Reviews

Merida Scultura Disc 6000 road bike

Can race-ready performance be achieved on a comfort-focused disc-equipped bike? Yes, and Merida have proved it

With so many disc brake road bikes entering the market over the past couple of years, it came as no surprise to us that one of the biggest frame manufacturers in the world – Merida – would be one of the first to share them on a WorldTour-ready bike.

The Scultura Disc Team was officially launched ahead of the 2016 Paris-Roubaix, with Lampre riders having already ridden it on the bergs of De Ronde the weekend before. Of course, disc brakes were temporarily banned from the pro peloton after Paris-Roubaix, but the Scultura Disc impressed us back then and continued to do so when we had it in for review this winter.

Except here we’ve got the Scultura Disc 6000, not the Team version. Why? Well, if the Scultura Disc Team is the bike for the pro peloton, the 6000 is the everyman version. The price drops from £6,500 to £2,500 but you still get a bike equipped with Shimano Ultegra and hydraulic disc brakes, while retaining the excellent ride quality of the top-level bike.

While the basis of the Team version is Merida’s 900g Scultura Disc CF4 frame, which comes with the aggressive geometry of a pro-level race bike and is a svelte 900g to boot, the 6000 is based around the CF2 chassis. That bumps the weight up to just under 1,000g – still light for a disc-ready frame. The geometry is also a little more relaxed, with a position more suited to all-day club rides and epic sportives.

The build is based around a Shimano Ultegra groupset, complete with RS805 160mm stoppers that make use of Focus’ RAT quick-release thru-axles. Merida have opted for 160mm rotors at both the front and rear in reaction to the latest UCI directives for race bikes – instead of the 140mm rotors sometimes found on the rear of disc bikes.

The fact that you won’t find rim brakes on the Scultura Disc means the brake bridge has been lopped off, opening up the clearance for 28c tyres – heightening the potential comfort offered by an already smooth-riding frame.

There’s also innovative detailing around the brakes as well, with cooling fins installed at the rear disc for better heat dissipation, with the aim to reduce brake fade on long descents. While you’re likely to use the front brake more, the rear brake (as a result of its positioning) doesn’t get its fair share of cooling air, hidden away as it is.

RCUK 100 2017 - Merida Scultura 6000 road bike

Merida Scultura Disc 6000

Price: £2,500
Website: Merida Bikes

This 6000 build also comes with Fulcrum Racing Expert wheels, and they’re wrapped in 25mm Continental Grand Sport Race tyres. We’re also big fans of the Prologo Kappa 3 saddle and Merida’s 27.2mm seatpost helps to reduce unwanted feedback from the road without detracting from the rewarding ride.

At 8.41kg for the 6000 build, Merida have turned the Scultura Disc into a brilliant all-rounder with the integration of discs, proving racy performance from a comfortable disc brake bike is not only achievable, but has arguably arrived.