I first rode the Big 9 during an MBUK photoshoot in the autumn of 2023. It was a bike that ticked a lot of my boxes. It’s got a threaded BB, moderately aggressive geometry, low standover height, and doesn’t weigh very much. The Big 9 climbed better than anything else I’d ridden, and seemed to handle in a way I really liked. It turns out the geometry is fairly close to that of my 2017 Santa Cruz Chameleon, but in a significantly lighter package, and with a steeper seat tube. It’s no wonder I enjoyed it.

A few months went by, and I continued to think about a lighter and more XC focused hardtail. Something the cool kids would call ‘Downcountry’. The Chameleon was great, and I’ve had a ton of fun with it, but lugging it about on big rides with people on XC and gravel bikes it did feel like overkill, and since I’ve got a Transition Sentinel for the gnarly stuff I didnt need the hardtail to be a big hitter.

On searching for the Big 9 I was surprised to find that it isn’t available in the UK. Sad Times. Fortunately, I messaged Merida’s UK guy, and it turned out the very same press bike I had ridden for the photoshoot months before was available for me to buy. I couldn’t pass it up.

I’m sure if you’re reading this you’ll know I’m a huge tweaker. I enjoy the process of choosing parts and making my bikes ‘just so’ almost as much as I do riding them, so naturally I set about dismantling the whole bike and putting half of it on eBay. The SRAM AXS T-Type had to go. It works brilliantly, but I don’t want to be beholden to batteries on my mountain bike so this was replaced with good old cable actuated XT. The stock dropper post was a measly 100mm long, I like to ride steeps and get the seat right out of the way, so swapped it out for a 180mm from OneUp.

I also had to lose the Sram brakes in favour of my favourite Hope Tech4, which meant replacing the rear caliper with a flat mount X2 version. I wasn’t entirely sold on having a flat mount rear brake, but it saves a ton of weight and works well for the bike’s intentions. Hope brakes are great. I love how they feel, that they make all spare parts available for donkeys years, and that they are entirely manufactured in the North of England.

Next up were the wheels. The bike came with a set of posh carbon Reynolds hoops, but I like to ride wheels I’ve built, and had a set from the Chameleon which I couldn’t bring myself to sell or see go to waste. Chris King hubs in their best and sadly discontinued Pewter colour, laced to the 30mm DT Swiss’ XM481 with Sapim D-Light spokes. These wheels are a bit weighty by XC Standards, but I like the durability. Sometimes with weight comes reliability.

Final little nerd details include removing the grip shift remote lockout, having a manual lockout fitted to the fork, and fitting my old favourite Selle Italia SLR saddle. It’s a bit old and tatty but it feels like a well used pair of slippers, except for my arse rather than my feet.

I like to photograph bikes, but as my flatmate and skilled snapper Tim offered to take a few I couldn’t refuse. Reach out to him at @foreverpedalling if you’d like to employ his photography services. I really enjoyed watching his compositional eye at work seeking out green backdrops that would compliment the frame.

After a couple of months of ownership the Big 9 is everything I hoped it would be. It feels fast and fun on flatter more pedally trails while being composed on the steeper stuff. I had a 150km day out on it a few weeks ago and was amazed by how comfortable it was, and in July I’m taking it on a week long tour around the Swiss Alps. Excited is an understatement.