Merida

Aimed at the keen 'cross racer Merida's CC5 cyclo-cross bike tops the company's UK 'cross range in and packs quite a punch in terms of value for money and performance. This is a bike that gives you Shimano Ultegra at a price at which 'cross bikes usually come specced with Shimano 105. Better still though, it's a great bike to ride.

The Speeder is an important bike for Merida in the UK. The £600-£650 price point is a really crucial one for manufacturers these days, as it's the kind of money lots of people are spending on bikes through company-run cycle-to-work schemes. In fact, we happen to know that one of the Merida's direct competitors, the Specialized Sirrus Comp, is Cyclescheme's most-supplied bike of all time. It's important for Merida to get this bike right, then. So have they?

Merida is best known for its mountain bikes, especially thanks to the Multivan Merida cross-country team which boasts the all-conquering Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja on its roster. But the Taiwanese brand makes a huge range of bikes right across the spectrum: hybrids, cyclo-cross, triathlon, fitness… and we’ve been getting the miles in aboard their top level road race bike, the all-carbon Scultura Evo Team.

Merida Scultura gallery