Merida Crossway Urban 20D (2018) - Review

The Merida Crossway Urban 2D comes with a full aluminium frame. The Racelite 661 aluminium is used in an exact amount to make sure the frame is both lightweight as well as stiff. The bicycle weighs 13kgs which means that this is a lightweight bicycle and this is mainly because of the impressive techno forming system which helps mould the tubes in an efficient manner. The Urban series of bicycles from Merida come with rigid aluminium forks.

This Crossway Urban 2D (2018) comes with a Shimano Tourney front derailleur and Shimano Acera-X rear derailleur. These derailleurs were smooth in transmission during the test ride. The Acera at the rear was quick and instant in falling into the respective chain ring. The Shimano EF 55 24 speed shifters were easy to use in both the thumb and trigger.

The hybrid bicycle which I test rode came in a full green primary colour with a lighter shade of green in a few places on the frame. The first thing which catches your eye in this bicycle is the shiny gloss paint job. The quality of the paint coating is top notch and makes the bicycle stand out in a crowd. This bicycle comes only in this 1 colour variant.

The stopping power on the Crossway Urban 2D is taken care of by Shimano EF55 hydraulic disc brakes with 16mm centerlock rotors. These hydraulic disc brakes were the best in quality when it comes to braking amidst traffic and also on highways. These brakes were perfectly balanced at the front and back and the Shimano EF55 brake levers was easy to engage using just 2-3 fingers.The Merida Speed 66mm stock handlebar is standard in the 218 Crossway range of bicycles. The wide handlebar also has a slight 3mm rise, which gives the rider a comfortable body position. The ergonomic padded handlebar grips were super comfortable and helped absorb vibrations of the surface.

The Kenda K124 38C wire beaded tires were fast on urban roads and provided enough traction to grip both wet and dry surfaces. Along with Merida aluminium rims, this wheelset was lightweight and that in turn helped ride faster. The Merida Crossway stock saddle was ergonomically designed in size and also had a slightly rough grip patch on the widest parts of the saddle to keep the sit bones in place. The overall ride quality on the Crossway Urban 2D was fast and comfortable on urban roads.