Bring home a piece of the Tour de France

German professional racer John Degenkolb won Stage 9 of the Tour de France this year riding this bike and now you can ride it too. American bicycle brand Trek announced last month that it will bring the Madone SLR 9 to India on request.

“We listened to our customers and have implemented this programme based on their specific request," said Navneet Banka, country manager, Trek Bicycle India. “India is a key market for Trek and our focus is to provide a great experience, while promoting leisure and competitive cycling in India."

When the company released the 2016 version of the bike three years ago, it was dubbed the “ultimate race bike". The 2019 Madone, which is available in both disc-brake and rim-brake variants, includes a number of updates on aerodynamics and design features. Upgrades that stand out are the ones to disc-brake models and IsoSpeed.

A flexible IsoSpeed helps riders to adjust compliance—the industry term given to the flexibility of the frame to deal with the inconsistencies of the terrain. The technology allows the frame to flex and absorb road vibrations. This is combined with elastomer to reduce rebound. Basically, the seat adjusts according to the terrain and returns to its usual position at a speed that is less jarring. The idea, according to the engineers at the company, is to smoothen the ride and reduce fatigue.

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The cockpit of the new bike has been re-engineered to allow a more aerodynamic stance. The handlebarand the hoods have been reshaped. There are more choices for stem and additional bar sizes.

The rim-brake version of the bike is lighter but it doesn’t match up to the performance of the disc-brake version.

The bikes can be ordered via Trek stores across India. Price for the Madone SLR 9 starts from ₹ 4.55 lakh for the disc version.