trek madone 4.5 2012 review

2013 Trek Madone 4.5 Road Bike Review

The Madone 4.5  Series pairs race-level performance and technology with all-day comfort and amazing spec value. No wonder it’s our best selling OCLV Carbon road bike. The Trek Madone 4.5 is a road bike built around a light carbon frame but at a price point that makes it far more appealing to the average rider. You still get top notch materials and well chosen components, but everything is aimed at appealing to people who want both performance and value from their next road bike.

The Trek Madone 4.5 features a 400 Series OCLV carbon frame with a super wide BB90 bottom bracket. This means that the bike is not only light and compliant for long distance speed and comfort, but it also has integral stiffness which allows you to accelerate quickly and pull ahead of your mates with less effort.

Frame and Equipment:

The 4.5 uses a considerably higher grade of carbon than that of the already spectacular three.5, creating it notably light-weight at a claimed one,100g for the frameset. The frame itself incorporates Trek’s combat the press-fit bottom bracket BB90, for improved stiffness and fewer weight.

As with the previous top-of-the-range 6-Series, the seat tube is uneven, with identical going for the rear chainstay mount for the ANT+ DuoTrap sensing element (available one by one for £39.99).

The E2 tapered head tube and extremely carven shaping is taken from that US-built superbike, that is actually what you’re obtaining with the four.5; in terms of specification it’s a stripped version of their previous tour winning machine. The 5-, 6- and 7-Series bikes currently have aero-optimised KVF styles, however we’re glad Trek have unbroken the terrific professional level chassis alive.

A frame with style credentials this smart and on a sub-£2,000 complete bike would recommend some downgrades and compromises elsewhere, however Trek are clever with the budget. For a begin, they’ve used Shimano’s Ultegra system for the mechs and shifters, solely downgrading the brakes and container to the still-impressive one zero five vary, whereas the chainset is Shimano’s non-series R565.

The wheel package hasn’t been compromised, though, as Trek’s element whole Bontrager have provided the new-for-2013 Race R1s, that includes elegant, minimal hubs with quality bearings, nice seals and butted spokes. The all-new rims are compatible with tubeless tyres.

The Race R1s square measure shod with Bontrager’s R2 tyres – with a nominal size of ordinary twenty three, they’re if truth be told slightly broader than that, and in our opinion all the higher for it. The distinction in size permits them to be run at the lower pressures necessary for winter grip, while not increasing the possibilities of you puncturing. As you’d imagine, Bontrager conjointly offer the remainder of the Madone’s finishing kit.

The slender, compact reach Associate in Nursingd drop VR-C bar is an adequate entertainer – nicely formed with nice dimensions however very little to form it stand out on the far side that. The Race fatless stem could be a bit classier, and nicely finished with quality hardware.

At the rear it’s a way a lot of spectacular affair, with the Affinity a pair of saddle (fast changing into one in every of our favourites) sitting atop a sublime carbon seatpost (though we have a tendency to did want a liberal coating of carbon preparation to forestall it slipping).

Ride and Handling:

Out on the road, the category of the four.5 is totally evident. we have a tendency to precious the three.5 last year however the four.5 takes everything that created it exceptional and turns it up to eleven. the general feel is totally sleek, and a coffee overall weight and broad 50/34, 11-28 geartrain create the bike a whole breeze on climbs. nonetheless the stiffness Associate in Nursingd oh-so-sorted position create it an absolute blast down hills.

Smashing the four.5 through a succession of bends ne’er caused it to urge rattled or dope off line. Some bikes will have snappier initial turn-in, but the 4.5 doesn’t got to be as rapid; with a motorcycle that provides this abundant communication through its feel, we have a tendency to ne’er found the necessity for unpunctual direction changes mid-corner.

Plenty of the four.5’s ultra-confident ride comes all the way down to the H2 pure mathematics (the prime tube is shorter than the professional H1 by a couple of millimetres, and slightly taller at the front, once more by simply a couple of units). Dimensions that embrace a 190mm head tube and 992mm distance square measure obscurity close to to a fault relaxed, particularly after you think about a regular seventy three-degree seat angle and steeper-than-average 73.8-degree head angle.

