Women's first road bike recommendation. Merida? Halford's 13? Other? Advice needed

I don't have any experience of any of those brands, however, a friend was very impressed with her Merida.

If you're brave enough to go second hand, you can get a lot more bike for your money. Even a couple of them, for that amount. 

Size will be crucial to your enjoyment - at 5'4", you should probably be looking at a 48cm/women's small/unisex XS, and maybe changing the stem to get a better fit. Don't go for the wrong size even if it's a massive bargain. 

I would underspend on the bike, and save some cash for upgrading the tyres, brake pads, saddle, buying decent mudguards, etc.

It's probably worth contacting your local cycling clubs - someone within the club may be selling a suitable bike, or can give your advice about buying locally.

Good luck.

My wife has a 13 Lamda and thinks it's great. The spec is all that you'll need to start out and the frame is good enough that upgrading the drivetrain and wheels is worth doing in the future. She uses it mainly for commuting and for rides with me when we can offload the kids at weekends, so the point about no mudguard and rack fixing points is irrelevant as she just bungs a change of clothes in a rucsac and goes. Plus there was a very positive review on here the other day of a set of clip-on mudguards which cost about £40 (approx 60 euro).  Recommended as a first road bike.

Actually sorry - just read the spec on that Halfords bike properly - it's excellent value for money and the one I'd go for out of the three.

The 1000 Euro model is a big step up in quality of components, and worth the extra in my opinion. You'll find club riders all over the world riding similarly specified bikes.

Every major manufacturer has women's bikes at this price point. Trek, Specialized, Giant, etc. If the Merida is the one you like the best, go for it and enjoy.

Out of the three I'd probably go for the 13 at that price. Better spec than the Juliet 100. Juliet 300 lower spec than both.

13 is an in-house Halfords brand whereas Merida are a very large Taiwanese manufacturer (most frames are built in Taiwan for most brands). Merida likely to be better quality but not twice as good given the price difference. 

If you're planning on commuting are you going to be riding in all weathers? If so make sure that you get a frame that can take permanent mudguards. Most road bikes will take clip on guards but they don't offer as much protection as a set of permanents.

As to alternatives I was going to suggest a Decathlon B'Twin Triban (520 or 540) but they seem really expensive compared to UK prices.