Bike test

Heat sink stops rear Merida Scultura Disc disc overheating Team £6,500 Tested by: Oliver Bridgewood | Miles ridden: 822 | Size tested: M/L 54cm | Weight: 7.5kg Quality perch and post aid comfort

he non-disc equipped Scultura’s credentials as a version of the bike for the mountains? 160mm rotors and the heat with more control not only Merida Scultura was sink work well at dissipating made me faster, it gave me launched last year, ahead of Frame heat. The thru-axles are a greater thrill and was far the Giro d’Italia, and set out This is the same spec frame important for stiffness too and more enjoyable. I am not a fan its stall as the ‘lightest as the pros ride with the when you bank the Scultura of the RAT thru-axles though. production bike’ in the designation CF4. Although Disc into corners it tracks I accept they may afford world. Disc brakes and Merida calls it a size 54, the road precisely. faster wheel changes in pro their mountings undoubtedly it is more like 56 with I was able to descend racing, but when subjected to add weight to a bike, so respect to the top tube, faster than I had ever continued use and grime, they how has this affected the stack and reach. The done before with a can become stiff and harder geometry is designed level of confidence to adjust than a bolt-thru axle. Merida Scultura Disc Team for racing. I had never £6,500 At a glance the experienced Value Frame ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■ ■ 8/10 frame may very before. Considering the performance Specification ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■ 9/10 similar to the non-disc Modulation and and high quality of the Ride ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■ 9/10 equipped Scultura, but feel through the product, the Merida Scultura Merida has completely brake levers is Disc justifies its price tag and Value ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■ ■ ■ 7/10 re-engineered the superb with a offers decent value. It may Distributor www.merida-bikes.com carbon layup to cope level of power be more expensive than a Frame Scultura Disc CF4 with the significantly that encourages Canyon sold direct off the Fork Scultura Carbon CF4 Disc 12 different forces that disc late braking. internet, but it is considerably Size range 44, 47, 50, 52, 54, 56, 59 brakes exert. Crucially, being lighter your wallet than a Weight 7.6kg (without pedals) A stronger fork and able to descend Cervélo, or . beefed-up stays are required Groupset Dura-Ace Di2 (rotor chain set) to cope with the additional Alterations None asymmetric forces and torque Verdict Gear ratios 11-28, 52-36 steer generated by discs, Wheels Bontrager Race Tubeless Ready something which Merida says It has taken me a while have had on a road bike. Tyres Continental GP4000s 28mm results in a 150g increase over to 408mm. Despite this, the Continental GP4000S II tyres, Climbing is to come round to the idea I ride bikes to Bar FSA K-Force compact OS the non-disc frame. wheelbase is still only 993mm which boosted comfort, but slightly harder of disc brakes on road put a smile on There are neat touches too. to keep the handling agile and also helped maximise disc going than on the lighter bikes, but this is the bike my face and Stem FSA OS99 -6 (110mm) The internally routed hydraulic the steering responsive. brake efficiency with their non-disc version — it is that has done it. With the Scultura Seatpost Merida EGM-light-27.2 SB15[E] lines are guided, so as not to slightly larger contact patch. heavier after all. However, the This bike is not just good the impending arrival Disc certainly 8 Saddle Prologo Scratch 2 T2.0 create annoying rattling sounds Specification first time I encountered a long on descents because it has of ’s new disc did that. a while riding. There is also an Being team spec, components Riding descent, it all made sense. I hydraulic discs. Usually brake groupsets, we will C D innovative heat sink on the rear are high end, with Dura-Ace I attended the launch of the took the Scultura Disc to the on frames without proper see a further reduction B G brake that is said to cool it 50 Di2, flat mount hydraulic Scultura Disc and rode it on Pyrenees to put the brakes revisions to cope with the in weight, but for now For per cent faster than a normal calipers, Shimano Ice the cobbles of Roubaix and through their paces under extra braking forces, torque disc brakes still represent  Looks disc. According to Merida, tech rotors and a Rotor Flanders. While it performed more extreme conditions steer can manifest itself as a significant weight  Excellent braking F this is only needed on the rear, 3D chainset. well, I didn’t really need to than we’d encountered on the a disconcerting shuddering penalty on the climbs  Corners very well E because it is not in a direct Wheels are disc-brake brake much and felt that the launch. I was quickly won through the fork. However, by and the Scultura is a H airflow like the front brake. specific Fulcrum Racing increase in weight resulted in over not only by the Scultura’s redesigning and beefing up prime example. However, Against SIZE TESTED: m To accommodate the discs, Quattros, with no brake track a bike that had lost some of neutral handling, but by the the fork, Merida has created descending on the Scultura  Heavy for the price A B C D E F G H Merida has had to lengthen on the rim. Our test bike the zip and rapid acceleration reassurance offered by the a bike that feels solid and Disc was the most fun I  RAT thru-axles 56cm 73.5˚73.5˚ 15cm 39.4cm 40.8cm 55.7cm 99.3cm the chainstays from 400mm also came with broad 28mm of the non-disc version. disc brakes. planted under braking, and

54 | November 10, 2016 | Cycling Weekly Cycling Weekly | November 10, 2016 | 55

TANDEM FRAME DIAGRAM