# My Trek XO 2 - Giant TCX 1 - Merida CX 5 Comparison.....



## rearviewmirror (Aug 20, 2008)

Due to unforeseen delays in my Ellsworth Roots build I've decided to buy an off the shelf CXer to hold me over for a couple of seasons until hydraulic discs find their way into CX bikes. Below is my specs comparison that others might find useful, from a price to spec perspective the Giant wins hands down. The saving grace of the Merida is its Ultegra drivetrain and heavily discounted run out price. With an RRP of the $2499 it would be on the losing end. A co-worker had just purchased one, it's a well done bike, I wouldn't hesitate at the discounted price. The Giant can be had for $1350, I am NO Giant fan, but a full Rival groupset is quite impressive at this price point. For the money saved on the bike, a nice set of racing tubulars could be purchased or some lighter bits like stem, seatpost, and handlebars. I don't really have time to ride all of them, I took a spin on the Merida, it's seems nice and flickable, same with the Giant. From a price comparison perspective I should have spec'd the Trek XO 1, but with it's Apex drivetrain and other lower end bits it wouldn't be in good company with the Giant and Merida. So what do you lot reckon? Based on the information below, what would you do? Also, I have thought about a Cross check and some other steel bikes, I wouldn't mind one, but this isn't the end all of CX, it's just a bike to fill a gap for a couple years as we watch CX grow (or not) in VIC. It'll also be a gravel grinder bike and a You Yangs bike when reopened.


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## theextremist04 (Jan 23, 2009)

The Trek is probably out because of the price...there's no reason to spend twice the price of the Giant for almost the same bike. Personally, I like SRAM over Shimano for 'cross, but honestly, the last two are fairly similar, depending on geo and your drivetrain preferences.


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## Guymk (Mar 27, 2009)

Definitely the Giant Value wise. The Trek is way overpriced and the merida can't compete with the spec of the giant.


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