The original 2020 Merida Big Trail started as a collaboration between Merida and UK dealers wanting something more rad than the average trail hardtail. Four years later it’s become available the world over thanks to its mix of mountain bike capability and everyday practicality. Now Merida’s made the geometry even more aggressive to create one of the best hardtail mountain bikes around, a seriously rad ride that’ll kick ass on proper enduro trails while still letting you mount a kickstand for work days.

The Big Trail 600 is for properly big trails, it’s built like an enduro bike with forgiving geometry and a cushty frame

Design and geometry

Before you freak out about the idea of those utility mounts making it look like you’ve borrowed your nan’s shopping bike, rest assured: the kickstand, rack, and full fender fixtures are very cleverly hidden. The only ‘basic’ looking part is the big seat stay gusset that can mount a whale tail rear fender. That’s only a thin plate though and when you look closely at the top quality welding, hollowed out rear dropouts and the flowing hydroformed tube shapes Merida’s metal working mastery is clear to see.

That whale tail rear end isn’t a great look, but it helps make the Big Trail more utilitarian

The big head tube allows the use of Merida’s Wire Port internal brake and gear routing through the Acros headset to keep the main tubes clear and clean. Merida has capitalised on that with relatively slim and shallow, organically shaped top and down tubes. The down tube is long enough to fit two bottle cages on every size with an accessory mount under the top tube. So that’s a 500ml and a 700ml bottle on sizes XS to M, and two 700ml bottles on the biggest sizes, and there’s still space for an accessory mount.

Bosses for two waterbottles on the downtube, and a gear hanger up above

That leaves the oversized seat post straight and clear to take a long travel dropper (200mm on the ‘Long’ size I rode) in the stiff and reliable 34.9mm diameter option. Under the saddle Merida’s also crammed in a multitool too.

There’s only room for a 2.4in rear tyre between the curving rear stays though which is a shame as fatter rear rubber is a nice option on a hardtail that’s begging to be ridden properly hard.

The Big Trails cables are wedged in tightly and the resulting whisper quiet ride is almost eerie

You do get a top chain guide mounted on the ISCG bolts around the bottom bracket though and a 55mm chain line keeps the links clearer of mud on dirty days. Chaotic trail calmness gets another real audial and emotional upgrade from the fully foam sleeved cables inside the mainframe and a dual compound clip on the chainstay guard that even has hollow nodules to further deaden chain whip noise.

Elbowed seatstays looka little quirky, but they help the rear end feel comfy and compliant

While we’re on the subject of detailing, the seat tube clamp is a really neat, crisp, twin band piece that elevates the overall aesthetic more than a basic forged option. Finally the far end of the stays use a distinctive angular ‘elbow’ above the dropouts to give clearance to fit the four pot Shimano brakes on the chainstays rather than seat stays where they could potentially reduce compliance. Do I even have to say it’s UDH too, or is that just expected on new bikes now?

Great standover height from the bike’s low top tube mean you can go up or down a size and it’ll still fit fine

If you’ve been watching what the brand’s done with the Agilometer geometry on the Merida eOne-Sixty 875 Lite then the angles and lengths of the new Big Trail will be less of a surprise. A 64° head tube, 70mm BB drop and 480mm reach are still proper rad for a mass production hardtail rather than a niche cult bike. Merida has been slightly more conservative with its 76.5° seat angle compared to the crazy steep full sus bikes, but it’s still very much a front and centred riding position. If you don’t want a super long stretch then relatively short seat tubes mean you can size down without running into saddle height issues either, hence the use of the Extra Short or Extra Long naming culture rather than the usual Extra Small, Extra Long and so on.

The bike will come with tubes, ask your friendly LBS to switch it to tape and sealant for better puncture protection

Components and build

Merida has matched the radical angles with a more control focused build on the Big Trail too. That headlines with the Shimano XT brakes with a 200mm front rotor connecting to the trail through a 2.5in wide, triple MaxxTerra compound Maxxis DHF tyre. A basic RockShox Pike fork separates them, with 140mm of travel and Shimano hubs on the 30mm internal Merida rims create a sturdy wheelset.

Hassle your Merida dealer to fit the tape, valves and sealant needed to turn them tubeless before you leave the shop though as they aren’t supplied. An EXO+ carcass on the rear Dissector means you might not need an insert unless you’re really getting rowdy in the rocks. Deore gears deliver their usual remarkably smooth and accurate shifting reminder that you don’t need anything fancier. The low cost of replacement reduces the concerns about close passing trailside boulders too. While my test bike came with 170mm cranks, production bikes will have 165mm arms on all sizes but XL which means more ground clearance to compensate for the super low bottom bracket.

Merida’s got the controls spot on, even if the cables are routed via the headset

The rest of the bike is Merida’s own brand which is totally fine. I particularly appreciated the higher rise bars which helps lift the far away front end. The Ergon–ish grips are comfy and the short coffin shaped stem gets matching coffin shaped spacers underneath. Merida has used a fixed length dropper post rather than an adjustable one to save a bit of cash and the lumpy lever mount isn’t the prettiest thing, but the lever action is actually really smooth. The Merida saddle is comfy enough and it comes with that mini tool mounted underneath. The rear axle has a 4mm and 6mm hex head built into it too.

The Big Trail is a singletrack slayer

Ride, handling and performance

While all the detailing and smart spec is important to the overall package, really what should determine whether you put the Big Trail on your shortlist is the ride vibe. And, just as it did on the previous Big Trail 600 we reviewed in 2022, Merida is emanating good vibes, the life and soul of your ride party.

It only took about five minutes into the first ride for the super slack front end to save me. Turning a full facial slam into a self steering emergency press up save when the back end went sideways on a wet root as I abseiled a janky drop in hot pursuit of a full suspension bike.

It’s also a hucker if you get the urge

With that precedent set, the rest of the first ride was all about pushing harder and harder and realising just how much the Big Trail could handle. Handle sounds a bit half hearted, the naturally centralised, feet nearly on the floor planted feeling insists you attack all the sketchy stuff as fast as possible. It totally dominated snaking chutes that I’d been really concerned about rolling into beforehand and it’ll rail a turn like someone has you on a lunge rein.

It’s not just the geo either. Those slim, pressure moulded main tubes set up an excellent blend of traction boosting compliance without worrying twang or wander that could teach many steel bikes a lesson. There’s enough spring and life to really flatter the grip, comfort and smoothness of the base level fork too so I never worried about fully committing the front end into the most random rut, root and rock off piste.

As mentioned previously the higher riser bars help lift the nose off drops or when manualing through ditches too. The seat angle means there’s enough weight over the front to keep the tyre steering and straight on steep scrambles too. It’s a good job production bikes will have shorter cranks though as I had to do a lot of half cranking to stop tapping out on ruts and step sections.

This isn’t a bike built for climbing, but get out the saddle and crank it and you’ll find the grip

Inevitably the rear end also makes things a game of two halves in terms of the amount of abuse coming from the back wheel. That massive seat tube definitely means sitting and pedalling through rough sections can be a jolting, momentum spilling experience. Hover your butt off the saddle though and there was enough give in the stays not to find every old fracture in my ankles even on long, rough descents.

Ultra modern, with short chainstays, a single line from nose to tail and relaxed geo

Backing off 10% on jagged and ragged technical climbs rather than charging bluntly at everything felt like it gave a 30% payback in terms of flow and grip too. I can’t underestimate how calming the quietness of foam wrapped cables, pneumatic chain protector, quiet Shimano rear hub and even the genius spec of rattle free non finned pads in the XT brakes is when things might otherwise feel frantic either. It’s literally like wearing a full face helmet in terms of reducing the acoustic anarchy that automatically spikes anxiety as soon as things start kicking off. It’s a sure sign this is a bike that’s been created and crafted by real riders who understand what a big deal small things can be, not just desk jockeys looking over the shoulders of other brands.