New Merida Reacto 4th Generation Aero Bike | Can You Be Too Slow For An Aero Bike?

The 4th generation of the Merida Reacto is here, and Merida have made plenty of improvements to this already proven sprinting machine. This aero machine now has wider tyre clearance, and claims to be much more comfortable than previous editions - join Ollie as he takes it for a spin!
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[@glukes9]

I found this video very informative, I am a 75 year old rider who has been riding non aero like my last bike a Giant TCR SL Pro 0 and for the first time in my life I went out just this month and bought myself a Cervelo S5 VWD with top specs. People say I'm a silly old fool but I have never enjoyed a bike more, it is now my go to bike for everything, can't do the shopping on it but who cares, I couldn't do it on my TCR either. Long live Aero. When I can't spend a day in the saddle any more, I will hang it on my lounge room wall, they are a piece of art.

[@taufikabidin412]

Youll be riding recumbents when your saddle time is over

[@glukes9]

@@taufikabidin412 I am really concerned that they may not have bikes in the afterlife, but then again, why wouldn't they have the greatest invention of all time, they would have to, wouldn't they?

[@gtom84]

The best bike for any cyclist is the one they love to ride on.

[@SK-ox6xq]

Unfortunately, it's a load of nonsense. But if you are enjoying your new bike, that's what counts, not any GCN merchandising.

[@TheRealKaner]

FTW! Good on you.

[@simplyxuan779]

Imagine being Merida and sending GCN a bike to test, but Ollie just uses it to promote GCN's jersey.

[@johnnybravo1912]

You could have been on a mtb or bmx~ the bike had ZERO effect.

[@bentoomey15]

I'm sure Merida is perfectly happy with this test. I imagine they approved the idea for this video, when they gave their input into whether or not a real world test against a climbing bike might make a good video idea. "Gosh, you know, since we're providing the bike, we'd really rather only Merida bikes feature in the video... and we.. uh... can't get you a Scultura.... in time... for an arbitrary deadline."

[@andyhaochizhang]

Well it would be embarrassing if he finds the bike doesn’t matter as much as Merida likes. Maybe that’s what happened and they decided to test clothings instead.

[@mr.clutch7044]

Beginner Ollie is by far my favorite GCN character😂😂

[@AllIsWellaus]

Yeah, from some of the videos or more notably the subjects he has addressed here, for me he's my favourite personality.

[@robbchastain3036]

As much as I like Dan as the Main Man Anchorman of the GCN Show, I think I'd be fine with Beginner Ollie.

[@AlanPB1968]

Undergraduate Ollie? I wonder what A-levels he did.......

[@mush_the_fungi4160]

Ollie’s videos always make me feel better about picking up cycling a tad late as he always talks about how he didn’t have the pro background but is still able to enjoy his riding and experience just as much.

[@PieterReuse]

Beginner Ollie was a GCN fan before GCN existed? Visionary!

[@oliverbridgewood3929]

Just to be clear, as there appears to be some confusion - the point of this experiment is to demonstrate that aerodynamics matters even to slower riders, traveling at slow speeds. No matter your ability, if you want to get faster, one way you can, is by getting more aero, which includes, position, clothing, bike and wheels 👍🏼

[@AdamNigelDark]

In that order as well?

[@b09d4n]

Onestly I was interested more in the bike itself. 7.1 without pedals?! My 3'rd gen Merida Reacto was advertised 400g less than the real weight so untill I don't see it on a scale I don't believe the 7.1 thing. Other than hidden cables we might find out that the New Reacto is actually heavier than the older one, the fork is the one to take the blame for this.

[@thejibsplice]

Could the time difference on the climb be due to the weight of the clothes?

[@oliverbridgewood3929]

Hugh Hopper, a tiny tiny proportion. 👍🏼

[@oldguyonabike36]

@@AdamNigelDark Position > bike.

[@adrienlimsowtin6662]

Hmmm, true Ollie but perhaps the real improvement here is an improvement in comfort.

[@AshyandLea]

We need beginner Ollie to make more appearances please, that was brilliant and informative.

[@theoriginaldimi]

“Aero Bikes are more aerodynamic and faster so we don’t need to test that. Let’s test aero vs non aero clothing instead. The results will surprise you!”

[@fisky2000]

To be honest isn't that all he's done here?

