GUY’ SMERIDA ONE SIXTY 800£3,150

The Merida’s been getting a lot of miles in

I’ve been finding the Merida a useful template to measure other bikes against, not least the Giant Reign 1 (see p114). In terms of suspension smoothness and geometry, they’re very similar, but the Giant is noticeably tighter through the frame, which explains where some of my power has been going on climbs. The Merida is over £1,000 cheaper for a comparable spec though, and so far all the stock SRAM and own-brand kit is holding up. I have had to bleed the BikeYoke Revive post, but that’s a simple Allen-key-in-theside job. Since I fitted RockShox’s new Lyrik fork, everyone’s been wanting a go. So far it’s blown me away with its initial smoothness and mid-stroke, high-stoke control. www.merida-bikes.com