Merida Ninety-Six Review | A Brilliant XC Bike With Two Distinct Personalities

[@michielfleerackers8517]

Hi Will. I have been fanatically reading and watching tests of surfboards, cars , motorcycles and mountainbikes for 25 years ( think 10 magazines at any given moment in 4 different languages) and I personally think your reviews are the best I have ever read. The balance you strike between fun, info, critical personal opinion and especially the huge amount of comparison is brilliant. They are the first reviews ever that have all answers I can think of answered while having a good time watching. Many thanks!

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Wow, thank you so much for the feedback Michiel! Awesome to hear you're digging what we do - there's a tonne of time and energy that goes into testing, shooting, writing and editing these reviews, so we're stoked that you're enjoying them! [Wil]

[@michielfleerackers8517]

@@FlowMountainBikeKZbin it shows!

[@dylangrigg]

100% agree with all the comments. Great balance and info really enjoy watching this cos I’m never getting a leg over my own 10k treadly

[@core-i7413]

I don't have the 2021, I have the 2018 version with some modifications to it and it's an amazing model. It goes fast on the up hills, and bombs on the downhills.

[@joew7677]

A tremendous review as always with great depth and riding shots. Loving the evolution of the hair as well, Will!

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Right on Joe, appreciate the feedback mate, and glad you're digging the do! [Wil]

[@trentvlak]

This ghetto lockout is the exact same experience with my "german engineered" Focus o1e with the Rockshox Monarch XX and RS-1 hydraulic lockout. Locket lever was horrible to use, and it lost pressure over a few weeks time forcing a re-bleed. I had the shock rebuilt, replaced the switch, replaced the shock, then had the fork rebuilt. Same problem. It's $9800 wall hanger now....I think I'm going to frisbee it off a bridge into a lake for closure.

[@jaymueller2418]

Looks fantastic. A bit heavy for an all singing and dancing xc flagship. Great reviews, as always.

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

It's worth noting that the total bike weight would be very close to 10kg with a rigid seatpost. The stock Transfer is quite heavy at 569g for the post on its own, plus 107g for the remote and cabling. So you'd be looking at a 450-500g weight reduction by going to a rigid carbon post. Still, I'm glad Merida had the gumption to spec a dropper on every Ninety-Six model, and I'd love to see more brands taking that risk with their XC bikes. Perhaps we'll see some lighter weight, shorter-travel options from Fox & RockShox to better suit XC race bikes? [Wil]

[@MrCaiofern]

this bike looks soooooooo good

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Agreed - Merida's designs have improved significantly the past few years, both aesthetically and functionally. [Wil]

[@RomanE_____]

Riding RC version of this bike over a year now, so happy with it 🤗 I threw away that rubbish twislock and installed DT Swiss lockout instead))

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

That sounds like an excellent upgrade! I think the Merida Ninety-Six is a heavily underrated bike, particularly given how much cheaper it is than an Epic or Supercaliber. Glad to hear you're digging it! [Wil]

[@matube73]

I rushed out and ordered my 96 8000 in June. It's currently due to arrive in late April 2022 but this date keeps moving outwards. If you watch this now and you want one I suspect you have zero chance. Unless I'm mistaken. Good review.

[@matube73]

Ordered 96 8000 June 2021 Original delivery due Nov 2021 Revised delivery due ..2023.. 😫

[@kmmui9671]

@@matube73 serious? i assume you're still waiting for your bike? Any good news?

[@matube73]

@@kmmui9671 I was told a month ago that it's now coming in early 2023. I said no, cancelled the deal and bought a Canyon Lux trail CF8. It arrived in 2 weeks. BUT. To add insult to injury. The bike shop that took my $1400 deposit won't give me my money back. I'm angry now.

[@kmmui9671]

@@matube73 oh dear thats terrible news i hope you get it sorted out. On the bright side i hope you're happy with your Lux Trail CF8. i wanted to get that the Lux but they were out of stock 2 months ago. Couldn't wait and settled for a Giant Anthem Advanced Pro 1 2021 instead

[@matube73]

@@kmmui9671 thanks for your concern bro. As it happened, I got my money back yesterday with persistent nagging and never lost my cool at them. CF8 is working out okay I hope your enjoying your ride. Shred it bro, and I wish you good fortune.👋

[@tamasvarga67]

Awesome detailed review!

