Merida is a brand that’s on everyone’s lips at this moment thanks to José Hermida winning the UCI Cross Country world championship. They also sponsor quite a few races and keep up with their own team, the Multivan Merida Biking Team. Another interesting fact about Merida is that the company owns 19% of Specialized.
To me, Merida is more known for their mountain bikes especially their Crossway and Matts ranges – but our first preview from their 2011 range will be from the road side. The 2011 Reacto 907, which is their third best road racer behind the top of the line Reacto 909 (with Shimano Dura-Ace) and Reacto Team-20 (with SRAM Red). Below the Reacto triplet comes their more budgetable Scultura range with eight models.
The Reacto 907 comes loaded with the 2011 Shimano Ultegra double 10-gear groupset and puts the scale at 7.4 kilograms in size 54cm. The carbon frame is available from 47cm to 59cm sizes and it features a quite aggressive posture on the saddle. The frame also takes advantage of the new Shimano groupsets with integrated headset cables, and they also go inside the frame (as you can see from the chain stay from the photo above).
The whole Reacto range is very carbon-ific and most things on the range are made of this magic material similar to unicorn horns. The Reacto 907 comes with DT R1700 rims with DT1700 (changed from previous years’ Ultegra 6700) hubs, making the wheels weigh at around 1 700 grams, so you can save more weight by putting more money to the wheels – but that’s how it is almost with every bike on the market.
The first thing that comes to mind when you see the bike is that it might have an integrated seat post, thanks to the Revo carbon seatpost holding up a Selle Italia SL XC saddle. We really like the 2011 Merida look and congratulate it for not being too sticker-happy. Everything in their new bikes spoke of unity, starting from the Vittoria tires, match perfectly and not in a corny way. This might cause an issue for people who want to swap a lot of parts, but if you’re looking for a new road bike, check out the Merida this year as well.
Our verdict: 




The Reacto 907 is not the cheapest with it’s over 3000 euro price tag, but it comes with quality components usually found in even more expensive bikes. If it fits your form and you have the budget, it’s a solid choice.









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