The Merida Big.Trail is a trail hardtail that's repeatedly gone down well with our testers while being loved by mountain bike newcomers everywhere. Today, Merida has graced the bike with a well-deserved update, shifting its sizing towards its Agilometer concept while giving it the most progressive geometry in this price bracket with an incredibly competitive price tag.

• Five reasons why you should have a hardtail
• Best mountain bikes you can buy for under £2,000
• Best MTB knee pads - protection for demanding trails

The latest version of the Big.Trail doesn't deviate from the original bike's intentions, which were to provide a versatile, performance-focused bike at an accessible price point. With that in mind, the bike welcomes a big change to its geometry.

For 2025, the Big.Trail's reach stretches by a whopping 20mm, while its head tube gets 1.5-degrees slacker and its seat tube angle gets a degree steeper. Its bottom bracket is then 3.5mm lower. That means that the bike now benefits from a 480mmm reach on a large frame, as well as a 64-degree head tube angle, a 76.5-degree seat tube and a 70mm BB drop. The chainstay then measures 435mm.

2024 merida big.trail 1 ht.jpg, by Liam Mercer

The bike then goes the way of the One-Forty and One-Sixty, employing Merida's Agilometer sizing concept. With this, the brand has given the bike a shorter seat tube and a shorter head tube as well as a dropper post with lots of travel (the Long size gets 200mm of drop). The whole idea of this is to give riders a choice of frame size, rather than confine them to one that's dictated by their height. With that, riders can pick a shorter frame for agility or a longer frame for stability while still being able to fit over it.

Touching back on the dropper post, the new Big.Trail has received a fatter 34.9mm seat tube diameter in a bid to better support lengthy droppers.

2024 merida big.trail 1 cs logo.jpg, by Liam Mercer

Other new features come in the form of Wire Port, Merida's headset integrated internal capable routing, with cables running through foam tubes for a quiet ride, and the Big.Trail now uses a Universal Derailleur Hanger for easy replacement, and the opportunity to use the latest SRAM tech. There's clearance for a 2.4in tyre at the rear and there's a fresh two-component, moulded chainstay protector that'll help keep the chain quiet. It can also run a direct mount rear mudguard.

However, there are several areas in which the bike remains the same and for good reason. It's a full 29er as Merida believes it's a better option for all-round performance and it runs a 140mm suspension fork. There's also a neat multi-tool hidden under the saddle and a small selection of Allens in the rear axle's handle.

2024 merida big.trail 1 calpier.jpg, by Liam Mercer

Merida is bringing three models of the Big.Trail to the market with the 600 topping the range at £2,000. That gets Shimano's Deore 12-speed shifting, a RockShox Pike fork, Shimano XT four-piston brakes and Maxxis Minion DHF and Dissector tyres in EXO and EXO+ casings respectively.

The 500 model lowers the pricepoint with a RockShox's Psylo fork, Shimano's CUES 6000 drivetrain and MT410 brakes. Finally, the 300 gets a Suntour XCR34 fork, Shimano CUES U4000 shifting with Shimano MT200 brakes. This model uses Kenda's Regolith tyres.

We've already spent some time on the new Merida Big.Trail ahead of launch so for some early impressions, check out our Merida Big.Trail 600 first ride review.

• merida-bikes.com

You might also like:

• Mountain bike size guide - how to get the perfect fit
• What is a gravel bike?
• Can you use a road bike helmet for MTB and gravel riding?