NEW TECHNICAL FEATURES

The unbeatable marvel

Also in its third season, our ultra-lightweight NINETY-SIX with its extremely effective 100 mm chassis ranges among the most sought-after XC and Marathon fullies! In the saddle of this technological marvel, MULTIVAN MERIDA pro Ralph Naef cycles from victory to victory while thousands of riders all over the planet are following his ambition. “Lightweight, stiff and ultra-fast – nearly no other bike dominated the racing tracks right after introduction as clearly as the 96!” – according to the testers of German bike periodical MountainBIKE who also praised the rear stay for its enhanced propulsion neutrality in comparison to the previous version. German bike magazine BIKE voted the NINETY-SIX TEAM as “Best in Test” (131.5 points) and honoured our high-end racer as “luxurious racing machine defining state-of-the-art” – this equals a knightly accolade! 

For 2011, the chassis performance of our NINETY-SIX has been improved again: With new front forks, this outstanding machine clearly aims at further World Cup victories and “Best in Test” results!

TOP MATERIAL FOR TOP PERFORMANCE

As in the case of our top-of-the-line hardtail O.NINE, the NINETY-SIX carbon frame incorporates an innovative material mix of high-modulus, ultra-high modulus and intermediate fibres (HM/UHM/IM). Together with manufacturing technologies individually and optimally adapted to different frame sections (TUBE-TO-TUBE a. k. a. internal sleeves), this results in a STRUCTURE ELEMENT MONOCOQUE with hard-to-beat stiffness and comfort data: On the one hand, an internal down tube sleeve connects the frame parts receiving the highest physical loads around the BB and head tube sections. On the other, the TUBE-TO-TUBE technology is utilized for all frame areas receiving less load – and guarantees the NINTEY-SIX frame’s stellar general weight of just 1.68 kg!*

Additional stiffness and therefore even faster sprint performance? No problem thanks to the combination of BB30 standard (optionally also BSA standard) and DOUBLE CHAMBER carbon technology! The latter means functional separation of top and, respectively, down tube by a vertically positioned reinforcement rib. This concept provides improved bending stiffness as well as considerably higher lateral stiffness.

FULLY OR HARDTAIL?

Our R & D experts have purposefully integrated a gracile connection bar between the NINETY-SIX seat stays. This element allows maximum reduction of lateral torsion otherwise typical for full suspension rear stays. In addition, the tailor-made DT SWISS rear-shock can be blocked from the NINETY-SIX cockpit – turning this racing fully into a speed-hungry hardtail! In open mode, the DT SWISS M210 delights with great sensibility while exploiting, if required, the complete 96 mm travel of the already propulsion-neutral rear stay. Compared with the previous version, the new shock can be utilized with more SAG which results in even better performance! At the same time, perfect setup adjustment has become child’s play.

Therefore: Also in MY 2011, there is no way around our MERIDA NINETY-SIX – the medal hunt continues!

*Frame without suspension strut at size 18”/46 cm