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Flanders Pro Bike Check: Lampre-Merida goes all-in with discs on new Scultura Disc framset & Fulcrum Speed 40T DB tubulars

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Flanders-Tech_RVV_Merida_Scultura-Disc_prototype-disc-brake-road-race-bike_Lampre-Merida_Federico-Zurlo-Kwaremont-break

The first Pro Tour team to enter a race entirely on disc brakes, Lampre-Merida lined up at the start in Brugge over the weekend for the Tour of Flanders with a pack of new disc brake road bikes for the cobble-climbed Spring Classic. Even though the race started under cloudy skies on roads still wet from morning rains, strong winds and sunshine to the south and through the heart of Flanders left most of the course dry and the cobbles relatively clean. Nonetheless, while a couple of the other top teams had talked about experimenting with discs, Lampre-Merida was the only one of the top classification teams to go all in. There was another team with a couple of riders on discs, and a whole other Pro Continental team on discs, and we’ll get to those later. For now take a closer look at the Scultura Disc with us after the break…

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Flanders-Tech_RVV_Merida_Scultura-Disc_prototype-disc-brake-road-race-bike_Lampre-Merida_fleet-driveside Flanders-Tech_RVV_Merida_Scultura-Disc_prototype-disc-brake-road-race-bike_Lampre-Merida_fleet

At first glance the team bikes look mostly similar to the rim brake version that we detailed at the Tour Down Under, a closer look reveals some big differences. The build spec is pretty much the same, with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, Rotor 2InPower cranks, FSA cockpit, and Fulcrum Speed wheels.

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The overall shaping of the frame tubing is visually the same as the standard Scultura. But on this Merida’s non-driveside chainstay, we can see the big changes to accommodate disc brakes. Merida has gone with a flat mount and integrated a large aluminum heat sink that clamps around the chainstay to dissipate heat and provide a solid brake mounting point.

Flanders-Tech_RVV_Merida_Scultura-Disc_prototype-disc-brake-road-race-bike_fork-flat-mount-disc-brake Flanders-Tech_RVV_Merida_Scultura-Disc_prototype-disc-brake-road-race-bike_rear-flat-mount-disc-brake-cooling-fins

The fork uses a more straight forward-looking flat mount without additional heat sinks. A closer look at the rear shows that the heat sink does not appear to be imbedded in the carbon of the stay, but rather clamps over the place where the flat mount bolts enter into and extend through the chainstay to be attached. This suggests that the heat sink may be removable, and that perhaps it may be possible that Merida will develop one for the fork as well?

Both ends do get thru-axles (RAT tech licensed from Focus it seems), using the newly accepted 12mm road standard. Interestingly, Lampre-Merida was riding Centerlock 160mm Shimano Freeza rotors both in front and back as well, either for added braking power or just compatibility with the neutral support setup provided by Shimano. Based on the position of the flat mount adapters on both frame and fork though, it looks like there is compatibility for 140mm rotors too.

Flanders-Tech_RVV_Merida_Scultura-Disc_prototype-disc-brake-road-race-bike_Lampre-Merida_Fulcrum-Speed-40T-DB-carbon-tubulars Flanders-Tech_RVV_Merida_Scultura-Disc_prototype-disc-brake-road-race-bike_Lampre-Merida_Continental-Competition-ProLT-28mm-tubulars-detail

Lampre-Merida was one of about a dozen teams between the men and women riding Continental Competition ProLtd tubulars. The entire team was on a 28mm wide version of the pro-only BlackChili tire. It’s not clear if the tires use a vulcanized or more handmade construction, based on the look of the natural rubber sidewall, and separately glued on tread. The frame and fork do get ample clearance for these tires, and it looked like still a bit of room to spare for mud and debris, so maybe even bigger tires could be squeezed in as well.

Wheel wise the team was all rolling on Fulcrum Speed 40T DB tubulars. Outside of the removal of the brake track and updated graphics, we didn’t see any difference in shape from the standard Speed 40T. They do not use the carbon/alloy hub bodies of those wheels though, instead opting for the same straight-pull alloy hubset of the currently available Racing Quattro wheels.

