Merida 96 handling adjustments

[bikerpete]

I've recently bought a Merida 96 that seems a great machine, but after my 2010 Anthem X1 I find the front end just too nervous for my liking/skills. I'm sort of coming to terms with it but would feel happier if it was a bit more relaxed to ride (yeah, perhaps a go-fast racing machine isn't the right bike to be on, but I do like the way it GOES!)

I ride XC singletrack pretty much exclusively, have a dabble at a couple of races a year but just for a lark really.

It's presently got Rocket Ron 2.1's F & R, 100mm stem (2 spacers under the stem), Fox forks. I've set the rear DT shock fairly soft (it uses pretty much all it's travel regularly).
Can anyone shed some experience based light on setup changes that will quieten the handling down a bit? My knowledge of tuning handling is pretty light on!

Cheers
Peter

 

[akashra]

What are you going for - less twitchy?

I too went from an Anthem to a 96 in August... I'm getting a little down attempting to come to terms with it though. Buller was the telling story - whereas on the XTC I made every switchback no problems, but the Anthem was a little more difficult, I could barely make any of them on the 96, and I've noticed it's more difficult on the M2006 course switchbacks too. It's like when you turn a certain amount the whole bike just wants to tip over, and where I could balance myself to counter it on the XTC, I just can't do so on the 96. I can't put my finger on it, but I think it's just the headtube angle.

Mine's still with bars uncut - they've got to go in, as they're way too wide. That'll make it slightly more twitchy, which isn't desirable, but it's currently just too wide to put in the right place next to a tree.

 

[.stu.]

120mm Forks

 

[bikerpete]

Yes, trying to get it a bit less twitchy.

I spent this morning's ride repeating a couple of loops over and over, making adjustments to seat and stem each lap. It seemed that by putting the stem spacers on top, but leaving the stem angled up and sliding the saddle forward a bit that the bike got a bit less twitchy. It certainly climbed well like that! Didn't seem too bad on the downhills, although I didn't do anything very steep. I did try inverting the stem as well so it drooped, that became a bit much on the downhills, I kept feeling I was going over the bars, and did once.

It's a funny thing about the head angle, the Anthem is 71degrees, the 96 70degrees. I'd expect the Merida to be a bit more solid feeling than the Anthem, but there's obviously something else going on.

I hope I can come to terms with the 96 steering, the rest of the bike is fantastic, climbs like a demon, rear suspension is rock solid pedalling, but takes out the bumps well (not as supple as the Anthem, but far less bob also, virtually none), weight is excellent and it just goes when you push on the pedals.

If I can borrow a 90mm stem I might give that a try. The top tube is a bit shorter than the Anthem already and I'm not sure I want the cockpit any shorter. I'll also try a 2.4 Racing Ralph on the front (from the Anthem), see if tyres make a difference.

Peter

 

[Capone]

I wouldn't blame bar width for the twitchy feeling as wide bars equal more solid feeling- Look at DH 780mm bars is very normal

Id be looking at stack height and stem length first

 

[RED_RACER]

I really started to enjoy my 96 when I moved the seat back almost as far as it can go on a set back seat post. That might be worth a go?

 

[kv1973]

I have a similar problem with my Jamis Dakar XCR Team frame being twitchy. I don't think going to a shorter stem will be the solution. I blame mine or the fact I run really short bars 540mm and the geometry with steep headangle. I wonder if they make angle headset for these things? It will help to some extent running wider tyres which will provide better stability. If you find a something that works let me know?

 

[ntj]

Maybe talk to Pushie about Burgtec offset bushings.

 

[Warwick]

This twitchiness is what I love about mine. Suits how I ride. May not suit your style.

 

[taibo]

The ninety-six really needs to be ridden aggressively. I find on mine that when i just sat back/up and let the bike do its thing it felt like absolute rubbish. The bike really needs to be ridden fast and hard. the steep HA can be sketchy at times when the downhill gets steep but it should really shine through tight switchbacks and sniggle. I also added slightly wider bars to mine to make things more comfy.

 

[hipdos]

putting the stem spacers on top,

Be careful with this! The bits and pieces on the bars might now hit the top tube, and assuming the bike is carbon, put a nice little crack in your frame if you have a good stack. Happened to me, and lots of other people according to the bloke who fixed it.

I had the same twitchy thing with my Scott Spark, but got used to it and now it is great. Took me quite a while to stop the front wheel getting airborne on technical uphills too. I agree with the comments about riding aggressively, it seems to help when you are going for it. I also bought the bike because it is fast, once you get used to the handling I reckon you will find yours unreal. I found running tubeless really helped too.

