Potholed roads and rough tracks are the Speeder 300's natural habitat. The AL-C IV aluminium frame and aluminium fork give you the same clean, internally routed platform as the rest of the range, with clearance for tyres up to 700 x 50c and fittings for a rack, mudguards and a kickstand. Schwalbe G-One Comp tyres in 45mm come as standard, a fast rolling tread that still finds grip when the surface turns to loose gravel.

The drivetrain is where this one parts company with the 200. A single 42 tooth chainring and one shifter run a Shimano CUES U6000 rear derailleur across a 10-50 cassette, so you get an 11 speed spread wide enough that nothing is really off limits, with only one lever to learn. The cassette is Linkglide, which uses thicker, more durable sprockets than standard Shimano gearing and is worth having if you ride through winter. Shimano MT200 hydraulic discs stop it, and the Comp SL II rims are tubeless ready with a 23mm internal width.

Features

• AL-C IV aluminium frame with internal cable routing and tapered head tube
• Speeder AL tapered aluminium fork
• Shimano CUES U6000 1x11 drivetrain, 42 tooth chainring with 10-50 Linkglide cassette
• Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes, 2 piston
• Schwalbe G-One Comp 45mm tyres, 700c
• Merida Comp SL II tubeless ready rims, 23mm internal width, on Shimano QC300 hubs
• Merida Expert CC 680mm bar with 10mm rise
• Merida Comp SL saddle using 25% recycled material
• Mounts for rack, mudguards and kickstand
• Clearance for 700 x 50c tyres