ControlCore™

ControlCore™

The all-new Madone's ControlCore™ is a two-part system made up of the seatstay/top tube junction and downtube/bottom bracket/chainstay cluster, ControlCore utilizes a size-specific seat lug/top tube section that gets larger in diameter and stiffness as frame size increases, while creating a direct link from the top tube to the seatstay. ControlCore also combines the industry's widest downtube/bottom bracket design with oversized asymmetric box-section chain stays. ControlCore technology allows Trek engineers to tune lateral flex to provide outstanding steering and rear triangle precision.

Supporting the ControlCore ideal are construction techniques that have been applied to the whole of the fuselage design. We reduced the number of joints by 40% to save weight and located the joints in areas of the fuselage that inherently require support (where the front derailleur band wraps around the seat tube, for example). Our Net Molding process makes assembly-ready, extremely precise OCLV parts that, when combined, make a perfectly aligned fuselage.

Performance Has a New Name

For 2008 you'll notice that the numeric designations are gone from the OCLV naming convention. Gone are OCLV 55, OCLV 110, and OCLV 120, and in their place are OCLV Red, OCLV Black, and OCLV White. Why the change? Two reasons: material clarification and process focus.

What is OCLV Carbon?

OCLV is the precise combination of heat, pressure, materials and experience that produces an infinitely long lasting, vibration damping, lightweight, internally strong composite that's ideal for bicycle construction.

OCLV Carbon Mold

As OCLV Carbon frame construction has become more and more sophisticated, carbon fiber material variety, lay-up schedules, and manufacturing processes have all likewise continued to increase in complexity. As a result, it's significantly more challenging to identify a specific frame as 55GSM, 110GSM, or 120GSM, because every frame is actually a hybrid of a variety of materials arranged according to sophisticated lay-up schedules. By changing the material hierarchy to Red, Black, and White, we can still rank frame materials and talk about a range of OCLV products, but it won't be necessary to rely on associations to specific carbon fiber materials or GSM numbers.

The proliferation of carbon fiber in today's bicycle market underscores the need for Trek to maintain leadership. By calling out specific materials (like 110GSM), second-tier frame manufacturers can attempt to equate their frame to ours by pointing out that they use the same material as Trek. This tactic allows them to shift the discussion away from process capability and material usage strategies, and focus the discussion on the materials themselves. But the same (or similar) ingredients don't equate to the same end product. With carbon fiber structures, process is critical.

And process, specifically our patented OCLV Carbon process, is where Trek's true advantage lies. By de-emphasizing specific materials and instead focusing the discussion on our OCLV Carbon process – a process we invented 16 years ago and have been refining ever since –Trek can leverage our manufacturing, engineering, and design expertise to underscore the unique nature of our carbon fiber frames: a difference we're confident makes for the best carbon fiber frames on the planet.