The 4.5 scores plenty of its points from the frame being stiff wherever it’s needed (the head and down tube, BB shot and chainstays) and cozy elsewhere. We’d eventually upgrade the typical bar and chainset however would be over happy to pay the value to possess this elegant chassis in our lives.

Image Credit © Trek

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Trek Madone 4.5 Compact review

Affordable and ideal for longer rides

Guy Kesteven

Trek's multi Tour de France winning Madone family has been around for years, and the 4.5 is the most affordable member for 2010. it does mean you get Oriental TCT carbon, rather than the pricier US-built OCLV carbon of the 5 and 6 family bikes, but it’s the overall ride, not the origin, that matters here.

Ride & handling: Agile and confident handling complements friendly overall feel

While Trek don’t do a specific sportive bike, Madones have always been a popular choice among high-mileage riders, and we can see why. It’s immediately obvious this bike is smooth from fork to far end, sitting on the road quietly over rough sections that rattled many price rivals.

Despite sharp and snappy-looking angles on paper, it’s got a neutral stability too, letting us ride no-handed without worry when fishing energy bars out of back pockets.

It’s not just the easy mid-picnic handling that encourages you to put those extra miles in either. This bike just melts away underneath you, barely registering the tactical tarmac conditions that are a real issue on stiffer bikes.

The Bontrager tyres are usefully smooth rolling without being worryingly slippery in wet corners. The short stem makes exploring the traction limits fun on descents, with an agile twitchy feel through the steering when you’re flicking between manhole covers and potholes, or changing lines mid-corner.

Stability and the stiffness of the front end means this never develops into anything nasty on long, fast descents though, with only the soft brakes acting as a mental parachute.

While it’s a great smooth, ‘go the distance’ choice for longer rides, the pliable smoothness of the Trek can work against it as workload goes up. Its buoyant, floated ride when you’re tapping out a tempo develops into a real bounce as you press the pedals harder.

This results in a definite rubber-chain effect if you’re fighting the hill. The compact chainset ratios mean you can spin rather than stomp most of the time though, and the light wheels hold speed towards summits well too.

Chassis: Smooth and comfy frameset, but weight limits upgrade potential

At 1,250g the frame isn't the lightest at this price, but the reasonably light tapered alloy steerer fork puts it back into the right ball park. The extended hourglass profile E2 head tube puts stiffness and accuracy into the steering.

The triangular top tube gets a flattened centre section to feed some comfort back in, and while the down tube is broad, it’s also relatively shallow to suck out some road sting. The seat tube is single diameter, which means a conventional front mech fits fine.

The bottom bracket is an external screw-in rather than oversize push-fit type. Mid-size multi-section rear stays meet at simple alloy dropouts, with a scalloped wishbone section morphing smoothly into the seat tube/top tube area.

The polished seat collar matches the similar-finish Shimano 105 gear and you get twin bottle cage mounts. A metal plate protects the chainstays if you drop the chain off the back, and there’s even a socket for Trek’s Duotrap computer speed and cadence sensor unit.

The unusual crossover brake cable routing under the top tube gives a clean look with a UK-style left-hand front brake. With no fewer than seven sizes they'll fit most riders, although you have to hop up to the Madone 4.7 (£1,900) to get Women's Specific Design versions.

Equipment: Bontrager kit shaves weight and Shimano transmission performs well

Like most bikes at this price, transmission is predominantly Shimano 105 with a similar-quality FC600 compact chainset. A 27-tooth big sprocket on the cassette means a proper crawler gear for climbs, with the option of a triple chainset.

Shimano Tiagra brake callipers feel soft, but the combined STI levers and shifters are 105, and fitting cartridge brake pads will make a big difference to feedback. Gear adjusters next to the levers make in-flight tweaking easy. The rest of the bike is a selection of Trek’s Bontrager house-brand kit.

Saddle and seatpost kept everyone happy, while the well-shaped handlebars sit on a big stack of carbon headset spacers for easy adjustment. The Bontrager kit – particularly the wheels – is light enough to offset the extra frameset mass and put the Trek back into contention on weight.

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Review: Trek Domane 4.5 – A High-End Frame and Smart Build Kit

While many brands have introduced “endurance” road bikes over the last few years, few have taken the idea to quite the extreme as Trek.

