BIG TRAIL 500

BIG TRAIL 500

 

29er aluminium hardcore hardtail with RockShox Recon Silver RL 140mm fork, Shimano Deore 1 x 11 drivetrain and a dropper post.
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The Big Trail has been a hit with the mountain bike press and trail riders alike. Bikeboard.cc confirmed that we 'nailed it', while MBR, IMB and many more confirmed that the Big Trail is firmly at the top of the trail hardtail game.

Conversations between UK bike shops and our German R&D team resulted in the development of a fun-packed and hugely capable bike. Trail bike geometry combined with a long travel 140 mm fork and grippy 2.4" wide 29er trail tyres make this the perfect companion for exciting trail sessions and demanding all-day rides over rough terrain. It's perfectly suited to UK riding.


The modern trail bike geometry has a slack enduro inspired 65.5° head angle, steep seat angle and a long reach. A short seat tube delivers a low standover height giving plenty of space to manoeuvre on the bike when the trail gets technical but still accommodates a long travel dropper post. The geometry means most sizes work for most body sizes so riding style can be factored in. If you want to go crazy fast, take the longer size, for agility, take a shorter size.

The Big Trail has hidden talents, in addition to two sets of bottle bosses, there's a trail mount under the top tube that allows you to carry tools and extra gear on the bike. It's also possible to fit mudguards and a rack if you want to trek further afield.

  • Modern trail bike geometry with long reach, slack head angle and steep seat angle
  • 140mm RockShox Recon fork
  • 1 x 11 Shimano Deore drivetrain
  • Extremely low standover height paired with long travel dropper posts
  • Multiple fixing points for bottles and other equipment
  • Internal cable routing

Reviews & Awards

model year 2022
  • material: aluminium
  • 29x2.5" max. wheelsize
  • 148x12mm axle standard
  • BSA bottom bracket standard
  • SRAM-UDH Hanger
frame size S, M, L, XL, XXL
  • 140mm suspension travel
  • Tapered
  • 42mm fork offset
  • 29mm inner width
  • material: aluminium
  • Tubeless ready (tubeless tape and valves not included)
  • 110x15mm width front hub
  • 32 spoke holes
  • Centerlock
  • 148x12mm width rear hub
  • 32 spoke holes
  • Centerlock
  • 29x2.4"
  • fold
  • TR EXO Dual
  • 29x2.4"
  • fold
  • TR EXO Dual
  • including removeable lever, 6 allen key
  • 32 teeth
  • 170 mm-S, 175 mm-M up
  • 11-51 teeth
  • 11 speed
chain KMC X11
shifters Shimano SL -MT500-IL / Shimano Deore M5100
headset MERIDA M4455
  • material: aluminium
  • 35mm diameter
  • 0° stem angle
  • 50 mm
stem size 50 mm
  • material: aluminium
  • 780mm width
  • 20mm rise
grip MERIDA COMP EC
  • 30.9mm diameter
  • 0mm setback
  • S: 125mm travel seatpost - M/L: 150mm travel seatpost - XL/XXL 175mm travel seatpost
remote lever remote included
seat clamp MERIDA EXPERT
pedal VP VPE-891
Bike Frame Geometry Image
Frame Size S M L XL XXL
Tyre Sizes 29" 29" 29" 29" 29"
St Seat Tubes mm 380 410 430 450 470
Tt Top Tubes mm 579 600 622 645 670
Cs Chain Stays mm 435 435 435 435 435
HTA head tube angle [°] 65.5 65.5 65.5 65.5 65.5
STA seat tube angle [°] 75.5 75.5 75.5 75.5 75.5
Bd Bottom Bracket Drops mm 66.5 66.5 66.5 66.5 66.5
Ht Head Tube Lengths mm 95 100 110 120 120
Fl Fork Lengths mm 550 550 550 550 550
R Reach mm 415 435 455 475 500
S Stacks mm 636 641 650 659 659
Wb Wheel Base mm 1150 1172 1196 1220 1245
Sh Stand Over Height mm 716 723 725 728 730

To reduce production and delivery times, we are sometimes forced to make last-minute specification changes. Please be aware that those changes might not be reflected on these product pages and images.

 

Technology

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X-TAPER HEADTUBE

Steering precision is vital to safe and confident handling, and the X-TAPER HEADTUBE allows us to significantly boost this precision. A larger headset diameter at the bottom paired with a smaller one at the top helps to deal with the strains modern riding and equipment can put on the headtube, all without adding unnecessary weight. It allows tapered forks to be fitted with ease and delivers precise and confidence-inspiring steering.

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SMOOTH WELDING

This is a process we use to give a nice flat finish to our welds instead of the scaled, 'stack of coins' effect TIG welded joints often have. The welder uses the welding torch to go over the joint twice, helping to smooth out the filler material. It takes a lot of skill to do this, but it delivers strong and smart-looking frames that have the appearance of a carbon fibre frame at first look.

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INTERNAL CABLE ROUTING

On the majority of our frames, we run the gear and brake cables and hoses through the frame. The cables enter and exit the frame through smooth sockets, or we use one of our other systems like SMART ENTRY or WIRE PORT to be routed through. Running the cables inside the frame protects them from the elements, gives a clean and neat look and can offer aerodynamic advantages.

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DOWN TUBE EXIT

DOWN TUBE EXIT is a feature seen on some of our frames with internally routed cables. By slightly overlapping the downtube where it connects to the bottom bracket, it leaves a small space that allows cables to exit easily. This means they are easily accessible for routine maintenance or replacement, but it prevents excessive movement and noise that can cause wear and distraction.

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RACELITE 61 ALUMINIUM

We use a minimum of 6061 grade aluminium on all our bikes. It’s particularly well suited to being shaped with our hydroforming and technoforming processes, which allow us to vary the wall thickness to create double-butted tubing and complex frame shapes. It’s also an alloy that welds easily, and once it has been carefully heat treated to maximise strength, it means we can create strong and lightweight bicycle frames for you to enjoy.

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TFS - TECHNO FORMING SYSTEM

Manipulating the tube shape and thickness greatly impacts the appearance, weight and functionality of our aluminium frames. One technology that allows us to do that is TECHNO FORMING, where plain aluminium tubes get mechanically formed by using an external form and an internal metal core. The result, beautifully shaped tubes with varying wall thickness, ready to be used to create our technoformed aluminium frames.

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F-MOUNT

Being able to turn your bike into an all-weather commuter that has mudguards and other fittings can be a real plus, in particular when riding on wet and perhaps muddy roads and tracks on a regular basis. To make fitting easy, some of our bikes are F-MOUNT equipped. These integrated fittings mounts make adding mudguards fast and simple. Please note that some bikes require model-specific mudguards.

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K-MOUNT

Integrated mount on the chainstay to fit a Merida kickstand (or any commercial kickstand).

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C-MOUNT

Similar to our F-MOUNT, where various fixing points for mudguards are part of the frame offering, the C-MOUNT equipped bikes have the fixing points for a rear rack already integrated, making fitting fast, simple and reliable. The C-MOUNTS are an additional feature that improves the day-to-day versatility by adding loading capacity to your bike, ideal for commuting and shopping trips. Please note that some bikes require model-specific rear racks.

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