Merida Silex 200

£1,225 The original progressive-geometry gravel bike evolves

Weight 11.16kg (L) Frame Aluminium Fork Carbon (47c max capacity) Gears Shimano Sora 9-speed 2x (11-32t, 46/32t) Brakes Promax DSK-330R mechanical disc Wheels Merida Comp SL2 Tubeless ready rims Finishing kit Merida Comp CC 80mm stem, Merida Expert GR handlebar, Merida Comp CC seatpost, Merida Comp SL saddle, Maxxis Rambler TR EXO 45c tyres

Merida set the standard with the original Silex. It took mountain bikeinspired geometry with a long-frontcentre paired with a short stem to make an off-road bike with stable handling yet fast reations to steering inputs.

This new Silex, however, steps things up again. The head angle is relaxed to 69.5°, and the fork length is increased to 415mm, creating increased (45c) tyre clearance and making the frame compatible with gravel suspension forks too. At the rear, longer chainstays (430mm) also bring increased tyre clearance, and the reworked bottom bracket and chainstays now allow for a larger 46-tooth max chainring size.

Multiple mounts

The hydroformed aluminium frame with multi-butted tubing closely follows the design of the more expensive carbon Silexes. As with those models, you’ll get rack mounts alongside its front and rear guards, mounts for three bottles, a toptube bento box and fork-leg mounts. The Wire-Port design also routes all the cables and hoses through the head-tube for a clean-looking bike with no irritating cable loops to get in the way of a bar bag.

The sloping top-tube gives a low standover height for great manoeuvrability on tricky, twisty singletrack. The frame and full-carbon fork are a cut above most bikes at this price, which does mean a few budget concessions on the build.

Merida’s tubeless-compatible Comp SL2 wheelset has a 22mm-tall rim and a broad 23mm internal width. The wheels ride with impressive compliance yet lateral stiffness. The Maxxis Rambler tyres in a 45c are as big as the Silex can handle. They also appear on the Saracen Levarg on test and have proved to be some of the best gravel tyres around for those sludgy, sloppy, UK winter conditions.

Dodgy drivetrain

The Silex’s drivetrain isn’t quite so impressive, however. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with Shimano’s basic 9-speed Sora: the 2x 46/32 with an 11-32 cassette offers a decent spread for offroad riding. It lacks a little at the top end for fast road work, but I can live with that. The problem is the drivetrain struggles with rough, choppy terrain and lots of filth. Unlike the GRX found on the Saracen, the Microshift on the Marin and even the ownbrand State derailleur, Sora doesn’t have a chain-tensioning system like its rivals’ various clutch systems. This means that when you get into really rough stuff, the Sora derailleur, and chain, bounce a lot. It’s testament to the quality of Shimano’s tensioning springs that I didn’t drop the chain. That said, it’s a very noisy bike to ride in the rough and the constant jarring also influences the shifting accuracy. I had to make quite a few stops throughout the test riding to sort the cable tension.

The short stem and long fork are excellent, though, creating the ideal balance of sharp handling, stability and shock absorption, and the low standover height means the bike’s very chuckable when things get twisty. I revelled in taking the Silex on trails with some testing terrain usually reserved for suspension-equipped gravel bikes or hardtail mountain bikes.

The Promax mechanical discs are paired with large 180/160mm-sized rotors, which helps overcome some of the shortfall between mechanical and hydraulic braking systems. The levers feel a little soft initially, but push through and there’s some feedback to be had.

On the road, the Silex is excellent. In their natural habitat, the Sora gears are a testament to just how good entry-level gear systems have become. The wide bar with a subtle flare feels good on the road and off. At the back, the Merida saddle and I didn’t gel. Its hull is well shaped but the padding compressed too easily, exposing the firmness underneath.

Overall, Merida’s Silex 200 has a very accomplished frame and fork with superb geometry and truly impeccable handling. This model doesn’t quite cut it as a pure off-roader though. As a rough-stuff commuter and occasional gravel ride, it’s ideal, but for a pure gravel experience, I’d step up to the GRX-equipped Silex 400 at £1,650 to get the very best out of a brilliant frameset design.

“The sloping top-tube gives a low standover height for great manoeouvrability on tricky singletrack”

Verdict Sublime frameset with superb handling hampered by road-focused drivetrain