Trek Domane 4.5 – A High-End Frame and Smart Build Kit

The Domane was developed with considerable input from Swiss pro cyclist Fabian Cancellara , who is known for his steam-engine riding style, using his massive power output to crush cobblestones in the fabled Spring Classics. He is said to enjoy the bike so much that he rides it year-round, even in the Tour de France, choosing it over Trek’s racier Madone model.

The frame features the intriguing IsoSpeed decoupler , an ingenious system that separates the seat tube from the top tube and seatstays, and allows the seat tube to flex and pivot at the mounting point. If you stand next to the bike and put your weight on the saddle, you can see the seat tube flex slightly, but while riding it is imperceptible until you hit a bump.

A High-Performance Machine

Make no mistake: IsoSpeed is not a suspension system, and this is still a high-performance machine. If you’re expecting something akin to a suspension seatpost, think again. The frame’s ride quality is distinctly carbon—a muted road feel with less of that high-frequency vibration you feel from some aluminum frames, but still generally stiff.

Iso Speed makes itself most noticeable when crossing railroad tracks or other high-speed, sharp impacts that would normally require you to lift or shift your weight on the saddle to avoid being bounced. Not having to do that means you can keep your cadence smooth and the power high. The system seems so extreme some might think it’s a gimmick, but I’m convinced. Trek is as well—the technology will soon be adapted to its line of hardtail mountain bikes .

At the other end of the bike, the fork deserves some of the credit. It was developed with an asymmetrical steerer tube that is slightly thicker side-to-side than front-to-back, giving it a touch of compliance, but it never felt soft or shuddering.

The difference between the Domane 4.5 and the higher-end models is in the stiffness of the carbon fiber itself, and that this version uses a standard 27.2mm seat post rather than a seatmast that is integrated into the frame. I actually prefer the standard post, as it can be swapped for countless alternatives and provides an easy spot to clamp the bike in a work stand.

Trek’s DuoTap Hidden Speed

Other frame details include a spot for Trek’s DuoTap hidden speed and cadence sensor, an integrated chain guide to eliminate dropped chains and more generous tire clearance than most frames. It also has removable fender eyelets, so you can keep the clean look if you’re not using them. For an even smoother ride, you can ditch the tubes and set up the Bontrager Race wheels tubeless—another technology that is easy to dismiss until you try it.

It would be a mistake to write off the Domane as a “comfort” bike for weekend warriors. Despite accommodations for a smooth ride, it is as stiff and race-worthy as I could ask. Yet the slightly longer wheelbase makes it extremely stable, and it’s one of the few bikes I’ve ever plunged downhill at 40mph with a crosswind while still feeling relaxed. The fit adds to the comfort factor, as the slightly taller head tube gives you a more head’s-up position than Trek’s race bikes. Paired with a set of shallow-drop Bontrager handlebars , I felt great in each of the riding positions, an essential element of a long, comfortable ride.

Domane: Initial Acceleration is Direct and Instant

The adage “laterally stiff and vertically compliant” has gone beyond cliché to become something of a running joke in road bike circles. The notion that a bike can be a stiff-as-heck race machine and still be comfortable over rough pavement on long rides is not unlike a unicorn—a magical beast that surely can’t exist. But on the Domane, initial acceleration is direct and instant, with the massive, squared down tube and BB90 bottom bracket all but eliminating lateral flex.

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Back in Issue #16 I reviewed the Volagi Liscio, which also features an unusual seat tube arrangement—the seatstays bypass the seat tube and connect to the top tube. While the Liscio was smoother than the Domane in a straight line, it can’t compete with the Domane in terms of power transfer and handling accuracy. The Domane makes no sacrifices in these areas.

The Shimano Ultegra build kit performed flawlessly, as I expected. The compact crankset paired with an 11-28-tooth cassette offers tons of range for tackling the steepest pitches. The 105-level brake calipers offer power to spare, as a single finger is often enough to bring the bike to a stop.

Hitting the street for less than $2,800, the Domane 4.5 struck me as a steal, considering the high-end frame technology and the smart build kit. While it will likely be pitched to riders looking for a high-performance ride for centuries and gran fondos, the Domane is a race bike at heart that won’t beat you up on the weekdays.

