![]() It has a weak spot with its wheelset, and the finishing kit might need upgrading if you have specific needs, but the excellent frameset is a real winner and worthy of consideration. The Merida Reacto 6000 is a competitively priced aero bike with bags of speed in reserve. Or you could upgrade to the STC Ultegra model for £2,699.99 – you can read about that frame here. You could also move away from the big brands and consider an Orro Venturi Evo 105, which saves you around £650 at time of writing, albeit for a 105 groupset (and, incidentally, the same Fulcrum wheelset as the Reacto 6000). > Buyer’s Guide: 25 of the best and fastest aero road bikesĪlternatives include a Giant Propel Advanced Disc model for either £3,499 or £2,699 at time of writing, but either comes with its share of compromise, whether that's a £550 price hike for an Ultegra groupset but with carbon wheels for the Advanced Disc 1, or a 105 groupset with a similar level finishing kit for the Advanced Disc 2 for £2,699. Although a little heavy, weighing in at 8.57kg in this medium size, it can deliver serious performance and has the potential to be an incredibly capable race bike.Īt £2,950, it has precious few direct rivals in the sub-£3,000 category (plus, as I've noted, you can go even cheaper while keeping the centrepiece frame in the 4000 or even 5000-spec models). When it comes to value, the Reacto 6000 packs a pretty big punch for what is effectively an out-and-out aero road bike. The super-stiff head tube/headset assembly, Vision SCR stem and Merida alloy bar combination was able to absorb any maximal effort that I put into it, which provides pin-sharp reactions. Settling onto the tops and tapping out a high-tempo rhythm feels so easy and efficient (and once or twice saw me accelerating away from my ride buddies by accident), while a high-powered spurt to get over a rise in the road is the Reacto's bread and butter alongside its flatland prowess. For the ultimate experience heading uphill on a Merida, you'll arguably want to look more towards the all-rounder Scultura, but the Reacto's sheer rigidity means it can more than handle its own for any given effort. ![]() I've been pleasantly surprised by the Reacto's ability to deal with pimply tarmac, and although I wouldn't want to be taking it over broken and rutted roads too often, it handles with composure when faced with the kinds of roads I ought to write a strongly worded letter to Wiltshire County Council about.Ĭlimbing on the Reacto is good fun, too. There's some comfort to be had here, too. Every pedal stroke is channelled into forward motion, and once you get up to 30km/h or so on a flat piece of road, it simply glides along, seemingly winning the invisible battle with the air. ![]() Whether you're controlling your effort in the saddle, or getting out of it for a short spurt, it laps up the punishment with ease. The Reacto frame even in this version is among the most laterally stiff road frames I've ever ridden. More on that weight penalty later – the key take-home is this: Merida has managed to instil the same stiffness and handling as you'll find in its high-end Reacto frameset, for which it should be applauded. Happily, this is where the CF3 version of the Reacto frame comes in, supposedly delivering the same racy performance and pedigree of its CF5 sibling, just with a small weight penalty thanks to the heavier carbon layup, and a big cost saving. Trouble is, most of us can't (or won't) spend that kind of cash. He found it to be every inch the race bike that a WorldTour team rider could want (more or less), but of course, we should all be so lucky if we can afford a bike that retails close to five figures. > Buy now: Merida Reacto 6000 from Merida Bikes for £2950.00Ībout a year ago, Liam was one of the first reviewers to get his lucky mitts on the Reacto Team-E, Merida's top exponent of the all-singing, all-dancing CF5 iteration of its latest Reacto frame. The cost savings come with some inevitable downsides, and the overall ride may be too stiff and aggressive for some, but if you want to ride fast then the Reacto CF3 frame has bags of potential and will suit weekend speed merchants as well as keen racers who don't mind upgrading the wheels. ![]() ![]() Just like its big brother, the Reacto Team-E, the Merida Reacto 6000 is a very fast and very stiff aero road bike, and in this guise is a great aero bike on a budget. ![]()
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