Merida Scultura 200 (2019) - Review

The Scultura 2 is built on Merida's 666 triple butted aluminium frame. This frame during the test ride was lightweight, fast and responsive on both flat surfaces and climbs. The aero profile tubing helps to an extent when riding against head winds and keeps the frame weight in check. The Scultura CF carbon fork made sure the weight in the front is less and thus helps in better power transfer.

Shimano's Sora road groupset derailleurs handle the gears at the front and rear on the Merida Scultura 2 (2019). Sora is considered 2nd from the bottom on the Shimano road groupset hierarchy, just above Claris. During the test ride this 2x9, 18-Speed Sora derailleurs were light and sleek with smooth shifting capacity. To complete the drivetrain, Shimano's Sora paddle shifters are installed on this road bicycle.

The bicycle which I test rode came in a full red frame with black graphics. The gloss paint job was shiny and enhanced the bright red colour. The internal cable routing made sure there was no cluster of cables and hence giving a neat look around the front of the frame. The smoothly welded edges of the tube made the frame look like that of a much more expensive road bicycle.

The stopping power on this road bicycle is taken care of by Road dual pivot caliper brakes at the front and rear. These brakes are standard and had enough stopping power on flat and smooth tarmacs.The Merida Expert SL drop handlebar was perfect in length to make sure the shoulders are wide enough for comfortable steering. The bar tape is made of standard material and will require gloves to make it through longer rides, especially if you have sweaty palms.

The Maxxis Dolomites 7x25C tires kept the Scultura 2 rolling fast on tarmacs. These tires had strong compounds with neat treading which made sure there was enough traction on both dry and wet roads. These tires are also resistant to smaller punctures on the road. The Merida Comp SL Saddle was designed specifically for endurance rides which made sure the rider is comfortable for long hours on the saddle.