Merida Scultura 2017 Review

The Merida Scultura is ridden by the Bahrain Merida pro tour team and will be used as their lightweight climbing bike at the 2017 Grand Tours. The bike I rode was the Scultura 5000 disc, the geometry is slightly more relaxed compared to the team bike and uses Merida CF2 carbon which gives away around 150g compared to its CF4 professional cousin. The 5000 comes with a predominantly Shimano Ultegra groupset but with a RS500 crankset and 105 cassette. The wheels are Merida own branded and although not total heavyweights they aren’t going to flatter the bikes lightweight frame. For an extra £350 the Merida 6000 provides a full Ultegra drive chain with Fulcrum Racing Expert wheels.

For me the 5000 made more sense because I was swapping out the chainset anyway for a Dura-Ace 9000 fitted with my preferred oval Rotor chainrings. I also already had some lighter carbon wheels which saved 300g and when matched to the frame really made this bike shine.

First impressions are that this is a very attractive bike. The stealth matt black is balanced nicely with the subtle neon yellow details. The frame makes use of a super wide press fit 86 bottom bracket to maintain the stiffness and help transfer all your power into forward motion. Full internal cable routing is neat and the along with the shaped downtube helps with the aero performance.

This bike eats hills for breakfast, it literally raced up the familiar climbs around Goodwood like a mountain goat on steroids! I would just be settling into my rhythm and look up to find myself already at the top! The handling is sharp and the compact rear end provides a very direct transfer of power. The whole feel of the bike is of a coiled spring ready to pounce! This does mean however that you need to stay awake as the quick handling and light weight combine to make the bike ‘lively’ on bumpy roads or fast descents.

After 5 years being cosseted on a Trek Madone stepping onto the Scultura was like igniting the afterburners! Out of the front door the bike was eager to get going and with fresh legs we galloped away and chomped up the first few climbs of the day! 4 hours later when I stepped off the bike however I was slightly sore and battered. That boundless enthusiasm starts to takes its toll. The skinny bar tape on the Scultura didn’t help, but my arms were tired from constantly having to reign the bike in. My legs and backside were also sore in a way I haven’t encountered for a long time. Leaping onto a new bike for a 4 hour ride isn’t ideal, so we’ll see if my body adapts to the pounding my bones took. To be fair the Madone is a different animal to the Scultura. It is aimed as a comfortable all day bike, with stable predictable handling. This is the same reason it is never going to set your pulse racing like the Scultura!

The 5000 is a fantastically glorious machine, it made me feel like I was Vincenzo Nibali dancing up the Stelvio Pass. Unfortunately it also highlighted that I’m not actually Nibali and three weeks around Italy or France on this bike would probably turn my joints to dust!

My final comments must be regarding the disc brakes. This is the first time I have ridden disc brakes on a road bike and I can’t see what all the fuss is about. Disc brakes are just so obviously better. I don’t mean just a little bit better either I mean, night and day, I would never even think of using rim brakes again, better! My ride started on wet roads in misty drizzle and ended in glorious sunshine. The braking remained constant throughout. Consistent one finger braking in all conditions every time you squeeze the lever. There was great feel, modulation and subtlety when needed or just bundles of power if required. Added to this I wasn’t wearing out my wheels every time I squeezed the lever.