Winspace T1500 VS. Giant Propel VS. Merida Reacto (incl: speed tests)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Assioma (FAVERO ELECTRONICS): bit.ly/37xkHgr
Channel Subscription: bit.ly/2NViYKI
My website: www.camnicholl...
In this triple headed review we'll be comparing the Winspace T1500 (with SRAM Force 1X and Winspace Hyper wheels), the Giant Propel Advanced One (with Shimano Ultegra and Giant SLR2 wheels), and the Merida Reacto 6000 (with Shimano Ultegra and Fulcrum racing 800 wheels). I will be discussing weight, geometry and design, speed tests, my riding experiences, and my personal pick of the bunch (rounding out with my review ratings system).
Speed Tests: docs.google.co...
Shane Miller video: • Favero Assioma DUO Pow...
Rating System:
COMFORT:
Front end comfort (absorbing road bumps & divots)
Rear end comfort (absorbing road bumps & divots)
Vibration on coarse roads
Bouncing on seat over bumps
General fatigue in the body after riding
SPEED:
Ability to hold speed free pedalling
Ability to hold speed in bunch
Ability fo hold speed in draft
Ability to maintain or generate speed on descents
General feel when riding a steady state
Ability to hold speed and accelerate out of corners
HANDLING
Control & feel when out of saddle climbing
Control & feel when out of saddle sprinting
Steering control around corners
Ability to quickly move to bike (avoiding potholes, riders, traffic)
General feel at steady state riding
General feel at high speed riding
PRACTICALITY
Ability to alter/change touch points with ease (Saddle and Handlebars)
Ability to easily clean the bike. Does the paint hold grit and grim?
Does the paint scratch/mark easily
Will the bike resale with ease
Support - bike shop or online. Where online?
#Giant #Winspace #Merida
Thanks for all the hard work (and expense!) you've put it doing these tests, really worthwhile from a viewers perspective
Cheers Stuart
@@CamNicholls loved my propel and plenty of reason for it to score well. Loved the brake placement on those. Opting for the new Ribble Ultra Slr mainly due to looks as probably the best looking bike available right now. So well proportioned, performance not scoring as highly in my later years 😆 but hoping it does alright!
Cam I wanted to thank you for covering the Winspace T1500 so well. I was so intrigued I bought a T1500 and cockpit for $1522 USD shipped with a promo code which IMO is an amazing value. I just got it built up with the same SRAM Rival AXS eTap found on my 2022 Scott Foil RC and damn man, this bike is not only cheaper but slightly lighter and faster, again with almost identical parts (besides the wheels, but they weight almost the same). I am so impressed with the T1500 I probably will sell my Foil and try and build a Winspace SLC2.0 for a dedicated climbing bike. For anyone contemplating getting a WInspace, I wouldn't hesitate. I was worried when you concluded the T1500 road "heavy" but damn man for me it's a rocket and it's the Scott Foil RC 20 that feels and rides heavy. It took me riding a different Aero bike to realize this. I think your coverage of Chinese bikes has been really informative and entertaining, do you plan on doing a video on Yoeleo? I know you mentioned a while ago you had something going on with them
I’ve also read great on the winspace T1500. Considering purchasing in the near future with Hyper wheels 👊
The thing with the Merida and why i wanted a CF5 level frameset is that it is equivalent in price to other brands mid tier level framesets. So given the price I'd actually get the reacto CF5 if i had to choose.
The reason why reacto was the quickest of the bunch is probably due to it's long reach. Like you mentioned, reacto has the longest reach out of those 3 bikes tested. Meaning you had to lean forward more to reach the hood in reacto than other bikes, making you more aero without noticing. What I want to point out is that, it's literally impossible to compare and test these frames fairly in my honest opinion. BUT I STILL LOVE THE REVIEW ANYWAY CAM! CHEERS MATE!
Because of your videos regarding the Giant Propel, I have preordered then 2022 Giant Propel.
Thanks for the great in-depth videos!
TCR rim is faster in all areas. I've ridden both.
@@DurianriderCyclingTips Might be so, but I’m not really keen on rebuilding/buying new carbon rims every five second due to riding continually in rainy conditions. Rather just run through some pads and “cheap” discs.
