Merida Reacto 6000 vs Giant Propel Advanced Disc 1
jaylfc147
Posts: 47
Hi everyone,
Really struggling to decide between the two bikes in the title. I'm after an aero bike with ultegra disc groupset and narrowed it down to these two. I prefer the looks of the propel and lack of cables on show and also the carbon wheels but not sure if i can justify the extra spend. To afford it I would have to wait for it to come down in theend of year sale.
Merida reacto - on offer at £1890
Like the look, good components, OK wheels. Bad points seem to be clumsy looking cables and it's the 2018 model.
Propel - 3k for the ultegra spec or 2300 for the 105. As mentioned before I prefer the look of both these bikes and love the hidden cables. Love the wheels but never ridden tubeless before so wary of this. I'd have to wait for a sale for this to come in to my budget or could possible stretch to the 105 now.
Both seem to weigh the same.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Never spent this much on a bike and just don't want to get the wrong bike.
Thanks
James
Really struggling to decide between the two bikes in the title. I'm after an aero bike with ultegra disc groupset and narrowed it down to these two. I prefer the looks of the propel and lack of cables on show and also the carbon wheels but not sure if i can justify the extra spend. To afford it I would have to wait for it to come down in theend of year sale.
Merida reacto - on offer at £1890
Like the look, good components, OK wheels. Bad points seem to be clumsy looking cables and it's the 2018 model.
Propel - 3k for the ultegra spec or 2300 for the 105. As mentioned before I prefer the look of both these bikes and love the hidden cables. Love the wheels but never ridden tubeless before so wary of this. I'd have to wait for a sale for this to come in to my budget or could possible stretch to the 105 now.
Both seem to weigh the same.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Never spent this much on a bike and just don't want to get the wrong bike.
Thanks
James
0
Posts
I have a Reacto 4000 in the Lampre colours that I sourced from France. It's still the same carbon as the 6000, but cheaper. I ditched the 105 grouspet and installed Ultegra Di2 R8050 and switched the wheels to Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon wheels. I also changed the bars to 3T Aeronova in carbon. The bike handles extremely well. Quick response to rider input, but not as good as a Scultura when the road goes up. What I particularly like about it, is that you don't see many of them around where I am, due to lack of dealers. Everything seems to be Specialized, Giant or Bianchi around here. If there is a bug bear, it is the BB. The bike originally came with FSA Gossamer BB386 Evo. I ditched that with a Bbright 4624 bottom bracket and Rotor 3D24. No more creaks.
What groupset is on the 6000? I assume it is Ultegra. A Di2 upgrade kit and decent wheels should be within reach with the cash difference and by selling on the Ultegra shifters and derailleurs and original wheels. I was lucky as I picked up a set of Prime 50mm carbon disc and a set of Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon UST for £400 in total from a well known retailer. Right place right time.
One other thing to be mindful of is the rear brake on the Reacto. It needs the Shimano in line release that should come with the bike and the wheels need to be wide enough to accommodate 25mm or 28mm tyres if that is the way you intend going. If they are too narrow, you will have all kinds of difficulties setting up the rear brake and removing/fitting the rear wheel. My original replacement Shimano C35s didn't work with 25mm tyres and I'd suffer with rear brake bind. Because of its position under the BB, you can't hear it binding above road noise. Now I've replaced them with the Mavics, there's no such problem.
I wouldn't worry about the bars. I only changed them because I wanted flat tops and integral cabling. I ditched the cable guide at the top of the steerer and use the European placement for the front brake to be on the left. No more cables over the top.
I ended up buying a Merida Reacto YC Edition, I just liked the ride more.
Swaying much more towards the Merida now...