Merida Silex 400

Highlights:

• MTB Inspired gravel geometry for off-road stability
• Full carbon fork with tapered steerer, mounting points and routing for a dynamo hub
• Shimano GRX 2 x 10 drivetrain
• Shimano GRX hrdraulic disc brakes
• Shimano GRX chainset
• 12mm bolt through axles
• Multiple mounting points for bags, cages and fenders

A star buy due to its incredible versatility and value for money. High quality aluminium frame and carbon fork pair off-road ready handling with all-road versatility, while the Shimano GRX groupset covers all braking and shifting duties.

Over time gravel has evolved, splitting in to racing and adventure. Silex remains all about the road less travelled, the spirit of adventure and camaraderie. The new Mission platform takes on the role of racing. That's not to say the Silex was a slouch off-road, a week before its launch, Matej Mohoric won the 2023 Gravel World Championships! The Silex concept was a ground up design that rather than taking a road or cyclocross bike and re-jigging the recipe, started with modern MTB inspired geometry; long top and head tubes and a short stem, offering nimble, confidence-inspiring off road handling. This 2nd gen frame runs a revised fork design meaning you can swap to a suspension fork without affecting the geometry. All frames have five sets of bottle bosses, the aluminium frame has rack mounting points offering multiple luggage carrying options for any adventure and has the ability to run internal routed dropper posts and even dynamo systems. All Silex (except the 200) feature powerful hydraulic disc brakes and 180mm rotors. Calipers are mounted on the chainstay for better dissipation of braking forces using the flat-mount standard for a neat, flush fit. On carbon models calipers sit on CNCd aluminium Disc Cooler fins reducing operating temperatures by up to 35%; particularly important when running fully loaded.