choice of bikes, but which one

[Pale Rider]

The Boardman has a 'stylish one piece handlebar and stem' which may limit adjustment although I'm not familiar with it.

The dropped seat stays can make fitting a carrier more fiddly.

Not much in it, but I'd prefer the Merida for its mountain triple and more traditional construction.

 

[MichaelW2]

Cycling with rim brakes as I did for most of my commuting career you do just feather the brakes to dry them off then they work ok, otherwise you have a rotation or 2 until the brakes bite. That is fine until a rare wet emergency brake. With disks you dont need to "just do" anything. I used to ride old 1970s steel road bike with downtube friction levers. Now I like to take advantage of modern tech for easy fuss free riding around town.
Personally I prefer 8 speed to 9. 8 is enough and the chain is easier to work with.