Merida Bikes

Barcafan11 · 19-06-2013 10:49AM #1

Does anybody know if Merida bikes are any good. Looking at getting a new entry level road bike. I know a couple of people who have bought them recently but they have hardly used them. I've never heard of this brand before but apparently they're on the market a couple of years. The company also owns 40 percent of specialised bikes.

Any advice ???

elduggo · 19-06-2013 10:53AM

Lampre use Merida. If its good enough for Damiano Cunego, etc...

AltAccount · 19-06-2013 11:27AM

It's definitely a well established brand

wolfyboy555 · 19-06-2013 11:31AM

I have just got one on the bike to work scheme and find it great!

Ziboo · 19-06-2013 12:03PM

They are fine. I have had a Merida for a few years. For a new bike it is less about the brand than the quality of the components attached (cassette, derailleur, chainset etc)

unichall · 19-06-2013 10:08PM

They have been around for years as a top bramd in mountain biking and have begun to invest heavily in road bikes in recent years hence sponsorship of Lampre etc. They are spending a lot of money on research and development so I would say anything you buy, even entry level models, will benefit from this

Barcafan11 · 26-08-2013 11:24PM

unichall wrote: »

They have been around for years as a top bramd in mountain biking and have begun to invest heavily in road bikes in recent years hence sponsorship of Lampre etc. They are spending a lot of money on research and development so I would say anything you buy, even entry level models, will benefit from this

Just bought a Merida Ride 88. It was a bargain at the price. Thanks everyone for your advice and help

Eamonnator · 26-08-2013 11:35PM

I bought a Merida mountain bike in 1991, great bike.

dvntie · 26-08-2013 11:46PM

Eamonnator wrote: »

I bought a Merida mountain bike in 1991, great bike.

Apparently Merida are made at the same factory as the boardmans are

dancecatz2000 · 26-08-2013 11:54PM

dvntie wrote: »

Apparently Merida are made at the same factory as the boardmans are

Merida are 1 of the market leaders in bike brands, as big as Giant, they make many bikes for other companies, they are more popular in mainland Europe than here,

26-08-2013 11:54PM

Heard from a lbs owner how a guy brought in a Merida bike with a cracked frame to his shop, bike had been bought in Germany years before, they contacted Merida to see if anything could be done few weeks later brand new frame arrived to his shop. He was so impressed with service he started stocking them and highly recommends them.

XtotheZ · 27-08-2013 09:03AM

Apparently the best bike you can buy

bwalsh1983 · 27-08-2013 11:41AM

Merida are responsible for Specialized (or at least are the primary owner of) and Boardman frames,

jiffybag · 27-08-2013 12:35PM

Merida own 9 different factories in Tiawan . Producing over 2.4 million bikes per year .
They produce 97% of Specialized bikes and have a 39% share in the company .

AltAccount · 27-08-2013 12:48PM

Lol, I have two Specializeds and a Boardman. Looks like I'm Merida's bitch!

Brian? · 27-08-2013 01:40PM

jiffybag wrote: »

Merida own 9 different factories in Tiawan . Producing over 2.4 million bikes per year .
They produce 97% of Specialized bikes and have a 39% share in the company .

I wonder what bikes are in the 3%?

Specialized pin their reputation on design rather than manufacture in fairness. I'd buy a Tarmac sl4 or Venge over any Merida if I had the money.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with Merida. A perfectly upstanding company.

The TT bike Lamprey are using is the least ugly TT bike I've seen in a while. The Scultura is not bad lookin either.

bwalsh1983 · 27-08-2013 02:16PM

Brian? wrote: »

I wonder what bikes are in the 3%?

Specialized pin their reputation on design rather than manufacture in fairness. I'd buy a Tarmac sl4 or Venge over any Merida if I had the money.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with Merida. A perfectly upstanding company.

The TT bike Lamprey are using is the least ugly TT bike I've seen in a while. The Scultura is not bad lookin either.

It must be frustrating for Merida to be manufacturing one of the worlds best TT rigs, the Shiv, for Specialized while chasing that market themselves with the WARP TT bike.

Brian? · 27-08-2013 02:21PM

bwalsh1983 wrote: »

It must be frustrating for Merida to be manufacturing one of the worlds best TT rigs, the Shiv, for Specialized while chasing that market themselves with the WARP TT bike.

The reason the Shiv is so good is the amount of money Specialized spend on r&d. In a market where 90% of the products are built in the same factories in the far eat, design is the key differentiator.

I'm sure Merida know this. They're going for the mass market the way Giant are.

Specialized are living up to their name and going after the niche market, with some mass market stuff to keep the coffers filled.

mcgratheoin · 27-08-2013 02:22PM

bwalsh1983 wrote: »

It must be frustrating for Merida to be manufacturing one of the worlds best TT rigs, the Shiv, for Specialized while chasing that market themselves with the WARP TT bike.

No more so than Samsung making parts for Apple or Google. At that scale of manufacture, it's fairly common. Businesses are very good at compartmentalising at a high level so if both departments are making a profit, Merida won't mind too much.

Merida Bikes

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