Merida Mission Gravel as a road bike

The carbon frame is drawn extremely slim and feels much closer to a sporty granfondo road bike than to a typical gravel bike. The tube shapes are clearly designed for efficiency: high bottom-bracket stiffness, a precise rear end and a front section that conveys a lot of steering precision.

On the road this immediately translates into the riding experience. On acceleration the Mission feels surprisingly explosive. Especially when you accelerate out of corners or attack small crests, you quickly notice how much stiffness is in the frame. The bike responds directly to every pedal stroke and in that moment actually feels more like an endurance road bike than a classic gravel bike.

Riders who are more at home on the road will feel right at home. The Mission conveys that familiar feeling of direct power transfer without coming across as nervous or twitchy.

Another point that makes the Mission so versatile is the possible gearing. The platform is designed for both classic 2x road setups and 1x gravel drivetrains.

With a compact 2x gearset you easily have sufficiently long gears for fast road sections or Alpine descents. At the same time there’s enough reserve for steep ramps or long gravel climbs. But even with the SRAM 1x13 group the gear range is absolutely practical.

Anyone who rides mostly alone or in small groups will get along perfectly with the single-ring groupset. Only those who regularly ride in larger road racing groups or put great value on always hitting exactly the optimal cadence will enjoy the 1x13 slightly less in the long run.

If you know your use profile before buying, you can choose the setup accordingly — and you’ll get a drivetrain that’s not only really fast on asphalt but also works excellently off-road.

Because a clean, quietly running chain makes the difference especially in predominantly road use, Baranski’s wax magic comes into play again.

Baranski's Formula S-Ceramic chains with Dryfluid are recommended for anyone looking for a chain that's already pre-waxed. Absolute low friction and optimal shifting behavior out of the box, without a break-in. Another plus, especially for high-mileage riders and in wet conditions: this lubrication holds up here even better than previous products.

Another advantage of this product is that the wax mixture, once applied, is somewhat softer than with all other suppliers. The initial settling and break-in of a freshly waxed chain, as known from other products, is eliminated. Reviews with various testers, including Christoph Strasser, on different bikes with frequently high — and sometimes very high — torque (keyword: e-bike), both on- and off-road, have shown: lubrication intervals well over 1,000 km are not uncommon. Of course — depending on external conditions — this treatment will eventually be exhausted; however, it generally lasts significantly longer than all competing products based on paraffin, molybdenum, and tungsten disulfide.

Even though the chain looks as if it has been treated with white Teflon powder, that is not the case here: DryFluid Formula S Chain-Ceramic is PTFE-free. The intense white coloration is based on the active ingredient of the new development — the Chain-Ceramic. The flakes that initially fall off, as with all other hot-wax products, are harmless, and the waxes used in this lubricant are even food-grade.

So, and what do you do when the lubrication audibly gives up? When metal is rubbing on metal? Then you simply top up with the DryFluid Bike chain lubricant in liquid form. Since it’s from the same maker, it largely contains the same active ingredients, but with alcohol as the carrier instead of wax. It’s best not to do this immediately before a ride, but to allow enough time for it to evaporate. You should rotate the chain backwards and select a gear that puts the chain at as steep an angle as possible so the liquid can run everywhere as the plates and pins spread. Another advantage of DryFluid Bike: it’s extremely economical. You don’t have to drown the chain in the white liquid; one drop per roller is enough. Ideally you simply wipe away any excess surface lubrication after the first 50 kilometers. This can then be repeated as needed, and the chain will be running in the same DryFluid ecosystem and happy for the rest of its life.

What is particularly surprising about the Mission is the frame stiffness. Many gravel bikes deliberately prioritize comfort more and thereby lose a bit of directness.

The Mission takes a different approach. The stiffness in the bottom-bracket area is more reminiscent of a high-end road bike. Especially during intense accelerations or when you accelerate out of the saddle, you notice that hardly any energy is lost, which makes the bike feel incredibly efficient. Long stretches of tarmac are ridden almost automatically faster because the bike accelerates so well and holds speed effortlessly.

This characteristic makes the Mission particularly exciting for riders who race gravel or do fast training laps.

In Merida's portfolio, the Mission sits pretty much exactly between two familiar worlds.

On one side is the Silex, a very robust gravel and bikepacking bike that also feels at home in really rough terrain; on the other the Scultura Endurance, a classic gran-fondo road bike for long, fast miles on asphalt.
The Mission sits right in the middle. It takes much of the sporty road DNA of the Scultura, while at the same time bringing the tire clearance and versatility of a gravel bike.

In the end it becomes exactly what many riders are actually looking for: a bike that can, in practice, effortlessly take on the role of two bikes.

Intended use: Gravel racing