If it wasn’t the case for sure a rim brake bike, no doubt 😅
Nice one mate, enjoy
Having also bought a Chinese aero frame in 2014. Despite it weighting 7kg it always felt heavy and dead. Glad to see that’s still the case
Lot of work went into this Cam, and one of the best cross brand reviews out there. Gold standard mate ! (Been using the Assioma's for the past two years and flawless. Thanks to GP Lama for that, his review got me on to it)
Cheers Rav and good to hear re Assioma’s!
I appreciate what you're doing on comparing value for $ rather than trying to compare marketing claims between different pricepoints of bike. Which, is a good way to evaluate the Winspace.
Thanks for the extensive testing. The Merida ios looking real good on paper, I got a purchase lined up of the 105 di2 version, I'm almost certainly pulling the trigger based on this video series
I have a meeting to go to, and then Cam drops this vid. Looks like I'll be late. Very thorough work Cam.
haha cheers Damien
I think the bike geometry and fit may play a part in the subjective heavy feel of the Winspace. It seems to have by far the most set back saddle to BB position of the 3 bikes. Which may affect the recruitment of major muscle groups in the glutes.
Could do, thanks for sharing on the thread
Are sure sure? As per the geometry charts it's the steepest
You put a lot of time and effort into this video and it shows. Thanks for a very interesting, informative and enjoyable comparison.
Cheers Allan
I had lots of anticipation for this video and was pleasantly surprised. Well done!
Cheers David
Just bought a Merida 4000 so happy that I did!
Nice vid Cam. Great to get these types of reviews. Keep up the good work
I agree on the pedals. I race and have scraped both pedals on the ground quite a few times and they still work perfectly
Oh smooooth segway into the ad mate! Very nice👌
haha, cheers Chris
Superb video Cam. Appreciate the time taken over the past months to collate all this info. Being a Propel owner I’ve actually made changes to my set up based on your insight, changed the tyres to Schwable Pro One. Also you are dead on with the reach with the Propel, when you initially look at the headset design it actually can appear a longer reach.! Thanks again. 😎
Cheers Dean and thanks for sharing on the thread.
Great reviews! When I look into windspace frame on UA-cam, all of them are positive without comparison.
what im waiting for.. this kind of test gives future buyer alot of help in decision making..
Great review as always. I ride a Chinese frame, ICAN A9 with zipp 303s wheels, absolutely love it 😍 wish you could review and compare the ICAN A9 as well
They make very good frames without the marketing bullshit we are being constantly sold.
Interesting review Cam. Given the shots of the Rere in the videos preview I thought it might have taken a surprise victory!
haha
Iv'e had Assioma's for 3 years now, they're excellent!
Best video yet Cam. Really cool!
Great review Cam thanks for the video, I definitely thought you woulda picked the Merida in the end haha.
Personally, due to having a rather limited budget for cycling, the debate always comes down to what gives me the best overall value, assuming marginal performance differences, which seems to be the case here. Giant and Merida have local distributors/dealers where I live and Winspace has direct official local support here too. From that perspective, with the exception of Look or Wilier (100% personal fan bias), I'd pick the Winspace for my next bike over most big brand bikes (in the same performance tier) simply because I am able to build the Winspace out exactly to my spec preferences, wheels, groupset, contact points etc, and crucially for a fair bit less money than an equally spec'ed bike from virtually any other quality brand(aside from maybe Canyon), all without the hassle/waste of having to replace any undesirable components(usually wheels) that may come as part of "the full package" of a typical big brand tier 2 bike.
Yes makes sense mate, thanks for sharing.
Great content as usual and appreciate the time you put into comparing all these bikes. I am pretty sure you are the only one doing it in this detailed way, backing it up with your own data. Well Done.
By the way, love the T2 theme music (which I noticed already from the Friday vlog)... did the movie finally launch in Aussie!? :) Cheers from Germany
Haha yes we got it last week
thanks cam.......was really hyped for this one...great vid
Thank you so much for the honest review Cam!
Hey video. Lots of work and time into these comparison videos I’m sure. Well done, mate.
Yes, I need a light mental spin after that one!
Thanks for the unbiased thorough review, love your work!