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Thanks Tamas, cheers for watching and for the feedback! [Wil]

[@scottw4538]

Hey great video, I found it really useful. I am actually a little interested in buying the RC 5000 version, but your comments about the problem with the suspension lockout device on the bar has put me off a bit because I don't want to have that problem. Do you think that a piece of tyre tube cut out and wrapped around the bar under the lockout twist grip would work to pack it out a bit and provide some grip so the housing doesn't slide around?

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Hey there Scott, thanks for watching the video review! According to Merida and SRAM/RockShox, the problem we encountered with the TwistLoc remote is due to a tolerance issue from manufacturing. We're told that not all TwistLoc remotes are affected, and if you do have an issue, it will be rectified under warranty. Still, we've not had a good track record with the remotes we've come across. If you did have an issue with a TwistLoc that was slipping, a small piece of tyre tube would actually be too thick to fit between the bar and the clamp. You'd need something a lot thinner, like plumbing tape. It's also worth trying some carbon grip paste to increase friction between the two surfaces. Hope that helps! [Wil]

[@oskarstaudte]

Two videos in two days :DDDD

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Yieeeeewwww! Hope you enjoy Oskar!

[@oskarstaudte]

@@FlowMountainBikeKZbin Always!!

[@oliverburke3743]

Hi Will. If you had one bike that you cold do XC races on but also was capable enough for tamer trail duties as well. What would it be. This bike, Epic Evo? any other suggestions / favourites. Cheers. Oli

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Good question Oli! I really dig the Ninety-Six 8000, and it'd be a great option for the type of riding you've described. There are some key differences between this and the Epic EVO, which you can check out in the full review here: flowmountainbike.com/tests/merida-ninety-six-8000-review-2021/ The other bike worth checking out would be the Trek Top Fuel, though I've not ridden one of those personally. We're also hoping to get our hands on the new Santa Cruz Blur once it finally arrives in Oz, as that bike looks like a ripper too! [Wil]

[@oliverburke3743]

@@FlowMountainBikeKZbin Cheers Dude. Yeh the blur TR looks cool. Just about to sell my Ripley for one of these. Love the Ripley just want something lighter that I can race some XC on

[@jamesmacca3935]

Can you please review the 2021 merida one forty 600, I am extremely interested in this bike but can't find any definitive opinions on it

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Hi there James! The Merida One-Forty platform hasn't changed since it was introduced. We've previously tested a One-Forty and found it to be a great bike - check out the review here; flowmountainbike.com/tests/merida-one-forty-800-review/ [Wil]

[@sonnybocalajr.725]

If I have the budget to get the RC 9000 I'd upgrade the fork to the new fox 34 SC 120mm.

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

That'd be a sweet way to go for sure Sonny - I like your thinking! [Wil]

[@karlasolano7794]

How many sprockets

[@lucasando1]

Why 4 caliper break on the front and 2 calipers break on the rear? Woudn't be the opposite a better option?

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Generally speaking, you want more power on the front brake, as most of your bodyweight is pushed onto the front wheel when you're descending. That's why you'll see bike companies putting bigger rotors on the front, and in some cases, a bigger 4-piston calliper. [Wil]

[@lucasando1]

@@FlowMountainBikeKZbin thank's for answering that. Sometimes when I'm descending my rear two-piston caliper overheat and also cause some fading, so I was considering to install a 4-piston caliper on my bike because of that. I guess the problem is not on break or bike, but the rider lol

[@magnusc]

Can I buy a SID 120mm travel fork and use on the RC-9000-model or does the Fox inverted lockout put a stop to that? Do you know why does Fox do the lockout inverted?

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

You could, but the fork would be the opposite to the shock. So you'd have the fork unlocked while the shock is locked out - not ideal! If you already owned a RC 9000 and wanted to put a 120mm fork on it, you have two options; - Put a Fox 34 SC on the front - Put a SID on the front AND change the rear shock configuration to match You could sent the shock to Fox and they can reverse the lockout configuration to make it push-to-lock. That would then match the SID fork. However, I understand this is not a simple process, and as such it can be quite expensive. As for the reason behind the push-to-unlock configuration; from what I understand, using this configuration offers a mechanical advantage in terms of the spring force for activating the lockout in the fork and shock. The result is a much lighter lever feel when locking out out the suspension. Hope that helps explain! [Wil]

[@magnusc]

@@FlowMountainBikeKZbin Thank you. Very well explained. Must say Fox is making it really hard for me to not hate them for doing this.

