Pro bike: Can Phil Bauhaus claim a maiden Giro d’Italia stage win atop the Merida Reacto?

Throughout his career, Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) has proven that, on his day, he’s capable of mixing it with the best sprinters in the world. The German rider has soared to sprint victories in some of the biggest races, including Tirreno-Adriatico and the Critérium du Dauphiné, but glory in a Grand Tour has so far been elusive.

Not for want of trying, though. In his last Grand Tour outing at the 2023 Tour de France, Bauhaus bagged three top-three finishes, including second place behind the dominant Jasper Philipsen on stage 3.

The odds of him righting this Grand Tour wrong appear to be slim at the 2024 Giro d’Italia, where a stellar line-up of fast men has been lured by a sprint-laden course. Tim Merlier, Fabio Jakobsen, Caleb Ewan and last year’s points classification winner Jonathan Milan will all take to the start line, but Bauhaus can take solace from the fact he has beaten all of them before.

To claim that missing Grand Tour win, Bauhaus will need to be at his best and have luck on his side, while he will also be partly relying on his Merida Reacto bike. Now a Grand Tour veteran, it’s a bike that has experienced plenty of success in the past, but will it propel Bauhaus to a win in Italy?

We took a closer look at the bike during the UAE Tour earlier in the season.

Read more: Giro d’Italia 2024: Essential race preview

A WorldTour veteran

First breaking cover in 2011 and used in the WorldTour peloton for the first time in 2013 at the hands of Lampre-Merida, the Reacto has earned its stripes at cycling’s highest level, including at the Giro d’Italia.

At the 2023 edition of the Italian Grand Tour, Jonathan Milan flew to stage two victory in a sprint, which also delivered the points classification jersey to his shoulders. The Italian didn’t relinquish it for the rest of the race. It also happened to be Milan’s first and only Grand Tour win to date, so the bike has precedence for first-time Grand Tour wins.

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Jonathan Milan celebrates atop his Merida Reacto bike after winning stage 3 of the 2023 Giro d'Italia

Bauhaus will be using the exact same Merida bike in 2024, barring one obvious change (more on that below). Released in 2021, the latest version of the Reacto didn’t diverge far from its predecessors, and continues to be one of the leading aero bikes in the peloton. Except, Merida took a slightly more rounded route with the new bike, putting it on a diet to shed some grams. The results are a frame that tips the scales at under 1,000g, in a size medium. That undercuts most of its opposition, but you wouldn’t notice the weight savings when looking at the bike as it still cuts a traditional aero figure, with deep tubes and integrated cabling.

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A closer look at the new colourway for Bahran Victorious' Merida bikes

What will likely catch your eye when looking at the bike is the new colourway, which marks the only major change from the 2023 season. Looks won’t affect Bauhaus while hunting for stage wins but they’re often a point of debate for fans, and the team’s decision to scrap its fiery red and orange colours for something slightly more lowkey certainly caused a stir.

Is it a good change? We’ll leave that decision up to you.

Read more: Bahrain Victorious swap red for white for 2024 team kit

Monster chainring alert

The world of cycling tech constantly sways between new trends and this season’s has seemingly been the adoption of larger chainrings. Tobias Foss’ 68-tooth set-up for the time trial at the UAE Tour is the headline grabbing example, but many riders are making more subtle climbs up the tooth ladder.

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The Shimano Dura-Ace 56/44t set-up

Bauhaus is one of those, at least if the 56/44t Shimano Dura-Ace set-up he used at the UAE is anything to go by. By comparison, we most regularly encounter 54/40t chainrings for Dura-Ace systems. It’s also important to remember that we encountered the bike in the UAE which, barring a few summit finishes, largely meanders along pan-flat desert roads. It’s unlikely that he’ll use it for more punchy terrain, but it may remain the German’s go-to for certain sprint stages in Italy.

The set-up is also made more viable by the 11-34t cassette that offers a wider range of gears than was available only a few years ago. Most pro cyclists are now taking advantage of the wider offering, which has been made possible by 12-speed gearing.

Read more: Why are pros using larger chainrings? - GCN Tech Show

Deep-section wheels

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Vision's 60mm-deep Metron wheels

Like the gearing, the Vision Metron 60 SL wheelset was also chosen with the flat, exposed roads in mind. Its 60mm rims are on the deeper, more aero side, but the team gets to choose from other wheels in the line-up too, should something more shallow be required.

The wheels were paired with Continental’s Grand Prix 5000 tyres. At this point it’s almost a given that a rider will be using 28mm tyres - with the exception of Specialized-sponsored teams - and Bauhaus didn’t buck this trend.

Vision’s influence also extended to the front of the bike in the form of the Metron ACR 5D integrated bar and stem which, as it to be expected, featured fully integrated cabling. This obviously creates a sleek look, but also benefits aerodynamics.

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The Prologo Nago saddle doesn't have a cut out

Bauhaus’ saddle of choice was the Prologo Nago C3.

Bike Specification