Trek Madone generations - Evolution of the ultimate race bike

20 years
of redefining what
road racing looks like 



For the past two decades, Madone has disrupted the industry with unprecedented road race technology and advancements that redefine fast.   

Named after the Col de la Madone, an iconic French climb and training destination for the world’s pros, Madone was originally designed to be the most aero and lightweight road race bike in our lineup. Then, as technologies advanced, the superbike branched into two separate models: Émonda for lightweight climbing, and Madone for pure speed.  
Today, groundbreaking Full System Foil aero shapes and advanced 900 Series OCLV Carbon have allowed a reconvergence of Émonda and Madone in the form of the all-new ultimate race bike: Madone Gen 8. Equal parts lightweight and aerodynamic, it’s the only road race bike you’ll ever need.   

The Madone Gen 8 family tree  

See how Trek’s ultimate race bike has evolved over the years from one model to two and back again.

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Madone Gen 1

The first Madone represents a groundbreaking moment in Trek road bike design. It was the first time we designed with aerodynamics in mind, with an aero fin on the downtube and seat tube. It was also the first time we began shaping carbon for optimized climbing and lower weight, using cross-sectioned tubes, and testing in the wind tunnel.

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Madone Gen 2

The second-generation Madone was the first of its kind aesthetically, with tube shapes that were co-driven for the first time by industrial designers and engineers. This generation had a drastic slope change from the previous generation, replaced the alloy stem with carbon, and was revamped with integration details like internal cable routing and in-molded bearings. 

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Madone Gen 3

The focus for the third generation Madone shifted from aerodynamics to weight savings. It was the lightest frame we’d ever made at the time with much rounder tube shapes and a more efficient stiffness-to-weight ratio. This bike started Trek’s round seatmast evolution (seen on the current day Émonda) and featured a stiffer and more compliant oval seat tube. 

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Madone Gen 4

The fourth generation Madone brought aerodynamics back to the forefront with all-new Kammtail Virtual Foil tube shaping and a large aero headtube. It was the first bike to use direct mount brakes (designed by Shimano specifically for this bike) before they became industry standard.   

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Émonda Gen 1

The first generation Émonda marks the first time we split our road race lineup into two separate focuses —Émonda as the dedicated lightweight climbing bike, and Madone as the ultimate aerodynamic race bike. Émonda was the lightest bike we’d ever made, and designed to be the first up every climb.   

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Madone Gen 5

The fifth generation Madone marks a revolutionary moment in the bike’s overall design history. Because we were planning to split off into two separate race bikes (one light and one aero) we were able to put a huge focus on aerodynamics and a never-before-seen level of integration. Gen 5 Madone featured fully hidden cables, proprietary brakes, and a one-piece bar/stem. It was by far the fastest bike we’d ever made, and the first Madone with IsoSpeed compliance tech, adding up to a superbike that not only rode fast but rode really well, too. 

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Émonda Gen 2

The ultimate climbing bike got an upgrade with disc brakes for better all-weather stopping performance and more confident descents.

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Madone Gen 6

In 2019, we improved on Madone Gen 5 by adding disc brakes, adjustable top tube IsoSpeed that let riders dial in compliance, and a two-piece bar/stem combo that allowed them to adjust the rotational angle of their bar for a better fit.  

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Émonda Gen 3

We took Émonda up a notch with the same aero tech as Madone, like Kammtail aero tube shaping, a new one-piece bar/stem, and 800 Series OCLV Carbon that helped make the bike faster while still keeping weight low. With this new fast-yet-light design, Émonda Gen 3 was a whopping 60 seconds faster on the flats than the previous model. 

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Madone Gen 7

Madone Gen 7 was the fastest Madone we’d ever made. By a LOT. It was designed with a completely new generation of Kammtail Virtual Foil tube shaping, all-new race-focused IsoFlow compliance tech, and an aerodynamic flared bar/stem system that put the rider in the most efficient position possible. It was also much lighter than the Gen 6 version, shaving nearly 300g from the previous model.

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Madone Gen 8
Equal parts Madone and Émonda
Worlds collide: our fastest and lightest unite. Madone Gen 8 recombined carbon Émonda and Madone to create the only road race bike you’ll ever need. Equal parts sprinting and climbing bike, the new ultimate race bike features radical new Full System Foil aero shapes that shave 320g off the previous Madone and help make the bike as light as Émonda*. Plus, we designed the whole bike and rider system to be even more aerodynamic, making it 77 seconds/hour faster than the previous Émonda and just as fast as the previous Madone.  
*When comparing framesets