jefnvk

+1, just was able to create an account.

Zurichman2

I just set up an account using CYCLE4TAW. You have to type in the 2016 model year to get the best deals. BTW

Drummerboy1975

Does anyone have any other brands corporate discount codes?

Zurichman2

I think the Motobecane's are discounted now on biketiresdirect.

Zman

mstateglfr 

Raleigh and diamondback. Same company. Same password.

jbell_64

Promotive.com has lots of pro-deals if you qualify based on your line of work. LaPierre is on there (same parent company as raleigh and diamondback). There are also accessory companies like Pearl Izumi, crank brothers, wtb, and a couple others.

sfh

I'm going to resurrect this thread from a few months ago to see if any of the Merit 3 riders have some feedback now that you've had a full summer on your bikes.

The Merit is again a great deal on the corporate site, and it's got a geo that will work well for me. I've been looking into a new road bike recently but stopped short of dropping $2200 on All-City Mr. Pink or $1800 on Space Horse Disc. Great bikes, but then I see this Merit 3 for $712, and I think I could learn a lot about road biking with a bike like this.

kcblair

I acquired a Merit 1,in July, and have put 500+ miles. My first modern bike, since 1990. I really like the bike. My first use of STI shifters. Had to ditch the 700x28c tires, for some 700x23c, 150tpi tires. Also, put on a Selle Anatomica saddle and Look peddles. KB

cj19

sfh - saw your question on the Merit 3. I purchased mine during one of those sale periods in December and got it for $750. Have put nearly 2,000 miles on it so far in 2017 so I think I can provide decent feedback. Overall I've been very pleased with the bike and think it would have been a good value at $1,000 or so, and therefore I think it was a steal at $750 and still a very, very good buy at $712 if you can get it for that price. Since you're in decision making mode I'll be as specific as possible...

Positives - the bike has held up very well considering I'm 200+ lbs and put a lot of stress on the bike. I've ridden it every week so far in 2017, including down to temps of 20 deg F, and had no mechanical issues caused by the bike. Shifting with 105 groupset is smooth, especially compared to the other bikes in same price range that I see on my club rides. The disc brakes are excellent, again especially for a big guy like me that rides in all kind of weather. The bike has required only very minimal adjustments, all of which I was able to do easily as a relative newbie. While some would prefer narrower tires than the 700x28s it comes with, I've found those to be a good set up for my size and the varied surfaces in my area.

Negatives - not very many but they would include the stock saddle, which was far too narrow and hard for me even though I had already been riding. I put a Brooks B17 on it and that's been magic. I would say the weakest part of the bike is the stock tires & tubes, which were Clement Strada LGG. I had a flat on my very first ride, which was traced back to a bad tube. Then I had 2 flats in the next month, one of which was from running over a piece of metal and the second a pinch flat related to the first one. At that point I said enough and just put Gatorskins on front and back and I haven't had a flat for the past 1,600 miles. The only mechanical issue I've had was of my own doing; I was replacing a tube while in a hurry and apparently ran the rear thru-axle in too far and couldn't flip the quick release lever. When I tried to back out the thru-axle the lever just spun and the axle wouldn't reverse. Had to take it to LBS and it took them some work to get the axle out. As a precaution we just put a new thru-axle in (total $50) and I chalked that up as a lesson learned due to my own error.

By coincidence, 3 other people in the group I ended up riding with also purchased the Merit 3 during that sale period. Each of them are equal or better riders than I and have had nothing but positive comments about their bike and the purchase. Best wishes to you for your purchase!

Zurichman2

I bought the Raleigh Tamland and no there wasn't any tools in the box. Putting it together was straight forward. I put every thing together but didn't know how to get the front disk brake caliper on so I took it to my local Raleigh shop. They charged me $75 and didn't do much to help me out(didn't adjust the disk brakes). The also charge me a buck or so to add a shim to the front brake to keep it from rubbing. No complaints though. They wanted to charge me $1300 for the bike and Raleigh sold it to me direct for $799 and $48 tax and shipped it direct to my house. It came from the same warehouse that my LBS gets his from.

Zman

Zurichman2

Sorry I didn't see your post asking about the Merit. I can reply on buying from Raleigh. You set up the Corporate account and then they will send you email updates when they have their sales. At my end I bought mine a couple of weeks after Easter and they only had 2 Tamland 1 left in my size 56 cm. I heard they start the sales around Nov. So my good guess is whatever bike you buy off of them will be on sale until they run out of stock. Set up the Corporate account now and you will get the info when they go on sale. Good luck

JonathanGennick 

I bought one of the kids models, and am about to buy another. My take is that the bikes are "bike shop ready" or "enthusiast ready", but a non-enthusiast will encounter some difficulties -- just as you did w/that caliper.

mstateglfr 

Extremely well said. Its shocking how few recognize the benefit of riding a less expensive bike before upgrading...if upgrading is even necessary.
And at the price you will pay, itd be tough to say that bike is anything but a great value.

Ride it for a couple years and sell it for a few hundred less. You will know exactly what you like and dislike to then make an excellent informed decision on your next bike(again, if you even want 'better').

dwg51357

I bought a Merit 2 this spring, and have been very happy with it. I'm just now getting back into road biking, and I only put on 30 or 40 miles on a weekend, so I really didn't need a top-of-the-line bike. The bike was easy to assemble. I've had no problems with it whatsoever.

We bought a Cadent for my son last summer at an LBS in Chicago, and he's been very pleased with it, as well.

We own Trek hybrids, and I have to say, the Raleighs are very comparable in workmanship, in my opinion.

sfh

Hey all, thanks for the replies. I guess I'm not surprised by the feedback on the Merit 3. It looks like it compares favorably to other new bikes in the price range.

NatSherman

Anybody know if 32 tires can fit on Merit 1?