- I'm here with the Merida Reacto
of triple Grand Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali
of team Bahrain Merida.
This bike certainly looks tricked out
to me, so let's have a closer look.
(lively music)
So Nibali, he stands at 1.81 meter, which is 5'11"
and the frame size he's gone for is a size 54 centimeters.
Now strikingly, this frame doesn't have
any paint on it whatsoever, so presumably
that's to actually try and get it
a little bit lighter because after all,
it is an aerodynamic road frame
so they do tend to weigh a little bit more
because obviously emphasis is done on aerodynamics
rather than pure weight savings.
So let's actually take a look at this frame then, shan't we?
Well firstly, you're gonna notice
the stunning decals or de-cals,
as some people like to call them, of the Merida brand
and also the Bahrain here on the seat tube.
It's done in a glittery silver effect
and personally, I think it looks absolutely amazing.
Then on the underside of the top tube,
just poking through, is what looks to be,
I think, shark fins because after all
his nickname is the Shark of Messina, where he comes from.
Then on the down tube, we've got red, pink, and yellow.
What do those signal to us?
Those are the colors of the respective
winners jerseys of the Grand Tours
that he's won, so the Vuelta a España,
the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de France.
So moving onto the seat post then,
well this is Merida's S-Flex system.
So the idea behind that is to give a little bit
of dampening because this section here,
basically there's nothing there.
Instead there's a little neoprene-type cover,
just to actually make it look a little bit nicer
and well a little bit of air space I guess.
Then mounted on top is an unbranded saddle.
Well the team itself is sponsored by brand Prologo,
but this is definitely a fi'zi:k Antares
with braided carbon rails.
Moving forward then to the steering controls.
Nabili, he's gone for a 120 millimeter
FSA OS-99 carbon fiber stem and that is
gripping a pair of FSA K-Force SL carbon fiber
handlebars in a 42 centimeter width.
So he's not gone down the super narrow aerodynamic route.
Instead he's remaining a little bit
more comfortable, I think anyway.
Now fitted to them is a pair of
Shimano Dura-Ace 9150 DI2 brake lever /
gear lever combination.
Then the bars are finished off
with Prologo's handlebar tape,
offering a little bit of cushion
as well as some extra grip.
And then the finishing touches on this
include some FSA logos on the front
of the actual handlebar tape,
and on the sides here, you can see the
Prologo logos added on there too,
just for a bit of extra TV time.
Now what about the actual cables
and gubbins underneath the handlebars here then?
Well, the mechanics have decided to use
some of those Alligator or Nokon-style cables,
so they're modular cables that you put together,
highly flexible with a, with a thin liner
in the inside that allows a cable
to run ultra-smooth through any tight curves
or internal routing that bikes
do tend to come with these days.
Then, there's also a quick-release mechanism
for the rear brake, which is shoved away
underneath the chainstays and bottom bracket area there.
So in the unfortunate event of a puncture,
the rider can actually release that themselves
and the wheel is easily removed.
Now what about the brakes then?
Well if we look on the front fork,
we've got direct mount brakes so that's
held in place using two bolts as opposed to
a single one through the fork crown
and then they're stopping a pair
of Fulcrum Speed 40T carbon fiber wheels.
They're using ceramic bearings there in the hubs
and then mounted onto them is a pair
of Continental Competition Pro Limited
25 millimeter tubular tires.
Now interestingly, the mechanics haven't
put any really long valve extenders in there.
Instead they just about poke out from the rim,
so presumably they've got a really good
pump to get those up to pressure.
Also for the eagle-eyed of you out there,
you'll have noticed the SRM Speed sensor on the fork leg
and also the magnet down there on the spoke.
What about then the rear brake?
Well it's tucked away, really out of the way there,
underneath the bottom bracket and chainstays
and it's the Shimano Dura-Ace 9110 direct mount brake,
so it has quite a complex spring arrangement
to allow it to release in the case
of a wheel change, for instance.
Derailleurs, both front and rear, are provided by Shimano
and then the Dura-Ace 9150 DI2 units.
Now interestingly, the rear derailleur
is mounted to a different type
of derailleur hanger and by using
this style of hanger, which pops backwards a little bit,
it allows the rider to actually get
a more positive, crisper gear changing,
which is gonna also save you a little bit
of weight I guess because you are gonna remove
just a slight bit of material from the existing derailleur.
So that's controlling and 11/28
Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 cassette.
Chain rinks, well Nibali's chosen 53/39
and they're mounted to these SRM cranks.
Now these use a system which I believe
was actually invented by Look that have a rotating
insert for you to actually insert the pedals into.
Why would you want that insert to rotate then?
Well, it actually has three different positions.
So these cranks aren't just one length.
So you can use 170 mill, 172.5, and also 175.
Nibali though, well he's opted for 172.5
fitted though onto the spider
of this chain set is an SRM power meter
and the pedals that are fitted into the rotating insert
are Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 SPD-SLs.
Finishing touches for the bike then.
Well, we've got, first of all, the SRM mount here,
so that's obviously to provide him
his power information whilst he's riding along.
And then, there's a tiny little bit of grip tape
underneath the mount there, for the SRM speed sensor.
Then we've got ourselves a pair
of Elite Leggero bottle cages.
And finally, something I must just give a big shout out to
is the Nibali shark sticker down here
on the non-drive side chainstay.
We've also got a Carbon-Ti top cap here
for the headset, so that's using
a piece of carbon fiber and then the bolts
which actually pre-loads the bearing setting
is titanium and that uses a torque-style fitting.
Then finally, the end caps of the brake cables
are finished off in a nice little gold color.
What about those measurements then?
Well from the top of the saddle
to the center of the bottom bracket, 75 centimeters,
and then the tip of the saddle to the
center of the bars, 60 centimeters bang on,
and then the drop from the saddle
to the stem, 11 centimeters.
What about that freehub then?
Let's have a listen.
(wheel cranking)
And the weight of the bike, 6.93 kilos.
So there we are, the Merida Reacto
of Vincenzo Nibali ready for the Tour de France.
Now who can actually spot a difference
in the bike to which I just showed you
and the one that's here now?
Let me know about it in the comments section
down below, if you can spot it.
Now also let me know what you think
about the fantastic color way too here on the down chute.
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