Cervelo S5 2018 VS Trek Madone SLR6 2019

[Roadrocket]

@ Shrike @ wheelsONfire Correct, S5 is my choice!

The Madone looks really awesome in person. While S5 is great looking too, it wasn´t the love at first sight. But it felt very stiff, nimble, fast accelerating and immediately catched my heart during a ride. It´s not a long term test, I tried the bikes only for about 30 minutes(flat, downhill, climb, sprint), so FWIW I can say S5 felt better in riding charasterics and climbing was easier too. The Madone felt like a train, it holds speed very well, but I didn´t feel the liveliness of the S5 in it. Braking was way weaker during dry weather with Madone too(Aeolus 5 tubulars, SwissStop pads).

Even if the price of both SLR and S5 is the same, the S5 is the winner, what´s more the S5 was limited by not very fast Tufo tubulars too.
Considering that Madone is much more epensive, it looks like there is clear choice for me. Even though I tried older models of both bikes, I doubt there will be significant differences in performance.

@ Noctiluxx Congrats, keep posting a pics later!

[Noctiluxx]

@ Shrike @ wheelsONfire Correct, S5 is my choice!

The Madone looks really awesome in person. While S5 is great looking too, it wasn´t the love at first sight. But it felt very stiff, nimble, fast accelerating and immediately catched my heart during a ride. It´s not a long term test, I tried the bikes only for about 30 minutes(flat, downhill, climb, sprint), so FWIW I can say S5 felt better in riding charasterics and climbing was easier too. The Madone felt like a train, it holds speed very well, but I didn´t feel the liveliness of the S5 in it. Braking was way weaker during dry weather with Madone too(Aeolus 5 tubulars, SwissStop pads).

Even if the price of both SLR and S5 is the same, the S5 is the winner, what´s more the S5 was limited by not very fast Tufo tubulars too.
Considering that Madone is much more epensive, it looks like there is clear choice for me. Even though I tried older models of both bikes, I doubt there will be significant differences in performance.

@ Noctiluxx Congrats, keep posting a pics later!

You're absolutely right about the Madone lacking liveliness. But I have three other bikes that give me the "Liveliness" but lack Madone's freight train speed, though my XR4 comes very close. If I was to have one bike, the Madone would not be it. But damn on rolling hills this freight train is a blast to ride.

[stang1]

@ Shrike @ wheelsONfire Correct, S5 is my choice!

The Madone looks really awesome in person. While S5 is great looking too, it wasn´t the love at first sight. But it felt very stiff, nimble, fast accelerating and immediately catched my heart during a ride. It´s not a long term test, I tried the bikes only for about 30 minutes(flat, downhill, climb, sprint), so FWIW I can say S5 felt better in riding charasterics and climbing was easier too. The Madone felt like a train, it holds speed very well, but I didn´t feel the liveliness of the S5 in it. Braking was way weaker during dry weather with Madone too(Aeolus 5 tubulars, SwissStop pads).

Even if the price of both SLR and S5 is the same, the S5 is the winner, what´s more the S5 was limited by not very fast Tufo tubulars too.
Considering that Madone is much more epensive, it looks like there is clear choice for me. Even though I tried older models of both bikes, I doubt there will be significant differences in performance.

@ Noctiluxx Congrats, keep posting a pics later!

You're absolutely right about the Madone lacking liveliness. But I have three other bikes that give me the "Liveliness" but lack Madone's freight train speed, though my XR4 comes very close. If I was to have one bike, the Madone would not be it. But damn on rolling hills this freight train is a blast to ride.

Im glad we share the same sentiment. Having both the XR4 as well as the Madone which I just recieved, I think you are spot on, although I only had the first ride on the SLR9.
Its like a freight train, very close to the XR4, but lacks the "jump / liveliness" but still, not lacking. Rolling undulating terrains it was definitely fun to ride, but still not lacking out of the saddle efforts. My ISOspeed is set to 50%, so may try to see if it affects the ride quality if i move it to the stiffest setting.

[diegogarcia]

In the interests of fair play, letting others know that I kept my S5 for a short period, but sold the bike complete to yeild a return as I found it so overwhemingly stiff at the rear. This week, my new 2019 Propel goes live, with my mechanic at the moment fitting aero bars and tuning it up and can update people after a few rides as to how this goes. Although mine not an SL I got excited by this Bike Radar quote

While its rivals are all looking for some compromises on the aero side, either to increase the smoothness of the ride or to reduce weight, the Propel is a pure aero machine, concentrating on going fast. And fast it is.

It’s rare to get on a bike that’s just so willing to accrue speed. It doesn’t achieve this in the same way as its nimble sibling the TCR does, whipping up acceleration with ease. The Propel is more like a super-fast freight train, seeming to gather momentum and hold onto its speed for longer. I’ve rarely experienced a bike this good at covering flat ground, it’s genuinely time-trial-bike rapid.

and look forward to getting on the road weather pending !

[VTR1000SP2]

In the interests of fair play, letting others know that I kept my S5 for a short period, but sold the bike complete to yeild a return as I found it so overwhemingly stiff at the rear. This week, my new 2019 Propel goes live, with my mechanic at the moment fitting aero bars and tuning it up and can update people after a few rides as to how this goes. Although mine not an SL I got excited by this Bike Radar quote

While its rivals are all looking for some compromises on the aero side, either to increase the smoothness of the ride or to reduce weight, the Propel is a pure aero machine, concentrating on going fast. And fast it is.

