That didn’t stop Matej Mohorič winning the UCI Gravel World Championships on it, though

By George Scott

Published: Thursday, 19 October 2023 at 07:00 AM


Merida has lifted the lid on the new Silex – the bike ridden to victory in the men’s UCI Gravel World Championships by Matej Mohorič – claiming greater off-road capability thanks to a revised geometry and increased tyre clearance.

Despite Mohorič’s solo victory, Merida says the Silex isn’t designed specifically as a gravel race bike. Clearly, with a three-time Tour de France stage winner aboard, it’s a bike that can more than mix it with racier rivals, though.

What’s changed? In short, the head angle is now 1.5 degrees slacker, tyre clearance has increased from 40mm to 45mm, cables now run internally and there are more mounting points.

The frame, available in carbon fibre and aluminium versions, has had a visual refresh, too, while Merida has specced 180mm rotors on all models for serious braking power.

Six models make up the range for now. Prices start from £1,275 for the Shimano Sora-equipped Merida Silex 200, and rise to £8,750 for the SRAM Red eTap AXS mullet Merida Silex 10k.

Five things you need to know about the new Merida Silex

  1. Mountain-bike inspired geometry with 69.5-degree head angle (1.5 degrees slacker than outgoing Silex)
  2. Maximum official tyre clearance has grown from 40mm to 45mm on 700c wheels (42mm with mudguards)
  3. Two frame options – Silex CF (carbon fibre, 1,220g) and Silex Lite (aluminium, 1,900g) – and a shared carbon fork (540g)
  4. New frame has top tube mounts, additional fork mounts and mudguard eyelets, and also offers dropper and suspension fork compatibility
  5. Six models in the range – three aluminium, three carbon – from £1,275 to £8,750

Wait, it’s not a gravel race bike?

Matej Mohorič rides unreleased Merida Silex to UCI Gravel World Championships victory
Matej Mohorič rode the Merida Silex to victory at the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships – but the new Silex isn’t a gravel race bike.
Tom Hardie / Our Media

Merida introduced the original Silex in 2017, back when gravel riding was still a relative twinkle in the eye of bike designers and brand marketeers.

While gravel has evolved since then, and with it the new Silex, the refreshed bike’s purpose remains pretty much the same.

2024 Merida Silex vs 2018 Merida Silex
The new Merida has a slacker head angle and more tyre clearance than the old model.
Merida

Merida says it’s designed first and foremost as an off-road bike, but with versatility front of mind, too.

Indeed, while Merida now has the Scultura Endurace GR, that is effectively an endurance road bike with 35mm tyre clearance, and not a dedicated gravel bike.

Woman riding Merida Silex gravel bike
The Silex is Merida’s dedicated gravel bike.
Merida

As a result, the Silex isn’t a bike designed to offer specificity in any one gravel niche, be it mountain-bike style bikepacking capabilities, or aero race credentials, like the new Canyon Grail.

Merida says it can do a bit of everything, so while the geometry flirts with the latest mountain bike trends, Merida says it’s capable for commuting and winter riding, too.

Pack shot of the Merida Silex+ 6000 gravel bike
The first-generation Silex (pictured) was originally launched in 2017.
Robert Smith / Immediate Media

It’s this versatility that has been at the heart of the Silex’s “runaway success”, according to Merida.

A Merida representative told BikeRadar at the launch that the original Silex was a fairly hard sell to the Taiwanese brand’s HQ, but since that launch, it’s become one of the firm’s most important bikes.