Mekk 3G Potenza SL5.5

Mekk use the slogan 'Affordable Performance' to describe their bikes and that's a fair description. The Mekk 3G Potenza SL5.5 is a great looking carbon frame with a tall front end, and will suit those seeking a comfortable bike that is no slouch.

It's not perfect, but it's a great start from a new brand.

Never heard of Mekk? Don't worry, that's because they're the newest bike company on the block and are vying for your attention with seriously well designed and really well specced bikes.

The name is the neat coming together of the two cycling instustry veterans who founded the brand, Mark Edwards and Ken Knight. They offer bikes from £1,199 right up to £3,700, so most budgets are catered for. The 3G Potenza SL5.5 sits some way up the range, one of three carbon framesets they use through the line-up.

The first thing you notice on the Mekk 3G Potenza SL5.5 is its stealth black finish. It's a style of finish that seems to be really popular at the moment, and the Mekk carries it off excellently. It's a combination of matte and glossy panels with the downtube logos cut out of the glossy layer. The only standout decals are the model identifier on the top tube. This gives the bike a pricey look that from a distance you could easily mistake for costing twice as much.

Underneath the paint is a full 3K carbon fibre frame and fork designed in Italy, made using the popular monocoque method of construction. It's clear from looking at the frame that they spent some time getting the frame just right, keeping it simple and functional. No unnecessary profiling or mad shaping of the tubes just for the sake of it.

A simple slender top tube, an oversized head tube and a down tube that starts out large at the head tube and tapers elegantly down to the bottom bracket. The large chainstays are designed to resist bending and twisting out of alignment, while at the same time increasing comfort. The driveside stay has a small aluminium plate embedded to protect the carbon from dropped chains.

From the dropouts, with a replaceable hanger, extremely slender seat stays connect to the seat tube housing a 27.2mm seat post. Carbon fibre extends to the fork which is married to a tapered steerer tube, beefing up the front end and giving a solid and planted front end. It enhances handling particular at high speeds.

Cable routing is neat with the rear brake cable routed internally through the top tube while the gear cables run under the down tube after passing through head tube mounted cable stops.

And onto the frame is bolted an impressive box of components. £1,700 is a lot of money to spend on a bike and it's a price point that sees a lot of serious competition. There's a nearly full Shimano Ultegra groupset but at this price something has to give and here it's the calipers. ICE branded items (no I've never heard of them either) do a reasonable job of bringing the Mekk to a halt but they're not terribly confidence inspiring, with a noticeable degree of flex. The front dérailleur has been downgraded to a 105, but the chain is a high quality KMC item.

Rather than opt for complete wheelset they've built ICE branded hubs onto Mavic CXP 22 rims. Obviously spending money on the Ultegra groupset has meant the wheels have had to be compromised and while they function fine, they're far from the lightest at this money and don't contribute well to the overall ride experience. Tyres are Continental Ultra Sport 23mm which provided decent grip and rolling resistance and are reasonably light.

The handlebars, stem and seatpost wear Ritchey logos, and offered no cause for complaints. Ritchey is really good quality stuff and even the more affordable components work exceptionally well. It's no wonder it's specced on many bikes at this price, so no complaints here.

You might expect a light build but at 8.45kg, there's a a bit of heft hiding somewhere in the build. I suspect the wheels are one culprit as their heaviness is noticeable when riding. I swapped to a pair of lighter Mavic Ksyrium wheels and immediately the bike sprang to life on the hills and felt less hindered. The weight does compare fairly well with other bikes at this price like the Isaac Kaon and Cannondale Synapse recently tested on road.cc, so it's unfair to criticise the Mekk too harshly.

Riding the Mekk reveals a nicely composed bike with neutral handling that will suit those wanting a bike that is easy to exploit, whether it's short blasts or sportives.

From what I've said so far you might expect the Mekk's riding position to be aggresive and performance oriented - in fact it's very upright. That's down to it's exceptionally tall head tube at 20cm on our size 56. Although the description of the 3G Potenza on the Mekk website doesn't mention sportives it is clear from the geometry that the 3G Potenza is what we've come to describe as a 'sportive bike'. In fact it is possibly the sportiviest sportive bike we've ever tested - at 20cm its head tube is 1cm taller than the daddy of all sportive bikes - the Specialized Roubaix - for the equivalent sized frame, it's 2cm taller than BMC's GFO1, and 3cm taller than Trek's new Domane - and it comes with a generous 5cm stack of spacers as well.

Geometry factors aside, the carbon frame does manage that tricky job of providing a stiff frame for power surges and sprints, yet still taming some of the choppier road surfaces. It's not quite as refined as other bikes I've ridden at this price, but we're splitting hairs - the Mekk is impressively put together.

It's always good to see new entrants into the cycling market offering more choice, and the Mekk is a fantastic debut product from a new brand. It's tough standing out in a crowded market but the Mekk manages to stick its head above the rest with a well designed and specced bike. It's a very solid alternative to the mainstream choices.

While not labelled as a sportive bike, it is exceptionally good as one with the tall head tube placing the handlebars in a very comfortable position for those who don't want to emulate the professionals' long and low riding position.

Verdict

Well designed, good value new sportive bike, slightly let down by the wheels