You want to hit the trails at full gas, whether they're up or down - and you want to do it all day. The NINETY-SIX 6000 is Merida's trail-focused version of their cutting edge cross-country race weapon, pairing a longer travel 120 mm RockShox SID fork to our taut but effective 100 mm of rear travel. A SRAM NX 12-speed group translates effort into speed, while a larger four-piston front brake and more aggressive tyres will back you up when you hit territory that should be out of bounds for a bike that climbs so well.

The NINETY-SIX is the latest incarnation of Merida's former World Cup proven XC and marathon machine. It inherits the forward-surging race genes of the old NINETY-SIX and combines it with a new readiness and ability to tackle todays demanding XC and marathon courses. The carbon fibre frame platform and P-FLEX suspension is the perfect basis for a fun-packed, fast and trail loving short travel full suspension machine that helps define what a modern cross-country race bike should be. It's able to take on the rougher than ever world-class race tracks as well as the trail riders who want hyper-speed climbing with the ability to descend like never before. For those that want a cross-country bike for race duties rather than high-speed trail fun, the RC models deliver a short travel punch with a 100 mm fork in the front, super fast rolling tyres and a lighter front brake.