generation Madone and the Emonda in one lightweight aero package. According to Trek, the new Madone is 320 grams lighter than the 7th generation Madone frameset.

Without adding hardware like the new UDH rear derailleur hanger, the ML Madone SLR frame weighs 796g and the fork 350g. This puts the full bike weight of the highest spec Madone SLR 9 AXS bike at just 7 kg.

This weight reduction means that the 8th generation Madone is now as light as the Emonda. At the same time, according to Trek, the weight reduction was achieved by optimizing the aero of the most important frameset and thinning the tube profile of the 7th generation bike, which has less aero effect.

We headed to Spain for the launch of the new Madone.

The aero tube profile has also been upgraded. According to Trek, the new full-system foil shape goes beyond the cam-tail, offering better aerodynamics over a wider range of yaw angles thanks to a more rounded trailing edge instead of the sharp, square edges of the cam-tail profile.

Wind tunnel testing suggested that the older Gen 7 Madone was faster than the Emonda on gradients up to 3% when weight replaced aero as the dominant factor. The new Gen 8 frame is reportedly faster than the Emonda on climbs up to 12%, the steepest gradient tested.

According to Trek, the new bike is as fast as the 7th generation Madone and 77 seconds per hour faster at 200 watts compared to the Emonda. The riding position is the same as the 7th generation, but the design optimizes airflow for the bike + rider.

The Madone SLR models will also feature the latest Aero RSL integrated handlebar and stem. These bars feature a hood that is 3 cm narrower than the drop to help riders maintain aero; they have a thicker cross-section at the top than the bars on the Gen 7 bikes, making them more comfortable to hold, but they remain compatible with the RCS headset design of the older bikes.

The new design raises the top of the bar/stem by 4mm, but Trek offers an aftermarket RCS Race Low bearing top cover if you want to return to the 4mm lower bar top height of the Gen 7. There is also a new Blendr accessory mount that is lighter and easier to remove.

There is also a new aero shaped 595ml water bottle and cage. [According to Trek, the RSL Aero bottle and cage saves 3.7 watts at 45 km/h over standard round bottles, making the bike faster than riding without a bottle. They are also available for aftermarket purchase if aero upgrades are needed.

This is a similar approach to that used by Cannondale on its latest Super Six Evo, and Cannondale claims that the bottle improves the aerodynamics of the Super Six Evo.

The top-of-the-line SLR-grade Madone uses Trek's latest 900 OCLV carbon, which it claims is up to 20% stronger than the 800 OCLV carbon used in the Gen 7 Madone. With the new molding process and the one-piece molding of the fork, Trek has achieved an even greater weight reduction.

When Trek introduced the Gen 7 Madone, much of the weight savings on that model came from replacing the adjustable IsoSpeed seatpost of the Gen 6 bike with a lighter, non-adjustable IsoFlow system.

Trek stated at the time that the seat mast of the Gen 7 was comparable in stiffness to the Gen 6 bike at its stiffest setting.

The new Gen 8 Madone had improved vertical compliance, which Trek said was 80% better than the Gen 7 and 24% better than the Emonda. The new design is lighter than the 7th generation Isoflow.

Trek modified the tube shape across the size range to bring frame stiffness closer together between sizes. As a byproduct, the XS and S size frames are lighter, while at the same time the frame aesthetics are more even across the size range.

The new Madone can be equipped with the same 32mm tires as the Gen 7 models.

For the new Madone Gen 8, Trek has streamlined the size range from eight sizes in the Gen 7 to six sizes, from XS to XL. Despite the reduction in sizes, Trek says that because there is less overlap between frame sizes, the Gen 8 Madone will fit a wider range of riders of all heights.

The new size M replaces the old sizes 52 and 54, while the new size XL replaces the 62 but includes a taller seat mast. As with the 7th generation bikes, the seat post wedge can be inverted to increase the range of saddle height adjustment.

Geometry is similar to the Gen 7 Madone, albeit with a slightly higher frame stack. The geometry was renamed Road Race Geo instead of calling it H1.5 like the Gen 7 Madone.

Trek will market the new Madone in two frame grades, SL and SLR. Both will be available in four specifications at launch, with SRAM and Shimano options, as well as a frameset-only option.

The top-spec SLR bike will feature the latest 900 Series OCLV carbon, one-piece bar/stem, RSL Aero bottle and cage, and will be available only with an electronic groupset. The bike is available in the color of your choice with Trek's Project One configurator, or in ready-made colors.

The SL bike is made of 500 series OCLV carbon with separate bars and stem. They do not support Project One customization and come pre-assembled only. Bottles and cages are not included, but the frame is compatible with mechanical group sets.

U.S. prices for the 8th generation Trek Madone range from $3,499.99 for the SL 5 to $13,499.99 for the Madone SLR 9 AXS. This is a $200 price increase from the top-spec 7th generation bike, although this may be due to the new Sram Red AXS groupset.

In the UK, the entry level is £3,250 and the top spec is £12,500. This is a £2,050 price drop from the UK list price of the 7th generation Madone SLR 9 AXS bike.

Prices in euros range from €3,499 to €13,999, while in Australia the SLR 9 AXS is priced from A$4,499.99 to A$19,999.99.