Merida or Bianchi

[Em563]

Hi All,

New to the forum and new to road biking.
I am looking to buy a new bike primarily for recreation and fitness, initially I was going to buy an MTB as that is what I've always had, but given my use, it was suggested I get a road bike.

Two must have on my list are comfort and hydraulic disc brakes and has to be a flat bar.
My retail budget is around $1100, but would hope to get a deal.

There are 2 bikes that I have narrowed it down to so far, the Merida 19 Speeder 200 or the 2019 Bianchi C-Sport 2.5.

On paper the Merida looks better with the carbon forks and Sora gearing. The Bianchi is, well, a Bianchi,it looks awesome and Im sure it performs well too.

I am yet to ride either of them but I am wanting to get some opinions on this. I am also open to other models if you think something would be better..

TIA.

[P!N20]

I think either of those bikes would perform well. Keep in mind Bianchi comes with a fair bit of cache, so you tend to pay a premium for the name and may be a bit more attractive to thieves.

I'll throw this Cannondale in the mix: https://www.bikebug.com/cannondale-quic ... 78054.html

Mods: perhaps move to the buying bike/parts section for a bit more exposure?

[Mububban]

Hi All,

New to the forum and new to road biking.
I am looking to buy a new bike primarily for recreation and fitness, initially I was going to buy an MTB as that is what I've always had, but given my use, it was suggested I get a road bike.

Two must have on my list are comfort and hydraulic disc brakes and has to be a flat bar.
My retail budget is around $1100, but would hope to get a deal.

There are 2 bikes that I have narrowed it down to so far, the Merida 19 Speeder 200 or the 2019 Bianchi C-Sport 2.5.

On paper the Merida looks better with the carbon forks and Sora gearing. The Bianchi is, well, a Bianchi,it looks awesome and Im sure it performs well too.

I am yet to ride either of them but I am wanting to get some opinions on this. I am also open to other models if you think something would be better..

TIA.

$1100 for a 3x8 bike is a bit rich, but that's paying for the Bianchi name as mentioned. It is the looker of the bunch though.

Unless you're going up crazy steep climbs, the 3 front chainrings are overkill, and I say that as a skinny guy with no power who rides 50-34 and 11-32 road bike gearing up hills.

I'd go the Merida or the Cannondale, but if you can, hop on all 3. Chances are one of them will put more of a smile on your face than the others. In isolation however, they should all perform well.

[jdh500]

I purchased a Merida Speeder 500 flat bar road bike 3 years ago, primarily for commuting to work on cycle paths and some weekend riding. I’d suggest you go with the one with decent components even if it ends up being last years model to get a better deal.

JDH

[trailgumby]

If after sales service and warranty support is important to you, I'd suggest avoiding Merida.

In the same category as Scott here in Australia as far as I'm concerned. A mate cracked his hardtail frame and it was more than 4 months until he had a rideable bike back in his hands. As a result, they're on my blacklist.

[biker jk]

If after sales service and warranty support is important to you, I'd suggest avoiding Merida.

In the same category as Scott here in Australia as far as I'm concerned. A mate cracked his hardtail frame and it was more than 4 months until he had a rideable bike back in his hands. As a result, they're on my blacklist.

I don't disagree but will note that Advanced Traders now have BMC as well as Merida. So expect bad after sales service for BMC as well.

[Em563]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
I know the Bianchi would be paying largely for the name, but does that translate into any benefits for quality and support?
Thanks for the suggestion of the Cannondale, I will take a look at that too..
I went into a bike shop this evening. they sold Merida, not Bianchi, he was trying to up sell me to the Speeder 400!

[P!N20]

I went into a bike shop this evening. they sold Merida, not Bianchi, he was trying to up sell me to the Speeder 400!

Yeah, finding someone who stocks that Bianchi may be a challenge.

The Speeder 400 is better spec'd, but obviously more $$

[Mububban]

With a big fast growing chain like 99 Bikes pushing Merida, will they be in any position to get warranty claims through faster? I only heard about the poor after sale reputation AFTER I bought my Merida MTB from my LBS....fingers crossed I don't have any problems!

[biker jk]

With a big fast growing chain like 99 Bikes pushing Merida, will they be in any position to get warranty claims through faster? I only heard about the poor after sale reputation AFTER I bought my Merida MTB from my LBS....fingers crossed I don't have any problems!

The issue I had was non-spec front disc brake pads (they should have been Shimano but were some $10 Ebay brand). Advance Traders were terrible. It was actually 99 Bikes that fitted the specified Shimano brake pads free of charge (even though I didn't buy the bike from them). Now that's service. Advance Traders just dropped all communication and took the radio silence route.

[trailgumby]

Advance Traders just dropped all communication and took the radio silence route.

Consistent with previous form.

[Em563]

I ended up with the Merida Speeder 400, I could not ignore the value.
I bought from 99bikes, so I am hoping that if I have any warranty issues, they will come to the party.

[P!N20]

I ended up with the Merida Speeder 400

Good buying, happy riding!

[foo on patrol]

I ended up with the Merida Speeder 400, I could not ignore the value.
I bought from 99bikes, so I am hoping that if I have any warranty issues, they will come to the party.

Foo

[Duck!]

With a big fast growing chain like 99 Bikes pushing Merida, will they be in any position to get warranty claims through faster?

Doubtful. The problems arising with Merida warranty support aren't from Merida themselves, the problem is the local distributor, Advance Traders. 99 bikes is a franchise subsidiary of Advance Traders, so in the end if you do have a problem you're still bashing your head against the same wall.