Are they rightfully considered aero bikes? Is this a marketing gimmick to justify reducing SKU’s? Or are these bikes a lighter faster choice?

Haven’t ridden any of the three, but in looking at numbers and reviews it seems like the Tarmac is legit, the Madone was just Trek reducing sku’s and a step down from the previous Madone, and we will see on the new Supersix.

I did not list every do it all race bike but meant the 3 better known examples as a representation of the genre.

I think the answer is the old, it depends. Depends on which one you’re interested in, depends where you ride, depends what kind of feel you like, etc.. I’d rather have a real aero bike personally, so that’s what I ride. But I also live somewhere that is rolling and has no sustained climbs.

To me “One bike to rule them all” is something I could run wide tires so I can ride fast on the road and on gravel, something like the Enve Fray. That said, I don’t race on the road, so the Sl8 is not targetted towards my riding.

[image] wik04: I think the answer is the old, it depends. Depends on which one you’re interested in, depends where you ride, depends what kind of feel you like, etc.. I’d rather have a real aero bike personally, so that’s what I ride. But I also live somewhere that is rolling and has no sustaine…

I rode a Marinoni Piuma Columbus handmade in Quebec (still have), love the smooth confort, the isolation from the road. Last year I purchased a SL8, mind blowing … I can’t really say which one is more confortable. I use the same tires/tubes (5000 + latex) My average are higher too. I can not talk…

[image] Caveman: That is what leads me to believe a do it all cannot be as aero as a dedicated aero bike. Wrong or right I will stick with a full aero bike when I’m spending my own money. It still kind of depends. Since 80% of the drag is a persons body, the position on the bike is going to …

no, they are not aero bikes. they are all rounders. the aero differences though are often minimal. i do think that the best all rounders are pretty much the best of all worlds - aero, weight and comfort. really, it depends what attributes you personally value most. a good bike is a good bike (and a…

[image] Caveman: Are they rightfully considered aero bikes? Is this a marketing gimmick to justify reducing SKU’s? IMHO the concept of aero road bike IS the marketing gimmick. Those are great roadies you’ve listed.

The gen 4 SuperSix was already more aero than the other two you listed, while only being a couple hundred grams heavier. The new gen 5 is even faster and lighter. Looks to blow the Tarmac SL8 out of the water in almost every category. The Madone is the odd one out being heavier and slower. But appar…

What are people’s thoughts on the “One Bike to Rule Them All”? types like the Tarmac Sl8, Madone or Supersix Evo?

Equipment

Saddlesaur February 19, 2026, 4:15pm 12

Mathematically speaking, 1 is not equal to N + 1.

1 Like

Topic		Replies	Views
Choosing road race bike (lightweight, aero, all-rounder) Equipment	10	2848	July 11, 2023
Aero vs allrounder race bike Equipment bike	52	4980	January 30, 2024
Difference between aero and endurance road bikes Equipment bike	64	20575	September 28, 2020
New road bike - 2021 riddle :) Equipment	63	8526	November 3, 2020
Thinking about buying a new aero bike Equipment bike	46	3444	November 25, 2019

What are people’s thoughts on the “One Bike to Rule Them All”? types like the Tarmac Sl8, Madone or Supersix Evo?

Related topics