Raleigh Bikes Merit 2 Endurance Road Bike

I've been commuting on this bike for 6 weeks and am quite happy with it for the low price. It's a solid bike with some features I didn't expect to find in such a low end bike. The disc brakes work reliably, even if they are low end mechanical instead of hydraulic. There's no rubbing, and I think the through axle really helps prevent misalignment. The Shimano Claris setup is solid. Shifts are reliable though a little bit slow. I do like that it has a trim adjustment. However, if you're planning to ride this a lot, I'd suggest going with the Merit 3 and Shimano 105 shifters. I have 105 shifters on my nice road bike, and they work quite a bit smoother.The bar tape is fairly comfortable. There's a nice extra thick portion in the middle (away from the brakes) where you can rest your hands for longer rides.The geometry is definitely made for a more relaxed position. I find myself sitting up fairly straight on the bike. I'm fine with that for commuting and casual rides which is what I got this bike for. I do find that the sizing leans rather large. It says that the 52cm will fit a rider 5' 5". I'm a little over 5' 6", and I can barely stand over the top tube. The seat could be adjusted down for a shorter rider, but the top tube is rather high. I wish Raleigh made a 50cm which is what I normally ride.I like that the bike has eyelets for mounting fenders. I managed to fit a pair of Planet Bike Cascadia 45mm fenders with some slight modification to the mounting hardware. The front fork on the Merit is really thick, so I had to get a longer screw (I think 2.5"). I also ended up using a different screw on the the bottom rear mount to give the tire a little more clearance. Don't get the 35mm fenders. There isn't enough clearance for the top rear mount. Overall, the clearances are pretty tight for fenders. While the bike says it will fit larger tires, I'd be skeptical of fitting both larger ties and fenders. The bike does look really good with silver fenders that match the silver paint scheme.One clear place Raleigh cut costs is the quality of the welds. There's so much extra material on them. I trust that they'll hold, but it looks really bad.

My 2016 Raleigh Merit 2 is a great bike and was a good value. The 2017 Merit 2 not so much. Mine has a very good 9 speed compact Sora drivetrain and carbon front forks. These items were replaced with cheaper componets on the more expensive 2017 Merit 2 model. Bad move by Raleigh marketing, decontenting and raising the price, not good. Anyway, the Merit 2 is a good bike if you can do some price negotiation. Good luck!