Whatever your thoughts on 29ers, it’s clear that they’re here to stay, with more brands increasingly slotting large wheeled bikes into the line-ups.

The latest to reach us is news from Merida’s BIG.NINE. It’s based on the World Cup race-ready O-Nine, on which Jose Antonio Hermida has ridden to some success in recent years, but Merida tell us the BIG.NINE is more than just a larger wheeled version of that model.

Says Merida’s Head of Design Juergen Falke: “We didn’t simply ‘enlarge’ the O.NINE, but managed to pair the impressive genes of the O.NINE with the different physical laws of a big wheeler to create the BIG.NINE Carbon.”

Making full use of the Multivan Merida Bike Team, the company’s R+D department set about working on the BIG.NINE from the bottom bracket shell up. ‘We didn’t simply ‘enlarge’ the O.NINE (José Hermida’s brilliant World Championship winning bike) but managed to pair the impressive genes of the O.NINE with the different physical laws of a big wheeler to create the BIG.NINE Carbon’ said Juergen Falke, MERIDA’s Head of Design at the Team launch in Majorca.

When the O.NINE was introduced two years ago it demonstrated the cutting edge of carbon fibre technology, but the new BIG.NINE takes several steps forward and they reckon it’s 20% stiffer as a result of such additions as the BB30 bottom bracket. Other changes to the construction and carbon lay-up process has also resulted in a weight drop, making a 17in version of the new 29er frame just 1.1kg (2.42lbs).

Generally, due to the larger wheels, the front end of 239er bikes tend to be higher but Merida have used an extremely short tapered head tube to keep the bars the same height as the 26in version. Other key features include ‘Flex Stay’ seat stays for comfort, asymmetrically tapered chain stays, a curved seat tube with Direct Top Mount derailleur and 12mm thru-axle at the back.

The new BIG.NINE Carbon range should arrive in the UK in the later part of the year. More at www.merida-bikes.com/en_gb/