Description

Down-country oriented lightweight carbon full suspension frame with 120mm FOX 34 Float SC fork, Reynolds carbon wheelset, Shimano XT 1 x 12 drivetrain and Shimano XT hydraulic disc brakes.

Meridas mountain biking history is long and illustrious, the Multivan Merida Biking Team dominated XC and marathon racing for many years. Pro racer Ralph Naef spearheaded the original Ninety-Six project; a lightweight full suspension bike and rode it to a silver medal at the World Champs at Fort William a week after it was launched.

Today’s XC, marathon and stage race courses have become much more demanding. Theres also a growing number of riders looking for Down-country bikes combining the climbing and sprinting ability of a lightweight XC race bike with the ‘trail-ability’ of a trail bike. So the new Ninety-Six is a super modern cross country race bike. Modern, in this case, means that it is much more downhill capable than its predecessors. Available in 2 variants; RC for full on XC racing and for down-country riders non RC models have 120mm front forks, grippier tyres and more powerful front brake. To improve the downhill performance, the head angle is slacker, the reach longer and the bb and stand over height are lower. All these changes make the bike more stable and there is more space to manoeuvre on the bike. The seat angle is made steeper to allow greater pressure on the pedals. The new Ninety-Six leverage ratio is more progressive. The higher ratio at the beginning of the travel makes the suspension sensitive to small impacts, and the progression gives it great support in the mid-travel. The new P-FLEX system means there is no seat / chainstay pivot point, which saves weight, improves stiffness. The properties of carbon and the leaf-spring-like frame design allow sufficient flex without having an impact on durability.

Highlights

Lightweight CF4 carbon frame
FOX Float DPS Performance Elite shock and FOX 34 Float SC 120mm fork
Reynolds TR309/289 carbon wheelset with Maxxis Minion DHR II tyres
Shimano XT 1 x 12 transmission with Race Face Next R crank
Shimano XT hydraulic disc brakes
Dropper post
Frame
CF4 carbon – down country geometry, internal cable routing, long seat post insert depth. Boost axles standard, threaded BB, 2 bottle mounts and trail mount, max tyre width 29 x 2.3

Shock
FOX Float DPS Performance Elite; remote lockout

Fork
FOX 34 Float SC Performance Elite; Air; 120mm travel; Tapered; Remote lockout; 44mm fork offset; Max. tyre size: 29 x 2.4

Gears 12
Shifters
Shimano XT; Multi Release

Rear Derailleur Shimano XT RDM8100 Shadow+ 12
Bottom Bracket BB, BSA 73mm– Ø30mm, Ext. Seal
Chain
Shimano XT

Chainset Race Face Next R; 32 tooth chainset. Crank length: 170mm (S), 175mm (M,L,XL)
Cassette Shimano XT; 10-51 teeth; 12 speed
Brake Lever
Shimano XT

Front Brake Shimano XT; 4 piston hydraulic disc brake caliper with Shimano RT-MT800; 180mm rotor
Rear Brake Shimano XT M8110; 2 piston; flat mount hydraulic disc brake caliper with Shimano RT-MT800; 160mm rotor
Grip
RockShox TwistLoc grip

Handlebar Merida Expert CC; aluminium; 760mm wide; flat
Stem Merida Team CC II; aluminium; 31.8mm diameter; -8 degree rise. Stem length: 60mm (all sizes)
Headset Merida 8151 1-1/8-1.5 cartridge bearing
Pedal Not Included
Saddle
Merida Expert SL; V-mount; including Merida minitool

Seatpost Merida Expert TR; 30.9mm diameter; in-line; Drop: 125mm (S), 150mm (M), 170mm (L/XL)
Wheel Size 29
Rims Part of wheelset – Reynolds TR 309/289 XC; 30/28mm inner rim width; carbon; Tubeless ready (tubeless tape and valves included); Lifetime warranty
Spokes Part of wheelset
Front Hub Part of wheelset – Reynolds TR 309/289 XC; 110x15mm; Center lock
Rear Hub Part of wheelset – Reynolds TR 309/289 XC; 148x12mm; Center lock; Shimano 12 Speed; Merida Expert TR axle with removable lever, 6/4mm allen key
Front Tyre Maxxis Minion DHR II; 29 x 2.3; Kevlar bead, folding; TR EXO 3C MaxxTerra
Rear Tyre Maxxis Minion DHR II; 29 x 2.3; Kevlar bead, folding; TR EXO 3C MaxxTerra