It’s rare to get on a bike that’s just so willing to accrue speed. It doesn’t achieve this in the same way as its nimble sibling the TCR does, whipping up acceleration with ease. The Propel is more like a super-fast freight train, seeming to gather momentum and hold onto its speed for longer. I’ve rarely experienced a bike this good at covering flat ground, it’s genuinely time-trial-bike rapid.

and look forward to getting on the road weather pending !

You sold a stiff bike to get a stiffer bike?


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[Karvalo]

Yeah... if you trust that review it's basically saying you've bought the bike that does least to fix what you didn't like about the other bike...

[vanillaflyweight]

Also adding to the propel comments, reading between the lines it is fast but very heavy... i.e. doesn't accelerate well and suited for the flats only.

[Roadrocket]

sold the bike complete to yeild a return as I found it so overwhemingly stiff at the rear

What exactly do you mean with stiff at the rear? If you mean just comfort issues, why you didn´t try the new 2018 model seatpost? I think it would fit your frame and according to reviews it offers a lot more comfort than old seatpost.

[diegogarcia]

LOL - no, the S5 was notoriously stiff, often described as harsh the new propel is not far from it. Harsh. Harsh. Harsh.

Happy with it as a straight line bike even if it is marginally heavier. Not bothered about that. I had an excellent cash offer on the S5 was not enjoying riding it so moved it. Happy days one and all.

[Richards1987]

@stang1. I am looking at purchasing the Madone SLR 9 2019 Frame set in Rim Brake and putting the pro aero vibe di2 handlebars on (not sure what stem to use yet) to bring the weight down. I understand the Madone specific two piece bar and stem is quite heavy. It will be in a size 52. How do you find this bike with out of the saddle climbing and punchiness? I have read that it holds its speed extremely well, therefore saving enrgy over long periods of racing.

@ Shrike @ wheelsONfire Correct, S5 is my choice!

The Madone looks really awesome in person. While S5 is great looking too, it wasn´t the love at first sight. But it felt very stiff, nimble, fast accelerating and immediately catched my heart during a ride. It´s not a long term test, I tried the bikes only for about 30 minutes(flat, downhill, climb, sprint), so FWIW I can say S5 felt better in riding charasterics and climbing was easier too. The Madone felt like a train, it holds speed very well, but I didn´t feel the liveliness of the S5 in it. Braking was way weaker during dry weather with Madone too(Aeolus 5 tubulars, SwissStop pads).

Even if the price of both SLR and S5 is the same, the S5 is the winner, what´s more the S5 was limited by not very fast Tufo tubulars too.
Considering that Madone is much more epensive, it looks like there is clear choice for me. Even though I tried older models of both bikes, I doubt there will be significant differences in performance.

@ Noctiluxx Congrats, keep posting a pics later!

You're absolutely right about the Madone lacking liveliness. But I have three other bikes that give me the "Liveliness" but lack Madone's freight train speed, though my XR4 comes very close. If I was to have one bike, the Madone would not be it. But damn on rolling hills this freight train is a blast to ride.

Im glad we share the same sentiment. Having both the XR4 as well as the Madone which I just recieved, I think you are spot on, although I only had the first ride on the SLR9.
Its like a freight train, very close to the XR4, but lacks the "jump / liveliness" but still, not lacking. Rolling undulating terrains it was definitely fun to ride, but still not lacking out of the saddle efforts. My ISOspeed is set to 50%, so may try to see if it affects the ride quality if i move it to the stiffest setting.

[cajer]

Richards please let me know what stem you end up going with to hide the cables, as I’m going to be doing the same thing. Could you also get pictures of the cable routing?

[Richards1987]

I have both the S5 and Madone. They are both very different bikes.

I don't know how big you are, but I am 5'9", 130ish and can generate 1,200 watts in a sprint, so not a big, powerhouse rider. Both of those frames are very stiff on the bottom bracket and in the headtube. From the perspective of the ride, the Madone is super-soft. I did not think that the decouplers would make as big a difference as they do, by they turn a race-day bike into a nice, GT bike.

The other great thing about the Madone is the 'H1' headtube. That makes it much easier to get a nice, low front-end without too many machinations (I have to run a 140mm stem on the S5 to get the bars low enough). Once set up, though, the S5 rides very nicely. It is very nimble in the front end, maybe quicker-handling than the Madone.

Lastly, I have a creak in the bottom bracket of the S5. I have been looking at the options to fix it (I want to keep it in as close an 'as-raced' condition from when Dan Martin had it, so I don't want to loctite it in there, if I can avoid it). That is apparently a pretty common problem with the S5s. I might try a BB Infinite, or something, when I get around to it. No bottom bracket issues with the Madone (knock on wood...)

Oh, as an old-school tubular guy, I have a habit of reaching back whilst riding and dragging my fingers along the top of the tire where it passes the seattube to knock-off any bits of glass, etc. before they cause punctures. That is easy to do with the Madone, not so much with the S5.

I don't think you will be upset with either choice.

Which do you find better and more responsive for out of the saddle/punchy type climbing? 6% 3-10 minute climbs?