*Tour Aero Bike Tests*

[bespoke]

Given you could see all three at the same time; which had the most visual “wow” factor for you? Appreciate everyone is different but curious to know

[spdntrxi]

I dont even really like the S5 cockpit.. but the rest of the bike still has the "wow" factor

[ryanw]

Given you could see all three at the same time; which had the most visual “wow” factor for you? Appreciate everyone is different but curious to know

Madone, no questions asked. It’s absolutely stunning and the build quality is one above.

S5 was beautiful but think it would grow on me (cockpit).

Venge least special (even S-works) but probably the best race bike.

[RocketRacing]

The madone bars look like a engineering mess... but the rest of the bike is sexy.

[AJS914]

The Venge looks way better when it has a nice paint job.

[bespoke]

Personally I really like the S5 body; not so sure on bars but agree they could grow on you.
The S-Works Venge looks miles better than the Pro; night and day
Whereas for Trek some of the SLR6,7 and 8 jobs are as nice/nicer than the 9 (ie they dont “punish” the cheaper builds)

Madone with ICON paint looks immense!

[ryanw]

The S-Works Venge looks miles better than the Pro; night and day

I don't feel that it does.

Deeper wheels look nice, but apart from the saddle colour and bar tape, there really isnt any difference (logos / DA9170 aside).

That's the one thing putting me off it.
If I'm going to spend essentially £10k on a bike, it needs to stand out. The Madone and S5 definitely do, be it for the right or wrong reasons (personal preference).

[ryanw]

The madone bars look like a engineering mess... but the rest of the bike is sexy.

Not a great pic, but you get the idea of how your wrists would clash in a sprint.

[bespoke]

It’s funny, when i first saw the S-Works Venge it looked quite boring; but we have done loads now and it has really grown on me. Surprised how much I like it
I think the hologram decals are very smart and set the Matte frame off nicely
It’s also good value (appreciate thats a relative term) vs the others with a lower SRP and a PM as standard
I do agree the Madone is the more impressive technical achievement; the Venge is a more aero Tarmac (nothing wrong with that given how good the Tarmac is)

[TobinHatesYou]

The madone bars look like a engineering mess... but the rest of the bike is sexy.

Not a great pic, but you get the idea of how your wrists would clash in a sprint.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7900/474 ... 374d_z.jpg

I've been messing around with the Madone SLR bars and they are a very slight ergonomic improvement over the older Madone bars, XXX integrated bar/stem and various other VR-C / VR-CF bars. The top->ramp bend is now less square, but just about any other bar is still better. The reach has not changed at 93mm, which exacerbates the problem.

[guyc]

Assume you can only use proprietary bars with the Madone?

[ryanw]

Assume you can only use proprietary bars with the Madone?

Nope, able to use whichever cockpit you want, but the full cable integration of the OEM kit is lovely.

[ryanw]

It’s funny, when i first saw the S-Works Venge it looked quite boring; but we have done loads now and it has really grown on me. Surprised how much I like it
I think the hologram decals are very smart and set the Matte frame off nicely
It’s also good value (appreciate thats a relative term) vs the others with a lower SRP and a PM as standard
I do agree the Madone is the more impressive technical achievement; the Venge is a more aero Tarmac (nothing wrong with that given how good the Tarmac is)

This I agree with. The Venge is an amazing bike and proven on the World stage. It felt like a whippet compared to the mandone, so agile and responsive.

[timmerrr]

And I’m not a fan of just resting my palms on top of a slippery surface with my fingers just hooked over the front edge. A sudden bump in the road and whoops. Versus being able to “comfortably” wrap your thumb underneath like, dare I say it, a round cross section bar, which is super comfy and safer in the event you do hit that unexpected bump.

As an owner of a new S5 this is one of the points I think cervelo got right with the new cockpit. Whether you like the look or not the V stem give you a perfect place to hook your thumbs so that you have a grip on the whole bar when riding on the tops. They are also matte/slightly textured so it isn't as slippery as that gloss madone cockpit. Also no wrist banging either.

[ryanw]

I actually loved the Madone bars apart from the wrist clashing. The bar tape was also lovely.
Riding on the tops was spot on.

Should find out what the lead time is on my new purchase this Thursday.....