Merida Big Trail 400 descending performance
The Big Trail delivers great performance on the descents, excelling on both smooth trail-centre paths and technical natural trails.
Its 140mm Suntour fork and grippy tyre treads offer some composure, while the responsive Tektro M297 brakes deliver impressive capability, albeit lacking the sharp quality of Shimano M200 brakes, for rapid deceleration on challenging sections.
Despite the 29er wheels providing an advantage in navigating small trail imperfections, the overall ride experience was unexpectedly harsh.
The larger hoops effectively minimised occasions of the rear wheel stalling on roots and rocks compared to its 27.5in counterparts. However, the pronounced jarring sensation throughout the body was more noticeable, highlighting a less forgiving ride compared to the smoother Rockrider AM100 with smaller wheels.
The size medium’s 600mm effective top tube and conservative 435mm reach provided ample room to position the body freely during turns without any sense of confinement.
But the figures underscore the tendency of Big Trail frames to be undersized. We suggest evaluating the geometry before buying to ensure you’re riding the right size frame; don’t just purchase your usual size without checking first.
On the blue and red trail-centre routes, the Merida performed flawlessly. Again, despite my 5ft 3in stature, the size-medium geometry enabled me to maintain control on the smooth, flowing turns and tabletops.
The only drawback of opting for the bigger frame was not being able to use the full 150mm of seatpost travel. The 125mm dropper fitted to the small would have been more suitable, showing a disparity between the bike’s geometry and specs.
The once smooth action of the dropper deteriorated after one wet, muddy ride, suggesting it needed a service and raising concerns about its long-term durability.
This contrasted with the Calibre Line T3’s KS dropper post, which avoided this issue during a three-month test.
Aesthetic concerns include evident heel rub on the chainstay after just one ride. Closer inspection reveals the Big Trail’s rear-triangle design, with rearward chainstays flaring outward to 18.5cm width, causing repeated heel scraping.
The aesthetically conscious may wish to protect their frames with heli-tape or similar.
Transitioning to natural and moderately technical trails, the sense of control experienced in the bike park was somewhat diminished.
This could be attributed to the tall bottom bracket height, measured at 308mm, and 641mm high stack creating a ‘perched-on-top’ sensation.
To put it in perspective, the Rockrider has a lower bottom bracket height, sitting at approximately 295mm when weighted.