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Trek Madone 4.5 WSD Road Bike

From cruising back roads to enjoying all-day epics to getting your feet wet in the racing circuit, Trek's Madone 4.5 WSD does it all. This women's-specific full-carbon beauty boasts a stiff, light frame that floats up the climbs, along with Bontrager's Race Lite oversize carbon fork that provides maximum steering precision. Plus, Bontrager's aero Race wheelset cheats the wind for free speed, while Shimano delivers a slick-shifting 30-speed drivetrain that always gives you the perfect gear. Plus, this road rig comes with a sweet spread of Bontrager's carbon and aluminum components, as well as confidence-inspiring dual-pivot brakes.

• USER REVIEWS

The strengths for me are in the women's specific features and the fact that the bike has been fitted and adjusted properly to my body by a trained coach. It makes a huge difference! The other strengths are in the speed, lightness of the frame,smooth responsive handling and the bike corners and manoeuvres really well. I also love the style and colour of the bike (lighter of the two blue versions available).It really is an aesthetically beautiful bike.

I don't know about weaknesses yet because I have only been riding this bike for 2 weeks. So far I have ridden 300kms. Last week I rode the bike for a 70 km ride and there were no problems. It was fast and responsive. I have not ridden it under rainy or very windy conditions yet either. Time will tell about the carbon frame but as long as I don't total the bike (I am a careful rider),I think that it will be as strong as any bike frame.

My bike is actually 2009/10. I changed over to the Madone 4.5 WSD because I wanted a fast ride that was more responsive than my current road bike was providing. The Madone 4.5 has been properly fitted to my body and I ride higher than on my old bike and further forward over the bars which are dropped. The bike is very light and responsive and corners much better. My rides are faster too.I have cut approximately 15 minutes off my daily 21.5 km ride. I have Ultegra components fitted on the back and 105 on the front. The gear changes are much smoother than the ones that I had with Tiagra components. Due to problems with punctures, I have had the Bontrager tyres replaced with Gatorskins. I have noticed no appreciable difference in my speed or quality of ride. I love the bike and am glad that I changed over. I was a bit scared to change from an alloy frame to an all carbon frame because of durability and breakage rumours (meaning huge expense if the bike totals), however this has so far not been a problem. I love to get on my bike each morning and it feels as if it flies, the ride is so smooth. On downhill runs, I travel at around 40 kms/hr and the bike still corners well and close to the edge of the track where I want it. It really beats my other bike hands-down. For a person who really isn't going to do 'Tour de France' or other major events, I would see no need to upgrade to a more expensive bike. This bike is more than adequate. It has speed, responsiveness, is very light and corners and manoeuvres extremely well. Since having the bike, I have caught up with male riders who have been a minute ahead ( I timed them) and beaten them twice in the same ride (while stopping for a drink). I could not have done this on my other bike as easily, or at all. This bike was approximately a thousand AUS dollars more than my other one, but I think that it is worth every cent. I will be happy to use this bike for a long time. It will suit any experienced female rider who wants a light, fast and responsive, easily manoeuvrable road bike. It is not for a novice. It should also not be bought by someone who only wants to ride occasionally because that would be overkill in expense for the purpose of use of the bike. It would be good for women who want to ride in clubs and in racing events, or for those experienced riders who want a really enjoyable, exhilarating fast ride.

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My last bike was a Giant Defy 1 road bike using Tiagra and Sora components. It had an alloy frame and was a male version, not woman specific. The bike handled reasonably well but was not as light, responsive or manoeuvrable as my Madone. it was a good bike, but I wasn't really satisfied with either the speed, cornering or smoothness of gear changes. The Defy is a well-priced road bike for someone who wants a decent ride but doesn't want the expense or components that add to the quality of a ride when riding every day for some distance, or racing when speed and manoeuvrability are important factors.

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• Rider Notes

2011 Trek Madone 4.5

A carbon frame aero bike with upper mid-range components and rim brakes.

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A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

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I've made it here to Liege to chase a little bike race around France, but before I begin Trek was kind enough to invite me to their new Madone launch. And I'm glad they did. Besides having a lot of fun, I've had the opportunity to meet many of the people behind Trek and the innovative products they produce. Back in

Read Review

Jun 2012 · Caley Fretz

We give our first impressions of the all-new Trek Madone and an expanded Domane line

Aug 2010 · R BA

No, not the new 6 Series SSL, but still a (2009) Tour winner

Mar 2010 · Lennard Zinn

Two-time world pursuit champion Taylor Phinney is Trek-Livestrong’s marquee rider.

