MERIDA REACTO 3OO
£999 MERIDA-BIKES.COM
This aero road bike from the Taiwanese bike giant (who manufacture over two million bikes a year) inherits its straight lines from their Reacto Evo carbon bikes, ridden by the Bahrain-Merida team, so forget curves, this is all windcheating profiles and a super-sized carbon aero seatpost.
The technology involved has swallowed a fair wodge of cash, so there’s a step down in the choice of componentry, and at nearly 10kg it’s heavier than the Cannondale on the previous page. But weight is actually something of a red herring when it comes to performance.
It’s lovely to pick up a bike and find the weight is barely detectable, but if Chris Boardman had been attempting his cycling hour record on a bike a kilogram heavier, the difference in his distance would have been measured in tens of metres at the most.
Contemporary bike science says that aerodynamics virtually always trumps low weight, the exceptions being when you’re accelerating and climbing, fighting against gravity rather than just air resistance. Okay, if you’ve got the budget you can have low weight and aerodynamics, but at this price aerodynamics should be king.
AERO CREDENTIALS
On our regular test routes, taking in long, largely flat commutes and longer rides with some challenging Mendip climbs, this was the fastest bike of the lot. The differences were small and without a power meter there’s always a subjective element to the effort, not to mention the impact that wind and weather can also have. Still,
saving a few seconds over a 25km commute isn’t bad if you’re looking for marginal gains.
This raciness is matched by the gearing. The 10-speed Shimano Tiagra is a level down from the groupset giant’s 105 but mechanically it’s similar, and for an unashamedly aggressive bike the pro-compact 52/36 and 12-28 pairing makes perfect sense; this isn’t a bike for Sunday afternoon dawdles.
This set-up does make hills more of an effort, though, and the 36/28 bottom gear will see you cranking rather than spinning. In fact, steeper climbs are the only place we lost time, and even then, only fractionally.
POSITIVE HANDLING
In keeping with the Reacto’s aero credentials, the rear brake is a direct mount unit tucked behind the bottom bracket, which gets an upgrade to cartridge brake blocks unlike the non-cartridge front. The result is average braking and a rear block that fills with road crud thanks to its low-slung position. Yet the Reacto 300 is much more positive when it comes to handling and comfort. We thought this bike would be brutal – it isn’t. The large blunt-backed carbon seatpost actually soaks up a fair bit of road buzz, though the frame can’t disguise some of the bigger bumps.
The seatpost echoes the shape of the seat tube, which along with the down tube and fork has a teardrop profile that delivers aerodynamic efficiency without causing air turbulence. It’s stiff, too, aided by the tapered head tube, but it handles impeccably. The handlebar has flattened tops, for another marginal aero gain and added comfort when you’re on the tops.
So the Merida Reacto is a bit of a surprise. It overcomes its weight handicap to deliver a fast, fuss-free ride, and, although its braking is a minor gripe, it provides more comfort than we expected. So if you have a grand to spend and want to go fast in your next triathlon race, then this aero machine would be a great purchase.