Merida Reacto sizing?

dastott

Looking at a 2017 Reacto 4000 as an affordable aero bike but the sizing seems quite different to my SS Evo. In fact, a 56cm SS Evo has similar stack, reach, top tube and head tube lengths to 54cm Reacto. Wondering if any other owners sized down when making their Reacto purchase?

StillGoing

Yes I did. I went down to a 47cm as the top tube length was all important for me and with it being a flat top tube, I didn't want it looking like the saddle was sat on top of the top tube negating the benefits of an aero frame set up.

What you do need to consider though, is that the rear brake is pants and putting it under the BB was a very bad idea unless you only go out in the dry weather and never encounter and road crud anywhere. My 4000 came with Tektro direct mount calipers which are as much use as butter. I switched to 105, but I think the Ultegra 6810 performs better and has a better range of adjustment. Setting the rear brake is a pain in the backside and you definitely need the inline release..

dastott

Thanks for the reply. Had a close look at a M/L (54cm) 2017 model Reacto 2017 today at an LBS that has a good deal on it. Very nice looking bike for the money.

My main concern is that I would need to fit my 130mm stem to get a good fit but am wondering how easy that would be with the cable routing (ie would the cables stretch to fit the longer stem and allow a proper turning circle, especially the rear brake cable?). A related concern is how feasible it is to fit clip on TT bars under/around the same tangle of cables.

StillGoing

dastott wrote:

Thanks for the reply. Had a close look at a M/L (54cm) 2017 model Reacto 2017 today at an LBS that has a good deal on it. Very nice looking bike for the money.

My main concern is that I would need to fit my 130mm stem to get a good fit but am wondering how easy that would be with the cable routing (ie would the cables stretch to fit the longer stem and allow a proper turning circle, especially the rear brake cable?). A related concern is how feasible it is to fit clip on TT bars under/around the same tangle of cables.

You can replace the cables if need be without problem provided you follow simple steps to avoid hours of frustrating trying to locate tiny holes again. I fitted 3T Aeronova carbon bars and dropped to an 80mm stem and shortened the cables. The handling can be a bit twitchy with the short stem, so I imagine the longer stem would make things more stable?

Re fitting TT bars, that wouldn't be a problem, as Lampre Merida initially used the Reacto as their sole bike for all stages of grand tours, including the TT stages, to avoid carting around 3 models of bikes. They did eventually move to the Scultura and Warp models though. Meintjes did use one as his choice of TT bike during 2016 though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JesvFtEYK-0

dastott

Thanks for the reply, very helpful. Very nice set up in that video too. The 4000 is quite different, sadly.