Most people don't realise Merida have owned up to 49% of specialised after a financial bail out from merida some years ago,specialised is a marketing company not a manufacturer,A list of the models merida make for them is online,its pretty extensive, 50% of meridas 3 million bikes a year production is for OTHER brands!!Having read the link Taiwan seems to be the answer. Didn't know they were into Specialized as well.
Beginning to sound like Volkswagen Audi Group version of bike manufacturesMost people don't realise Merida have owned up to 49% of specialised after a financial bail out from merida some years ago,specialised is a marketing company not a manufacturer,A list of the models merida make for them is online,its pretty extensive, 50% of meridas 3 million bikes a year production is for OTHER brands!!
That is exactly what it is! Supplying 77 countries all over the world means very upto date and efficient building and great back up from a network of real dealers,hence there value on the stock exchange of 65 billion Taiwanese dollars.Beginning to sound like Volkswagen Audi Group version of bike manufactures
Not for you I'm afraid,Merida supply to many countries to stray away from shimano!The specialized link would be a turn off for me. Not that I will ever buy a production bike especially with a shimano group set
mine says made in taiwan on it…Correct but Merida UK only source from the Taiwan factory
Production costs are cheaper and easier using 6061, and frames are lighter,and modern designs can be achieved within budget,To provide the market with the volume of quality bikes at there most competitive ever.7005 is eminently suitable for hydroforming. However, the process required is not mass production friendly, and the aging process (typically 5 or 6 hours at 200C and another 5 or 6 at c.350C) takes more.time, and therefore money.
It's a brilliant material for bikes, not such. a good material for a bike manufacturer seeking to maximise profit.
Its not purely done for profit,if the overall bike is a better spec because the maker uses a material that's more cost effective to produce and can guarantee it for life,especially when the more expensive to use 7005 doesn't actually have any real benefitsIndeedy. It's a question of production efficiency and therefore profit, not any inherent shortcoming in the material itself in terms of its ability to make a decent frame.