[@jamos169]

Exactly my thoughts

[@joande24]

First thought as well. Isn't Ollie a trained scientist, I mean what the hell?

[@onnomeeuwis4001]

Yes it's probably what Merida wanted him to do :(

[@jeez0r]

yeh beginner ollie on his non aero should've been included . so you get no aero versus half aero versus full aero

[@davepratt9909]

This is one of the best and most useful videos you guys have done. The experimental set up was great and made the whole aero debate understandable. BTW, I loved the line “if you want it, and can afford it, get it”. It explains my bikes that are so much better than I am. Thanks Ollie!

[@archiefraser8081]

On my 4th Reacto & have done around 15,000 km on the current one, which is a 2020 model C4 team frame but not team colours its the Black 8000e model - I’ve been running 30mm tyres on this model for 8 months, so the previous model to the Bahrain 2021 model takes 30mm as well, can’t speak highly enough about the value v many others, vision cockpit is mint. Comfortable on long rides & hills too. With the option of 30mm tyres, it just adds to the feel & gives me more options, paths & rough roads are all accessible.

[@philipk4475]

What wheels are you running with those tires?

[@robertmendelson7724]

Excellent work Ollie, great comparison work. Also great message. For 95% of us, this is about fun and fitness. ~50 years ago I was borderline cat 1. Now at 70, I’m not flexible enough for an aero position, but can still ride all day. I’ve been getting slower for 40 years, but still enjoy every mile/km. Love having a trained scientist do the tech

[@iancanuckistan2244]

The largest improvement to the Merida Reacto is the Canam orange from Bruce McLaren's race cars in the 60's.

[@oldguyonabike36]

"Papaya".

[@adiewarren]

Should the title of been “is aerodynamic clothing for everyone “?

[@ollieknight45]

Was going to say, this appears to be more a test of aero clothing than of the bike.

[@IlijaStevanic]

I've got one of these, fantastic, climbing well, comfortable and super fast!

[@richards.4116]

Beginners and those starting back into riding in their 60's (me) appreciate showing different classes of bikes at lower power outputs and what they can do for us. Thanks very much.

[@ronbyers9912]

Great point. A person in his or her 60s getting back into cycling needs to have information aimed at the way he or she rides. That suggests to me that we need more test rides from Dan Lloyd.

[@richards.4116]

@@ronbyers9912 Correct, and just those new to the sport

[@scottshep888]

I appreciate this content which more realistically appeals to beginners. More please!

[@datdudeinred]

Omg seriously the shots(cinematography) & edits of this video is better than many movies. 👏❤️

[@TheOriginalStevenH]

This answered a lot of my questions. I really like the approach and it makes sense with the clothing and bike. I don't have an aero bike but I always wanted to know what the difference is between normal clothing vs lycra. Keep up the great work!

[@jasonsimmons4848]

That hill up to Colerne is a massive effort. Well done on 4 attempts, they’re working you hard!

[@jeffreylines1535]

for me it is about how well I feel on my competition rides, and the morale boost I get when I am feeling stronger and faster. For that reason I don't mind training and generally riding in less aero clothing. I also see that in my results, I am putting out more power in competition on similar rides and I don't feel as fatigued with an added bonus of feeling more confident.

[@maddie1818]

I am getting this bike tomorrow, beyond excited.

[@Ricky-jm6lk]

You know what I really appreciate? The fact that this is technically an ad for a bike but I almost never notice that in videos like this because they take the time to make a certain aspect of cycling interesting using the bike as an example. Sexy bike tho

[@thomHD]

The 2019 rim version of the Reacto 4000, now that the series has switched totally to disc, must surely be the best value aero bike out there, especially in Jan-Feb sales. Hell of a lot of bike for the money.

[@Murgoh]

This is more like "is aerodynamic clothing for everyone?" as the bike was the same all the time. To find out if a beginner would benefit from an aero bike you really should compare aero and non-aero bikes at beginner power levels and keep everything else the same. And yes, in my experience aerodynamics do matter even at beginner/hobbyist/commuter power/speed levels, I commute 11,5 kilometers (one way, so total of 23 km) almost every day and on my regular road bike I usually average something like 27-28 km/h, on my TT-bike the average speed is about 30 km/h even though my road bike weighs 8 kg and my TT-bike is 9 kg. And that's in baggy work clothes and with a small backpack at moderate effort to avoid excessive sweating (my back still tends to get damp under the backpack). In cycling clothes and at higher speeds the difference is obviously even bigger. Still, I think the aerodynamic difference between a regular road bike and a TT-bike comes mostly from the rider position so all other things (clothing, position) being equal the difference between an aero road bike and a non-aero road bike will be smaller than the difference between cycling clothes with aero position and baggies with upright position on the same bike.

