Merida Crossway 15MD (2018) - Review

The Merida Crossway 15MD (2018) is built on the Crossway DT Race Lite 661 aluminium frame. The frame is double butted to provide extra thickness making them both stiff and lightweight. The top tube is inclined and thus makes for a straight riding posture. The techno forming system helped process the tubes and mould them in a neat way and make them strong.The Suntour NEX front suspension fork was just enough to get through the rough patches on urban roads and the occasional speed breakers and potholes on the road.

This hybrid bicycle comes with an entry level Shimano Tourney at the front and Altus at the rear. Even though these are entry-level MTB components they worked smoothly in transmission during the test ride. There was a time during the test ride when I had to climb a steep uphill and required me to lower the gears quickly and it worked well without any lag. The Shimano EF5 24 speed shifters were easy to operate.

The Crossway 15MD that we test rode came in a full blue frame with white graphics. The simple frame geometry and the oversized stem and headset make this bicycle have an upright ride geometry design. The brand name is seen on the frame in multiple places in a legible manner, which looked good. The blue gloss finish pain quality was top notch and shines on bright sunny day.

The Jake mechanical disc brakes on the Merida Crossway 15MD provided accurate and balanced braking on urban roads. These brakes were top notch when it comes to sudden halts in traffic. Jamming of the brakes also felt safe. The brake levers were also at a good position from the handlebar grips.The Merida Speed handlebar was 66mm in length with a slight 3mm rise. This made sure the rider had supreme control over the bicycle and easy to maneuver. The handlebar grips weren’t the best and could have had a little more cushioning.

The Merida Crossway 15MD rolls on a pair of Kenda K124 tires. These tires were well treaded and at the same time the wheelset was lightweight. Even on slightly rough non-tar surfaces these tires rolled over without much difficulty. The Crossway Sport saddle was perfect in shape and also had lined patches on the wide part of the saddle to keep it non-slippery. The overall ride quality was comfortable and fast on urban roads and highways.