New Merida Silex 2024: a world champion gravel bike with an adventurous spirit
When a few days ago Matej Mohoric won the Gravel World Championship riding a Merida Silex completely new, we already imagined that the launch of this new bike would be close. The Taiwanese brand has not waited long, continuing to bet on a more adventurous gravel and bikepacking concept for this bike, while reinforcing its capabilities for off-road riding.
Unlimited Gravel with the new Merida Silex 2024
Merida wasted no time in revealing the details of its new Silex, the first gravel bike model launched in 2018 that initially focused on leisure and adventure gravel riding, as well as the emerging bikepacking trend. Now, five years later, Merida has updated it to adapt to the new times, maintaining the original concept of long distances, multi-day routes, and maximum comfort that the original model had.
In fact, initially, when we saw the bike's appearance and the resounding victory of Matej Mohoric in the gravel world championship, we thought that Merida had shifted the concept of the Silex towards a more sporty direction, which was already covered by the Scultura Endurance GR model. However, it is now confirmed that the Silex continues to maintain its original philosophy.
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The sportier appearance that deceived us is due to the modifications in the geometry, which has slightly increased the stack, has less sloping than the first Silex, and has been equipped with a shorter stem to compensate for a higher fork designed to accommodate suspension without altering the bike's behavior. However, the resulting geometry is even more relaxed than the previous model, as the head angle has been relaxed by 1.5°, setting it at 69.5°, a figure close to that of a mountain bike. This increased angle and longer cockpit result in a longer wheelbase and, therefore, a greater emphasis on stability, seeking better performance when the terrain gets tough or when the bike is loaded with bikepacking bags.
To enhance these off-road capabilities, Merida has increased the tire clearance of the Silex to 700x45c, opting for the usual solution of asymmetrical chainstays to create the necessary space around the bottom bracket. Finally, like all current bikes, the cable routing is done through the head tube, although not entirely internally, but the cables run as integrated as possible from the handlebar under the stem.
Also, with bikepacking and challenging terrain in mind, Merida has designed this bike to be able to accommodate 180 mm discs both front and rear, and its carbon frame includes the Disc Cooler heat dissipators that we had already seen in other models from the brand.
It is worth mentioning that there will be two versions of this Merida Silex, one made with CF2 carbon and another simpler one, although with similar characteristics in terms of geometry and capabilities, with an aluminum frame.
Merida Silex 2024: models and setups
Merida Silex 10K
- Frame: Silex CF2 II Carbon
- Groupset: SRAM Red/Eagle AXS, 42T power meter crankset, 10-52 cassette, 180 mm discs
- Handlebar: Easton EC70 AX
- Stem: Merida Team CC III
- Saddle: Prologo Scratch M5 AGX
- Seatpost: SRAM Reverb XPLR AXS
- Wheels: Reynolds Black Label G700 Pro
- Tires: Maxxis Rambler 700x45c
- Weight: 8.4 kg
Merida Silex 7000
- Frame: Silex CF2 II Carbon
- Groupset: Shimano GRX820, 42T crankset, 11-51 cassette, 180 mm discs
- Handlebar: Merida Expert GRII
- Stem: Merida Team CC III
- Saddle: Merida Expert SL
- Seatpost: Merida Expert CC
- Wheels: Easton EA70 AX
- Tires: Maxxis Rambler 700x45c
- Weight: 9.4 kg
Merida Silex 4000
- Frame: Silex CF2 II Carbon
- Groupset: Shimano GRX400, 46/30 crankset, 11-36 cassette, 180 mm discs
- Handlebar: Merida Expert GRII
- Stem: Merida Team CC III
- Saddle: Merida Comp SL
- Seatpost: Merida Expert CC
- Wheels: Merida Expert SL II
- Tires: Maxxis Rambler 700x45c
Merida Silex 700
- Frame: Silex Lite II aluminum
- Groupset: Shimano GRX820, 42T crankset, 11-51 cassette, 180/160 mm discs
- Handlebar: Merida Expert GRII
- Stem: Merida Team CC III
- Saddle: Merida Expert SL
- Seatpost: Merida Expert CC
- Wheels: Easton EA70 AX
- Tires: Maxxis Rambler 700x45c
- Weight: 9.8 kg
Merida Silex 400
- Frame: Silex Lite II aluminum
- Groupset: Shimano GRX400, 46/30 crankset, 11-36 cassette, 180/160 mm discs
- Handlebar: Merida Expert GRII
- Stem: Merida Team CC III
- Saddle: Merida Comp SL
- Seatpost: Merida Comp CC
- Wheels: Merida Expert SL II
- Tires: Maxxis Rambler 700x45c
Merida Silex 200
- Frame: Silex Lite II aluminum
- Groupset: Shimano Sora, 48/32 crankset, 11-34 cassette, Promax mechanical brakes, 180/160 mm discs
- Handlebar: Merida Expert GRII
- Stem: Merida Team CC III
- Saddle: Merida Comp SL
- Seatpost: Merida Comp CC
- Wheels: Merida Comp SL II
- Tires: Maxxis Rambler 700x45c