[@heinrichbroodryk356]

Honestly think fox were being complete clowns when they did that. Say for eg you are doing a 100 mile race and your fox goes, now you are stuck on a complete rigid bike for the next 100km

[@magnusc]

@@heinrichbroodryk356 Yes. And with the horrible reliability of their lock out (on step cast forks) this is definitely going to be a big issue.

[@heinrichbroodryk356]

@@magnusc tell me about it, have been through a few of those levers over the past 2 years

[@lfreschimtb]

I have had the same issue with my lockout, is there a way to fix it other than getting a new setup?

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Which bike do you have Louis? And is your issue with the fit of the TwistLoc? Or is it locking out on its own? [Wil]

[@lfreschimtb]

@@FlowMountainBikeKZbin just got the new 96 9k 🤩, I've got both issues but the locking out on it's own is the more problematic one.

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Bummer to hear you're having the same TwistLoc frustrations Louis! I spoke to some fellow bike testers and a sponsored racer who have encountered the auto-locking issue with the Merida Ninety-Six RC, and I have heard of some Santa Cruz Blur TR and YT Izzo owners (which also pair a TwistLoc remote to a Fox push-to-unlock fork & shock) experiencing the same problems. So I don't believe it's an isolated issue. As for fixing it, it could very well be a tolerance issue with the TwistLoc remote, so potentially a replacement would help. I did try a 2nd TwistLoc remote on our test bike though and it was exactly the same :-/ It may be worth having a chat with your Merida dealer about the problem, and to see if they have a potential solution. It's worth getting it sorted one way or another, because this is a fabulous bike. Good luck Louis! [Wil]

[@JZMartinez]

@Flow Mountain Bike Is there a reason why Merida isn't sold in the USA? Great video and Cheers!

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Thanks John, cheers for the feedback! And good question about Merida not being sold in the US - I'm sure there's a reason behind it, but I'm not too sure why that is. I'll see if we can find out. [Wil]

[@mudbutton2]

@@FlowMountainBikeKZbin Merida make some of Specialized's frames I believe and have an agreement with them not to sell their own brand in the US.

[@dangiles6453]

I checked a month ago and no stock until October Anyone have an update on supply?

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

I heard the same thing yesterday when I dropped the Ninety-Six test bikes off at our local Merida dealership. I'm not sure if there's already been a delivery of stock earlier this year though - it may be worth calling a few dealers to see if that's the case, and if anyone has physical stock on the shop floor. Good luck! [Wil]

[@matube73]

I ordered my 96 8000 in June. The arival date in Aus was Nov 1st this year, it has since been moved out to Mar 23 next year.😔. Im worried that i will never see it. I have since turned down other options. 10.5 months wait. If it gets extended again it would be extremely dissapointing. Great review.

[@chairmanmeow1875]

Hello internet???? What about the frothers?

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Hey this is a serious review on a serious XC bike - sometimes you gotta keep a lid on the froth 😂

[@FernandoSanchoDominguez]

Tiene muy buena pinta!!!!

[@panhaveng6788]

Watching the bike reviews i can never afford -_-

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

How about I keep testing the bikes I can't afford if you keep watching the videos Panha? [Wil]

[@Hardcaslte]

So that Rockshox lockout handle is 2 for 2 on the failure scale. YT Izzo it didn't work, and now on these bikes it doesn't work.

[@trentvlak]

And the hydraulic one on the Focus o1e doesn't work. 0/3, total crap company.

[@dalescott3942]

Awesome!

[@pilpelpilpel5991]

looks like the Orbea Oiz

[@trentvlak]

btw, you can pay big $$$ for the oiz/ninety-six/hei hei or just get a open mold FM-06, basically identical for 1/4 the price. These big name brands are going to disappoint you, so why not just be disappointed for half the price?

