I had my eyes on a Merida and was torn between the Scultura and the Reacto.
But then there are so many deals out there… so many bikes… and so little brain capacity for me to make a judgement on what’s the best.
In all reality I think any bike is going to be a step up from what I have (a 2017 FELT F5 Carbon, nice bike but the new stuff is just going to be quicker)
So, the shortlist:
Max Budget £3,000
1: Merida Scultura Endurance 6000 Di2 Carbon Road Bike 2023 Model, seen for £2,640
I like the idea of electronic, the endurance frame seems nice too.
2: Merida Reacto 6000 Di2 2023, seen for £2,450
Aero seems appealing, but I’m not sure i’d notice alot of difference in all reality.
Merida Scultura 6000 Carbon Team Replica Road Bike 2024 Di2 105, seen for £2,849
This looks the nicest to me, not sure how all the spec details compare but it’s a great looking bike.
Giant Propel Advanced 2, seen for £2,399.
I’d lose electronic shifting, I like they style more than anything, cool looking bike. It’s the cheap option of the list, but I wonder if i’d regret it and want to upgrade it making it more expensive.
I don’t know. It’s not like we have bike shops that have all the options to let me try them and compare… that and I don’t think my bottom is calibrated to really feel the difference.
I’m sure i’ll likely want posher wheels in time but my goal is to get a bike that lasts, that I can slowly upgrade as I get fitter and leaner i.e. better wheels.
I’ve got 6 events booked for next year, generally all 50/60 milers, all on road, no gravel, no MASSIVE climbs, just general undulations.
So i’m wanting something:
Quite aero
Quite light
COMFORTABLE for a 40 year old bloke to sit on
good groupset
take at least 30mm tyre
integrated cabling
make me go from 13mph to 19mph with no extra effort (this one is optional haha)
I think the new Propel is a fantastic bike. Scores really well on the aero chart and per reviews it is a lot more comfortable (which could be in part due to the bigger clearance). It’s got some other really well thought out parts and is pretty nice looking in my opinion. I nearly pulled the trigger on one last fall before finding a good deal on a Tarmac SL7
That said, fully integrated cable routing would make me want to go with electronic shifting.
You’re posting in pounds so I’m assuming you’re a Brit like me and so Giant tends to be the best value for money out there. I procrastinated from last summer until this spring and got this (previous model) with the discount 50 wheelset:
They also accept the cycle 2 work voucher I needed to use.
I gathered a lot of opinion from serious riders, was worried it might be a bit too racy but I think it’s awesome. I went to the Giant stores to check out the propel and defy and revolt - definitely worthwhile. I thought they looked a bit dull and samey, but in the sunshine…awesome.
You put your foot down and it just goes, a bit like a motorised vehicle from Stuttgart I used to own.
I’m sure the other brands you list are excellent, this is just my experience.
hmmmmmmmm, this one is making me think about my choices. sub £2,000 so it smashes everything else on the list for value.
Not incredibly heavy. Looks cool, Integrated cables, full electronic shifting.
I mean sure, it’s not an out and out race machine for the road, but then neither am I, nor will I ever be.
My absolute maximum desire would be to be able to maintain 18mph over circa 50miles. I don’t want to go faster than that, and even if I did, by the time I get there I can re-invest. But I’m desperately tempted by this cube.
with the £1000 saved I could get some fantastic road wheels and surely it would be better than anything else on the list?
or have I missed something substantial, can a CX bike take on the road bikes?