Trek Madone voted best team bike in 2015 Cyclingnews Reader Poll
A new ultra-sleek aero shape, hyper-integrated componentry, and a surprisingly refined ride
Aero road bikes have historically been exercises in compromise – if you want to go faster, you've got to give up something in the process, or so the thinking went. Trek Factory Racing's new Trek Madones, however, turn that attitude on its ear with an ultra-fast shape that cuts through the air but also coddles the rider. And now it's been voted the best team bike in this year's Cyclingnews reader poll.
The new Madone incorporates all the features you normally expect of a modern top-shelf aero road racing bike: a sleek frame with the latest Kamm tail tube shapes; highly integrated rim brakes that hide themselves from the wind; an aerodynamically efficient one-piece carbon fiber cockpit; and excellent weight and stiffness that make it just as good for climbing as chasing down breakaways.
The Trek Factory Racing team has little reason to shun the new Madone if the day's course is bumpy, too, as the frame incorporates Trek's incredibly clever (and highly effective) IsoSpeed 'decoupler' – a mechanical pivot at the seat cluster that essentially acts as a mini-suspension.
Dressing up the TFR team bikes is a full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 group, Bontrager aero carbon tubular wheels, and Bontrager finishing kit – plus an eye-catching blood red paint job that's nearly impossible to miss in the peloton.
While the new Madone embodies the latest-and-greatest in terms of aerodynamics, the Specialized S-Works Tarmac of Tinkoff-Saxo is the epitome of the classic light-and-stiff chassis – a formula that Peter Sagan put to great use when he won the UCI World Championship in September. This latest iteration is more of an evolution of its predecessor rather than a distinctly new chapter with a greater focus on maintaining consistent ride quality across the full size range, new disc brake options (at the consumer level, at least), and neatly integrated seatpost binder.
Tinkoff-Saxo team bikes are fitted with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groups, Roval wheels, FSA cockpits, and Prologo saddles.
Rounding out the top three is Team Sky's Pinarello Dogma F8, a curvaceous bit of rolling sculpture that supposedly offers an aerodynamic advantage relative to the previous Dogma 65.1 Think2. The new bike also boasts a more purposeful shape that's more straightforward and businesslike than before and yet somehow still manages to exude that trademark Pinarello lustworthiness.
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Sky's bikes are outfitted with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and carbon tubular wheels, fi'zi:k saddles, and PRO finishing kit.
Results - Best Team Bike of 2015
1 | Trek Factory Racing Trek Madone | 26 | % |
2 | Tinkoff-Saxo Specialized S-Works Tarmac | 17 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Team Sky Pinarello Dogma F8 | 14 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | MTN-Qhubeka Cervélo S5 | 11 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Movistar Canyon Aeroad CF SLX | 10 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Garmin-Cannondale Cannondale SuperSix Evo | 6 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | BMC Racing Team BMC SLR01 TeamMachine | 6 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
8 | Giant-Alpecin Giant Propel Advanced SL | 4 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
9 | Orica-GreenEdge Scott Foil | 3 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
10 | Lampre-Merida Merida Reacto Evo | 1 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |