The 2021 Merida Ninety-Six Has Potential

Everyone is demanding more from their bike these days. Gravel bikes look suspiciously like mountain bikes, head tube angles are getting super slackened, and cross country dual-suspension mountain bikes are being tweaked to handle rougher and steeper terrain. Germany-based Merida just announced an updated version of their carbon Ninety-Six short travel full-suspension bike, which they say combines “the climbing and sprinting ability of an XC race bike with a ‘trail-ability’ of a trail bike.”

The Merida Ninety-Six is offered in two configurations: a more classic cross-country (NINETY-SIX RC) or a down-country (NINETY-SIX) setup. The RC models have a 100mm fork in the front, super-fast-rolling tires, and a lighter front brake. The (non-RC) NINETY-SIX models have 120mm in the front, more grippy tires, and a more powerful front brake. Find a summary of what’s new below, followed by a breakdown of the different builds and Merida’s product launch video.

2021 Merida Ninety-Six At a Glance

• P-Flex flex pivot: To save weight and further improve the frame stiffness, Merida have removed the seat-/chainstay pivot point. Instead of a classic bearing, the material properties of the frame allow sufficient flex without having an impact on durability.
• Flat Mount Rear Brake: Due to the lack of a rear pivot point, the Ninety-Six is now equipped with a smaller, and less bulky flat mount rear brake.
• Two Bottle Mounts: Lower seat tube adapter provides room for two large water bottles, without affecting the ability to run long travel dropper posts.
• Additional Mounts: Merida has added an additional mounting point under the top tube for attaching a spare tube, tool, or perhaps a bolt-in custom frame bag.
• Threaded Bottom Bracket: Outbound threaded bottom bracket for easier maintenance.
• Down Country Geometry: Head tube angle slackened by 1.5° (trail version 3°), longer reach, lower bottom bracket and standover height, steepened the seat angle by 1.5 – 2°.

Merida Ninety-Six RC 9000

• Fork: Fox Factory 34 Float, 100mm
• Shock: Fox Factory Float
• Brakes: Shimano XTR
• Drivetrain: Shimano XTR 1×12
• Tires: Maxxis Rekon Race, 29×2.25″
• Wheels: DT Swiss XRC
• Weight: 10.29kg (medium)
• Price: AU $9,999 / ~$7,263 USD

Merida Ninety-Six 8000

• Fork: Rock Shox SID Ultimate, 120mm
• Shock: Rock Shox SIDLuxe Ultimate
• Brakes: Shimano XT
• Drivetrain: Sram GX Eagle, 1×12
• Tires: Maxxis Minion DHR II, 29×2.3″
• Wheels: Reynolds TR 309
• Weight: 11.57kg (medium)
• Price: AU $8,699 / ~$6,318 USD

Merida Ninety-Six RC XT

• Fork: Fox Performance 32 Float, 100mm
• Shock: Fox Performance Elite Float
• Brakes: Shimano XT
• Drivetrain: Shimano XT, 1×12
• Tires: Maxxis Rekon Race, 29×2.25″
• Wheels: Merida Expert CC
• Weight: 11.55kg (medium)
• Price: AU $6,399 / ~$4,648 USD

Merida Ninety-Six RC 5000

• Fork: Rock Shox Reba SL, 100mm
• Shock: Rock Shox SIDLuxe Select+
• Brakes: Shimano SLX
• Drivetrain: Shimano Deore, 1×12
• Tires: Maxxis Rekon Race, 29×2.25″
• Wheels: Merida Expert CC
• Weight: 12.07kg (medium)
• Price: AU $5,599 / ~$4,067 USD

Find all the details and complete builds kits at Merida-Bikes.com.

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