When Merida set out to design the new Reacto, it had one major goal in mind: to create a bike fast enough to break the 200-watt barrier, as measured by Tour Magazine in its wind-tunnel tests.
The German cycling publication’s independent wind-tunnel tests have become a benchmark in the industry for how well road bikes perform. The 200-watt barrier refers to the pedalling power required to overcome drag at 45km/h, which only two bikes have surpassed.
According to Tour Magazine, the 2022 Simplon Pride II had an aero drag of 199W and the Storck Aerfast.5 Pro achieved 198W.
So how fast is the new Reacto?
Merida says the fastest version of the previous-generation Reacto IV, which was one of the best-value aero bikes, and was released back in 2021, required 211W to overcome its own drag.
For its latest aero bike, Merida has managed to shave that figure down to 196W for the top-spec Reacto One (£10,000 / €11,500), according to a Tour Magazine test.
The newest version was fitted with a wider 30mm tyre, because the clearance of the bike has increased from 28mm to 32mm, which Hutchinson recently suggested could be faster than 30mm.
The new Reacto One is also fitted with a Classified Powershift hub and 1x drivetrain, which would help reduce aero drag compared to a more conventional 2x setup.
Merida adds that if the Reacto One had the previous SL 1P cockpit it would have achieved a score of 206W, but it now has the new CW 1P design, a ‘gull wing’ design similar to that found on the Colnago Y1Rs.
Merida says the CW 1P's “V-shape and foil profile maximise efficiency in all wind conditions, and its ergonomic shape ensures comfort and relief during even the most demanding rides”.
The bar is available on the top Reacto One and the Reacto 10k (£9,500 / €11,000), which features a 2x SRAM Red AXS groupset, and still achieves a score of 202W, according to Tour Magazine and Merida.
This means the new Merida Reacto is faster than the Simplon and Storck bikes tested by Tour Magazine and faster than aero bikes from bigger brands. Tour Magazine said the 2021 Canyon Aeroad scored 202W and the latest Cervélo S5 scored 204W.
Aerodynamic shapes
Alongside the new bar, Merida has made use of changes in UCI regulations to make the Reacto faster.
Merida says the bike utilises the “aerodynamic boundaries set by the UCI”, which we can take to mean the change in tube ratios. In 2022, cycling’s governing body said bicycle tubes could be eight times longer than they were wide, whereas the ratio had previously been 3:1.
The previous Reacto was released just before this change, and therefore couldn’t make use of it, but the latest version has.
As we remarked when we spotted the unreleased bike at last year’s Tour de France, the new Reacto’s head tube is far deeper than the previous version. This is one of the latest trends in road bike design and is particularly notable on the latest Ridley Noah.
Merida says it has also updated the Reacto’s fork shape, “which now features deeper and thinner fork legs to reduce air drag at the fork/tyre intersection”.
“Updates have also been made to the head tube, especially in terms of integrating the cockpit and stem areas into the frame. The downtube has been positioned further away from the front wheel to improve aerodynamics and reduce weight,” Merida explains.
The Taiwanese company also paid attention to the position and integration of water bottles.
“We maintained a more conventional aero downtube profile, but are very close to releasing our own aero bottle and cage combination, which, when used on the new Reacto, easily outperforms the often-seen cradle-shaped downtubes that hide a classic bottle and cage combination,” it says.
Speed isn’t everything
Just as Tour Magazine doesn’t only consider aerodynamic performance in its overall ranking of road bikes, Merida says it has balanced the Reacto's speed with comfort.
“We also wanted to create one of the most aerodynamic bikes that still maintains impressive comfort and control attributes,” Merida says.
Merida says it has managed to achieve a comfortable ride quality comparable to a “classic, thin-tubed road bike,” by combining the compliance of the S-Flex seatpost with the clearance for 32mm tyres. But it should be noted that none of the 10 models available at launch come with tyres this wide.
Merida adds that the carbon layup of the bike achieves a balance of stiffness and flex: “Balancing the contrasting needs of comfort and efficiency is no easy task, but by using knowledge gained over years of carbon fibre manufacture and the efforts of our in-house testers and world-class athletes, we’ve found what we feel is the correct balance in each area of the bike.”
