For the Protective BIKE Four Peaks stage race, we opted for the Taiwanese company's new race bike instead of a hardtail. But strictly speaking, the Merida Ninety-Six A deceptive package, but a positive one. Because on the test bench in the BIKE lab and under race conditions, we were able to tease 100 millimetres out of the firm Monarch shock. That's an extra four millimetres that can be put to optimum use in the saddle: sensitive enough to filter out rough gravel and not overly progressive at the end of the travel. If you tune the suspension tightly with 20-25 per cent SAG, you hardly feel any loss of power even when pedalling fast. If you're riding in the slipstream with the chain on the right over paved tracks or even tarmac, the RS-1 fork and shock have nothing more to say anyway. A click of the thumb on the hydraulic combi-lever almost turns the race bike into a rigid bike. The fact that the racers of the Multivan Merida Biking Team had a say in the geometry can be felt from the very first minute in the saddle. Compared to the Ninety-Nine marathon fully, the top tube has been shortened, but at the same time the reach has been lengthened a little. A slightly slacker head angle, shorter chainstays and a shorter wheelbase ensure that the Ninety-Six is agile around tight bends, but is much more relaxed to steer than the Ninety-Nine. Thanks to the -5-degree stem, however, you don't have to do without a sporty saddle rake. Unfortunately, the lightweight standard wheels, which should reduce the weight of the Team version by around half a kilo, were not yet available on the test bike.
However, the single-speed groupset is where hobby racers really start to sweat during Alpine races. Because if you screw a climbing-friendly crankset onto the cranks, a large gear is missing in the downhill sections - and vice versa.
Test summary of the Merida Ninety-Six
A racy race bike for demanding routes with surprisingly high comfort reserves. However, you need the right thighs to be able to push the 1x11 gear ratio.
Update for 2017 for the Merida Ninety-Six
In the 2016 season, customers waited in vain for the bike, as Merida announced. Restructuring at the production partner prevented the new bike from being launched on time. "We will therefore present the Ninety-Six model year 2017 in early summer and have used the delay to implement some new trends," promised Merida's Head of Development Jürgen Falke. For 2017, the race fully, which Czech rider Ondrej Cink rides in the World Cup, has been given a new asymmetric rear triangle, which should be significantly stiffer. The Boost standard is also used on the rear triangle, which enables shorter chainstays (6 mm) and a stiffer rear wheel. The 2017 models of the Ninety-Six are set to roll into Merida shops from autumn 2016.
PLUS Confident handling, sporty seating position, tidy cockpit with dual remote control
MINUS 1x11 gears too little range for alpine racing
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