Entry level Merida

[Anothersapien]

Would love some advice regarding entry level bikes. I have been riding a old steel drop bar bike from the 80's that was my dad's. I've used it for the last few years, and done a few triathlons and many km's in training on it. But it's now at a point where I don't wanna spend more money repairing the gearing, and I'm also kind of sick of friction gears.

I can't afford too much, and the Merida Scultura 100 is in my price range. I am doing an Ironman 70.3 later this year. Basically I want some assurance that this Merida will suffice for a few months of training rides, and a 90km ride on the day.

Will this bike be suffice for the job ? At the LBS they just wanted to upsell me as expected, but the way I see it, if my old steeley could handle a few years of it, surley this brand new $1200 bike will be fine.

Thanks for the advice

[blizzard]

The Merida will work fine, it's a proper road bike, the frame is the same as their more expensive alloy bikes, it just has lower end components. For an Iron man I would budget money for better tyres, a saddle and clip on Aero bars.

Also consider second hand, you can pickup lighty used Scultura 100s for $600 pretty easily.

[bychosis]

If it’s all you can afford, then it’ll do the job. It’s a reputable brand and has reputable components.

Ride it, it’s only the snobs that’ll be worried about it being a budget model, especially if you ride past them.

[uart]

I agree with the above, it will do the job no problems.

It might seem a bit daunting when you see competitors with bikes that have cost more than 5 times as much money, but the reality is that as long as you have good tyres then the differences will be very small.

To put that into perspective, consider the difference between rolling resistance and weight on the typical fairly flat triathlon course (say 500 m total elevation). Compare a 1kg bike weight difference with a 1 Watt per tyre RR difference.

- 1 kg extra weight corresponds to at most 5 kJ extra energy expenditure (at 500m total elevation).
- 1W per tyre (at 28.8 km/hr*) corresponds to 22.5 kJ over that 90 km course. (Edit, I forgot that there are two tyres . Now fixed).

So good tyres are really more important than bike weight over a typical triathlon course. There will be one advantage that people with better kit will have though, and that is better aero. But more areo wheels is something that you can look at upgrading in the future if you wish.

BTW. I'm not really sure what those maxxis tyres on that bike are like, I've never seen them tested, but there's a fair chance that they could be a bit ordinary. Take a look at this site to see what tyre options are available for good low rolling resistance (* his tests are run at 28.8 km/hr). As you can see, it's probably pretty easy to save and extra couple of Watts per tyre there.
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.co ... bike-tires

[Mububban]

I'm not really sure what those maxxis tyres on that bike are like, I've never seen them tested, but there's a fair chance that they could be a bit ordinary. Take a look at this site to see what tyre options are available for good low rolling resistance (* his tests are run at 28.8 km/hr). As you can see, it's probably pretty easy to save and extra couple of Watts per tyre there.
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.co ... bike-tires

Interestingly, the Maxxis website lists them as a Race tyre:

DOLOMITES
RACE
Pro road competition tire
Silkworm puncture protection
Named after the rugged mountain range in Italy, the Dolomites was designed as a do-it-all competition road tire. With a lightweight 120 TPI casing and dual-compound rubber, the Dolomites is at home tackling big climbs and the descents afterwards. With our under-tread Silkworm puncture protection, the Dolomites can hold its own on rough roads.

185g for a 23mm. Never heard of it though so rolling resistance could be sky high

[uart]

Interestingly, the Maxxis website lists them as a Race tyre:

Yeah, they're fairly light weight, so they might be ok. It's just hard to know with rolling resistance if they're not tested.

I once bought a bike that was fitted with Maxxis "Refuse" tyres and they were absolute dogs. I had a friend who swore that they were good tyres, and we debated about their rolling resistance, but without any data I couldn't really refute his claim that they were "good" (I ended up giving him the tyres). Anyway, eventually that rolling resistance site did test them and they were an amazing 23 Watts per tyre, which is about as bad as it gets for a road tyre. So in the end I felt pretty vindicated for hating them.

But yeah, those maxxis dolimities might be ok, just a bit of an unknown. Maxxis makes some ok rolling tyres (not absolute top performers, but quite ok), but they also make some that are total dogs.

[Duck!]

Tyres are consumable; what's supplied on the bike is not a dealbreaker.

[MattyK]

Cheap bike = cheap tyres = crap tyres.
Upgrade them for race day, and add some latex tubes.

[antigee]

Yeah, they're fairly light weight, so they might be ok. It's just hard to know with rolling resistance if they're not tested.

.........I once bought a bike that was fitted with Maxxis "Refuse" tyres and they were absolute dogs. I had a friend who swore that they were good tyres, and we debated about their rolling resistance, but without any data I couldn't really refute his claim that they were "good" (I ended up giving him the tyres). Anyway, eventually that rolling resistance site did test them and they were an amazing 23 Watts per tyre, which is about as bad as it gets for a road tyre. So in the end I felt pretty vindicated for hating them.

But yeah, those maxxis dolimities might be ok, just a bit of an unknown. Maxxis makes some ok rolling tyres (not absolute top performers, but quite ok), but they also make some that are total dogs.

My memory said that Maxxis Refuse are a heavy weight puncture proofed tyre for commuting just double checked and that is true... interesting Maxxis turn the high rolling resistance around on this model to being good for fitness training!

...and Duck nailed it

[uart]

...and Duck nailed it

Of course tyres are consumable and not a deal breaker, I never suggested otherwise. Just pointing the op towards info to help select a known good rolling tyre. The OEM tyres are probably fine for training, but I would get something that's more of a known quantity for race day.

My memory said that Maxxis Refuse are a heavy weight puncture proofed tyre for commuting

They are, but they're still listed as a road tyre, and 22.6 Watts is very poor. Gatorskins are also a very puncture resistant commuting tyre and they're only about 17 Watts. Maxxis "Refuse" are garbage, they even admit that with the given name.