Merida bikes

[craig1985]

Anybody ridden one of these and what did they think? It looks like it will be my next bike.

 

[Torrrr]

I got a Merida 904 with 105 (Tiagra chainset) last October and it rides really well. The rear hangar snapped, miles from anywhere, 2 weeks ago but this was due to debris getting blown into the rear mech while climbing - don't know if this is a sign of some weakness or not. It's light and responsive, or at least it is compared to my previous steed.
The Merida Road Race 903 with Tiagra throughout got a 9/10 review in Cycling Weekly back in 04/02/10 issue. Picking out a few quotes:- "Geometry is racing...head tube is shorter...it's also oval-profiled for extra stiffness...The frame's graphics are possibly a little unsubtle...feels lively, solid and steers well...It's one of the best, if not the best that we've ridden at this price point."
Hope some of this helps.

 

[Notso Swift]

I had a Merida 909 Extreme
Not bad, got a bit loose around the front end in the end (talking years here), but at the time I was a 100+kg power rider
I think their factory is the Second biggest in the world and a lot of other high end bikes are made by them (different molds/propriety but I would expect the same workmanship)

Personally, I would rather go Euro, they ARE better long term (My Look is 3-4 years and feels like the day it was new), but I see no issues with a Merida against a Giant or an Avanti (for instance)

 

[analo69]

I have a Merida 905 Road Lite with the old ultegra groupset. It is from 2008 and is my first proper racing bike.

I like it very much. Rides well, also when i drive more than 100 km. But I do that rarely.

The saddle was poor, so I have changed that along with some other parts. On my bike X-mission parts were used and some of them has been changed, when I have gotten better parts.

Besides that I am very happy with it. Got it as a bargain because the bicycle model was from 2008, but I bought it in 2009. It cost me approx 700 euro, but is normally priced around 1200 euro

 

[craig1985]

My problem is that I don't have a bike to ride at the moment, and I know the manager and the mechanic at a local bike store so they can give me a good deal, so I can have a new bike ASAP.