Merida Reacto Disc Team-E review

With 5.5km to go in the 2018 Milan-San Remo, Italian cycling fans came alive when their hero, Vincenzo Nibali, attacked on the Poggio to go clear of the field by the tiniest of margins. Could he hold on? In a superhuman display of strength, and with the best sprinters in the world bearing down on him, Nibali won the race by barely enough for him to put his arms in the air. It was the most courageous way to win a Monument.

This was the bike that Nibali rode to victory at La Primavera (albeit the rim brake version). With the margin of victory so small, he would have been drawing on every milliwatt of help that Merida’s latest aero race bike could provide him, so I was keen to see if this disc brake version would afford me the same advantage.

True thoroughbred

The Reacto was built to race. As the range-topper, the Reacto Disc Team-E benefits from Merida’s highest-quality and lightest CF4 pro-level carbon layup, with aggressive geometry in line with its ambitions on the WorldTour stage. That’s worth noting if you’re thinking of investing.

Buy the Merida Reacto Disc Team-E from Tredz Bikes

The 56cm (large) frame on test here has a 575mm top tube, so if you’re used to something closer to 560mm – the norm for this frame size – you might want to drop down a size.

But bear in mind the head tube then shrinks as well, further lowering an already fairly low front end.

Being long and low isn’t a problem if you like a racy position but, if it sounds like it would result in a trip to the chiropractor, Merida offers the Reacto in a CF2 frame version too, which has a different carbon layup, more relaxed geometry and slightly more height up front. It’s cheaper too.

Image 2 of 7

Image 2 of 7

This is the third generation of Reacto – the first appeared back in 2011 – and Merida says it’s a rethink from the ground up to bring it up to date with current disc trends.

Merida has also taken advantage of recent changes to the UCI rules on frame measurements, which has allowed its engineers to eke out a bit more performance.

The company claims the new Reacto is 5% faster than the old model aerodynamically, and while I’m not in a position to confirm that claim, you’ll just have to trust me when I say that the Reacto Team-E is truly fast.

I’m certain Nibali had to punch the pedals with every ounce of his power to escape on the Poggio, and I immediately got a sense of how this frame and fork has the capability to deliver impressive acceleration when needed.

It is unyieldingly stiff laterally, and as I cranked hard off the mark with everything I could muster I was never dissatisfied by the way the bike responded, even on an incline.

At 7.5kg, the Reacto is hardly porky for a disc brake aero bike (the claimed frame weight is 1,030g and the fork 398g), but it isn’t a climber’s bike. However its rigidity means that it converts effort efficiently, so weight becomes insignificant.

Image 3 of 7

Image 3 of 7

Descending on the Reacto, the same resistance to flex becomes apparent. Handling is crisp, direct and most importantly consistent. The slightest bodily lean is all that is required to throw the Reacto into corners at pace.

The DT Swiss PRC 1400 Spline wheels were excellent too, matching the frameset in terms of speed and stiffness. And given their relatively deep 65mm rims, the wheels were impressively stable during some fairly blustery rides.

Too pro for comfort?

With so much effort put into making the Reacto fast, where does that leave comfort? After all, my backside is not road-hardened by 30 hours a week in the saddle like a pro rider’s.

If memory serves, it was Team Sky performance director Rod Ellingworth who once said they paid Bradley Wiggins too much to worry about whether he’s comfortable. Well, the Bahrain Merida pros are not faced with the same dilemma.

The Reacto offers a distinctly more affable ride than many similarly sculpted aero road bikes I’ve tested. That is in the most part thanks to what it calls its S-Flex seatpost.

Image 4 of 7

Image 4 of 7

Essentially, a chunk of silicone rubber replaces part of the carbon structure, but as with those old Zertz inserts on Specialized’s Roubaix, my guess is the rubber part is doing less than you’d think.

It’s all about the carbon layup around that spot, which on the Reacto means the post narrows considerably near the top, dealing well with absorbing shocks and high-frequency road vibration.

With speed, handling and comfort on its CV, the Reacto Disc Team-E is undeniably a good aero road bike, but there’s the small matter of price to consider.

At £8,250 it is firmly in superbike territory, which means it is up against some pretty hot competition, and here’s where it gets tricky.

For that money, it has to be compared to the latest releases from the likes of Specialized, Cannondale, BMC and Trek, and in some areas the Reacto Disc Team-E feels a bit behind the curve.

For example, the Vision Metron 5D bar/stem is a decent product in its own right, but the trend for one-piece cockpits seems to have passed, with most top-end bikes now favouring aero set-ups that offer more positional adjustments.

Exposed cabling also feels a bit dated, especially as the chosen routing is not even particularly tidy.

Image 5 of 7

Image 5 of 7

Merida has tested this and insists there is ‘no measurable negative impact on aerodynamics’, plus it’s less of a headache for mechanics, but I can’t help preferring the totally clean look others have achieved.

Buy the Merida Reacto Disc Team-E from Tredz Bikes

Lastly, allowing a maximum clearance for 25mm tyres seems a bit miserly in the current climate.

Don’t get me wrong, the Reacto Disc Team-E is a great bike, but for me it’s half a step behind the very best superbikes currently on offer.

Spec