Merlin Performance Road PR7

The Merlin Cycles PR7 is a £300 entry-level road bike that offers outstanding value for money and superb performance all wrapped up in a smart-looking package.

The ride feel is very sprightly with a decent turn of speed and very sure-footed handling that will make anyone buying their first road bike feel right at home. The components are far better than many bikes costing substantially more; the slick shifting Shimano Claris gears are a real highlight.

The PR7 tips the scales at 10.6kg (23.36lb). You do notice the weight when pulling away from junctions, but get up to speed and it rolls along with plenty of gusto. The weight soon disappears as you revel in the fine handling it displays when carrying speed through the corners and along the flat.

At its heart is a 6061 aluminium frame with a carbon fibre fork. That's impressive given the price - even the more expensive Boardman Road Sport only gets an aluminium fork. The carbon fork blades (with aluminium steerer tube) contribute to a lower weight but really benefit the performance with direct steering and noticeable smoothness.

The frame has a maximum tyre clearance of 28mm, with the bike coming with 25mm tyres as standard. That's a nice touch. Compared to the more common 23mm width, the bigger tyres provide a bit more comfort because you can run them at a lower pressure. I used 85psi which provided plenty of cushioning but was still pleasingly quick.

There are rack mounts, so you could transform the PR7 into a daily commuter with the addition of a rack and pannier. While there are mudguard mounts on the frame, there are none on the carbon fork, which does limit your choice if you wanted to fit mudguards. That's a shame; a set of proper mudguards would make this a great winter bike.

Apart from that lack of a complete set of mudguard mounts, the PR7 is looking really good. And then you get to the Shimano Claris groupset. This is a departure from what you might commonly expect on bikes in the £300-500 bracket, and makes the PR7 a truly appealing package.

Claris sits one rung below Sora in Shimano's range and gets the same Dual Control levers, with the downshift paddle behind the brake lever, and the brake lever handling the upshift. In use the gear levers are lovely and smooth, with gear shifts slick and crisp. The 16-speed setup provides, via a 50/34 chainset and 11-30 cassette, a wide spread of gears that go low enough to get you up the steepest hills in your area.

The brake work adequately, but feel quite heavy at the brake lever compared to Shimano's more expensive brakes. They'll stop you in a hurry if needs be though, don't worry about that, they just lack a bit of feel.

Slotting into the frame is a pair of wheels built from reliable Mavic CXP-22 rims on Joytech hubs. They're sturdy wheels, clearly not the lightest, but like I said up top, once you get the PR7 up to speed the weight soon vanishes from your mind. The wheels are reliable and durable though, with not a pip squeak from the hub bearings during the test, and have survived a few inadvertent pothole collisions.

Merlin offer the PR7 in a range of sizes. I found the 56cm the perfect fit for my 5ft 11in height. The 56cm refers to the seat tube measurement, the top tube actually measures 55cm and the head tube is quite short, just 15.5cm. That's race bike territory, but there is a large headset top cap which raises the front end, and Merlin have thoughtfully added a few spacers that can be arranged above or below the stem to raise or lower the height of the handlebars as you see fit.

The reach with the stem was good, and the shape of the handlebars provide comfortable with a nice smooth transition to the brake hoods. One nice touch is Merlin fitting different length cranks, stem and handlebar widths to the four frame sizes they offer, ensuring the best fit possible for different height cyclists.

Saddles are very much a personal thing. The shape and cushioning of the saddle on the PR7 looked initially as though it would be comfortable, but I just didn't get on with it. I'm not even that fussy with my saddles either. Still, you may get on with it just fine. It's easily changed if you don't like it.

The PR7 is a lot of fun to ride. The geometry gives race bike handling, so you can hunker down and get aero if you want, but there's enough front-end height if you want the handlebars higher.

The aluminium frame is decently stiff for hard pedalling, climbing out of the saddle and sprinting, but manages to still be fairly comfortable on rougher road surfaces. Aluminium sometimes gets a bad rep for being harsh but that just wasn't the case with the PR7.

The carbon fork really contributes to a smoother ride with less of the buzz and vibration compared to a steel or aluminium fork common on bikes at this price. Also, the 27.2mm seatpost also has a small amount of deflection to provide a bit of give in the saddle.

The PR7 is impressively sharp and very responsive. Sling it down a hill and it tracks through bumpy corners with a great deal of predictability. It's an easy bike to ride and to ride fast.

It rolls over bumpy roads with great composure and flies through corners and around bends with grin-inducing speed. Those 25mm tyres, if you don't inflate them to 120psi but rather 90psi or thereabouts, provide ample cushioning for tackling rough roads. The tyres felt nippy and displayed a good level of grip when leant over in the corners.

Conclusion

Apart from the weight, the PR7 really does ride like a much more expensive bike. You have to remind yourself how affordable it is because after your first ride on it you just won't believe how little Merlin are charging for it. The PR7 has race-bred performance and will suit any aspiring new cyclists, whether it's simply for weekend rides or getting into racing or sportives. The PR7 has a high ceiling, it'll match any ambition.

For anyone looking to get into cycling and wanting a high quality road bike with a good specification at an extremely low price, well really your options are very limited. The Merlin PR7 is startlingly good, delivers on its promise and really is almost flawless considering the price. It is a shame there are no mudguard eyes on the fork and the brakes don't have a lighter feel, but those gripes aside there's nothing to complain about. It's a very nicely put together bike.

Verdict

Outstanding value for money and superb performance make this the perfect first bike