Merida Scultura Team 2022

This new Merida Scultura Team uses the fifth generation of the frameset, which shares the geometry of Merida's Reacto and is also influenced by its aerodynamic design. The best quality for me, though, is just how damn comfortable this bike is.

As the name suggests, this Scultura model is the one ridden at the top level by the Bahrain Victorious ProTour team, so I was expecting razor-sharp handling and a bike stiff to the point of being harsh as it needs to deal with the monstrous power levels being put out by the pros.

You do get that precision steering (more about that in a mo) although while the Scultura shows huge amounts of tightness around the lower half of the frame, especially at the bottom bracket shell, at the front end and the fork it is sublimely comfortable.

I was really surprised, and it makes the Scultura a dream to ride.

> Buy now: Merida Scultura Team 2022 from De Ver Cycles for £7750.00

Even with the 28mm Continental tyres pumped up firm there is a very little in the way of road buzz coming through the contact points, no doubt helped not only by the carbon fibre layup, but also things like the slender seatstays and the S-Flex carbon seatpost.

Not getting battered about means you can ride quicker for longer, so you can cover plenty of distance on the Scultura as this is one rapid bike.

With its clean front end, thanks to all of the cables and hoses being completely hidden from view, the Merida certainly feels as though it cuts through the air smoothly, especially with the all-in-one handlebar/stem setup.

Other details like teardrop shaped tubing, a sculpted seat tube to shield the rear wheel and, of course, deep-section wheels, mean that once this thing is rolling it doesn't take huge amounts of effort to maintain the pace; it definitely feels like an aero bike.

Away from the flat, the Scultura Team is a capable climber thanks in part to that great stiffness and a weight of 7.1kg on our scales; not quite as light as something like the big money 6.85kg S-Works Tarmac SL7 I tested last year, but not far off. Impressive considering the near three-grand difference in price.

This also means the Scultura is responsive to hard accelerations and is, therefore, a great sprinting bike.

As you'd expect for a bike designed to cope with the demands of the pro calendar, the Scultura Team has a geometry that's tuned for delivering performance.

This medium size has a top tube length of 560mm mated to a very short head tube, just 140mm, giving stack and reach figures of 557mm and 395mm respectively. That gives a ratio of 1.41 which is right at the racier end of the scale – for an endurance road bike you're normally looking at around 1.55ish.

The head angle is 73.5 degrees, which, when mated to the 990mm wheelbase, gives the Scultura Team a precise and nimble feel in terms of responses to steering inputs and your body position.

It's a great bike to ride fast through the bends. Loads of feedback from the stiff frame and fork lets you know exactly what is going on, and if you have to correct your line or something, you can, instinctively.

The steering feels fast but well balanced. At first it can feel a little twitchy and nervous, especially if you've come from a bike with more relaxed geometry, but learn to relax a bit and just let the bike get on with its job and the rewards are massive.

Some bikes closing in on the 7kg weight region can feel a little flighty over rough roads and the like, especially if they are as stiff as the Merida. This Scultura feels very poised on the road, though, with the composure of a weightier machine.

Frame and fork

The Team uses Merida's CF5 V full carbon fibre frame (with added nano particles in the resin to increase impact protection by 40%, according to Merida) and CF5 Disc fork which, as I mentioned, has taken on some of the aero cues of the Reacto but has also been developed to offer more comfort than the previous model.

These kind of claims are always difficult to quantify out in the real world, but I'll give you the numbers from Merida:

Aerodynamic-wise, at 45kph the previous Scultura required 234.3 watts, but cleaning up the front end, as in hiding all of the cables/hoses, using the integrated cockpit, hiding the seat clamp and dropping the seatstays lower where they meet the seat tube, equates to a wattage saving of 4.2%, 224.5 watts at 45kph.

Reducing stiffness anywhere on a new bike doesn't always get a mention by bike companies, but Merida says it has reduced vertical stiffness by 38%, from the bottom bracket shell to the saddle on the Scultura. That's been achieved by extending the amount of seatpost exposure by 40mm, by creating a more steeply sloped top tube, which gives more room for the post to flex for comfort.

Tyre clearance has also been upped to 30mm, so you can run bigger tyres, softer.

The seatpost itself is held in place by an expanding wedge system inside the tube. Adjustment is by way of a bolt under the top tube, and once tightened up there were no problems with slippage.

A lot of the latest bikes we have seen are running cable systems that enter through the top of the headset or, like this Scultura, run entirely through the handlebar, stem and then into the head tube before disappearing off around the rest of the frame or fork. It's a neat solution in terms of aesthetics and aerodynamics, making use of Merida's Wire Port headset, and the two-piece headset spacer design allows you to add or remove spacers without affecting the cable/hose runs.

At the top of the fork steerer you'll also find a Force Diffuser, which is designed to work with the Team SL 1P cockpit. It's a metal sleeve that Merida says protects the fork steerer at the stem clamping area by distributing the loads evenly.

