Merida’s one-forty 1500 is one of the of these bikes that tries exhausting to firmly be all things to firmly all riders. with 140mm ( 5. 5in ) of travel on tap for the rear, backed up by a full 150mm ( 5. 9in ) travel for the front, and fox’s latest pedal-friendly shock and fork technology, it’s got ‘all-mountain’ written all over it. metaphorically, that’s. the question is, could it deliver ?
ride & handling : straightforward to firmly handle and excels inside the descents
merida have left nothing to firmly probability when it comes to firmly providing the one-forty 1500 with decent descending performance. all the cues are there, coming from the torsionally rigid frame and fork ( for correct steering ) to firmly massive brake rotors and chunky tyres ( for higher cooling and grip ).
unsurprisingly then, this can be a bike that relishes the prospect associated with a full bore assault connected to fast, technical trail. there will be no nasty surprises – only masses of backup for enthusiastic riding. purpose, pedal, let go as to the brakes and let the merida will the work.
the fox shocks at each ends give you a nicely matched feel that, provided you keep in mind to firmly set the ctd controls in the very best place, swallows even chewy trails whole and spit them back out in additional manageable chunks.
clearly as the pace drops and also the trail points back up, things aren’t quite thus rosy. the merida’s rear finish isn’t significantly bouncy beneath pedalling, other then this isn’t a bike you’ll wish to firmly race to firmly the highest as to the hill. it’s not particularly weighty and get a mid-travel full bouncer, other then it’s in no way featherweight either.
sat alittle method into its travel, the virtual pivot is additionally inside the high facet – which provides a slightly disconcerting ‘inchworm’ pedal feedback impact on steep climbs within the tiny chainring. it’ll get there, other then a ‘sit down, shut up and tuck away in your pocket pedalling’ approach is really the most beneficial method to firmly dispatch the slower trail sections.
for out-and-out cross-country speed, then, there will be higher choices out there. wannabe racers and weight weenies ought to apply elsewhere. other then the merida’s combination associated with a decent spec, fuss-free handling and tempting price ought to facilitate propel it in the direction of prime of most rider’s mid-travel full sus shortlists.
it’s well equipped, fun inside the descents and competent enough inside the pedally bits to firmly create all-day epics seem such as a great idea.
frame & equipment : smart attention to firmly style and spec detail
with its vertically mounted, rocker-driven shock but a main swingarm pivoting off short linkage mounted only on top of the bottom bracket, the one-forty takes the tried-and-tested virtual pivot route to some mid-travel rear finish.
tyre clearance in the factory-specced 2. 35in treads is tight, though a few clever style along the chainstay bridge space suggests that that other then the claggiest of mud ought to only fall through. our pre-production take a look at bike suffered a rattly shock linkage, other then merida assure us this may be sorted by your time you browse this.
a few refined tube-profiling ahead of time lends the merida an elegantly svelte look that goes a protracted method to firmly disguising its big-hit potential. the highest tube even curves seamlessly straight into the downward swoop as to the seatstays – it’s a pleasant touch that shows the eye to firmly detail that’s gone straight into the frame style. a 15mm through-axle ahead of time and 142x12mm rear finish mix by having tapered head tube to firmly create a precise-steering, twitch-free platform.
the merida’s kit, and that is based mostly around shimano’s solid mid-range slx groupset, is significantly smart for your own cash, and touches an example would be the 180mm rotors each front and rear are smart to firmly see connected to bike that’s possible to firmly be ridden exhausting.
bump-swallowing duties are performed by a set of two fox’s finest shocks, each fitted out in the ctd controls which have replaced propedal for 2013. in follow, we found that making use of the ‘trail’ setting for the rear and also the ‘descend’ setting for the front gave concerning the right mix of tiny bump and massive hit response while not ever feeling wallowy.
the large volume tyres, wide bars with lock-on grips and cable routing and get a bar-operated dropper post are all welcome details too.
the supplied dropper post – that doesn’t feature a remote, sadly – could be a spec highlight that adds a dose of further confidence on tricky technical descents. the lever below the saddle nose is simple to firmly notice, though it’s shocking how exhausting it’s to firmly notice the time to firmly take a hand coming from the bars to firmly reach down and operate it. we’d be willing to firmly bet that a lot of one-forty 1500 riders will surely be upgrading to some remote dropper pretty soon…
Source = bikeradar