Cheers mate
Nice comparison Cam, Both Giant and Merida are the leader in Road Bike Manufacture. As a beginner, Giant and Merida are the first Brands I would look at before spending more $$$.
Great vid as always Cam, very comprehensive 👍👌
Cheers Ray
Great video Cam, thank you for all of the hard work that went into comparing these bikes!
I will say with rca paint job the winspace is the best looking of the bunch. That's got to be worth a couple of watts. Great work producing real world data. People don't ride bikes in wind tunnels.
Great stuff Cam. Thanks. I hope one day to get a Time Skylon or a Look 795 Blade RS.
Thank you so much for these review. Very much appreciated.
No worries Stanley, Cheers
Great comparison! The Reacto and Propel are on my short list for my first own road bike (also the TCR and the new Cube Agree) . I currently ride my brother old Fuji bike that I fixed up. I have your exact height and a similar build with long legs and a shorter torso, so your info will be helpful to me. The Netherlands is also flat and windy. The Propel is the bike that is currently coming out ahead of other options I'm taking into consideration.
can save some weight by going 1x setup for netherlands too.
Which one did you end up with?
My Ridley X-Ride cross bike has a chainstay with a similar "frogstyle" design. It should offer more flex. Keep up the good videos, Cam!
Interesting to hear Matti, I’ll take a look
Feel like that ride heaviness was a little of the mainstream companies pressure to conform to their marketing standards. But Cam seems a good bloke
nice work on this series cam. looking forward to the next comparisons.. lets do some italian stallions (de rosa, wilier etc) please ;)
I reckon, It would be the best honest review if all the bikes were blacked out with no brands. Numbering them from 1; 2 or 3 and then provide your verdict and show the brands?
Thank you Cam for Sharing.
This is so thorough, what a great video
Cheers Michael
Excellent video & review!
Yeah, I bought the winner on a complete whim last year. 😃 Would have been happy regardless though
And I had been eyeballing aero road bikes just by specs before and the propel did make a very good overall package with deep section wheels
Thanks a lot for this great review. I want to buy an aero bike and also had the Merida Reacto and Giant Propel in mind.
Good video and series on these bikes. Now time to do climbing bikes. Hopefully include the TCR. Would also like to see a test a lower watts and longer distance. Maybe 180 to 200 for 10 km to 20 km.
That Winspace looks a lot better after you repainted it
Very comprehensive explanation. Thanks.
Great work Cam! Must’ve been a lot of work. Shame we can’t get any discounts off rrp these days. I have two giants (2014 propel and 2019 tcr) and both were about 50% off rrp. When you include discounts, I feel like giants and meridas are super competitive.
Cheers mate
Excellent vid. Thanks Cam
Cheers Nigel
A great comparison. Better than quoting stats at 40kph etc. It's like saying this car will do 40mpg urban in a brochure only to find it's 25/30mpg. Your real world results is what matters after all and how a bike makes you feel (for me the most important) and you've executed perfectly as anyone could. Keep it up! Can't wait for new project. #gravelmaybe? 😂
Looking forward to the next three bikes.
Great review once again. I have been followig the Merida for sometime but we are limited in the US. Cant buy it locally here unfort!
Good stuff cam, thanks!
Can’t wait to see you get on a Tarmac SL7! Hopefully soon….
Love the assioma pedals. Been using them for two years now and couldn’t be happier with my choice of power meter. Would like to see you buy a canyon and do a review on it. Have a different sales model so can get more bang for your buck!
If you can actually order one...also, abysmal customer service (and it's not as if you can go to your local bike shop for a fix)
What's up Cam. Maybe you can give me an idea what to go for. I'm riding a Bianchi 928L (2007) still doing its work and I'm still dropping guys on modern aero bikes. Lol.
Ok back to my point. I want to go for a more modern aero (all arounder) bike. I'm not sure if I'm going to buy another Bianchi. Hut I've had tested a Scott Foil 10. I liked the way it felt but it was on a expensive side. Now I'm from Curaçao 🇨🇼. Here we have local bike shop dealer from Specialized, Scott, Merida and Trek. The Madone got my attention lately. But I also have an eye on the Reacto 6000. Could you do a review about the Madone? (If you can get tour hands on one) and compare it with the others?. Honestly I have to say I'm this close 🤏🏽 to go for The Merida. One thing is keeping me still thinking. The weight. I'm accustomed to ride light bikes. Like my 928L is a 6.9 with DA but now swapped with Ultegra mech.
