Merida’s new Reacto Evo aero road bike made a debut at the Tour of Flanders under Lampre-Merida riders Filippo Pozzato and Alessandro PetacchiJames Huang/Future Publishing
The rear end of Merida’s new Reacto Evo looks a lot like BMC’s TMR01James Huang/Future Publishing
The new Merida Reacto Evo uses a dead-level top tubeJames Huang/Future Publishing
The rear derailleur cable – or wire, in this case – is routed through the chain stayJames Huang/Future Publishing
The direct-mount rear brake is located below the chain stays, leaving the seat stays clean and unclutteredJames Huang/Future Publishing
Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) set off from Bruges with an 11-28T Shimano Dura-Ace 11-speed cassetteJames Huang/Future Publishing
Team mechanics mark the seatpost height with a bit of tape, which seems to have been printed specifically for the taskJames Huang/Future Publishing
Filippo Pozzato’s (Lampre-Merida) headset top cap is made in Switzerland by ProcraftJames Huang/Future Publishing
Derailleur cables (or wires) are fed into the top of the top tube on Merida’s new Reacto Evo aero road bikeJames Huang/Future Publishing
A bit of electrical tape provides some extra security for Filippo Pozzato’s SRM PowerControl 7 computerJames Huang/Future Publishing
The direct-mount Shimano Dura-Ace brakes on the Merida Reacto Evo use the same mounting standard as on Trek’s latest MadoneJames Huang/Future Publishing
The rear brake housing exits on the underside of the down tubeJames Huang/Future Publishing
It looks as though Merida has outfitted the new Reacto Evo with a BB386 EVO bottom bracket shell, judging by the width of the shell and the diameter of the cupsJames Huang/Future Publishing
Filippo Pozzato’s rear brake line includes both an inline tension adjuster and a new Shimano quick-release mechanismJames Huang/Future Publishing
28mm-wide Continental Competition Pro Limited tubulars for Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) at the start of this year’s Tour of FlandersJames Huang/Future Publishing
Lampre-Merida teammate Alessandro Petacchi also set off from Bruges aboard a new Merida Reacto Evo aero road bikeJames Huang/Future Publishing
Merida’s new Reacto Evo aero road bike made a debut at the Tour of Flanders under Lampre-Merida riders Filippo Pozzato and Alessandro PetacchiJames Huang/Future Publishing
Taiwanese bicycle powerhouse Merida is the latest company to toss its hat into the aero road bike arena, with the new Reacto Evo used by Lampre-Merida teammates Filippo Pozzato and Alessandro Petacchi at the start of this year’s Tour of Flanders. With design DNA seemingly borrowed from the Trek Madone 7-Series and BMC TMR01 TimeMachine, it’s a speedy-looking ride.
Advertisement
The new Merida Reacto Evo doesn’t appear to break any radical ground design-wise, but it does seem to combine some of the most successful features of other aero-inspired machines.
The down tube, seat tube, fork blades, and seatpost all use Kamm tail-like cross-sections, with truncated tails. Direct-mount Shimano Dura-Ace brake calipers are used throughout, too, with the rear relocated beneath the chain stays. And the seat stays sport a clean, blade-like profile and compact layout that presumably produces smoother airflow.
Other aero-inspired features include a dead-level top tube and hourglass-profile tapered head tube, to reduce frontal area, convertible internal cable routing, and even a seatpost binder wedge that’s neatly integrated into the top tube.
The Reacto Evo doesn’t seem to sacrifice rigidity for aerodynamics, though – if anything, we expect it to be very stiff given the team riders using it. Save for the seat stays, just about all of the tubing uses a large diameter, and Merida has outfitted the bike with a wide and oversized BB386 EVO bottom bracket shell, complete with the larger adjoining tubes and wider chain stay spacing that format allows.
The new merida reacto evo uses a dead-level top tube:James Huang/Future Publishing
The dead-level top tube on the new Merida Reacto Evo
We don’t expect the Reacto Evo to be brutally harsh, either, thanks to the aggressively hogged-out seatpost shape and the shock-absorbing elastomer insert filling in the area.
Advertisement
BikeRadardoesn’t have any official information from Merida just yet, but stay tuned as we expect an official launch later this season.
