Merida Bikes

[gog440]

I will admit to being a bit of a newbie to cycling, I made the mistake of buying a cheap MTB off ebay which I havent been able to ride as it is too big for me and the seat post is completely seized solid into the frame, So I have decided to go do what I should have done in the first place and buy a new bike. I have a bike shop around the corner from my house that stocks a lot of merida bikes form £300 to £4k+ I have never heard of them, are they a decent make? Is this a reasonable spec for the price? http://www.factorydirectbikes.com/bikes/merida_mat...

After nearly shooting myself in the foot and buying this http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Toys-R-Us/Bikes-and-Rideo... (luckily I read the reviews about the crappy build quality and cheap components) I am a bit cautious about which bike I buy. I dont have much of a budget, in fact tbh £300 is more than I can really afford but I desperately need to get fitter and I am much more likely to go for a bike ride than go to the gym.

[gradeA]

Have a look at Decathlon's Rockrider 5.3 for the same money: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-53-2012-id_82...

[Gren]

Merida are a decent brand. All of the equipment on the bike is from decent manufacturers - bottom of their ranges maybe but shouldn't drop to bits.

Seems a reasonable bike for the money.

Similar ones here : http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/bikes/mounta...

Edited by Gren on Thursday 6th September 12:36

[gog440]

I dont have a Decathalon anywhere nearby so I cant have a proper look, what do people think about these?

[Gren]

As far as full price bikes go at the price point Decathlon usually can't be beat. The Merida's I linked to above are at half price. I don't think they are worth the original price but at £250 - £300 they match and in most areas better the Decathlon.

Merlin are a good online retailer too. Great deals and good customer service

[gradeA]

Agreed - if you can stretch to the £300 for the Merida Matts Pro-D (and it's your size) from Merlin then that's well worth the money. How tall are you?

[gog440]

I am 5'7 or 8 so a bit of a shortarse, I am also pretty over weight so it needs to be pretty tough, dont want to break the bloody thing .

[gog440]

It seems to have gone OOS already

[gradeA]

You're right between 16" and 18" sizes then really, so probable best to sit on a few bikes to get an idea of size - I'd have said more towards the 16" size though personally. Don't worry about their strength, modern mountain bikes are pretty tough bits of kit (proper ones, that is, not ones from ToysRUs )!

I know you said £300 was pushing it but if you can get to £360, Halfords have got the Voodoo Bantu at that price currently, and that's a cracking bike for the money.

[gog440]

Thanks, I think I am going to go round to factory direct bikes and have a sit on some, see what size I need.
The 2011 matts 40d is £250ish from merlin, the new version is £450 from the shop round the corner, so I reckon I will go try the new one, if I like it I may well buy the older model!

I am very dubious about buying anything from Halfrauds,especially something as expensive as a mountain bike

Edited by gog440 on Thursday 6th September 13:24

[gradeA]

Don't be too put off by Halfords - the Voodoo bikes are very good indeed (company was started by Joe Murray, who was one of the founding designers at Kona in the '80s!). As ever, it's about the staff at the shop - if you speak to Halfords BikeHut staff and they know their stuff then they're just as good as a dedicated bike shop.

Alternatively, go try the bike out in the shop for size then order it online. It'll take minimal assembly with no more than a few allen keys usually, and there's lots of guides on the Park Tools website to assist: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

Either way, do whichever feels right for you

[gog440]

Had a sit on a merida 20d at the bike shop, the guy recommended an 18`frame but when he put the seat at what he said was the right height I was on tip-toes is this right? Not sure if it didnt feel too big despite being the right size.
Otherwise the bike looked really good, the one I looked at had mechanical disc brakes not hydraulic but was otherwise pretty similar

[Comfortably Dumb]

In very happy with my Merida road bike.

Merida own about 40% of specialized and make frames for a lot of other companies. They're meant be very popular in south east Asia and Australia.

[gradeA]

Remember that with the seat at the correct hight for efficient pedalling you won't necessarily be able to touch the floor - I can't! With the ball of your foot on the pedal, at its most extended you should have a slight bend in your knee, no more. Much more important is the reach to the bars.

[gog440]

Fair comment, but as someone who hasnt ridden a bike regularly for 20+years i do feel that I would be happier if I can get my feet down, I dont bounce very well these days

[Gren]

I'm 5' 8" and both my bikes are smalls. One's a 16" and ones a 16.5". I could probably cope with a medium but I think it may be uncomfortable on longer rides and I'd prefer to feel that the bike as more chuckable.

Worth trying though as different frames are different sizes and the seat tube measurement is one of the least important.

[FunkyNige]

I'm very happy with my Merida hybrid, all the bits are still working after a few years of abuse. I'm no expert mind.

[mattviatura]

Has this company got anything to do with the Merida, Taiwan factory that made frames for Mongoose in the 80s?

[Comfortably Dumb]

They're Taiwanese and make frames for a number of other manufactures so I'd say they probably are.

[R6dug]

The new 2013 bikes are coming out very soon with Merida having meetings with there dealers this week regarding this.So expect prices to drop. The LBS is a Merida dealer and i was asking about ride bikes and he has told me to hold off to see what discount he can get me after these meetings.