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. Highlights: Robust aluminium frame with 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 FRAME Lite II - 6066 triple butted hydroformed and smooth welded aluminium with internal cable routing. Tapered head tube Inboard disc mounts. Threaded BB 142 x 12mm axle standard Max tyre size 700 x 45c 42c with mudguards FORK Merida Silex II CF2; Tapered; material: carbon; 700x47C max. tyre size GEARS 20 SHIFTERS Front: Shimano GRX 400; disc Rear: Shimano GRX 400; disc FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano GRX400 REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano GRX400 Bottom Bracket Attached CHAIN KMC X10 CHAINSET Shimano GRX600; 46-30 tooth chainset; Crank length: XXS-XS - 165mm S-M - 170mm L-XL - 172.5mm CASSETTE Shimano CS-HG50; 11-36 teeth; 10 speed BRAKE LEVER Shimano GRX 410 FRONT BRAKE Shimano GRX400; Hydraulic disc with Shimano RT54; 180mm REAR BRAKE Shimano GRX400; Hydraulic disc with Shimano RT54; 180mm GRIP Merida Road Expert HANDLEBAR Merida Expert GRII; material: aluminium; XXS-S - 400mm wide M - 420mm wide L-XL - 440mm wide STEM Merida Team CC III; material: aluminium; 31.8 mm diameter; -6 degree rise; Length: 80mm all sizes HEADSET Acros ICR Merida External neck w/diecast splitring PEDAL Not included SADDLE Merida Comp SL; 25% recycled material; V-mount SEAT POST Merida Comp CC; 27.2mm diameter; in-line; material: aluminium WHEEL SIZE 700c RIMS Merida Expert SL III; 23mm inner rim width; material: aluminium; Tubeless ready tubeless tape and valves not included SPOKES Black stainless FRONT HUB Shimano HB-TC500; 100x12mm; 28 spoke; Centerlock REAR HUB Shimano FH-TC500-HM; 12-142mm; 28 Spoke; Centerlock FRONT TYRE Maxxis Rambler; 700x45C; kevlar bead; TR; EXO REAR TYRE Maxxis Rambler; 700x45C; kevlar bead; TR; EXO COLOUR Oak Bork Earth Powder OTHER Disc cooler F