The Trek Madone SLR 9 AXS Gen 8 tears up the roads and conquers climbs

When a cyclist sees the Trek Madone SLR 9 AXS Gen 8 for the first time, the following thoughts run through their head, usually in this order: "What a beautiful bike." "Damn, that looks really fast." "The owner of this bike is extremely serious about cycling and has a very generous budget for fitness gear." Indeed, almost every conversation I had while out and about the Madone started and ended with the bike's looks and price tag. And for good reason. A shiny bike Credit: Eric Bangeman Let's get the obvious out of the way. This is an expensive and very high-tech bike, retailing at $15,999. Part of the price tag is the technology—this is a bicycle that rides on the bleeding edge of tech. And part is the Project One Icon "Tête de la Course" paint job on the bike; less-flashy options start at $13,499. (And if $15,999 doesn't break your budget, there's an even fancier Icon "Stellar" paint scheme for an extra $1,000.) That's a pretty penny but not an unusual price point in the world o ... Read full article.