Flanders-Tech_RVV_Merida_Scultura-Disc_prototype-disc-brake-road-race-bike_FSA-K-Force-carbon-bar Flanders-Tech_RVV_Merida_Scultura-Disc_prototype-disc-brake-road-race-bike_FSA-Energy-aluminum-bar

Besides a number of custom finished saddles, the one place where the team varied from rider to rider was in the FSA cockpits. While some riders went with the road buzz soothing K-Force carbon handlebars, others opted for the butted aluminum Energy bars. Stems also varies from some older SL-K alloy stems with solid carbon faceplates, to the team-colored OS99 which adds a carbon skin over a forged alloy stem and faceplate. They also got a mix of Garmin Out-Front mounts in standard and extended versions.

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For cassettes Lampre-Merida was all on 11-28s, as were most other teams to tackle the steep 20+% cobbled slopes of Flanders. To keep bottle in place carbon cages were tossed aside, and replaced by the classic, secure, and adjustable Elite Ciussi Gel aluminum water bottle cages. Even for the bump road ahead, team mechanics were confident in the holding power of the standard Scultura’s light carbon strap-style seatpost binder clamp. The riders do get a nice little machined alloy number plate holder held around their seatposts with a couple of hopefully sturdy o-rings.

Flanders-Tech_RVV_Merida_Scultura-Disc_prototype-disc-brake-road-race-bike_Lampre-Merida_fleet-support-car

In the end Lampre-Merida didn’t fare so well in the race. They really aren’t a classics powerhouse, after all. But young rider Federico Zurlo did spend a good part of the day in the main breakaway before finishing deep in the pack. And the team did make a bit of a mark as the first Pro Tour team to make the jump to disc brakes.

TeamLampreMerida.com

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JBikes
JBikes
7 years ago

OMG!!! They are taking my rim brakes. What am I gonna do with my dozens, no hondered of non-disc wheels!!
And crashes, crashes people. Differential braking! Yeah I said differential! Oh the carnage, the pile ups, the sliced but cauterized arteries leaving riders mangled and dead. And aero! Bird migratory patterns will change due to atmospheric changes caused by discs being turned by these human Atlas’. Spectators taking selfies will be pulled into the disc vortex, chopped to pieces! And the weight penalty. Now roads will have to be repaved, cobbles replaced. Can the neutral service car roof even take the 1kg increase per bike? OMG!!!

Robin
Robin
7 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

^Much needed preemptory post. If BikeRumor would put in place a rating system for posts, I’d give that post 5 stars, and not just the regular, main line stars but rather 5 supergiant stars.

Allan
Allan
7 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

Is anyone else in that echo chamber with you?

Jon
Jon
7 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

I honestly appreciated your sarcasm as it helped me lighten up over the whole “my rim brake road bike is now obsolete” anxiety I get sometimes. It helps me relax and know i’ll be just fine with my rim brakes in the whole grand scheme of things.

Derek
Derek
7 years ago

To expand on your last paragraph:

104 Federico Zurlo (Ita) Lampre – Merida

DNF Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre – Merida
DNF Gang Xu (Chn) Lampre – Merida
DNF Chun Kai Feng (Tpe) Lampre – Merida
DNF Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Lampre – Merida
DNF Marko Kump (Slo) Lampre – Merida
DNF Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre – Merida
DNF Luka Pibernik (Slo) Lampre – Merida

Cryogenii
Cryogenii
7 years ago
Reply to  Derek

Oh for crying out loud. BMC didn’t have a stellar day either, must be those pesky rim brakes.

Also I have used discs on my mountain bike for years, fallen off plenty and never been injured by them. Given a choice I’d rather catch a disc than a chain ring any day. When are you roadies going to start fitting protectors over those buzzsaws that get flicked up in the chasing rider’s face if the guy in front endos?

C
C
7 years ago

Is it due to the flat mount that they need to cooling fins? It looks pretty hideous and I really like dics bikes.

NASH
NASH
7 years ago
Reply to  C

Its unlikely that cooling is the primary function, looks more like a type of bracket to hold the caliper that has fins on it. Could be that the frame had to be retrofitted in some way to accommodate discs, this area is not the ideal place for a protrusion as heal clip can be an problem

If cooling was an issue they should focus on cooling fins for the fork as most braking is up the front

Barbarisi Sergio
Barbarisi Sergio
7 years ago

seems to me more like a way to expand the caliper downforce when braking on a wider surface…

Allan
Allan
7 years ago

Still unattractive as heck!

Excuse my language BR…is this better? 🙂

Marek
Marek
7 years ago

Who? The riders? 😀

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