Trek Madone 3.1 WSD (2014)

Another fine WSD bike from Trek in a crowded price point

Pros

- Well designed WSD frameset
- Quality saddle

Cons

- Overall value
- Tires

Review

Cycling is fast becoming one of the leading social sports in the world, and it's no wonder that more women are riding bikes every day. Women riding to work? Yes, but also women riding in pelotons alongside the men. What was previously a small side aisle in bike shops, is now an all consuming Womens Specific market. For good reason too!

Trek have harnessed the energy of their design crew to come up with the best Womens Specific Design bikes on the market. Obviously they succeeded at every level, even with the entry level Trek Madone 3.1 WSD.

The bike features a full carbon frame, made completely out of the Trek OCLV 3 Series carbon. It's good stuff, and is a higher quality than many other brands of the same level and price. The carbon frame is stiff, responsive and yet very supple over bumps. This means you'll be gaining a performance benefit while riding in comfort! Trek have come up with an incredible paintjob, with the frame actually revealing a denim blue carbon patterning in direct sunlight. It looks absolutely brilliant, and very eye catching.

Shimano have been given free reign over what to fit to the bike, and the 3.1 features a mix of 105 and Tiagra components. This is an entry level groupset targeted at people with a taste for quality, reliability and performance at an affordable price. All these factors make it one of the most popular groupsets in the world. Perhaps it is cheeky to suggest, but I would have preferred more 105 and less Tiagra for this price, but that is the corner cut for such a quality frameset.

A very robust set of Bontrager wheels will stay true for hundreds of miles, while the Bontrager tires keep you upright. Although based on affordability, we did find these tires slightly hard in compound, which leads us to think they'd last forever but not offer much grip in varied conditions.

The components within the cockpit are all Bontrager, which comes straight out of the Trek Factory. These are all standard fare for the entry level billing. The saddle is one of those affordable seats that people assume will be cheap and nasty. Fortunately it's not, it's a keeper.

The Madone 3.1 would suit a cyclist looking for a good performing, solid road bike at a relatively inexpensive price point. This is a crowded segment so make sure you take the Trek for a test ride and get a professional fit to make the most of WSD.