Trek's Madone follows Émonda's lead, gets OCLV 800

Published July 16, 2020 10:25AM

It was only a few weeks ago that Trek showed the world its revamped Émonda, fresh with a new carbon material dubbed OCLV 800. The carbon used to build up the Émonda is lighter and stiffer, allowing Trek to really tailor the ride characteristics of the bike without adding weight. That essentially means it’s possible to get more aero tube shapes without the traditional added grams.

It should stand to reason, then, that Trek’s other flagship model, the Madone, should be made from the top-of-the-line carbon. Sure enough, Trek just announced that the Madone will be made with OCLV 800 going forward.

“That [OCLV 800 laminate] plus some other tools in our quiver, like Aeolus RSL 37 wheels and the Aeolus RSL Bar/Stem from the Émonda, can make certain configurations of this new bike 450g lighter than the previous model,” says Trek’s road product marketing manager Anders Ahlberg, “with no aero penalty. All that, and an update to the T47 BB standard really round out the new version.”

Let’s break that down for a moment: The Madone, one of the fastest bikes on the market, just dropped a full pound of weight. And perhaps more exciting (for this gear nerd anyway), the Madone also gets a T47 bottom bracket. Threads are good, friends. The T47 bottom bracket gives you the oversized bearings of typical bottom brackets on the market today, but eliminates creaking by threading into the bottom bracket shell like tried-and-true bottom brackets of old. It’s truly the best of both worlds.

Aside from the addition of the OCLV 800 laminate and the T47 bottom bracket, the Madone remains otherwise unchanged for the moment. You’ll still get the same geometry and build options, and of course, Trek’s IsoSpeed decoupler for excellent compliance on this otherwise very stiff bike.

We will be getting the new Madone featuring OCLV 800 in for testing in the near future, so keep an eye out for our thoughts on the new carbon laminate. To be frank, I wouldn’t expect to feel much difference out on the road, as much of the secret sauce of the OCLV 800 is a behind-the-curtains advantage, but if by chance I feel any noticeable difference, you’ll all be the first to know.