Mekk 3G Potenza SL5.5
mekk 3g never heard about mekk ? dont worry, thats as a result of theyre the newest bike company upon the block and are vying in exchange for attention with seriously well designed and very well specced bikes.
the name is that the neat coming along of one’s 2 cycling instustry veterans who founded the brand, mark edwards and ken knight. these provide bikes from £1, 199 right up to firmly £3, 700, therefore most budgets are catered for. the 3g potenza sl5. 5 sits a few manner in the vary, one in all 3 carbon framesets these use throughout the line-up.
the initial factor you notice upon the mekk 3g potenza sl5. 5 is its stealth black end. its a kind of end that looks as being very famous for the moment, and therefore the mekk carries it off excellently. its a mixture of matte and shiny panels along with the downtube logos cut from the shiny layer. the ultimate standout decals are classified as the model identifier on the highest tube. this provides the bike a dear look that a distance you may simply mistake for costing doubly as a lot of.
beneath the paint may be a full 3k carbon fibre frame and fork designed in italy, created by using the famous monocoque methodology of construction. its clear from trying for the frame that these spent a few time acquiring the frame simply right, keeping it easy and purposeful. no unnecessary profiling or mad shaping of one’s tubes simply as a it.
an easy slender prime tube, an outsized head tube as well as a down tube that starts out massive for the head tube and tapers elegantly down to firmly the bottom bracket. the big chainstays are designed to firmly resist bending and twisting from alignment, whereas for the same time increasing comfort. the driveside keep has got a tiny aluminium plate embedded to safeguard the carbon from dropped chains.
coming from the dropouts, with the use of a replaceable hanger, extremely slender seat stays connect to firmly the seat tube housing a 27. 2mm seat post. carbon fibre extends to firmly the fork that’s married to firmly a tapered steerer tube, beefing in the front finish and giving a solid and planted front finish. it enhances handling specific at high speeds.
cable routing is neat along with the rear brake cable routed internally through the highest tube whereas the gear cables run below the down tube once passing through head tube mounted cable stops.
and on your frame is bolted a formidable box of parts. £1, 700 may be a number of cash to waste on any bike and its a worth purpose that sees a number of serious competition. theres an almost full shimano ultegra groupset however at this worth one thing has to firmly offer and here its the calipers. ice branded items ( no ive never heard of those either ) do a reasonable job of bringing the mekk to firmly a halt however theyre not very confidence inspiring, with a visible slightly of flex. the front dérailleur has actually been downgraded to firmly a 105, however the chain may be a high quality kmc item.
as an alternative to select complete wheelset theyve built ice branded hubs onto mavic cxp 22 rims. obviously spending cash upon the ultegra groupset has meant the wheels have had as being compromised while these gathering fine, theyre removed from the lightest at this cash and dont contribute well to firmly the overall ride expertise. tyres are continental ultra sport 23mm that provided decent grip and rolling resistance and are reasonably light-weight.
the handlebars, stem and seatpost wear ritchey logos, and offered no cause for complaints. ritchey is absolutely quality stuff and even the a lot of reasonable parts work exceptionally well. its no wonder its specced on several bikes at this worth, therefore no complaints here.
you would possibly expect a light-weight build however at 8. 45kg, theres a somewhat of heft hiding somewhere within the build. i suspect the wheels are one culprit as their heaviness is noticeable when riding. i swapped to firmly a two of lighter mavic ksyrium wheels and immediately the bike sprang to firmly life upon the hills and felt less hindered. the burden will compare fairly well with alternative bikes at this worth just like the isaac kaon and cannondale synapse recently tested on road. cc, therefore its unfair to firmly criticise the mekk too harshly.
riding the mekk reveals a nicely composed bike with neutral handling that could suit those wanting a bike that is simple to firmly exploit, whether or not its short blasts or sportives.
from what ive same to this point you would possibly expect the mekks riding position as being aggresive and performance oriented – in reality its terribly upright. thats down to firmly its exceptionally tall head tube at 20cm on our size 56. though the description of one’s 3g potenza upon the mekk website doesnt mention sportives it’s clear coming from the geometry that the 3g potenza is what weve return to firmly describe currently being a sportive bike. in reality it’s possibly the sportiviest sportive bike weve ever tested – at 20cm its head tube is 1cm taller in comparison to the daddy of all sportive bikes – the specialized roubaix – for our equivalent sized frame, its 2cm taller than bmcs gfo1, and 3cm taller than treks new domane – and it also comes with the use of a generous 5cm stack of spacers also.
geometry factors aside, the carbon frame will manage that tricky job of providing a stiff frame for power surges and sprints, nevertheless still taming the majority of the choppier road surfaces. its approximately as refined as alternative bikes ive ridden at this worth, however were splitting hairs – the mekk is impressively place along.
its perpetually sensible to firmly see new entrants straight into the cycling market giving a lot of selection, and therefore the mekk may be a fantastic debut product a new brand. its powerful standing out utilizing a crowded market however the mekk manages to firmly stick its head higher than the remainder with the use of a well designed and specced bike. its a awfully solid different to firmly the mainstream choices.
whereas not labelled currently being a sportive bike, it’s exceptionally sensible collectively along with the tall head tube inserting the handlebars utilizing a terribly comfortable position for all those who dont need to firmly emulate the professionals long and low riding position.
verdict
well designed, sensible worth new sportive bike, slightly let down by your wheels
