In just a few short years, cyclocross has matured from a Eurocentric winter activity into a widely known cycling discipline, with most brands offering a range of suitable bikes.
More recently, the growth in related categories such as gravel grinding, and the demand for lighter weight commuter rides, has seen entry-level cyclocross bikes find a large market beyond those looking to just race.
Taking such growth on board, Merida introduced a new pricepoint cyclocross range for 2015. We requested a Cyclo Cross 500, which sits in the middle of the lineup, for review – and have since been racking up the miles on our local grass courses, mountain bike tracks and even in an urban scavenger hunt adventure.
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- Highs: Elegant frame, stellar fork, reliable kit
- Lows: High weight (comes with the price), top-mount brake levers spoil brake feel, stock treads too wide for racing
- Buy if: You’re seeking a versatile 'cross bike that’s well-suited to doing more and going further than just racing
It’s common for a bike of this level to show that money's been invested in the components, while corners are cut on the frameset where it’s likely to go unnoticed by less experienced eyes. However, this just isn’t the case here – an impressive alloy frame and full-carbon fork form the basis of the CC 500.
The chassis is constructed from Merida’s premium ‘Prolite 66’ triple butted tubing; the frame shapes are then wildly manipulated with pressurized oil into forms that closely resemble those of a modern carbon frame. Furthering the material confusion are the smooth robotic welds covered in gloss black paint.
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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