Free of effort not free of cost. Free speed is an expression meaning buying speed.
Thank you, Iām aware. It just sounds hilarious considering they jacked the price of the frame by over $1k
Someone actually already put these new bottles on a Gen 7, but when TREK did an AMA on Reddit and with TREK claiming they modeled the bottles on various bikes and saw gains, someone asked āwell wouldnāt the Gen 7 with the bottles be even fasterā they said āWELL actually theyāre not really designed for that frame so theyāre not going to do as much as you thinkā. Funny how they change their tune so quickly
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Iāve been debating trying these bottles on my Gen7 and after seeing that pic I am not sure I like them.
Is there data to show the bottles impact on the bike
According to Trek website they are 1.8W quicker on the Gen8 at 22mph. I would imagine itās less that that on the Gen7 since it hasnāt been optimized for these bottles like the Gen8
People are also weighing complete bikes and the weights are not coming in as advertised. Someone on weight weenies weighed a Gen 7 and Gen 8 from their shop floor, SLR7 trims with cages on both and less than 100g difference
Paint maybe? Trek loves their thick glossy cool paint, but such a paint job can add hundreds of grams. Itās always funny to me when brands tout that an update saves like 100g from a complete frameset due to superior engineering etc. Just sell a naked carbon frame, same savings!
Trek the Madone 8 is better then the 7
Wouldnāt be the first time a trek team has lied to us
Right on Trekās website if you look at SLR7 gen7 vs gen8 there is only a 170g difference. If you look at frame sets and forks their claims add up but they are making it sound better than it is. They are adding weight somewhereā¦.maybe the new handlebar??
The Gen 7 didnāt test that great in the tour test compared to the top aero bikes. And was more in the sl8 territory. The Gen 8 would need to be there to actually make sense as a replacement for an aero bike. Honestly this is a pretty disappointing release I donāt see why you would get this over an sl8 or super six Evo 4 or an aeroadā¦
This bike looks aero
They claim the new bar is lighter but their claimed weight is the same as the real weight on my Gen 7 bar
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Out of curiosity. i checked to see what the new WB & cages would costā¦$99. EACH.
LOLā¦Iāll deal with the extra watts. They also really need a white bottle option. All the current color options are dark bottles, which get warm very quickly in the summer.
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Thatās $100 a watt
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If I could add 50 watts to my FTP for $5000 (legally), Iād find the $. Hell, I just spent more than that on a new XC race bike that probably wonāt be any faster than my old one. Or 100 watts for $10k, might be enough for that senior world tour contract Iāve been gunning for.
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Watching the Tourā¦to get the aero advantage of the Gen 8 they need to keep two bottles in the cages. During the climbs many times the bottles are shed to reduce weight. Itās not much but, I reckon the new Trek bottles are around 80g each. So they will either need to carry an extra 160g with the bottles or no bottles and lose the aero advantage of the fairing. So, really only 160g lighter than the Gen 7 (but less aero).
Meaning, the Gen 8 is not as aero or as light as they claim (they need to include the bottles in the weight or give aero data w/o bottles). Either way Trek is gaslighting the masses in a way. I like the bike. I like Trek and appreciate what they need to do business wise (reduce SKUās) to better turn a profit. But, this BS reminds me of the BS my own company spews to spin things as not as bad as they are when in reality the house is burning down.
In the end it really doesnāt matter. Itās only dorks like me who are conflicted about this. I bet the masses donāt care or donāt think about this stuff. Just on a group ride yesterday a couple riders asked if my Gen 7 was a Gen 8. They were all excited but, bummed when they found out it was a Gen 7. Asked my opinion. I said Trek should have adapted the Gen 7 with OCLV900, aero optimized bottles for the narrower down tube and optimized the bar and boom you have a better bike than the Gen 8ā¦as far as performance they fād up but, nobody listens to me 
JMO
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A good point was apparently raised by Ben Delaney in his review (I havenāt watched it yet, but a buddy did)ā¦the new aero bottles cannot stand up on their own. Kinda makes it a pain to fill bottles w/ mix or to just stage them prior to a ride. They will need to be lying down unless they are in the cage.
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No problem, youāll just have to buy a Trek Upright Bottle Holder Thing ā¦ oops thatās another sku
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