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First glimpse of Merida's new Reacto aero race bike at the Giromerida reacto spyshot.png

First glimpse of Merida's new Reacto aero race bike at the Giro

There's a new Merida Reacto aero bike on the way, here's what we know so far
by David Arthur @davearthur
Fri, May 19, 2017 09:44
8

Bike manufacturers are constantly developing new bikes and we often get the first glimpse of their work when they are used for the first time in pro racers. This artfully disguised bike appears to be an all-new Reacto from Merida. 

We’ve known for a while that Merida has a new Reacto up its sleeve, as the UCI’s list of approved bikes, a list that is constantly being updated, included the new Reacto 3 in rim and disc brake versions back in March. 

We all love a spy shot right #meridabikes #morebike #spyshot #reacto #giro100 #procycling #roadbike

A post shared by Merida Bicycles Uk (@meridabicyclesuk) on

To get UCI approval the bike has to be production-ready, so we presume Merida is getting some final testing from the Bahrain-Merida team before a likely announcement of the new range later this year. 

This photo on Instagram is the first time we’ve seen the new bike. The new bike looks to carry over some key features, like the deep aero down tube and dropped seatstays, but there are some noticeable differences. 

- Your guide to Merida's 2017 road bike range

The fork looks to be new and the crown appears to cut into the bottom of the down tube more than it did previously. The head tube appears to have more of a teardrop shape and on the top there's a raised section beneath the stem, with possibly aero headset spacers to provide height adjustment without compromising the aerodynamics.

Cable routing is completely new. No longer do the cables enter the top tube, now they enter via down tube. The rear brake is still mounted underneath the chainstay, even though some other manufacturers have moved away from this location, and the front brake is in the normal place on front of the fork.

The chainstays looked to have been beefed up in profile, our guess is to provide more stiffness.

- Review: Merida Reacto 5000

It’s fitting that the new bike is debuting at the Giro, as this is the race where the Reacto was first used in anger following its initial launch in 2011.

That’s about all we know on the new bike at this stage. If you’re at the Giro d’Italia and happen to get a closer look at the bike, where it’s currently being raced, feel free to share some photos with us.

Merida Bikes
Merida
Merida Reacto
Giro d'Italia
2017 first looks
David Arthur @davearthur

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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8 comments

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Grizzerly | 7 years ago
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I can imagine the brief for designing the graphics :

"OK guys,  we've made a super cool, top flight racing bike.  You have to make it look like it comes from a low-end supermarket. "

Avatar
Alessandro replied to Grizzerly | 7 years ago
3 likes
Grizzerly wrote:

I can imagine the brief for designing the graphics :

"OK guys,  we've made a super cool, top flight racing bike.  You have to make it look like it comes from a low-end supermarket. "

Looks like dazzle camouflage to me to prevent everyone from being able to determine the exact tube shapes. The only unfortunate thing is that Merida, and all of the other manufacturers (?) don't offer this as a paintjob on their bikes for sale!

Avatar
allgearnoidea replied to Alessandro | 7 years ago
0 likes
AST1986 wrote:
Grizzerly wrote:

I can imagine the brief for designing the graphics :

"OK guys,  we've made a super cool, top flight racing bike.  You have to make it look like it comes from a low-end supermarket. "

Looks like dazzle camouflage to me to prevent everyone from being able to determine the exact tube shapes. The only unfortunate thing is that Merida, and all of the other manufacturers (?) don't offer this as a paintjob on their bikes for sale!

 

They don't but there are some amazing custom painters in the UK who will be able to create something unique for you - at around 10% of the cost of a new frame.

Avatar
davel replied to Alessandro | 7 years ago
0 likes
AST1986 wrote:
Grizzerly wrote:

I can imagine the brief for designing the graphics :

"OK guys,  we've made a super cool, top flight racing bike.  You have to make it look like it comes from a low-end supermarket. "

Looks like dazzle camouflage to me to prevent everyone from being able to determine the exact tube shapes. The only unfortunate thing is that Merida, and all of the other manufacturers (?) don't offer this as a paintjob on their bikes for sale!

They've tended to offer the team colours as an option, but what is this paint job? Is it Nibali's Giro special?

Avatar
joules1975 replied to davel | 7 years ago
3 likes
davel wrote:
AST1986 wrote:
Grizzerly wrote:

I can imagine the brief for designing the graphics :

"OK guys,  we've made a super cool, top flight racing bike.  You have to make it look like it comes from a low-end supermarket. "

Looks like dazzle camouflage to me to prevent everyone from being able to determine the exact tube shapes. The only unfortunate thing is that Merida, and all of the other manufacturers (?) don't offer this as a paintjob on their bikes for sale!

They've tended to offer the team colours as an option, but what is this paint job? Is it Nibali's Giro special?

I think the previous posters and the bit in the sub heading that reads 'artfully disguised' give a fairly significant hint regarding the paint scheme.

Avatar
davel replied to joules1975 | 7 years ago
0 likes
joules1975 wrote:
davel wrote:
AST1986 wrote:
Grizzerly wrote:

I can imagine the brief for designing the graphics :

"OK guys,  we've made a super cool, top flight racing bike.  You have to make it look like it comes from a low-end supermarket. "

Looks like dazzle camouflage to me to prevent everyone from being able to determine the exact tube shapes. The only unfortunate thing is that Merida, and all of the other manufacturers (?) don't offer this as a paintjob on their bikes for sale!

They've tended to offer the team colours as an option, but what is this paint job? Is it Nibali's Giro special?

I think the previous posters and the bit in the sub heading that reads 'artfully disguised' give a fairly significant hint regarding the paint scheme.

I do apologise.

If you can deign to bend your neck groundwards, I'll chance again.

One would have thought my final query sufficient to appeal for information regarding the occasion that engendered such a scheme, but allow me to rephrase.

I can see what the paint IS, you sarky twat. What's it FOR? Would you like 'is it Nibali's Giro Special' in Italian? Is it the scheme for all the bikes, etc. (I haven't seen any of the Giro, you see)

Avatar
Yorkshire wallet | 7 years ago
0 likes

Well, that looks like a 'hot mess'.

Avatar
joules1975 | 7 years ago
0 likes

Once again guys, you need to do some fact checking. The most recent incarnation might have been debued at the Giro in 2013, but the Reacto has been in Merida's range for a long time (I had a 2011 model year Reacto for a couple of year - damn good bike but as it turned out, way too race focused for me). 

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