Merida Scultura Review
- Full carbon fork on every model
- A model for every budget
- Super lightweight frames
- XX Small frame sizes only on certain models
- Single colour option on most bikes
- One colour option per model
Discipline:
Road racingUsage:
Rapid road cyclingWeight:
8.16 Kg (17.9Lbs)*Representing great value and performance over a wide model range, the Scultura range offers a road bike for every budget.
2020 Update
The frames remain the same for the 2020 version of the Scultura. There are now 14 bikes in the range, 3 with rim brakes and 11 with disc brakes. As always the Sculta represents fantastic value for money with a range of prices from entry-level to high-end superbikes.
Updated: 27th February 2020
Overview
Offering the speed and handling you would expect from a World Tour road race machine, the Merida Scultura is a bike for those who like to ride fast as they rack up the miles. The Scultura has aero features to help you slice through the air more efficiently. However, the ride is much more comfortable than you would expect. We review the whole Scultura range that includes affordable alloy framed bikes all the way up to the carbon bling of the Team replica bikes.
*Merida Disc 7000-E - Size M/L, without pedals
There are 14 unisex models in the Scultura range. Merida are one of very few bike brands that manufacture their own bikes. They actually make bikes for many other top brands too. For this reason, Merida are able to make their frames to a higher-quality for any given price point. The Scultura 100 to 400 bikes are all built around lightweight triple butted 6066 aluminium alloy frames. These offer the best performance you can get from an alloy frame. Every bike in the range gets a full carbon fork for precise steering with a smoother ride feel.
The Scultura 4000 to 7000 all get a CF2 carbon fibre frame. The tubes are shaped to offer an aero advantage. Merida call this NSCA Fastback truncated teardrop profiling, and it is designed to reduce drag. On the comfort side, the rear stays are slim helping to absorb road vibrations for a smoother ride. Each bike in the range features a relaxed, but race focused, geometry. The top-of-the range 8000, 9000, Limited and 10K Team bikes get a more aggressive pro level CF4 geometry.
Even when you're riding on rough, pockmarked roads – and let's face it, that's likely to be a lot of the time – the Scultura delivers a smooth ride without the buzz often associated with bikes of this kind.
Road.cc
The advantage [of disc brakes] over rim brakes isn't massive in dry conditions but it's significant in the wet when it's far easier to judge exactly how they'll respond to any given pressure at the lever.
Road.cc
Most of the Scultura models get a compact chainset with a small road cassette. The top end bikes use the Semi-compact 52/36 chainset. The alloy framed bikes start with a Shimano Claris 8-speed cassette on the 100 and move up to 9, 10 and then 11-speed on the 400. This means that you get a smaller step between each gear with the increased number of cogs on the cassette. The carbon framed bikes all get an 11-speed cassette. The shifting precision improves as you move through the range, from 105 on the 4000 all the way up to Dura-Ace and Sram Red eTAP AXS on the top line bikes.
There are 3 rim brakes entry-level models, all others fun disc brakes. In the dry the braking performance is similar but in the wet the disc brake versions really shine. With disc brakes there is very little difference between the performance in wet and dry conditions. This means you can slow down with more confidence knowing that your brakes will be there as soon as you pull the lever. The Scultura 200 disc uses mechanical disc brakes. Every other bike gets the improved performance of hydraulic disc brakes.
Like their frames, Merida build their wheels in-house wheels and these are fitted to the majority of bikes in the Scultura range. These wheels offer excellent performance for the price, in disc and rims brake options. The entry level models get Merida Comp SL wheels, as the range moves up, then wheels go up to the Comp SL and then to the Expert SL for the Scultura Disc 300.
Fulcrum Racing wheels cover the models from the 6000 and up, with the top end bikes getting Fulcrum and DT Swiss wheelsets. Tyres are all 25c in size, this is possibly the fastest rolling size for a road race bike like the Scultura. The entry level bikes all have top quality Maxxis Dolomites with a folding Kevlar bead. As you move up through the models then you start to see Continental tyres on the spec, the top end model has the fast rolling Continental Grand Prix 500's.
The Scultura feels planted when you head downhill, without any of that skittish behaviour that you sometimes get.
Road.cc
The Merida Scultura is a great road bike for the budget of every road rider. The entry level models are perfect for those looking to get into road riding, wanting a more performance focused bike without breaking the bank. The performance of the bikes increases as you go through the range, and the extra price of the higher-end models is money well spent.
The alloy and CF2 frames offer a more comfortable body position on the bike, making them ideal for every day road riders. For aspiring pro riders, the top end models offer a racier, aggressive geometry, with the CF4 frames. These bikes are the bikes for those who want competitive road racing bike to aim for the podium.
