| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bicycle manufacturing |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Headquarters | Yuanlin, Changhua, Taiwan |
| Products | Bicycles |
| Website | www.merida-bikes.com |
Merida Industry Co., Ltd (MIC) is a Taiwan based bicycle design, manufacture, and sales company. It was started in 1972 as a small contract shop under a Japanese bicycle parts brand, by current chairman D.H. Ike, Tseng. Merida has expanded to the US and Europe and is now a global player in bicycle design and manufacturing. It was valued at $185 million US in 2007 making it Taiwan's 15th biggest company[1].
Merida manufactured bikes for U.S. brands including Centurion and DiamondBack in the 1990s, and was subsequently known for producing mass-marketed bikes. In later years, Merida has started to work its way into the high-end market with designs such as the Ninety-Six[2].
In 2001, Merida bought 19% of Specialized for a reported US$30 million, although its CEO and founder Mike Sinyard remained majority owner.[3][4] In January 2009, the company issued a voluntary recall on their Freeway CT03 and R3.0 folding bikes. The issue lay in a bad implementation of a patented locking mechanism that would fail when forced.[5]
Merida is a sponsor of the Multivan Merida Biking Team, with athletes such as Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå, and of bicycle racing events such as the TransUK and TransWales mountain bike races.[6]
Merida also manufactures the frames and forks for Halfords' Carrera range of bikes. They also own and manufacture Boardman Bikes.[7]