[@davidpetry7853]

exactly what I thought, while watching the video

[@oliverbridgewood3929]

aerodynamics is bike, wheels, clothing, position! everything matters!

[@gtom84]

It's simple math. Do you want to save minutes? Go for more aero position, aero clothes. Do you want to save seconds? Go for aero frame.

[@JoeJoe-lq6bd]

Oliver Bridgewood sure but the frame is the least important of those (at most 5-10% contributor to drag). Selling people on buying aero bikes when the difference is tiny at low speeds doesn’t make much sense.

[@reubencozmyer9856]

@@JoeJoe-lq6bd yeah. Great, he's proven that aero clothes are much faster than baggy clothing, but I'd like to see the promised comparison of aero bike vs non aero bike. Maybe for a true beginner, a round tubed steel or aluminum bike vs an aero bike. Merida probably doesn't want to pay him to say that clothes make way more of a difference than the bike.

[@digisuboob]

i just bought a merida 400, my first step from an ebike on my fitness cycling journey. hopefully one day i can get one of those bad boys.

[@danielandersson3539]

I like how the guy around 10:00 look's at the trackstand and finally nod appreciatively =)

[@tmbmtl]

At my age, you care about speed, but comfort is way more important. Your conclusion was spot on, go out there and have fun.

[@richnerd8757]

Beginner Ollie already knows how to track stand???

[@Mike_in_Thailand]

why not, Beginner Ollie had already started shaving his legs.

[@haakman123]

And uses Speedplay

[@clintnieves]

Amazing bike that new 4th gen Merida Reacto and the new team colors are way better than before in my opinion

[@martincove6054]

Always worth watching an Ollie video just for comments :)

[@KOMHuntTV]

I’m liking the KOM orange 🍊👑🧡

[@simonbrown3993]

Your next bike Scott? Lol

[@KOMHuntTV]

Simon Brown haha nice little KOM machine that’s for sure. Can’t imagine Canyon will be happy with me riding other brands... oh yeah... they don’t care or sponsor me actually haha

[@simonbrown3993]

Just had a look and Project1 do the Trek in factory Orange. Come on new bike @ 3 pm. Lol

[@randompheidoleminor3011]

"Just get what you want!" Words to live by

[@tomrachellesfirstdance7843]

A world with two Oli's would be a better place 👍 Got to admit I love that bike so nice

[@rrsa252]

Ollie's best tip ever: "..but it's fun, get what you like!!" I'll keep that in mind when i it's time to replace my merida reacto 400.

[@gordonreay4135]

You rode past my old house on Bannerdown road. Fond memories of riding in Bath but I do not miss that horrible hill on Bannerdown Road.

[@joshhu1465]

Yes! Finally this video is out

[@888julianman]

..so the conclusion from the exclusive GCN test of the latest and greatest aero bike from Merida is... : erm, baggy clothes slow you down. Groundbreaking stuff ! Aerodynamic Science Adrian Newey would be proud of 🙏

[@inojinxx576]

My dream bike😍

[@richardharris8538]

I recently bought a second hand carbon frame bike with 42 cm handlebars. I've matched my PB on my old steel frame bike with 36 cm handlebars, on my regular course which is quite flat. I'm awaiting delivery of 32 cm handlebars, so I'm looking forward to smashing my PB.

[@KenSmith-bv4si]

Cool Video Ollie. A friend has a new 2020 System Six Cannondale Red eTap(64mm Knot wheels), deer gawd in the drops it speeds up and sometimes I felt a "low pressure" area on my back, weird. I have a 2020 Tarmac which is pretty aero with 50mm deep wheels. On the accents or uphill that extra weight just sux, I like my Tarmac out of the saddle uphill or accents so much more.

[@12ockybalboa]

I wish it had some more comparisons (perhaps with Scultura). Going to buy a new bike and this is one of the contenders.

[@jasmizar]

So beautiful new reactor merida...

