The Bike

2004 Merida Matts Special Edition Disc. Pictured on the Melbourne Museum forecourt. The bike is only a month or two old in this photo and hasn't been anywhere near anything even remotely resembling a dirt road. The Maxxis 26 x 2.1 MTB knobbies that came with the bike as standard have been replaced by Continental SportContact 26 x 1.6 slicks for city riding and commuting. These tires are great - sticky and confidence inspiring (although you wouldn't think that by looking at the almost treadless casings). Disc brakes - Shimano Deore BR-M525 - are great, too. First time I've had a bike with them and I can't fault them - plenty of feel, work well in the wet, allow rapid controlled stops, etc.