Merida Scultura Endurance 7000-E

ere’s a little cycling trivia to tell your friends down the pub (if your Tier permits, of course): Merida is the second-largest bicycle manufacturer in the world, behind only Giant. From its factories in Asia it designs and manufactures more than two million bikes a year, mostly for its own brand but also for a good deal of others – Merida owns a 49% share of Specialized, for example, so no prizes for guessing which factories those bikes come from. And its net worth makes it one of the largest companies in Taiwan (where it is headquartered).