Matej Mohoric's new gravel race bike has been revealed – and it has only 40mm of tyre clearance

The new Merida Mission has been created to bridge the gap between the Silex, an adventurous gravel design with progressive MTB-derived geometry, and the Scultura Endurance GR, an adaptation of the brand's highly regarded endurance bike.

The original Mission CX was a similar crossover bike to the new Mission – a cyclocross racer with all-rounder potential. Merida has set out its new Mission as a crossover design that blends the qualities of an aerodynamic gravel race bike with all-surface ability.

That could make the Mission a smart buy for those who only have space for one bike in their riding life.

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The sweet spot

Matej Mohoric bike — Matej Mohorič's Mission that he rode to bronze at the UCI Gravel World Championships in October. Merida

Merida already has solid contenders at each end of the gravel spectrum. The trail-capable Silex is intended for off-road riding and the Scultura Endurance GR is designed for mixed-surface use, with more emphasis on tarmac than dirt.

Merida has given the new Mission 40mm tyre clearances, compared to the 35mm of the Scultura Endurance and the 45mm of the current Silex.

merida mission — The Merida Mission's tyre clearance is 40mm. Merida

That looks somewhat conservative compared to the trend for USA gravel racers to seek ever larger tyres, going so far as to adopt mountain bike tyres far beyond 40mm, with 50mm becoming the norm.

Merida has kept the clearances modest to maintain the feel of a road bike. That means, compared to the Silex, the new Mission has short 419mm chainstays and a head angle 2.5 degrees steeper at 72 degrees.

FRAME SIZE	XXS	XS	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube [mm]	445	470	490	510	530	560
Top tube [mm]	522	532	543	560	571	586
Chainstay length [mm]	419	419	419	419	419	419
Head tube angle [°]	70	70	71	72	72	72.5
Seat tube angle [°]	74	74	74	73.5	73.5	73.5
Bottom bracket drop [mm]	72	72	72	72	72	72
Head tube [mm]	103	117	126	137	153	178
Fork length [mm]	400	400	400	400	400	400
Reach [mm]	370	377	384	391	398	405
Stack [mm]	529	542	555	569	584	610
Wheelbase [mm]	997	1009	1011	1013	1024	1035
Standover height [mm]	741	764	781	798	816	844

Edit Table

The geometry of the Mission shows its race-ready intentions.

Across the sizes, it has a 20mm+ shorter reach than the Silex (which is designed for short mountain-bike style stems).

The stack height is 15mm lower than the Scultura Endurance and around 40mm lower than the Silex.

merida mission seat stay mounts — The Mission retains mounts for mudguards. Merida

That should make for a very racy position and backs up claims that the new Mission will be the bike of choice for Bahrain Victorious riders competing on gravel next year, after Matej Mohorič took bronze at the UCI Gravel World Championships in October.

Merida Mission seatpost — The combination of aerodynamics and off-road comfort is aimed at bridging the gap between the Silex and Scultura Endurance. Merida

The Mission has a lower bottom bracket than the Silex and Scultura, which Merida claims enhances stability and control away from tarmac, giving the rider the feeling that they are sitting 'in' the bike rather than above it.

Aero advantage

merida mission bar — The new one-piece Team SL carbon bar. Merida

The Mission takes lots of its design cues from the Scultura.

Merida claims the tube profiles give an aerodynamic advantage, and when combined with the new one-piece Team SL GR1P carbon cockpit and low ride position, make for a significantly more aerodynamic ride than either the Scultura Endurance GR or the Silex.

Merida Mission range and pricing details

All the Mission models feature the same CF4 carbon frame and fork; prices range from £2,250 for the 4000 to £7,000 for the 10k.

Merida has assembled some value-packed options across all price points.

At the top end of the range, the Mission 10k, at £7,000, has a mighty specification including full SRAM RED XPLR AXS complete with power meter and Zipp 303 XPLR SW wheels.

Specialized’s equivalent S-Works Crux in RED AXS trim with a power meter and Roval Terra CLX II wheels is nearly £4,000 more at £10,999. Trek’s similarly racy Checkmate SLR9 AXS with RED AXS XPLR, power meter and Bontrager Aeolus RSL 37V wheels is £8,950.

Only Canyon can match Merida on value at the high end. The Grail CFR AXS, with the same groupset and wheel package, is £6,999.

At the entry point to the range, the 4000, which shares the same frameset as the premium 10k, matches Canyon’s Grail CF7 at £2,250. However, the Grail has a carbon frame, two tiers below the CFR.

Whether the impressive pricing and Merida’s design choices are enough to sway buyers away from the current trend towards larger tyre clearances and off-road ability remains to be seen.

However, for most riders, I suspect the Mission may well be all the gravel bike they need. Combine that with a racier feel on tarmac, and in my view, it could be 2026's smartest gravel racing choice.