The Silque is the only bike in Trek’s entire fleet which is totally women’s specific, everything from the frame geometry to the finished bike build has the female cyclist in mind.

The Silque’s biggest update for this year is the improved IsoSpeed decoupler which doubles vertical compliance to help reduce the buzz from the road. There’s a finely tuned decoupler on the front and the rear of the bike, with the rear decoupler being adjustable. Essentially, it’s a soft suspension feature to create a more comfortable ride by reducing the effects of road buzz felt by the rider.

With the soft suspension system fitted to an ultra light carbon frame and fork, the SLR 7 also benefits from a Bontrager Paradigm Comp wheelset and a full Shimano Ultegra Di2 group-set with a 2×11 drive-train. Suffice to say the SLR 7 has some rather lovely high-end pieces of kit.

When I first received the bike, I pawed at the box, gingerly lifted the bike from it’s cardboard coffin and nestled it oh-so-carefully into the bike stand. I ride a 52cm size frame which weighs in at just under 7.5kg/ 16.5lbs, so it’s very light.

The brilliant purple and cyan bike colour-way has a wonderful metallic finish which really makes the bike sparkle in the sunlight. It’s stunning to look at, it’s incredibly light, but how does it ride?

Project One

If you’re purchasing any of Trek’s top-end bikes, you have the options of ordering it through their customization tool: Project One.

This allows you to finesse your bike with upgraded components, different sized saddles and bar widths, and of course, colours. There are a number of colours you can choose from, at no extra cost. Then by paying a little more – £400 to £800 more – you can choose from a wider palette, you can even get custom flames – how cool is that?

I quite like bright colours, after all it’s safer to be seen on the roads, so I opted for their base model colour, Purple Lotus and added cyan blue grip tape to match the decals. After my Trek bike fit, I was able to ensure that my Silque came with the correct size bars and saddle width so that I was comfortable with the bike set-up for testing.

Project One does come at an additional cost which varies depending on how much you want to personalise your bike. When you’re already purchasing the top-end model, that total figure can come to a bank-bursting amount. However, if you’re investing into a bike that will quite likely last your many miles, races, sportives and years to come, then pushing the boat out a little does make sense. You can even get your name printed on the frame – so tempting.

Bontrager Vella Thermal “Badass” Long Sleeve  Jersey

As a sidenote, and one that I feel just cannot be ignored… Trek and Bontrager are besties, so when my Silque arrived, so did Bontrager’s Vella thermal jersey.

Admittedly, I wasn’t blown away at first. Muted greys and an asymmetric zip didn’t hold much of an appeal, until I popped it on and went for a ride. Wow. It’s warm and toasty with it’s thermal lining, and the silicone hem kept it in place again my bibtights. The higher collar length was great help fighting off the cold chill as well, something I was most grateful for. The jerseys also resembles the uniform from the sci-fi cult film, Equilibrium, which happens to be a favourite of mine.

Sizes: X.Small – X.Large

Available here for £65

Verdict

As far as first impressions go, the Trek Silque SLR 7 – a.k.a Matilda – has really resonated with me. After each ride, I’m itching to get back out there and ride some more. It’s incredibly comfortable, super smooth on the roads and it handles exactly how I would want my road bike to handle.

The SLR 7 comes in at £4,400 in sizes 47 – 50 – 52 – 54 – 56, and it has the option of being purchased through the Project One personalization program also. If this is a little over budget for you, then the Silque SLR 6 is available at £3,600 which features the same IsoSpeed decouplar system, but doesn’t come with di2.

The Silque S 5 and S4 come in at £1,600 and £1,400 respectively which both have a lower grade carbon frame and a different decoupler set-up.

Of course only further miles and hours put into this bike will show a fuller picture of what the Silque is really capable of. A full Silque SLR 7 review will be coming in the not to distance future, so keep an eye out.

You may also enjoy:

Reviewed: The Ridley Liz SL Ultegra women’s road bike

8 of the Best women’s road bikes for under £1,000

Beginner road cycling 101