In his time as a cycling journalist, Warren has written for Mountain Biking UK, What Mountain Bike, Urban Cyclist, Procycling, Cyclingnews, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike and T3. He’s also a regular presenter on the BikeRadar Podcast and on BikeRadar’s YouTube channel. Having been testing bikes for more than 20 years, Warren has an encyclopedic knowledge of road cycling and has been the mastermind behind our Road Bike of the Year test for more than a decade.
#MERIDA REACTO 2021 PLUS#
Warren Rossiter is BikeRadar and Cycling Plus magazine’s senior technical editor for road and gravel. The question remains, however, has it succeeded? Well, quite simply, yes. Merida has flipped that on its head and taken its most aerodynamic race bike and made it lighter and more comfortable.
#MERIDA REACTO 2021 PRO#
The last high-grade Reacto I rode weighed upwards of half-a-kilo more than this model (and that one didn’t have 55mm-deep wheels).Īlmost every other next-generation bike emerging from this year’s launches, from Cannondale’s SuperSix EVO (our current Bike of the Year) to Trek’s new Emonda, BMC’s new Teammachine and Specialized’s latest Tarmac SL7, has seen a lightweight ‘GC’ bike (the bike the brands expect the majority of their pro team riders to choose) become more aero. The new bike attempts to improve comfort further with its reshaped frame and re-configured carbon layup, but vitally Merida has dropped weight too. It wasn’t Madone IsoSpeed comfortable, but it took the edge off rough surfaces really well. With the previous-generation Reacto, Merida brought some comfort into the equation with the S-Flex seatpost. Merida has stuck with the same carbon fiber layup with the range-topping 7000e to Team models getting ‘CF5’ while the more wallet-friendly 4000-6000 models.The elastomer insert in the S-Flex seatpost now integrates this neat rear light. “In this position, effectively dissipates the uprising heat through CNC-milled cooling fins.” The resulting component is made of forged aluminium and is screwed tight under the rear calliper. “The Merida engineers had their own vision of how this could be done and developed a new solution. Speaking about the original design for the Disccooler, Merida said that “while front brakes are always well-cooled thanks to constantly being exposed to the oncoming airstream, the performance of rear brakes benefits from active heat management.” It mounts under the flat-mount brake callipers. What Merida does say is that the design has been improved to integrate the Disccooler into the frame. Called the Disccooler, Merida said that last year’s design helped to reduce heat by 35%, though we’ve been given no such claims with this new design. Merida continues to use small pieces of slotted aluminium to help keep the brakes cool. Like many current aero road bikes, the Reacto now has room for some pretty chunky tyres with Merida saying that you can fit 30mm tyres for added comfort and control on rougher roads. The carbon used on the frame also carries a weight penalty, though Merida hasn’t said exactly how much weight is added for the CF3 frame.Īll that we know is that Merida claims a medium-sized CF5 frame weighs 965g with the fork weighing 457g. This goes right through the range, though what shifting system you can use will depend on the frame that you get.įrames using the CF3 carbon benefit from being able to take mechanical shift cables while the CF5 frames will only take electronic. On the models that don’t feature this bar, Merida has turned to a Vision stem with a spacer underneath that runs the length of the stem, holding the brake hoses and any shift cables against the underside of the stem.
On the Team edition that we have in for testing ( you can read my first ride review here), Vision’s integrated Metron 5D bar/stem is used, giving fully internal routing. I’ll go through what Merida says, but the short story is a claimed 4 watt saving thanks to more integration, of both the cables and the fork crown. The new Reacto comes with some watt-saving claims for the two big changes that have been made at the front end. “With a clean design, optimised aerodynamics, cockpit cable integration, tyre clearance for up to 30 mm wide tyres, the well-proven Merida S-Flex seat post for maximum comfort and – for an aero road bike – very lightweight frame, it offers everything a modern aero bike needs to bring to the table.” First ride review: 2021 Merida Reacto Disc Team-E Marginal aero improvements What can you expect from the new Reacto? Merida says that it “will once again deliver tons of fun and begs you to ride fast – all the time.” That said, Merida seems to suggest a move for the Reacto away from all-out aero to a more all-around bike, something that we’re seeing a lot of recently. “The king is dead, long live the king!” says Merida of the seemingly improved, not overhauled 2021 Reacto.
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