[@user-ov7sx5ur6u]

Looks like epic.

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Or does the Epic look like the Ninety-Six? Merida have had the Ninety-Six in the range since 2008, and the original bike had a similar suspension layout with a top tube-mounted shock with a swing link. At the time, the Specialized Epic still had its rear shock down between the seatstay/chainstay. It wasn't until the next year that Specialized moved the shock up to the top tube. Aesthetics aside, the performance on the trail between the Epic and Ninety-Six is quite different. [Wil]

[@user-ov7sx5ur6u]

@@FlowMountainBikeKZbin awesome. I’m a roadie. Trying to get into xc races next year. I’m looking into canyon Lux , I’m 179 cm with 79 inseam but canyon suggested size small. Is that right ? Also the wait time for canyon is so long. Is there anyway Regular consumer can get it faster.

[@TheLelol]

i'm a little bit shocked by the rock shox remote twister. Why on earth does it not clamp proberly? Every engineer student does better in the first year on university!

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

I've had mixed experiences with the TwistLoc - solid on a couple of bikes, slightly loose on a couple of others. The tolerances appear to be quite fine and very dependent on the bar it's mounted to. We have heard of riders experiencing issues with the TwistLoc on other bikes though, so it could very well be a production problem with a certain batch. Using carbon grip paste helps, and Merida also recommended putting some thin tape on the handlebar to help fatten it out a bit for the TwistLoc clamp. Even still, I couldn't get it to clamp tight and I had the same problem with a replacement remote. Hopefully it is just a production issue and can be rectified under warranty, but it's a shame to encounter such a fundamental problem on a $10K mountain bike. [Wil]

[@bimmerfan729]

Looks like someone copied Kona's homework.

[@coldforgedcowboy]

@Flow Mountain Bike... Can you properly test a XC mountain bike in baggie shorts? No, you can't because you can't properly evaluate the high end speed range of the bike (40-60 kph) with your parachute pants slowing you down.

[@oskarstaudte]

Are you actually serious?

[@coldforgedcowboy]

@@oskarstaudte ... Yes I am being serious in a very sarcastic way. My point here is an XC bike is not a trail bike designed to poke along at trail speed. XC bikes are meant to cover variable terrain (tarnac, gravel, dirt) at speed for a long distance. So when you show up in trail riding togs that tells me three things, you didn't go very fast, you didn't go very far, and didn't push the bike at speed.

[@oskarstaudte]

@@coldforgedcowboy Whilst I can see why you would say that, I disagree. I feel like every bike is a trail bike in a way, if you want to ride variable terrain just get a gravel bike. Of couse lycra and non-baggy clothes will be more aerodynamic but in a non-race scenario I dont think it makes a difference. Also its quite superficial to judge someone by how he dresses, just sayin'

[@coldforgedcowboy]

@Oskar Staudte ... Here in lies the problem, XC and marathon mountain biking are really different sports from what mountain biking has morphed into. Orginally when mountain biking started their was lot of debate of what to call the bikes, whether to call them all terrain bicycles (ATB's), variable terrain bicycles (VTB's), or mountain bikes (MTB's). For whatever reason the term mountain bike stuck. Then as full suspension bikes developed and and got more capable with more travel the emphasis shifted to shorter rides over gnarlier terrain. Then gravel bike arrived on the scene really clouded the issue. Really, XC, marathon, gravel and cyclocross bikes should be grouped together into another catagory of bikes called variable terrain bikes.

[@oskarstaudte]

@@coldforgedcowboy This only hardly makes sense to me but I guess thats where opinions differ.

[@bcskitouring]

Dear Flow. Can you please publish more videos on places to ride and tips etc instead of bike reviews. Pretty much all of the bikes you review are riddled with very expensive bespoke gimmickery designed by the bike industry to exploit us. I suggest you are fuelling this exploitation by publicising these gimmicks. You should instead stand up for down to earth mountain bikers against this rubbish. I note all brands of bikes are increasing in cost by about 30 percent per annum thus, pricing the average mountain biker out of the market.

[@lorangaross6337]

Продам бабкину однуху под Защеканском и возьму парочку.

[@FernandoSanchoDominguez]

Tiene muy buena pinta!!!!