Sorry for the long post. Looking forward to your advice. Thanks in advance
Love the reviews as I'm in the market for a new bike! Def looking at the Propel now
I just ordered the Giant Propel! 🥳
Hello from philippines solid subscriber here❤
Thanks for your support Kelvin
Great Video - Thanks so much!!! Are you planning to test the T1550 at all Cam?
I did a vid yesterday of my 13 grand SL7 S-WORKS VS my SL2 I got for under $1000. The SL2 trumped it.
Excellent presentation 👍🏻
A review for the common man, love it
Who else got to the end of the video and took a deep breath feeling that he had just done the whole thing without drawing breath. Or 'uuhmming and ahhrring'.
Hi, i enjoyed the watch, just wondering on getting some thoughts im looking at two bikes at a reacto 7000e disc and a propel advance sl disc both with identical specs just wondering on your thoughts to which direction to go in?
So, despite that fact reacto is the fastest in speed tests, you gave it 6.5 in speed category. I assume that's because of stock wheels? So with normal wheels it should've got a 9 for speed, and therefore smash the giant number-wise in your rating)
oh you mean what he literally says at the end of the video ?
@@pumpz4 sorry for my inattentiveness, probably I missed, that it was said directly.
@@idiachuk no need to apologise dude! fair enough it was right at the end to be fair - good that you got the answer for yourself though ha you were bang on
I think he gives it a low speed score for the speed it has with stock rims.
Yes as mentioned by others the score was based on how the bikes came. Confusing as the speed tests were all on the same wheels, but I had to run that test that way. If you watch this video you will see the Merida becomes quite slow with their wheels. ua-cam.com/video/0R7DTrepcoA/v-deo.html
Thanks Cam!
Now that's what I call a 'VS'
Well done with the comparison. I can see you going far with this.
Maybe you can save a bit of time/money getting review bikes - ask your subscriber base!!
There must be a few 'local' riders out there who would be happy to loan you their new(ish) bikes for review.
I know I would, but I'm in the UK:)
Cheers mate. I’ve had a few people offer but I don’t feel right with it. I’d hate to damage or crash it.
i have that wheelset on my flat bar bike and love 'em, and they look great!!!
Cam, great review. Fair and scientific. Well done :-)
Cheers Chrissi
Can we get a canyon aeroad review? Keep up the good work Cam!
Can't buy them! I have looked.
@@CamNicholls haha fair enough. Just order one now for the 2030 channel content
Gonna miss the Giant- as an owner of a 2020 Propel advanced pro I was rooting for it! Lol…. BTW, I figured out how my ML weighed less than your M… mine came with a full carbon fork, and it’s 7.9kg (17.5 lbs), with heavier Lightbicycle AR56’s (wit dt Swiss 240 hubs)…. Which means that if I got hyper 50’s it should drop weight. Oh, and I haven’t experienced any speed wobble, even at 47mph. But I agree that the propel soaks up the road buzz, my biggest complaint is the stem cover.
Nice bike review. After watching this the Merida seems very similar to my Tarmac SL7. I’d probably pick it out of the bunch. All the bikes look great though.
Merida make Specialized bikes.
It would be the tarmac looking like the Merida 🤫
commenting for the youtube algorithm, keep up the good videos
Cheers Benjamin
Must admit... That paint is 👌👌👌👌👌
You mentioned the shorter reach on the Giant making for a more comfortable fit. Was your position, in general, and specifically the saddle to hoods/drops length the same on all bikes? Could a slight position difference be influencing the times during the tests, and overall feelings you experienced? I've watched your bike fitting videos so I assume they were all set up the same, but it's interesting that you feel that the shorter top tube of the Giant was influencing your comfort if they were set up to have the same rider geometry.
Drop to hoods was about 5mm difference between all bikes. Position was mostly the same.
What i was thinking too. Giant could have a slight disadvantage in terms of rider aerodynamics.
^This. The fractional differences in speed / time on the segments on test and going to be largely driven by even small differences in the rider position as well as environment (wind speeds etc). These effects are going to outweigh any difference frame aerodynamics.
