Merida Crossway 15MD (2019) - Review

The Merida Crossway 15MD (2019) is built on the Techno Formed 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 comfortable riding posture. The Techno Forming System helped process the tubes and mould them in a neat way and make them strong.The SR Suntour NEX front suspension fork comes with a minimal yet smooth 63mm travel. There could have been a suspension lockout for the price of this bicycle.

The Crossway 15MD (2019) has the same gearing setup as its 218 model, with Shimano Tourney as the front derailleur and Shimano Altus as the rear derailleur. These derailleurs were smooth in transmission during the test ride and I did not experience any lags. The quick shifts helped in accelerating with ease. The Shimano EF 5 (3x8) 24-Speed shifters were easy to use in both the thumb and trigger.

The Crossway 15MD which I test rode came in a Titan Grey frame colour with Black as the secondary colour in a few places on the bicycle. The top tube is well designed with sleek tubing. The superior quality matte finish paint job was shiny and enhanced the colour shade immensely.

The JAK-8 Mechanical Disc brakes on the Merida Crossway 15MD (2019) 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 and required only 2 or 3 fingers to engage.The Merida Comp handlebar was 66mm in length and had a slight raise from the middle to give a comfortable riding posture.

The Merida Crossway 15MD rolls on a pair of Stock Merida K1171 hybrid 7x4C tires. These tires were well treaded and at the same time the wheelset was lightweight thanks to its Alexa rims. 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.