Rainbow stripes aplenty aboard the blue and fuschia Reacto Evo
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Costa's bike is finished with an FSA cockpit with Prologo tape(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
The Merida Reacto Evo uses chunky wide diameter tubes everywhere but on the short seatstays which are far narrower. (Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
More World Champion stripes from the victory picked up in Florence in September 2013(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
The Reacto-Evo uses a tapered headset(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
The Merida Reacto Evo head tube has been heavily shaped to reduce frontal area(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
A kinked FSA OS115 stem gives Costa a lower front end (Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
Costa uses ovalised Rotor Q-Rings and the Spanish company's power meter(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
The entry port for the Di2 cable is right behind the stem(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
Rainbow stripes bedeck the frame's muscular seat-tube(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
The Fulcrum Racing Speed XLR rear wheel is also customised with rainbow stripes(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
A customised world champion Prologo saddle sits atop the S-flex stem which houses the new generation Shimano Di2 battery(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
A customised world champion Prologo saddle sits atop the S-flex stem which houses the new generation Shimano Di2 battery(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
Fulcrum Racing Speed XLR front wheels with Continental Competition tyres (Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
Costa's bike is finished with an FSA cockpit with Prologo tape(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
A Garmin provides Costa with his speed, time, distance and power data(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
World Champion Rui Costa riding out with Lampre-Merida in 2014 and his Reacto Evo has been suitably decked out in the rainbow stripes to celebrate.
Lampre-Merida have opted to use the aerodynamically oriented Reacto Evo rather than the lighter Scultura SL in 2014 as the principal team bike; team management believe slipperiness trumps lighter weight as a competitive advantage in the majority of road races.
The tubes are a truncated aerofoil shape and are borrowed from Merida's Warp TT frame and the fork blades are spaced wide apart to stop dirty air turbulence interfering with the wheel. The rear brake is mounted on the underside of the BB shell (it takes a BB386 evo). The front brake is Shimano's well-regarded dual mount Dura-Ace option which is finding plenty of favour on high end road bikes. The seat stay cluster has been moved low down the seat-tube to reduce frontal area.
The Italian squad are Shimano sponsored, so it's no surprise to see Dura-Ace Di2 gear shifting as standard. Chainrings and crank set are slightly more exotic units from Rotor who also collect power data for the 27-year-old Portuguese World Champion.
The wheelset is aerodynamically complementary set of Fulcrum Racing Speed XLRs.
Complete bike specifications
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Frame: Merida Reacto Evo World Champion. M/L with custom geometry Fork: Merida Reacto Headset: FSA Stem: FSA OS115 130mm Handlebars: FSA Compact 42cm Tape/grips: Prologo Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace BR-9000 Direct Mount Rear brake: Shimano Dura Ace BR-9000 Direct Mount Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 ST-9070 Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace FD-9070 Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace RD-9070 Shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 ST-9070 Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-9000 Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CH-9000 Crankset: Rotor Q-Rings Bottom bracket: Rotor Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace Wheelset: Fulcrum Racing Speed XLR Front tire: Continental Competition Rear tire: Continental Competition Saddle: Prologo X Zero CPC Seat post: Merida Reacto S-Flex Bottle cages: Elite Computer: Garmin
Critical measurements Rider's height: 183cm 6ft 0in Rider's weight: 63kg (138lb) Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 762mm Saddle setback: 53mm Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem): 556mm Head tube length: 159mm
Sam started as a trainee reporter on daily newspapers in the UK before moving to South Africa where he contributed to national cycling magazine Ride for three years. After moving back to the UK he joined Procycling as a staff writer in November 2010.