[@itsmark3824]

I love that Ollie has gone back to his starting roots by getting the same mullet.

[@plamenplamenof3567]

Love mine!!!

[@markj.a351]

I have the previous Reacto and It's been great. It was / is my first aero bike and it changed my cycling so much. It eats miles . They have "fixed" my biggest annoyance on this model which is the cable routing. Also, if you're ever buying on the lower end of the Reacto range, budget for a pair of wheels as they essentrialy don't come with any usable ones.

[@joshknight2696]

Fantastic conclusion. Ride whatever you like, and just have fun 😀

[@BoatingJapan]

They did a comparison of aero bikes over two videos and tests before, and the 2020 reacto after I compared the numbers to the bike common in both vids to get some kind of normalization between the two sets of data, was near the top two bikes, although it didn't appear that when just looking at the two individual data sets.

[@seascape]

Greatly enjoy these videos! How can you tell which brand's aero bike is faster? It would be great to see a GCN Does Science comparing the Reacto, Dogma F12, Canyon, Orbea, etc. aero bikes, holding the combined weight of the bike and rider constant. Also, should we all be riding triathlon bikes or add tt bars to our road bikes? Another interesting GCN Does Science test would be comparing your and GTN Mark's times on the same triathlon and road bikes, to see which is faster over a route with decent climbs.

[@myheartbelong2oi]

oh man, those baggy shorts are something else. I couldn't tell if those were Ollie's legs or the drawstrings on those shorts with shoes on the ends. lol

[@LukeMochizuki]

I would like to see a new updated video on aero bike vs aero climbing bike - I.e. the new Trek Emonda has been transformed into the super fast aero climbing bike!

[@Andy.Dr.Walton]

we need a presenter ranking of the "pretty-ness" of all tour de france bikes - this Reacto would be right up there, love the orange and the frame angles

[@johnbutler8326]

Mega design and color

[@tobin1677]

Another way to think of the math behind the aero drag is basically that across the course your drag total force is consistent. It is however many joules over a consistent time. Power output is similarly an amount of energy over time. So another way to think of aero drag is it is like a negative modifier on your power output, consistent but it feels bigger at higher speed.

[@ImportedFromSerbia]

Beautiful bike.

[@jirdesteva]

The bike is a beauty. I'm still not going to buy one or the the kit. If I road a bike as a job then yes but I don't. I'm 52 weigh 14.5 stone (203 lbs) and am NOT aero... but I'm having fun watching the videos you guys and gals put out. Now it;s time for me to go for my ride on my humble 2010 bike and at the end of it have a double espresso and a almond biscotti. Cio

[@henrywu6801]

I've never seen a beginer wearing the giro helmet🤔

[@ChristopheMICLO]

this bike is so so so beautiful !

[@carlobalzer3238]

Beautiful bike

[@jamesward8140]

I like that beginner Ollie can track stand

[@ChrisTexan]

One other minor variable (maybe mentioned elsewhere in comments already) is weight, in particular on the climb, I'd assume the "baggy" clothes added at least 1kg, which, while not huge, like aero, every little bit adds up. If ever replicating this with a bit more time, potentially weigh with the "worst case" weight, then handicap the other setup to match that weight (like if it's a 2kg difference, put a 2kg weight in a pocket or somewhere that it won't really impact aero... do both with a water bottle, empty for the "heavy" setup, and weighted for adjustment to the "lighter" setup would be a simple way to keep all else equal. Good vid!

[@JamesBrown-qt2yr]

I think beginner Ollie is my spirit animal, he should have his own show.

[@sirepurple5299]

Ollie's track stand game is so proper...need to do a video just on that!

[@air03031989]

Watta a beautiful bike

[@rajatkrsingh7553]

This LUT is lit🔥

[@kazuya26xxxbheem63]

My dream bike

[@sora11231]

I am riding the Merida Scultura 5000 2017 You got the point, for lazy me, I am still learning how to maintain my bike My cables are routed into my frame so I still need to learn how to deal with it when i change my cable next time

[@hughoxford8735]

Use the old cable to pull a piece of string through.

[@cannonfodder691]

The best looking bike around in that colour scheme

[@michaellarkin6158]

This video sums up why I've started to drift from GCN.

[@philipk4475]

Couldn't have said it better myself. The editing was poor and the script was also very tired, I wonder if they even watched through the whole video before uploading it. I loved the tech deep dives with John but this video just confirmed why I haven't watched a GCN video all the way through in months.

