Bike Reviews

The Madone 4.5 is exactly 25 percent as expensive as the Tour de France-winning 6.9 SSL model. While it’s certainly not going to be mistaken for the pricier model, the 4.5 provides, via my admittedly subjective judgment, at least 75 percent of the latter’s performance.

Trek’s Madone line is known for a refined ride that mutes the road without completely deadening feedback. The 4.5 does this while confidently handling descents and corners. Still, the smaller-diameter down tube and conventional bottom bracket make the frame noticeably softer under hard accelerations than higher-end Madones, and even a bit less stiff than some comparably priced competitors. While no featherweight, the bike is well balanced and rides lighter than its scale weight of 19.04 pounds.

Trek’s 6-series Madones use a proprietary OCLV process (see sidebar), a costly endeavor, so Trek employs Trek Carbon Technology to keep costs down on the 4.5. To do this, it relies on an economical carbon fiber blend and conventional designs like a standard 68mm-wide bottom bracket shell.

The frame features the same tapered E2 head and steerer tubes of higher-priced Madones, and the geometry is borrowed from the Tour de France-winning 6-series Madone. A clarification: when Trek says “geometry,” it’s talking only about the lower half of the bike: wheelbase, seat and head tube angles, and bottom-bracket height. Trek sells as many as three different fits in the Madone line (H1, H2 and H3), which vary top-tube length and head-tube height, to allow more flexible riders to get into more aggressive positions (H1), without making less-flexible riders uncomfortable (H3). But, to hit a lower price point, Trek manufactures the 4.5 only in the H2 geometry, a middle approach that the company claims fits 80 percent of riders.

The Shimano 105 drivetrain is up to the demands of the entry-level racers who will be drawn to this bike, but regular competition will demand swapping the 11-28 cassette for something a bit tighter. The Jagwire brake housings feel smooth and crisp and the Tektro R540 calipers are plenty strong, but the pad compound is hard and doesn’t provide as much power as we’d like under hard braking. Switch to Shimano’s excellent Dura-Ace 7900 pads (they’ll slide right into the Tektro holders) for just $10 a wheel for vastly improved performance.

Designed for a rider looking to go fast on varied terrain, and perhaps to try a few races, the 4.5 delivers a spirited ride. We won’t pretend that it’s anywhere near as good as the 6.9 SSL, but, at a quarter of the cost, that’s a tradeoff we’ll take.—Joe Lindsey

Buy It If: You want a proven carbon bike without all the bells and whistles
Forget It If: You’re a burly gear masher who needs a stout frame