Despite already being ridden by the pros - including Vincenzo Nibali for a stage of the Giro d'Italia - the new test models of the Merida Reacto Team-E used in the WorldTour peloton had slipped by almost entirely unnoticed. It's now officially broken cover and will be ridden by the Bahrain-Merida squad at the Tour de France.
Before those riders take the start at the most watched race of the year when it kicks off in Dusseldorf, Germany, I was able to get my hands on the newest rim brake version of the Merida Reacto Team-E.
When stood side-by-side with the older version that it's superceding, the newer Reacto has quite obviously undergone an overhaul.
The head tube is narrower and the top tube now carries a raised ridge, all part of Merida's work to make the bike more aerodynamic.
The cable routing has also changed, and surprisingly is not as fully internal as you might expect. This is something Juergen Falke, director of product at Merida, dismisses by pointing out that in their testing the exposed cabling only brought a power penalty of a maximum of 1.5 watts.
There are changes at the back end of the bike too, with a new seatpost for a reported improvement in comfort, and altered seat stays playing their part in the overall reduction in drag.
The rear brake remains positioned behind the bottom bracket, a feature that made itself known on a the second test ride. As you'll see below.
With the bike also losing weight as well as drag - the frameset is 18% lighter at 1711g, its competence on inclines should facilitate its use across a range of parcours, save perhaps the high mountains.
But professional cyclists get into habits just like the rest of us so getting them to take an aero bike up a hill might be beyond Merida's powers of persuasion.
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That's how Merida Reacto Team-E looks, how does it ride?
At the time of writing I've completed two rides on the bikes, totalling just over 125km.
Rather than sit around rewriting Merida's press release or spending a full afternoon taking photos of the Merida Reacto Team-E and all 11 of its cousins, I opted to actually try the bike and see how it fared.
In short, I was impressed... although not, if this is possible without it being a contradiction, altogether satisfied.
I'll start with the positives. The frame is superb, and responds to a change in speed or direction with ease.
When clipping along in a group at speed the new Merida Reacto Team-E cuts through the air and only serves to highlight deficiencies in my own riding position.
The handling into tight corners, on the flat and on descents, brings confidence and I was soon happy to throw the bike through bends to maintain speed.
Despite being an aero bike it also climbs well – admittedly so far only on some short, sharp inclines found in the rural areas south of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands – carrying momentum up and down slopes as well as it does on the flat.
Comfort and speed
Despite the aggressive nature of the bike – something that sees you pushing harder and harder on the pedals just trying to keep up with how fast it makes you feel like you should be riding – there is no compromise on comfort.
Further, Merida says the bike is actually more comfortable than the previous version and that's thanks to a couple of key factors.
The slimmer seat post now comes with a long 'S-Flex' below the saddle which takes away any road buzz that would other reach your chamois.
All this brings a 24% improvement in lateral comfort, or at least so says Merida, but comfort can be one of the most subjective things when it comes to reviewing a bike.
All I can say is I was very comfortable the entire time I was sat atop Merida Reacto Team-E and would happily take on longer more testing routes on it.
Not quite perfect
As mentioned, despite being impressed I wasn't completely satisfied.
My initial complaint was related to the handlebar, an integrated one piece that every self-respecting aero bike should come with.
There's a definite flex to the edges of the bars when any great pressure is applied and this can be fairly disconcerting and a hindrance to handling.
Thankfully, the test models on offer are carrying the older cockpit so it'll be interesting to see if the newer version is improved in these areas.
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The next complaint is the rear brake. This isn't the first bike I've tested with a bike behind the bottom bracket and it's not the first I've complained about.
Regardless of the aero gains thanks to the brake's absence from its usual position above the rear wheel, if the brake catches the rim every pedal stroke then a higher level of power than that saved will be the penalty.
Running the brakes a bit looser than usual would go some way to negate this, but that's a post-production solution to a problem that shouldn't really be getting through.
What's more, the second test ride was conducted in rain that would have worried Noah and some grit and debris further closed the gap between brake block and rim, compounding the problem.
A pretty easy fix, either at the time of production or with a loosened rear brake, so not a huge factor when considering the bike as a whole but certainly something noticeable and worth mentioning.
Merida Reacto Team-E disc brake bike
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Much of the ride time at the launch event was spent on the standard rim brake build of the Merida Reacto Team-E, but the brand is also offering an eye catching disc brake build that carries the long delayed Shimano Dura-Ace hydraulic disc brake groupset.
This bike will have its day in the WorldTour peloton if or when the debate is settled as to whether disc brakes will be given a universal roll-out at the top tier of cycling.
There is also the bike which sits second in the hierarchy, the Merida Reacto 9000-E, which comes with a SRAM Red eTap hydraulic disc brake groupset.
It's a secondary option that barely drops below the level of the build above it, and in its matt black finish rather than pro rider bling it arguably looks better too.
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Not emperor, merely first citizen
The Merida Reacto Team-E rim brake bike is the top of the pile in a range of 12 new bikes, sharing the head of affairs with the Merida Reacto Team-E disc brake version.
Of the 12 bikes, five are available as a disc brake version of a standard rim brake build while two of the models are not twinned with a disc incarnation.
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