Merida Speeder 10 vs Reid Original City Commuter Bike

Lpaulatsydney on 25/12/2021 - 16:50

Hi Ozbargainers,

I'm looking for a bike to cycle with my 6 years old boy, so a cheap one would be sufficient. But also want to ensure the money I put is worthy, rather than buying cheap rubbish.

After some research, two bikes under $500 are on my list.

Merida Speeder 10, the brand is decent, which ensures the quality, but I assume there is some surcharge put on the brand.
https://www.99bikes.com.au/merida21-speeder-10-v-matt-black-…

Reid Original City Commuter Bike, a local Australian brand that we can support, and I like the color meanwhile it's a bit cheap. But according to the review on Internet, not good for Reid, and this is the cheapest product for Reid's hybrid bike, which could be more problematic.
https://www.reidcycles.com.au/collections/hybrid-commuter-bi…

Any thought or recommendation would be apprecaiated. thanks.

Best regards,
Paul

Sports & Outdoors

Comments

  • Euphemistic on 25/12/2021 - 18:11
    +1

    There’s not a lot of difference between them. The biggest is the triple chainring and front derailleur in the Merida while the Reid only has a single chainring. So it’s 21 gears vs 7. Probably not an issue unless you climb mountains.

    They are both fairly simple bikes, not a lot to go wrong.

    Think I’d pick the Reid for riding with the kids due to he cost saving, but I’d want the extra gears of the Merida if I wanted to commute on it.

    • paulatsydney on 25/12/2021 - 18:14

      Thanks so much for your advice.

      • Euphemistic on 25/12/2021 - 18:46
        +1

        Forgot to add, when the price is similar the specs are likely to be very similar, better X on one bike but better Y on the other.

        Ultimately you need to want to ride it, so fit and feel is most important. If both fit and feel OK, pick your favourite colour.

        • paulatsydney on 25/12/2021 - 19:00

          Actually, the RRP is not very similar.

          The Reid one RRP is $399.99, while the Merida one RRP is $619 and there is a 20% discount for now. So does it mean the Merida one is much better and reliable in terms of Spec? I compare carefully in detail, but really a newbie to this area, so can't figure it out.

          • Euphemistic on 26/12/2021 - 05:47
            +1

            @paulatsydney: the components are still very similar. I didn’t notice before, the Merida has an alloy frame. This will make little difference in real world terms, maybe a little lighter but nothing significant.

            I couldn’t get the Reid specifications to open up, If the Merida has alloy bars and seatpost and the Reid has steel, I’d go for the Merida. Steel is fine, but after a while (quite a while) they will start to show signs of rust. It’s only a cosmetic thing really, I’ve ridden 40yo bikes with steel components that are still fine.

  • fossilfuel on 25/12/2021 - 20:26
    +1

    I've had my Reid bike for nearly 8 years. With good care and maintenance, it still rides well. Some people criticise Reid for subpar quality parts but I think they're fine. I had to replace parts due to normal wear and tear.

    However, the deal for the Merida is quite good, their parts are probably higher quality and it looks nicer. I would go for the Merida but also buy the 99 Bikes Gold membership to save you another $15 ($35 for gold membership but you get a $50 discount on the bike) totalling $480 for the bike.

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