Trek Madone 3.1 Road Bike 2011

Comments about Trek Madone 3.1 Road Bike:

What they say_
"World-class carbon performance starts here. For the discriminating sport-level rider who wants to squeeze every ounce of performance out of his/her budget."

What's it like to ride?
The 3.1 is at the bottom end of the Madone family which includes a whopping 13 models, but despite this huge lineage the 3.1 offers a similar frame geometry and material composition as some of the higher-end machines all of which have had a universal overhaul for the 2011 season. The major developments in this year's
model are bolstered joints and profiled tubing including a tapered head tube. Trek have also finally folded and opted for a compact geometry rather than a traditional horizontal top tube, which they previously favoured. At times feeling almost bland in the way it effortlessly handles acceleration, climbing and descents anyone would be
comfortable riding this bike and that's why it continues to be a grounding influence in the design of carbon road bikes.

What we liked_
Trek's decision to finally make a departure from their classic frame geometry comes at just the right time for a sportive obsessed U.K market. Graphically the bike is a massive improvement on last year's colours and to our mind the colourway on the 3.1 is one of the most pleasing in the range.

_And what we didn't
A bugbear is the finishing kit which without exception comes from Trek's in-house component company Bontrager. A cheap looking 90mm alloy stem, over soft saddle and less than excellent wheel set all drag down the overall quality of the bike. On a purely aesthetic level Trek have a bad habit of over-branding and the Madone is no
exception with the Trek logo appearing on the 3.1 some 16 times.

What could make it better?
The 3.1 has a frame and fork to rival many of Trek's competitors higher end models and for the money you'll be hard pushed to find a better full carbon set up. However where the 3.1 falls down is Trek's unshakable reliance on the Bontrager brand.

Would we buy it?
It's certainly a serious contender at �1500 and it's a great starting point for anyone planning on putting in the miles. The 3.1 offers a comfortable ride, but with all the stiffness created by those bolstered joints and huge integrated bottom bracket it's not a bike that's lacking in speed.