Mekk Sora, Stiff, durable, and dependable. Aluminum alloy is still one of the best materials to make a bicycle frame from. Our A1 series frames employ the latest material manipulation techniques, giving a ride quality that rivals some carbon composite bikes costing twice as much. Our aluminum alloy delivers similar stiffness to the best carbon fiber compositematerials and in some areas it delivers more.
The trade-off is a little more weight but the gain is a lower price tag and proven durability. We could have spent a lot more money making the A1 Series frames lighter and then passed that cost on to youbut the durable performance would have been compromised – and we don’t believe in compromises here at Mekk.
The shiny red, entry level Al one.0 ‘Pinerolo’ (we hope an explicit Italian company’s lawyers ar pleased with its brash name) comes with a compact Shimano 9-speed Sora groupset.
Where plenty of firms with pride proclaim their British style heritage, Mekk’s down tube has associate Italian tricolore declaring its Latin style roots. producing is often Taiwanese, tho’ the semi-smooth welds of the triple-butted frame ar plenty neater than on most bikes at this worth – and plenty of abundant dearer bikes. the general weight – simply nine.16kg (20.19lb) – is outstanding at this worth, and lighter than plenty of £1,000 bikes.
The chunky down tube changes profile from a rounded triangle to a planar oval however keeps its right smart diameter wherever it meets the lowest bracket. the highest tube and seat tube ar narrower, and also the commonplace twenty seven.2mm seatpost prevents the ride obtaining too exhausting. The twin-bolt seatpost keeps the saddle secure too.
Geometry is racy, not sportive-orientated. Our 52cm (equivalent to most brands’ 54-55cm) includes a short fourteen.5cm head tube, and even the largest model’s is merely 16cm. short chainstays bring an active and simply flickable sub-metre distance too. There’s very little fender clearance and no mounts for them either.
The Sora drivetrain is sleek, the handling sharp, however in spite of this it stays pretty comfy. You won’t have carbon’s plushness in any £700 aluminum bike, however the Mekk Sora doesn’t leave you numb-bummed or saddle sore, because of a well-shaped seat from Velo and relatively slim seatstays.
It is the old style font Sora, though, with the less easy thumbshifters instead of the most recent model’s paddle shifters. That said, identical frame is additionally on the market with 10-speed Tiagra for £799 – compatible with all Shimano’s 10-speed groupsets – with one zero five and Ultegra bikes topping the A1 vary. These additionally are available in underneath 9kg.
At this worth the same old compromises ar brakes, tyres and wheels. however whereas the non-cartridge brakes and Kenda tyres ar par for the course, the wheels ar a really definite and. Whereas you’d expect so-so own-brand wheels, Mekk Sora have gone for Shimano’s R500s.
Though no lightweights, these Tiagra-level wheels ar lighter than most of these on some £1,000 bikes – one.28kg (2.82lb) front, 1.76kg (3.88lb) rear. they need a 24mm rim, that ought to rise up to plenty of abuse, and their Mass helps massively on the hills. The stainless-steel spokes ar straightforward to switch, and also the hubs simple to service.
When the tyres ar worn, upgrading to one thing like Schwalbe’s Ultremos can cut back weight and assist you create even a lot of of the frame and wheels. counting on your fitness and native parcel you may think about a unique container than the aggressive 11-25T fitted, however that’s simply modified.
And finally, this model comes with a free waterproof jacket price £70, finishing a prime quality, hard-to-fault road bike package providing a grand ride quality for abundant but a grand.
Specs Mekk Sora :
FRAMESET
Frame
Super Lite Aluminum Triple Butted Seamless Tubing
Fork
3K carbon fork (aluminum steerer)
Sizes
48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58cm
WHEELSET
Tyres
Kenda Black Sport 700 x 23
Rim
Shimano R500
Hub
Shimano R500
DRIVETRAIN
Shifters
Sora 9 Speed
Front derailleur
Sora 9 Speed
Rear Derailleur
Sora 9 Speed
Crank
Sora compact 50 / 34
Casette
Shimano 9-SPEED 11-12-13-15-17-19-21-23-25T
Chain
KMC Silver 9 speed
COMPONENTS
Saddle
ICE Race Lite
SeatPost
ICE Alu Lite
Handlebar
ICE Alu Lite compact
Stem
ICE Alu Lite
Headset
Nico Steel / Aluminum
Brakeset
ICE Dual Pivot Brakes
ACCESSORIES
Tape
Velo Gel Tape
Image Credit © Mekk