As for everything else, it's all pretty much what you'd expect to find on a top-end race bike: flat mount disc mounts, 12mm thru-axles front and rear, two bottle cage mounts... and no options for mounting full mudguards, in case you were wondering.

There is a tapered head tube at the front end, while the bottom bracket is of the press-fit persuasion.

Merida also supplies many of its bikes with cooling fins, or Disc Coolers as it calls them. This is to reduce heat build-up on long descents where you may find yourself dragging the pads for long sections at a time.

I've touched a bit on the geometry already, but it's also worth mentioning that there are six sizes in total, with top tube lengths ranging from 520mm to 590mm. On this medium you get a relatively steep seat angle of 73.5 degrees to match the head angle, a 501mm seat tube, bottom bracket drop of 66mm, and a fork length of 385mm. The chainstays are just 408mm in length.

Groupset

For this kind of money you are going to be wanting top drawer kit, and to be honest the build is pretty impressive, with the latest Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Di2 12-speed groupset.

Apart from that extra sprocket, I must admit I could barely detect a huge amount of difference over the previous 11-speed version, and that's a good thing because that means the gear shifting remains just as flawless and quick as it was before.

Merida has specced a 52/36T chainset which also comes with a power meter, paired with an 11-30T cassette.

I love the feel of Shimano's hydraulic braking systems throughout the range, and this Dura-Ace setup is the cream of the crop. Loads of power with oodles of feedback allowing you to modulate them easily, and that was even on our test bike which hadn't had the brakes set up very well at all, with loads of lever travel, especially for the rear – and I'll admit I never quite got around to fixing it.

Basically, the whole setup is awesome; if you want the full in-depth analysis then follow the link above to Liam's 4.5 star review.

Finishing kit

The handlebar part of the carbon fibre SL 1P integrated cockpit is very comfortable with its flat top section and shallow drops for when you want to hunker down. The stem I found worked for me, but if it doesn't for you, that is the only pain in not having the option to swap in parts.

Depending on the size of bike, Merida supplies the cockpit with differing bar widths and effective stem lengths.

The seatpost is Merida's Team SL S-Flex carbon fibre, which has a diameter of 27.2mm and 15mm of setback. Adjustment is simple, and I found setting up the comfortable Prologo Scratch M5 saddle a doddle.

Wheels and tyres

Merida hasn't skimped on the wheels or tyres either: a set of Vision Metron 45 SL Clincher TL Disc wheels with a 45mm-deep carbon fibre rim, tubeless valves and tape included. Wrapped around these are a set of 28mm Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR tyres.

The wheels are great, and really suit the performance of the Team frameset. They have a rim with an external width of 31mm, optimised to work with a 28mm tyre. Weight is very impressive at a claimed 1,372g.

The test period was surprisingly dry and mild considering the time of year, so I didn't really get to put them through their paces in typical winter weather, but they seem absolutely fine in terms of strength and remaining true.

Continental's GP5000 S TR tyre is a direct replacement for the GP5000 S TL, TL meaning tubeless, as it had a butyl liner inside to stop it being porous and allowing the air to escape. It was 'fully tubeless', meaning you didn't need to run sealant inside if you didn't want to.

The TR has dropped that, which has reduced weight by around 50g per tyre, and now, like most on the market, it is 'tubeless ready' – requiring sealant to close up all of the tiny holes in the sidewalls when you first inflate them.

In line with Jamie's review, I also found the GP5000s to be some of the fastest and grippiest tyres going, and durability doesn't seem to be an issue either.

Another good thing about them is they're great in all weather conditions. On wet roads you need to back off a bit, but the compound still seems to bite the surface well.

Value

When you look at the quality of the frameset and the overall package of components, I think the Merida's £7,750 asking price is a decent one.

The Pro version of Scott's Foil RC comes with the same Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, has an integrated carbon cockpit and Zipp 303SE deep-section wheels for £8,199. I'm a big fan of the Foil family, and being a bit of an all-round race bike with an aero bias it is very similar in performance terms to the Scultura Team.

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Canyon's Ultimate CFR Disc Aero is, again, a similar machine and comes with Dura-Ace Di2 and DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut wheels with 50mm-deep carbon fibre rims. You also get Canyon's integrated cockpit, but the price is even higher at £8,249. 

Specialized looks to have gone down the SRAM route on its line-up of Tarmac SL7s this year, with the most comparable model to the Merida being the Pro, at £7,500. It gets a SRAM Force eTap AXS gear system with SRAM Red brakes and Specialized's own Roval Rapide CL wheels.

Conclusion

Overall, I think the Scultura Team is really well specced for the money, especially when you take things like the power meter into consideration. As you'd expect from a high-end bike, nothing has been skimped on, and it can back it all up with its performance and impeccable ride quality. It's an excellent bike.

Verdict

Pro-level performance with excellent comfort, draped in all the bling you could want, for a decent price