Jan 2010 · James Huang

A racier and brawnier feel for the new Madone

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Lightweight, stiff and comfortable with superb ride quality

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Everything you always knew about the Soviet Union is wrong. Lenin was poisoned by Stalin's order; before he died he drafted...

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THE MOSCOW CLUB

by Joseph Finder ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1990

Everything you always knew about the Soviet Union is wrong. Lenin was poisoned by Stalin's order; before he died he drafted a letter condemning the USSR as proof of communism's failure; and the obligatory KGB head who now wants to depose Gorbachev is a mole placed years before by a group of CIA adventurers--in this overblown, entertaining first novel by Kremlin-watcher Finder (Red Carpet, 1983). Soon after Charlie Stone, a patrician CIA analyst whose father did time in the McCarthy days for passing information to the Soviets, first hears about the ""Lenin Testament,"" he becomes convinced that knowing what happened to the letter in 1953 will help clear his father; so even though he's warned off by both Alfred Stone and well-connected godfather Winthrop Lehman, he lures his beautiful, brainy TV newscaster wife, Charlotte Harper, back from separation to help him rifle Lehman's secret files. The files disclose red-hot information about the trail of the letter (which would undermine the entire basis for the Soviet Union if made public) and also ignite a firestorm of murders--his father, his boss, everybody who has any knowledge of the letter's contents or existence. While Stone races from Boston to Washington to Chicago to Paris dodging the police and CIA-financed KGB assassins (touching evidence of warmer superpower relations), and while Finder works like a beaver to emphasize how important this all is (""This was it. At last, after all these decades""), that KGB head is laying a false trail of terrorist violence in Moscow in preparation for his plan to blow up both Gorbachev and a visiting US delegation headed by the President--and to blame the whole plot on the CIA. Hyperbolic and overscaled--but compulsively readable: The elaborate links between the family history of Finder's man-on-the-run and the history of Soviet Russia turn Stone into a think-tank Rambo--an irresistible figure of unbridled fantasy--and his adventures into an escapist knockout.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1990

ISBN: 1427211728

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1990

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The Jazz Mann | Moscow Drug Club - Moscow Drug Club, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire, 29/01/2016. | Review | The Jazz Mann

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Winner of the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Media, 2019

Moscow Drug Club

Moscow Drug Club, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire, 29/01/2016.

by Trevor Bannister

February 07, 2016

Guest contributor Trevor Bannister enjoys "the beguiling charms of Katya Gorrie and her band of troubadors, the Moscow Drug Club". Photograph by Zoe White.

Jazz at Progress, Reading

Friday 29th January 2016

Who could resist the beguiling charms of Katya Gorrie as she opened the doors to the ‘Moscow Drug Club’, located for one night only in the dark recesses of the Progress Theatre, Reading, and invited everyone ‘to come in and have a smoke’. ‘This is the place,’ she said, ‘where the Reds play the Blues.’

Katya’s rich vocal tones, impeccable timing and perfect diction held the audience captivated as she held centre-stage with a wonderful sense of Grand Guignol theatre, and led her band of troubadours, Jonny Bruce on trumpet, accordion player Merek Salmon, Andy Bowen on guitar and Andy Crowdy on bass, on a story-telling journey through song. She drew every last drop of meaning from the lyrics of each song, while a knowing wink or the slightest gesture of the hand, gave the merest hint that … sometimes they were not quite as they first appeared.

And what stories and what songs! Can you think of a better opening number to set the feet tapping and the hands clapping than the out-and-out Latin-American gaiety of the Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer collaboration, “It Had Better Be Tonight”, with its insistent refrain “Meglio stasera, baby, go, go, go”.

“When I Get Low I Get High” from the pen of the unlikely sounding, Marian Sunshine came next, before “The Gypsy With Fire In Her Shoes” served as a reminder that behind the persona of ‘Miss Peggy Lee’ lay a song-writing talent of rare and poignant beauty.

