Is this the best-bike ever? (Until the Summer of 2007 it
seemed like it; I've written a review
of its successor since then)
A review of my personal bike, a 2006 Project-One Madone 5.9 SSL.
That's my bike in the photo on the left, on the beach
in Paia, about 4.5 hours from the top of Haleakala (Maui). Read all about
that ride on our website as well! This review was updated
on 8/23/07. --Mike--
My first surprise, when
I opened up the oversized, overbuilt ultra-protective box they ship
these things in, was that it had carbon clincher wheels. The
originals were shipping with the tried & true Bontrager Race X-Lite
aluminum offerings, which I'd been using for a couple years with
great results. But carbon clincher rims? That I wasn't too sure
about. Were they durable enough? Would brakes work as well as on
aluminum? Were they really as light as claimed?
I'm here to tell you they're incredible. They ride great, drop about
a quarter pound in weight (without giving up durability) and the
brakes feel just like what you're used to. At $1999 (just reduced
from $2500), they're not inexpensive, but it seems you do get what
you pay for. Bolt-on performance. (Update 8/23/07- My
Bontrager Race XXX-Lite wheels probably have 10,000 miles by now and
still haven't been touched by a spoke wrench, nor has their surface
been scratched. Incredible wheels, no question.)
And then there's the new Madone frame. The SSL is a combination 110
& 55 gsm carbon (the number refers to the weight of carbon in one
square meter of "cloth", the stuff they mold into tubes & fittings),
with material strategically placed to maximize performance and
minimize weight. And it does. Compared to my 5900 (which was
state-of-the-art in 2001), the Madone SSL feels significantly better
when climbing out of the saddle, and descends like you're on rails.
In fact, it's capable of far crazier descending than I'm likely to
ever want to do. Basically, the bike inspires you to do more.
Comfort? Just like my 5900, and that's pretty darned good. It does
wonders at soaking up the vibrations you'd usually feel through the
seat & bars on a "grainy" road surface like Canada Road or Foothill
(both favorites on the SF Peninsula). How much is the frame, vs the
carbon wheels, vs the carbon bar & stem? I don't know. But does it
matter? The package works. Together, as a system, it's everything I
could hope for in a bike.
Have I changed anything? Just the crankset. I'm no longer delivering
the raw power to the pedals that I used to, so a stock DuraAce
double, with 53/39 up front and 12-25 in back, doesn't cut it for
grades like Sonora Pass. I switched out to an FSA compact 50/34 with
a 12-27 rear, and with that I've bought more than a few years for my
legs. Gears for everything I need. Once in a while someone might
make fun of my smaller chainrings up front, but as long as I can
still outsprint most of them, I'm ok.
What can Trek do for an encore after this bike? Good question. In
August 2006, the Trek road bike product manager and head of carbon
frame technology paid me a visit, to go over plans for the future.
The conversation started off with an incredibly-difficult question.
I was asked "What would you like to see improved on your
bike?" This was the first that someone could have asked me that
question where I just don't know the answer. My bike is wonderful!
It climbs great, it descends great, it's comfortable, it looks
beautiful, it's reliable. The engine needs a bit of work, but that's
not something that Trek engineers can do too much about. (Update
8/23/07-
What Trek did to update the Madone was nothing short of
revolutionary; read all about it in
our review on this website. Please note any remaining Madone
SSLs in stock have been drastically reduced!)
The truth is, within the confines of a
conventional-looking frame, there isn't a whole lot of room for
further improvement. Eventually we'll veer off into designs that
people now would consider very strange & odd and perhaps
unappealing, at least initially. But for now, Trek has about a 3-4
year lead in carbon bike technology over the rest of the field, and
is pretty comfortable in saying that, if you're still concerned
about having a bike that will last for a very long time, the SSL
(and variants on the theme) represent the optimization of the
bicycle frame as we presently know it.
Lance Armstrong, when he wrote the book "It's not
about the bike", didn't quite have it right. It's all about where
the bike takes you. The adventures, both in your backyard, and
perhaps in the cols (climbs) of France. Your personal-best time up
Old LaHonda, or a ride on the 'loop with good friends. It's a
two-way street too. I considered bringing my 5900 to
Maui last year for my first ride up
Haleakala, because I wasn't sure I wanted to risk the fancy
paint job on my SSL. Same thing for my
last trip to France, to see
Floyd Landis collapse one day, and rise from the dead the next (and
then subsequently have everything cast in a fog due to a positive
test for testosterone). But my SSL really wanted to be there. The
SSL, like any great bike, isn't just a separate entity, but a
combination of experiences you've shared with it.
As partner and web guy at Chain Reaction Bicycles, I can ride just
about anything I want. And what I want, and have, is a Trek 5.9 OCLV
SSL. I even paid extra for the fancy paint job (the first time I've
ever indulged in such a thing on my bike; part of my mid-life
crisis, I guess). This wasn't a bike I picked up off the floor; it
was a deliberate purchase that cost a good chunk of change. And it's
been worth every cent.
Standard disclaimer: I make a living selling nice bikes, and, as the
largest Trek carbon fiber bike dealer in the country, I sell a
lot of them. So you might assume that everything I say and write
is suspect and 100% biased, and who's to say you're wrong? But I
made a choice to sell Trek bikes, and as a dealer, Chain Reaction
Bicycles has been involved with product people, engineers, marketing
folk and tech guys all along the way, doing everything we can to
help make sure that Trek is, and remains, the best bike on the
market. Not just the best production bike, but the best bike,
period. They have yet to disappoint. I think about that every
Tuesday & Thursday morning, as I throw a leg over the top tube and
head out towards my encounter with Kings Mountain and a group of
cyclists who seem only to get faster as they get older. I need all
the help I can get! --Mike--
Chain Reaction sells bicycles & accessories
from Trek, Gary Fisher, BikeFriday,Shimano, Pearl Izumi, Continental, Descente,
Sidi, Giro, Blackburn, Speedplay, Oakley, Saris, NiteRider, Bontrager,
Torelli, Look, DeFeet, Rock N Roll, Hammer, Cytomax,
Powerbar, Fox, Clif
Bar, CamelBak, Chris King, Profile Design, Craft, X-Lab and many more!
(What I ride --Mike--)
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