racing bikes: Test: Merida Silex 700 – Comfortable long-distance tourer

Test: The Merida Silex 700 is a real exotic gravel bike. While most other manufacturers are more geared towards racing, the Silex comes with a frame that is not only visually reminiscent of mountain bikes. An interesting overall concept – does it work in practice?

Merida Silex 700: The Facts

Frame material: Aluminium
Wheel size(s): 700c
tire clearance: 42mm (700c) / 2,25″ (650b)
Axle dimensions (v/h): 12 × 100/142 × 12
Mudguard Eyelets: Ja
Luggage carrier eyelets (v/h): Yes / Yes
bottle holder: Down tube top and bottom, seat tube

Wheel weight v/h (with tires, cassette and brake discs): 1.460g / 1.930g
Weight complete bike without pedals (size M): 9,6kg
Price: € 2.199

With the Silex, the boundaries between racing bikes and off-road bikes are blurred. It's not for nothing that the 35 mm narrow semi-slicks are the first thing that catches the eye - folding tires that roll well and, with their discreet shoulder lugs, are not necessarily the first choice for bumpy tracks and slippery slopes.

But wait a minute – the first thing that catches the eye is of course the extreme seat geometry. More head tube length is unimaginable; even the middle of the five frame sizes has a tube of 200 mm. You sit very, very upright, especially when spacers and a short stem are fitted, as on the test bike. Who likes this? People who want a good overview in traffic, don't want to tilt their heads back and love a well-groomed lower handlebar position - because this can be done very relaxed on the Silex, especially since a slightly angled compact handlebar is used.

This makes the aluminum wheel with its flowing shapes and quick-release axles at the front and rear quite suitable for long distances, and the details are just right: Merida places numerous threaded inserts and also treats the wheel to high-quality equipment. A complete Shimano Ultegra with hydraulic brakes is not necessarily common in this price range. The 11-34 cassette with a 1:1 gear ratio ensures sufficient reserves on the mountain. If you want to use your Silex for serious "graveling", you could only bump into the tire clearance: It's not particularly big at the back; for tires over 42 mm it could get tight. Nevertheless, the bike can please, even if it looks unusual at first.

Merida Silex 700 – Let's Gravel

At first glance, the Merida Silex 700 differs quite significantly from the rest of our test field. The heavily sloped top tube, which rises at a decent angle from the seat post to the headset, is intended to improve comfort both on long journeys and on bumpy ground. This concept works at first - only problem: The bike is rather leisurely due to the very upright seating position and is not only quite difficult to accelerate, but also does not have the best rolling characteristics, which is not least due to the fact that there is simply quite a lot power dissipates. Too bad, because at 9,6kg the bike is one of the lighter aluminum bikes in the test and the wheels aren't overly heavy either.

But the comfort of the Merida Silex 700 is right when it comes to bumpy routes. Nevertheless, they didn't think it through to the end here either and used a tire that is sufficient for gravel, but is more of a mixture of road and off-road/trekking tires. So if it gets a bit muddy on the forest path or in the woods, you will quickly lose grip. Unfortunately, the field of application of the Merida Silex is quite limited as a result. If you gave the Silex a pair of coarser 650b tires that fit the bike up to 2,25″ wide, it would become a real off-road racer.

A small highlight of this gravel racer is the Shimano Ultegra group, which offers an almost huge range with first-class shifting performance thanks to its two chainrings for these areas. There are further plus points for the possibility of attaching both mudguards and luggage, which makes it possible to use it for a gravel/bikepacking tour.