Merida says it has also reduced the weight of the Reacto. The Reacto 10k is the lightest version in the new range with a claimed weight of 7.1kg, but Merida says it could be possible to get the bike under the UCI weight limit of 6.8kg.
It claims this combination of aerodynamics, comfort and low weight makes the Reacto a “more versatile ‘aero all-roudner’” and that this makes it “hugely significant amongst road racing professionals as well as speed loving enthusiasts”.
The Reacto is available with two carbon levels. The top five models in the range use the lighter CF5 frame, which is 11g lighter than the previous generation, while the complete frameset weighs 108g less at 1,616.2g in a size medium.
Meanwhile, the CF3 frameset – available on bikes ranging from £2,400 / €2,800 to £5,000 / €5,750 – weighs 1,704g in the same size.
The framesets have the same geometry and offer “identical aerodynamic performance”.
Merida Reacto geometry
| 3XS | XXS | XS | S | M | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube (mm) | 440 | 470 | 500 | 520 | 540 | 560 | 590 |
| Top tube (mm) | 506 | 521 | 535 | 545 | 560 | 575 | 590 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 70.5 | 70.5 | 72 | 72.5 | 73.5 | 73.5 | 74 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 75.5 | 74.5 | 74 | 74 | 73.5 | 73 | 73 |
| Head tube (mm) | 100 | 105 | 112 | 128 | 140 | 155 | 175 |
| Reach (mm) | 373 | 377 | 384 | 390 | 395 | 400 | 409 |
| Stack (mm) | 512 | 517 | 529 | 542 | 557 | 571 | 593 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 981 | 987 | 984 | 992 | 992 | 1,002 | 1,011 |
Merida Reacto range overview
Reacto One
- Frame: Reacto CF5 V
- Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
- Wheelset: DT Swiss ARC 1100 with Classified Powershift hub
- Tyres: Continental Aero 111 / Continental GP5000s TR, 700x30c
- Weight: 7.4kg
- Price: £10,000 / €11,500
Reacto 10k
- Frame: Reacto CF5 V
- Groupset: SRAM Red AXS
- Wheelset: Reynolds BL 60 Pro
- Tyres: Continental GP5000s TR, 700x28c
- Weight: 7.2kg
- Price: £9,500 / €11,000
Reacto Team
- Frame: Reacto CF5 V
- Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace
- Wheelset: Vision Metron 60 RS i23 Clincher TL
- Tyres: Continental GP5000s TR, 700x28c
- Weight: 7.1kg
- Price: £9,500 / €11,000
Reacto Pro
- Frame: Reacto CF5 V
- Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace
- Wheelset: DT Swiss ARC 1600
- Tyres: Continental Grand Prix TR, 700x28c
- Weight: Not stated
- Price: £7,500 / €8,750
Reacto 9000
- Frame: Reacto CF5 V
- Groupset: Shimano Ultegra
- Wheelset: Reynolds BL 60 Expert DB
- Tyres: Continental GP5000s TR, 700x28c
- Weight: 7.8kg
- Price: £6,250 / €7,250
Reacto 8000
- Frame: Reacto CF3 V
- Groupset: Shimano Ultegra
- Wheelset: Reynolds AR 60 DB
- Tyres: Continental GP5000s TR, 700x28c
- Weight: 8kg
- Price: £5,000 / €5,750
Reacto 7000
- Frame: Reacto CF3 V
- Groupset: SRAM Rival AXS
- Wheelset: Vision SC 60 i23
- Tyres: Continental GP5000s TR, 700x28c
- Weight: 8.4kg
- Price: £4,750 / €5,500
Reacto 6000
- Frame: Reacto CF3 V
- Groupset: Shimano 105 Di2
- Wheelset: Vision SC 60 i23
- Tyres: Continental Grand Prix TR, 700x28c
- Weight: 8.5kg
- Price: £3,800 / €4,400
Reacto 5000
- Frame: Reacto CF3 V
- Groupset: Shimano 105 Di2
- Wheelset: Vision Team 35
- Tyres: Continental Grand Prix TR, 700x28c
- Weight: 9kg
- Price: £3,000 / €3,500
Reacto 4000
- Frame: Reacto CF3 V
- Groupset: Shimano 105
- Wheelset: Shimano
- Tyres: Continental Grand Prix TR, 700x28c
- Weight: 9.1kg
- Price: £2,400 / €2,800
