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TECH NEWS
Just in: New Merlin Cycles PR7 costing just £300
When you look at the £299.99 price tag and then take a good look at the new PR7 from Merlin Cycles, you could be forgiven for thinking there has been a typo. There hasn't. The PR7 looks to be the best specced road bike at this price, offering an aluminium frame with a carbon fibre fork and Shimano Claris groupset. It certainly looks the best value road bike we've yet seen - testing should prove whether it is.
Retailer Merlin Cycles launched the PR7 earlier this month and we were straight on the phone to arrange a review bike. And here it is. This is a quick first look before we get it out on the road to see how it performs, and see if it can live up to its promise. We’re really excited about testing the PR7 because it looks to offer such a lot for the money without any noticeable compromises. It's also good to see this level of effort being put into producing such smartly designed road bikes that don't cost a fortune.
Where the PR7 really deviates from other bikes at this price is in the impressive specification. It offers an 6061 aluminium frame which you would expect at this price, but to be able to get a carbon fibre fork is certainly unprecedented. Rivals such as the B’Twin Triban 3 or Python ZX4 can only manage a steel fork. That’s an important difference because the carbon fork on the PR7 is obviously going to make for a lighter bike, and it’ll also improve the ride quality as well.
So already the PR7 is looking a compelling package on paper, but it doesn’t end there. Merlin Cycles have managed to squeeze a Shimano Claris 8-speed groupset onto the bike which provides proper Shimano Dual Control brake levers - the downshift lever is behind the brake lever rather than a thumb button, just like on Shimano’s higher end groupsets.
With a compact 50/34 chainset and 11-30t cassette the PR7 provides a wide spread of gears and that 30t sprocket will be a huge bonus on the steeper climbs.
Wheels are Mavic CXP-22 rims on Joytech hubs. They’re fitted with wide 25mm tyres so you’ll benefit from increased comfort from the bigger volume, and a slightly larger contact patch which translates to increased traction - handy in the wet. You could go bigger if you wanted, the frame is good for up to 28mm tyres.
The frame also features rack mounts, and mudguard mounts at the rear but not on the fork, which is a shame. Still, you could easily fit a set of Crud Roadracer guards or similar. On the road.cc Scales of Truth, the PR7 weighs 10.6kg (23.36lb).
You can choose from four sizes, we’ve got the 56cm here, which Merlin suggest is ideal for cyclists between 5’9” and 5’11”. There’s a sizing chart on their website which is helpful if you’re not sure what size you need.
There isn’t really much to compare the PR7 to at this price, it looks to outclass most other contenders at the same price, and you really have to look up the price range to find comparably specced road bikes. Very impressive. So we’re about to hit the road on the PR7 and we’ll let you know very soon how we get on. Watch this space.
Check it out at www.merlincycles.com
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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33 comments
Triple isn't a good thing really, it's harder to adjust and u get more chainrubb than compact gears.
Also Harvey these wheelset is alot better than on the Triban!
Any chance you could measure the stand-over on this one?
I noticed something, these rims are even on the Boardman Team Carbon, and that's a €1000 bike!
Broke my Konix joystick playing Uridium on my Spectrum +2
Great value bike, btw...
As people have pointed out, the old (red) Triban 3 had a carbon fork, so you can't really say this one is unprecedented. And my red Triban has mudguard eyes front and rear.
True dat, and it was £299.99 as well. And was a triple.
But it didn't have 8-spd Claris with dual STI, the finishing kit was a bit naff, and the tyres were made of cheese.
This ups the game.
There is a lot of time travel in this thread, including going back to today from October 20th on the review date
Stonking vfm bike BTW.
There is only one king.
Konix speedking.
54cm toptube on a 59cm frame? Folks will be banging their knees on the bars!
"the carbon fork on the PR7 is obviously going to make for a lighter bike, and it’ll also improve the ride quality as well."
Improve the ride quality?
I thought steel was the best riding, most comfortable frame material out there. That's according to lots of reviews of steel framed bikes "perfect for all day comfort" anyway.
Personally I would rather have a steel fork and the weight penalty isn't that massive according to my own "scales of truth". For example Deda Black Rain carbon/alu are listed as 684g - my ancient old 531 with massive clearance and long steerer weigh in at 755g. My Kinesis DC07 carbon/alu are 550g though so a bit more difference there but they are quite light for winter forks.
Notwithstanding my preferences it is a great bike for the price so well done to Merlin. Shame about the lack of mudguard eyes on the fork though.
It's not quite as simple as that, comfort is a personal thing.
Plus people with steel bikes seem to rave about the ride feel and comfort more than they ride the bloody things!
Also, most people with steel frames have carbon forks anyway!
I have three bikes. The cross bike has an alloy frame and carbon forks, the winter bike steel frame and carbon forks. My best summer bike (and favourite) is all steel.
[[[[[ But alledgedly you "rave about it more than you ride it"? I rave to myself about my 531c frame while I'm on it, and so do you, I'm sure. And mine, with its Mavic G4's, Campag Record, and Cinelli stuff, is actually lighter than the Merlin PR7, curiously. How can that be?
Does a cheap carbon fork on this bike really offer much over aluminium at this price point?
don't know, we'll ride it and find out
Article dated 20 October - time travel clearly is possible. And those joysticks had 'microswitches' as I recall that made a lovely click on movement.
Competition Pro. The daddy of joysticks!
Quickshot Rapidfire II was where it was at. FACT.
This!
Looking forward to reading the review. At that price it sounds like a perfect entry level bike. I hope they do a women's specific frame? Let's hope the performance is as impressive as the price!
Does anyone remember Joytech being a brand name for joysticks for use with the Commodore 64 or ZX Spectrum? No?! Just me then...
I do! But then the Zipstick was always where it was at as far as retro joysticks went.
Get you with your arcade style! My dad wouldn't fork out for one. I think he also like the ergonomic ones because they made the user think they were flying a jet plane. Although, I don't know if this was for my benefit or his!
Triban 3 has a carbon fork if I am not mistaken.
The old triban 3 did, this is now discontinued and it's successor the triban 300 has a steel one. £280 - Microshift 3x8 gearing.
Then I am mistaken.
The red one did. The current white one doesn't. Their Triban 500SE at £349 is the cheapest comparison.
Might make the perfect commuter / winter bike at that price. Currently have a single speed from when I lived in London but now out in the hillier SW, could do with a few gears when the weather really turns foul.
The perfect commuter bike should come 'pre aged' i.e. rust coloured patches over the frame and wheels, parts that look broken but are actually fine, to make it unattractive to the toe-rag bike thieves.
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