The ride is incredibly smooth even on the roughest tarmac, and despite the tall position, the Scultura Disc is extremely quick, accelerating like a whippet and climbing very well too, thanks to impressive frame and wheelset stiffness. On constantly rolling, testing terrain it was easy to carry speed through downhill bends and power over the rises, resulting in very brisk progress.

A complete Ultegra compact drivetrain brings sensibly-geared refinement, with Ultegra-equivalent flat mount hydraulic disc brakes and 160mm Ice Tech rotors that provide quiet, powerful and progressive stopping. Merida has added its own disc cooler beneath the rear caliper, as it believes its position reduces the amount of cooling airflow it receives. A neat forged aluminium component with CNC milled fins that rest on the outside of the chainstay, it’s claimed to make a great difference during long descents.

My cockpit’s FSA bar differs from the Merida alloy bar listed as standard, but the other own-branded finishing kit was faultless, and the Prologo Kappa 3 saddle isn’t only colour matched, but has a level of support and cushioning that suits the rider in a hurry just as much as those riding a century.

By the end of one 80-mile ride aboard the Scultura Disc, I wouldn’t have swapped it for any of the other bikes on test in our Road Bike of the Year category, no matter how racy, and I felt fresh enough to do it again.

review by Bike Radar

read the complete article here: https://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes/road/product/merida-scultura-disc-6000-review-51037/