I remember “Yes, My Darling Daughter” as a bright and breezy hit for Eydie Gorme in the early 1960s, but its innuendo escaped my early-teenage understanding in those far-off days. Katya’s witty delivery left me in no doubts as to what the song was really about!

“Bei Mir Bist du Schon”, a great hit for the Andrews Sisters and a flag-waver for many bands of the Swing Era, almost brought the roof down. Driven along at breakneck speed by the tremendous ‘Two Andy’s’ rhythm team, it featured a sensational trumpet solo from Jonny Bruce. He soared into the stratosphere with thrilling knife-edge accuracy. No wonder he is such a sought-after musician. His range is absolutely remarkable, swooping from muted ‘treading-on-egg-shells’ delicacy to the highest reaches of his instrument. The edgy excitement of his playing and rich vocabulary of perfectly placed vocalised effects brought a great sense of drama to the evening.

The accordion is a sadly neglected instrument, more often seen gathering dust on the shelves of a junk-shop, than gracing its rightful place as part of a band. Merek Salmon is a master of the instrument, providing the perfect background to the sardonic humour of Belgian songwriter Jaques Brel, in “Funeral Tango”.

“Jacky”, a second Brel number, played later in the programme, featured the singing tones of Andy Crowdy’s bass in a wonderfully inventive solo.

Juan Tizol’s “Caravan”, with its curious mix of exoticism and straight-ahead swing, is rarely performed as a vocal. More’s the pity! Katya’s rendition brought the first set to a resounding close, and sent the audience scurrying to the bar, eager for refreshment to set them up for the second half.

Andy Crowdy’s rasping trombone echoed the vocal tones of the songwriter himself, as we entered the grotesque world of Tom Waits with the first number in the second set, “Tango Til They’re Sore”. By turns absolutely hilarious and as one commentator has observed, ‘awesomely gruesome’, the band revelled in the macabre sentiments of the song, creating a nightmarish cacophony of sounds with simple, but well-timed interjections from Katya’s vibraslap.

We were ‘treated’ to more samples of Waits’ dark humour later in the programme with “Temptation”, featuring one of many exquisite solos from Andy Bowen and “Jockey Full of Bourbon”. Meanwhile an invitation to meet ‘Queenie the cutie of the burlesque show’ as she performed to Johnny Mercer’s “Strip Polka” came as a welcome relief. The band members were in full voice to support Katya’s vocal.

Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End Of Love” brought an instant gasp of recognition from the audience. Beautiful solos from Merek Salmon and Andy Bowen captured the haunting melancholy of the song. Jonny Bruce took another leap into the unknown with a hair-raising solo loaded with power and incredible emotional intensity. 

Sadly the journey in song was drawing to a close, but not before we visited a gypsy campfire to savour Charles Aznavour’s “Two Guitars”, before taking off for the eastern Mediterranean and our final destination “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”, an irresistible tune that would have sent the audience happily on its way home but for one unresolved question; why the Moscow Drug Club?

Did Katya really meet up with her dissolute bunch of minstrels in rehab after suffering the effects of a night at ‘The Moscow Drug Club’ - a place where members ‘could have a smoke’, cock-a-snoop at authority and relax in the musical intimacy of its intoxicating atmosphere. Not quite. B.B. Gabor, an émigré Hungarian songwriter who settled in Canada, concocted the deliciously decadent lyrics in what would prove to be the encore number for the evening – what else but the “Moscow Drug Club”.

Temporary membership of ‘The Moscow Drug Club’ expired as the final notes of the tune faded away. ‘The Moscow Drug Club’ is sensational and one can only hope that membership may be renewed in the not too distant future. More used to playing large festival stages, with distant crowds, the band clearly enjoyed the convivial atmosphere of the Progress and the closeness of the audience. As ever the magnificent ‘house team’ ensured the smooth-running of the event with a welcoming smile, excellent sound and lighting, and superb service at the bar and front of house. Surely, ‘Jazz at Progress’, now entering its fourth year, must rank as a sought-after gig for Britain’s top jazz talent? Let’s also raise a glass to Steve Wellings, founder and inspirational force behind ‘Jazz in Reading’ who celebrated his birthday at the gig. Good health Steve!

Trevor Bannister (4th February 2016)