 

[bikerpete]

Progress update

Good progress.

I swapped the standard 2.1 Rocket Ron with a 2.25 Racing Ralph on an XT UST wheel. Also dropped the rear shock pressure as low as I dared to increase sag and reduce the head angle. A big improvement!

It now rides much more like the Anthem, just quicker without being overly twitchy. I'll ride a bit more like this then gradually increase the shock pressure and see how it goes. I'll also swap the Ralph onto the original DT wheel. No doubt though, it's riding much more the way I want.

I'll check out bar clearance to the top tube, thanks for the hint, I'd not have thought to check that.

Peter

 

[bikerpete]

Progress

Having ridden several hours with the lowered stem (I checked clearance to the top tube and found the RH shifter just touches the top tube. I'll adjust the angle a little and all will be good, thanks for the heads-up), saddle right forward, very low rear shock pressure and the XT wheels+RR 2.25. A different bike!

It now feels far less twitchy, much more like my Anthem X1 in steering but just a bit quicker and lighter. Nice. I'm probably also getting used to the bike with more hours on it.

I need to increase shock pressure but will do it gradually to gauge the effect. I'll also experiment a bit with seat fwd/back (interesting that both extremes seem to work for different people) and I'll put the RR tyre on the original Merida XT/DT wheels. I'm waiting on some rim strip so I can convert to tubeless at the same time.

Bottom line is that with a bit of time and and experimentation the widely commented twitchiness of these bikes seems to be fairly easily overcome. Good for those of us who get left behind by the speed of the bike in it's standard setup! No doubt this bike is a great ride though, I love the pedal response.

I'll keep posting back as I make changes in the hope it'll help someone else sometime.

Peter

 

[MarioM]

Yes its a grave dig , did not want to start a new thread . i have just picked up a 96 carbon . What sort of pressure are you running in the shock and how much do you weigh ? I`m trying to sort mine out . At the moment i have 110 psi and it seems to use only half its travel . I`m finding with every ride i do on this bike I`m learning more about it . Its certainly a fast machine and will keep you on your toes .

 

[quiggs]

No nothing about the bike, but if your finding you are using a minimal amount of the travel on a secondhand bike. It might need a shock service to bring that back to life and while your there check the pivots bad bearings they could be providing a bit of resistance to the suspension as well

Good luck. While your at it research fitting 650b wheels if it's a 26" wheeled bike

 

[Shaman]

You can't fit 650b wheels in the 96 unfortunately. You can with the 99 however.
Had a 96 and loved it but you do need to give that rear shock a bit of love.

 

[MarioM]

Cool , bearings are all good . Looks like a service then .

 

[Warwick]

While getting the suspension bearings replaced in the 99, I have been riding the old 96.
I chucked my DT Swiss XRC100 fork on it ( cos I was going to get rid of both), and gave it lower pressure and slower rebound.
I did similar on the rear shock.
Well well. My much despised DT fork actually feels wonderful ( a bit flexy, but so what) and the ride at the rear end is so much smoother , yet it isn't bobbing. Slower rebound can change the character of the bike.
Very happy.
I think the secret is you need to treat a 96 like a hard tail, and ride it very actively - move around, stand up, move forward and back, and don't just sit still and expect the suspension to do it all for you.

 

[MarioM]

I haven`t ridden the bike much since getting it due to a wrist injury from an OTB moment a few weeks back ( not on this bike ) . My rides so far have been on smooth single track with some small techy bits , but i have my last club round on sunday so going to let it hang out and see how it goes , both bike and wrist . I really want to have it sorted and dialled for the Jet Black . I have ordered a seal kit for it but even the importer is struggling to get info from DT in regards to what oil to use , so if anyone knows would be much appreciated .
I actually can`t wait to get into some techy stuff with it as i think it will eat it up , but i do think it won`t tolerate any mistakes . Appin next week will be a good test of this bikes technical ability .

 

[poita]

Just thought I'd add my experience. Raced my 96 yesterday in the gazebo 3 hour. Have been riding it for the last coupe of weeks. It did take a little bit of tweaking initially to get the suspension working well but I'm really enjoying the ride. As above, you really need to ride the bike like a hardtail. Descending has been fine, very much like my previous xc hardtail but needing me to be right off the back. My only gripe is servicing the shock is going to be an issue and will probably just spell the end of the frame for me.