MERIDA BIG. NINE XT EDITION

£2,500 Great overall package, with a solid frame and good kit

Merida’s name may not be on the tip of your tongue when thinking about your next bike, but the Taiwanese brand have been big in the XC world for years and their line-up has delivered some impressive performances. The Big. Nine isn’t the most futuristic of XC hardtails, but it has a good on-track feel and a decent kit list.

The frame

The low-slung carbon frame may not have the modern geometry of the Specialized, but the finish is just as good. Cables are routed internally (including ports for a dropper) and kept in tension for a rattle-free ride. There’s protection for the down tube as well as the chainstays. The rear axle has a removable lever (which can be used on the fork axle too); you need to pull this out a little to use it, because otherwise the coweled dropouts foul it, and it then feels a bit wobbly, but caused us no issues.

With a short reach (438mm on the large), 70-degree head angle, 73.5-degree seat angle and 433mm chainstays, the Big.Nine is fairly traditional in shape. The head tube is short enough to get your front end slammed, should you wish.

The kit

A mid-spec RockShox Reba fork props up the front end. The bike benefits from a slick-shifting Shimano XT drivetrain and you also get XT brakes, with an I-Spec integrated clamp for a clean cockpit. Merida provide the bar, stem, seatpost and saddle, and also the rims, which are built onto Shimano SLX hubs and shod with 2.2in Maxxis Ikon tyres. There are no fancy compounds here, but the lowprofile tread rolls quickly enough, they’re a reasonable width and the overall wheel weight is competitive.

The ride

On paper, the Merida doesn’t look as good as it actually is on the trails – especially the geometry figures. But as an all-round package, it comes out swinging. With quick and accurate handling, it makes short work of twistier tracks, where its fairly short length and steeper front end help it navigate round obstacles. When things get rowdier, it doesn’t shine as brightly as the super-composed Specialized, but the Big Nine’s smooth, planted feel on choppy trails did impress us.

The tyres mould better over edges than they do on the Cube or Canyon, aided by the fork and a bit more give in the rear end, so we didn’t feel as nervous hitting technical lines fast and weren’t pinged from side to side in the same way. When it came to