Merlin ROC Disc 105

Merlin is offering a decent package here with its ROC Disc 105. An alloy frame, carbon fork, hydraulic discs and a Shimano 105 groupset all for less than a grand is impressive against some of its big brand opposition. Yeah, it's a bit on the weighty side but it offers a very good ride quality to offset that.

• Pros: Decent tyre clearances, hydraulic discs for less than a grand
• Cons: Weight hampers climbing and acceleration

Ride

At its heart the ROC uses a triple-butted 6061 aluminium alloy frameset and a carbon fibre fork (well, half of it anyway as the steerer is alloy). It's a comfortable setup.

The frame doesn't feel harsh; okay, it's not got the comfort of a sorted carbon frame but its ride quality is more akin to something made of steel than the harshness often associated with aluminium alloy. There is little buzz from the road surface and on the whole it is a pleasant place to be.

Picking up the ROC, the first thing you notice is how much it weighs – 10.72kg isn't unheard of for a bike of this type, and out on the road it gives the Merlin a planted feeling which is exactly what you want when the road surfaces are wet and greasy.

When you come to hitting the hills, though, it can take the edge off and getting out of the saddle doesn't really deliver any huge benefits to your climbing. You're better off sitting there and tapping out a rhythm in as high a (low) gear as you can muster.

Sprinting is pretty much out, too, but then that isn't really what the ROC is all about.

The ROC makes for a decent commuter or day-long tourer. It has that kind of 'unflustered' style about it – just get on it and pedal and it'll carry you for miles with little demand for concentration, you can just enjoy the scenery.

That's not to say the Merlin can't deliver a bit of fun when required. On this 56cm frame you get a 55cm top tube and 15cm head tube so it is not exactly an upright position. You can get down in the drops and power along out of the wind, and when you hit the bends the 73-degree head angle means the steering is on the nervy side of neutral.

When descending, the quickish steering combined with that surefooted feeling from the overall weight means you can carry quite a bit of speed through the bends without the bike feeling skittish if the surface is far from ideal.

Without mudguards, the ROC can take a mid-sized gravel tyre, around 35mm to 38mm depending on the profile, so you can take to the stony tracks and hardcore byways, where the handling doesn't feel overly twitchy either.

It pretty much just takes everything in its stride.

Frame and fork

The frame itself is nothing flash as there is no oversizing this and slimming of that to increase stiffness or remove it, it's all rather traditional. There is even a BSA threaded bottom bracket setup.

It's nicely put together and I like the grey and blue paintjob – it all looks quite classy.

The cables and hoses are all fed internally through the main triangle before exiting around the bottom bracket area, then travel along the chainstays to the flat mount rear brake calliper and rear derailleur.

Wheel retention front and rear is by quick releases rather than thru-axles screwing into the frame, but that isn't uncommon at this price point.

There are mudguard mounts front and rear and with these fitted you can still get a 30mm tyre into there quite comfortably according to Merlin. The ROC comes with 28mm fitted as standard and without guards you can see there is plenty of room to go bigger, as I mentioned above.

There are rack mounting points on the seatstays, too, if you want to fit one for commuting or a spot of touring.

Finishing kit

As the name suggests, this ROC comes with a predominantly Shimano 105 build, though there is an Ultegra version available too.

Our test model came with the 5800 series of 105 rather than the latest R7000 version we recently tested, but I'm guessing that as stock levels run out of the older version then this could change.

The shifting is absolutely fine anyway – 5800 was always a highly regarded groupset here at road.cc. The RS505 non-series shifters/hydraulic brake levers aren't my favourite shape but they do the job and the braking performance is decent. The 140mm rotors front and rear offer all the bite you really need for a bike like this in my opinion.

Gearing-wise the ROC uses a non-series 50/34 chainset, though its shape and colour don't make it obvious that it isn't a 105 model.

That is paired with an 11-32t cassette, which offers a decent spread of gears for most, especially on the road, though it might be a touch high if you use the Merlin consistently on gravel tracks.

Merlin uses basic alloy components from Kalloy and it is exactly as I'd expect to see here for this kind of money. The handlebar has a compact drop so that you can get plenty of use out of it without having to adopt an extreme position, and it has enough flex to not feel overly harsh.

The seatpost is easy to fiddle with, making it simple to swap or adjust the saddle. As standard, the ROC gets a Merlin branded saddle but our test model came with a Charge Spoon so I can't really comment on the former.

Wheels and tyres

For a bike like this, the ROC needs strong wheels and Merlin has specced Mavic XM319 Disc rims paired with Shimano RS505 hubs. With 32 spokes front and rear in a 3-cross pattern, they'll stand up to plenty of abuse on the gravel trails and if you are riding the bike around loaded up with a bag or rack.

They are hefty, though, and if you are sticking to the road and after a bit of performance then it'd be a good idea to have a spare pair of lighter wheels for those fun days.

I rode the bike through a few potholes and headed off-road a few times with nothing really to report in terms of damage to the wheels or knocking them out of true, they just shrugged everything off.

Schwalbe's Durano tyres have been fitted as standard in a 28mm size and it is a good choice of rubber. They roll pretty well, have decent levels of grip and I've found them to shrug off punctures after a season of using them on my own winter hack.

The competition

I've tested quite a few bikes of this style over the last 12 months or so, and when it comes to value the Merlin is impressive.

The latest version of Ribble's alloy CGR has increased in price since we tested the original, and to get the same groupset as the Merlin you are looking at laying out £1,299. The Ribble can take up to 45mm tyres without guards and 40mm with, and it comes with front and rear thru-axles.

> Buyer's Guide: 15 of the best road bikes for under £1,000

Bianchi's Via Nirone Allroad costs the same as the ROC, but you are only getting a Shimano Sora groupset and poor quality mechanical brakes. The overall ride wasn't that great either.

If you aren't two bothered about massive tyre clearances then you could opt for the Cannondale Synapse Disc alloy version. It'll only take 32mm tyres but the frame delivers a brilliant ride. For £999.99 you'll end up with a Tiagra-equipped option with mechanical disc brakes.

Conclusion

Overall, you can see that the Merlin ROC Disc is a decent all-round workhorse at an attractive price compared with a lot of its opposition. Hydraulic braking is very impressive to see, and despite its weight it is still a quick, fun bike to ride.

Verdict

A versatile all-weather road machine with a very pleasant ride feel that is just as happy off the beaten track