With your speed tests, you take into account variables such as wind speed, weather etc. How does your general condition/recovery/energy levels etc play into the speed test results?
1:27 looks pretty nice
All three looks good. just pick whichever you like the most i guess.
Winspace got a low score in Practicality due to a couple of big "if's:" if there's a problem with shipping, if there's an issue with the frame upon delivery, if there's a warranty issue (is there a warranty at all?) and how easy/difficult it may be to deal with those problems. That seems fair to me, and it's a big reason I shy away from a lot of online purchasing (regardless of the product or its source,) but what I haven't seen much of is anyone talking about their experience with Winspace when they did have a problem. Are they an easy company to deal with? Is their turnaround time respectable? Considering the bike in question seems to be overall comparable to bikes of a similar price that can be bought domestically through a reliable retailor... I'm having trouble seeing any performance or price advantage to offset the direct market risks.
I’ve had a great experience with Winspace products & their customer service. They are extremely fast at responding & great to deal with. No issues ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Personally I’ve had more issues & negative dealings with local products & bike shops .. sad but true ..
I have a 2019 propel same model and I've got speed wobbles a few times, once on a gravel descent, another time a pick up truck going the other way caused turbulence. And just last week I got it after a 250m elevation hill climb with 10% sections had a false flat in the middle that I luckily could stop at. I was legit afraid I was gonna crash bad going over 75kmph the pavement was smooth but a little wavey. And if I hit my brakes it just got worse. So kinda good to know that it is not just me that have had wobbles with it.
I had a 2018 Propel this year for a couple months, and had experienced wobbling several times on higher speed descents. The factory SLR1 50 mm deep carbon wheels were also rather susceptible to cross winds / gusts. At the end of the day, I just didn't feel the bike stable and safe enough on descents.
@@WayneCouyon I've ridden my 2020 propel advanced with 50-55km/h winds with gusts of course much stronger and actually felt quiet confident. Before I had a 2010 merida Race Lite and I actually had to call my girlfriend to pick me up because I was too afraid to continue with winds of "only" 40-45km/h
@@arhu74 A lot depends on wheels and tyre profiles. Looks like the combination I had wasn't the best suited to handle crosswinds.
You bought the Elves Aero frame.Can you test it too here against the Reacto?
Gave the Merida Reacto a 6.5/10 for speed, but it was the fastest bike in every speed test you performed.
Think that’s with the stock wheels
Correct, the end score was how the bikes came
Ooooh….yeh….brew a coffee, have a beer and kick back and enjoy the face-off.
How come you rated the speed of the Reacto to be slower than the others when it won segments 1,2,3?
Tier 1 aero frames are madone slr, canyon aeroad, tarmac and cervelo c5 i think that’s the one. They’re the top tier aero bikes
Fun fact about the meridas , recently while building my bike I found out that they all use the same headset bearings
Wait really? I didn't noticed that!
@@scuckplexity all the big seven, nine scultura , reacto and crossways(not too sure about crossway)
Very Informative =) Thank You
Love the comparison ( or is it because I got a Propel myself )
If you rode that Winspace with a 1x in Northern England you would quickly come to a grinding halt 🙂
Cam, would you pick the chapter 2 with the same specs over those 3?
Rere with my 1X was great. It would just pip the Propel from a personal perspective. I still can't go past the SystemSix for SPEED though.
Great video
nice. I love my Assioma pedals
The bottom Chainstays where the two ends split is the same as FUJI d6 TT bike.
If you were nearby I could easily prove to you that the weight is not a big element in the performance and I would need to do it on the same bike.
I’ve heard old mate yelling at his computer telling you to bring back the beard.
haha, it's coming
Where did you source the cool looking wooden bike stand? I want one!
Westwood bike stands
@@CamNicholls awesome thanks 😎
Hello. Great vid and comparaison. But i don't understand : why 6,5/10 to the Reacto if he is the winner in term of speed?
He had to swap out the wheels to accomplish that...
@@andrewbardwell4832 ok thank you to the response 🙂
Yes I rated the bikes as they came
Can you please do a review on the power pedals
maybe you can also look at the Cube Litening C68x. is their top bike. but for an entry-level price.