[@lacyleech7798]

Summer looks nice in UK.

[@rickvoss709]

I liked this video so much Ollie…I went out and bought one lol…and yes I completely smoke my mates on their “climbing” bikes…love mine 🚴🏻‍♂️💨

[@vanrobinett3309]

Great looking bike wish we could buy them in the US

[@albionmarch]

That bike looks fantastic. @GCN Tech Any idea why the pros were favouring the Scultura at the Criterium de Dauphine?

[@jaythefordman]

I have a 2018 Scultura, now eyeballing the new Reacto....

[@user-yy3zi2ll3k]

Damn McLaren color is so hot. So sad McLaren withdrawed after only 1 year 😭

[@bobtheshorkie1987]

Funny how Ollie becomes even more Northern when he's moaning about the weather.

[@nigel4442]

Nice bike!

[@kvajeblostari]

so nice bike :)

[@stuartbird5139]

This was all a bit confused. Were you testing the bike, the rider position, or the clothing, or all 3? Only the clothing changed so the bike itself seems rather beside the point

[@robertname9618]

Lov it

[@feedbackzaloop]

Quite interesting that you mentioned speep of light, Dr. Bridgewood! Not only quoting the third digit wrong, but also not accounting for vacuum, since for over a decade your fellow researchers achieved slowing light down to runner pace and even a dead stop. Here, europhysicsnews.org/articles/epn/pdf/2004/02/epn04201.pdf

[@THEoldgreydude]

UK weather We love it 🤣🤣🤣

[@KOMHuntTV]

🌧

[@markbaker4381]

@gcntech : Ollie, what puts me off an Aero bike is that, from my understanding they force you into a more aggressive position, I looked at the Orca aero and non aero and the reach is the same for a given size but the stack is reduced on the equivalent Aero, which to my understanding will keep you in an lower and therefor more aggressive position which my back wouldn't take.

[@eyelovelil]

Olie’s Da Man‼️

[@Thierrydaoust1607]

9:54 I like the guys look in the background

[@Prawn47]

May I refer you to GCN video in the wind tunnel where the aero frame made only a very small difference to overall drag?

[@brankododig1585]

Pretty bike. Lots of tire clearance does look all sorts of wrong on a aero road bike, though, but it's all the rage now. 🤷‍♂️

[@karolpofficial9307]

Now I want aero bike.

[@iknowyourider0]

Playing a drinking game with this video with the phrase “aero” would be downright deadly.

[@xsubsquid]

No. 22 bikes, Johnstown, NY, USA, also has one called the Reactor. I wonder who had the name first.

[@JayHeartwing]

Back when I am just beginning in cycling, mostly when I'm still a toddler, mountain bikes and road bikes are the same. Maybe because they're big, heavy, and only meant for adult cyclists. But when I got myself into cycling in my teenage days, I got this old mini mountain bike, turned into my own poor man's BMX, I truly understand how much they differ from each other. Now I'm an adult, cycling became much understandable. I got experiences in my first mountain bike, and now I got myself a road bike. And cycling became more interesting in my point of view.

[@janwillemkuilenburg7561]

The rubber insert in the seat post is not absorbing anything. It just takes care not to interrupt airflow.

[@gefloigle]

“Plaaastic wraaap.” -Dr. Oliver Bridgewood

[@michaelgoodwin593]

2:30 - yeah that was also me....

[@ohnezuckerohnefett]

The guy at 9:49 in the background made my day... Sorry Ollie.

[@TheUltimateULTRA]

10:02 - ollie and his future hair in the backround

[@datdudeinred]

What happened to beep beep jeep 😂 missed that..

[@martinraucher2147]

what would be faster: skin suit or birthday suit?

[@Demon09-_-]

Skin suit. It's partly why some clothing is banned in swimming. Slick fabric is more aero then skin

[@quintenverbeke8267]

What is that hand of Ollie on 6:24 lmao

[@talonlan]

Looks like an efficient way of breaking fingers on pot holes.

[@gearmonkey]

I believe there may be a new still for the opening of cycling shorts @11:40 I feel like british summer really demands dark shorts, baggy or tight...

[@marcinlubarski3338]

You should compare the entry level bike with the top model.. I guess differences would be similiar