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Merida reacto review12/3/2023 Merida have found that inclusion of flax fibres in the carbon structure of the seat, chain stays and fork blades reduces high-frequency vibrations. The carbon layup also features natural flax fibres. The idea is that by allowing flex here, it does not compromise bottom bracket stiffness. The rubber insert is designed to compress and flex, taking the buzz out of the road. The added comfort is claimed to come from a number of technologies. The S5 has been critised in the past for having a harsh ride and this is a common flaw in aero road bikes. However they claim that the Reacto is a superior package owing to its much greater comfort and flex. Marginal gains! The FrameĪccording to Merida, the Reacto is marginally less aerodynamic than the Cervelo S5 at 45kph, 0.94% to be precise. For those amongst you who are not regular players of Countdown, that is 0.14 seconds per kilometre. Rotor claim that the Flow cranks can give a 26.4 second advantage when averaging 200W over 180km. The Rotor Flow cranks suggest that no stone has been left unturned in the hope for aero gains. However, there is the option to add Q-rings to the Rotor cranks if you want to. ![]() The chainset is a Rotor Flow with NoQ, meaning that the rings are round and not ovalised. The overall quality is impressive and it is certainly a fun bike to ride, and with a few component tweaks it could be very good indeed.The compact rear triangle is striking and looks very stiff It has a quality frameset and while some might find the ride on the firm side, it is one of those bikes where you can just get out and smash it around a bit. True, it might be a closer match to the Reacto 4000 with its 105 groupset (again, minus the crankset), but it is only a few grams heavier than the 5000 and offers a very good ride quality. > Buyer’s Guide: 21 of the best and fastest 2020 aero road bikesĪnother option though could be the Orro Venturi Evo 105 at £2,099.99. It's heavier than the Reacto by a couple of hundred grams and comes with, in the most part, a 105 groupset, swapping out the crankset for an Oval model. Something like the Fuji Transonic 2.5 Disc comes in at £2,899.99. The Reacto 5000 has an rrp of £2,500 which isn't too bad considering the quality of the frameset and kit level, non-series crankset aside. The geometry is slightly slacker and more relaxed than the CF4 but the claimed weight is pretty impressive: 1,150g for the M/L size that we have. The majority of the models are disc brake, and the 5000 uses the CF2 frame and fork. The Reacto range is available in a number of material and braking options.Įntry-level models are made from aluminium alloy and come with rim brakes, although this does spread into the carbon fibre options too, like the super-bling 8000-E with its more aggressive and lighter CF4 frameset and Shimano Ultegra Di2 components. On the whole, if you are looking at an aero bike then speed is probably your priority, and the Reacto isn't going to let you down. If you hit some hilly terrain the Reacto 5000 doesn't exactly fly up the climbs, but then again neither do I! What it carries in weight is more than offset by the huge levels of stiffness from the oversized tube sections, so if you are like me – a climber trapped in an off-season sprinter's body – you can get out of the saddle and really smash the Merida to the top. It feels planted – if you hit an unexpected patch of rough road or get pushed off your line by an impatient close pass, the Reacto never feels nervous or twitchy in your hands. The overall weight, while taking the edge off acceleration, does give a very good feeling of security at speed. ![]() The steering is slightly to the quick side of neutral and you can really push it hard through roundabouts and flowing bends without having to scrub off any speed. With the semi-relaxed geometry of the CF2 frame, it is a surprisingly easy bike to ride fast too. With time for being on the bike often being at a premium, especially at the moment with home schooling and the like, the Reacto was great to grab for a couple of hours so I could just smash out the tension and enjoy the escape from monotony. I enjoy quite a firm, stiff frame and the Reacto definitely suits the majority of my riding. The ride is quite firm, there are options out there that take much more of the road buzz and vibration out before it reaches your contact points, but it doesn't exactly make the Reacto uncomfortable.
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