Head developer Jürgen Falke says it clearly: "There will be no more 26-inch bikes in the team truck in future." Merida is now also underlining the trend that the traditional wheel size will no longer be relevant in cross-country racing. Instead, a hardtail with 27.5-inch dimensions is now available to the racing team's athletes. The bike will be added to the Merida range for sale in the 2014 model year. At 1030 grams, the frame weight lies exactly between the 26-inch and 29-inch versions already available. The frame is said to be much more comfortable than the 29er version thanks to better Flexstay seat stays, but smoother than the 26-inch version thanks to the larger wheels. Interesting things can be seen in the details: For the first time, all cables ride through the frame tubes - including the hydraulic lines of the disc brakes.

The 29er fully "Big.99" is also undergoing changes at Merida. In future, it will have a carbon rear triangle and can be equipped with either 2x10 or 1x11 drivetrains. The frame weight without the rear shock is 1.85 kilograms. Thomas Litscher and the Czech Ondrej Cink will primarily be racing on this bike.

New all-mountain fully with 27.5-inch
In addition to the racing bikes of the Multivan Merida Biking Team, an innovation from the all-mountain segment has been leaked. Merida will be offering a version of its One-Forty touring bike called the One-Forty-B in 2014. The B stands for the larger wheels with a diameter of 27.5 inches. The bike still has a VPP construction with the designation VPK (Virtual Pivot Kinematics) and offers 140 millimeters of suspension travel. Merida is also following the trend that long-travel mountain bikes in particular can benefit from 27.5-inch technology. The bike retains its agility with these wheels, but can gain in comfort and traction. In addition, it is kinematically possible to ride longer suspension travel with these wheels, while a stroke of over 130 millimetres is hardly possible with 29ers.

www.merida.com