The Big Trail 500 is a fun, hugely capable hardtail trail bike with progressive geometry, a long-travel 140mm RockShox air fork and aggressive Maxxis tyres on 29" wheels. It's made for lively trail sessions and long, challenging days over rough terrain.
The original Big Trail idea came from a few UK dealers sitting down with Merida's head of R&D to describe the ideal UK trail hardtail: a 140mm air fork, 29" wheels, a 1x drivetrain and a dropper post. Now in its second generation, it pairs a steep 76.5° seat angle with a slack 64° head angle, so it climbs well and stays calm and stable when the trail gets steep or rough.
Sizing follows Merida's Agilometer principle, so most sizes suit a wide range of rider heights and you can choose by riding style: size up for speed, size down for agility. The 500 build brings a RockShox Psylo Silver RC fork, SRAM DB4 4-piston brakes, a Shimano Cues 1x10 drivetrain with an 11-48T cassette and wide 29mm rims with tubeless tape already fitted.
Features
- TFS 6061 aluminium frame with internal cable routing and clearance for 29x2.5" tyres
- Progressive geometry with a 64° head angle and 76.5° seat angle
- 140mm RockShox Psylo Silver RC air fork
- Shimano Cues 1x10 drivetrain with 11-48T cassette
- SRAM DB4 4-piston hydraulic brakes with 200mm front and 180mm rear rotors
- Dropper seatpost with 150-230mm travel depending on size
- Boost axles, 29mm rims with tubeless tape fitted, Maxxis Minion DHF and Dissector EXO tyres
Specifications
DisciplineTrail
MaterialAluminium
Front Travel140mm
Rear TravelHardtail
Wheel Size29"
WarrantyLifetime
Frame - TFS, 6061 double butted technoformed aluminium, smooth welding, Boost axle standard, tapered head tube, inboard disc mounts, internal cable routing, BSA BB standard. Max tyre size 29x2.5"
Fork - RockShox Psylo Silver RC; Air; 140mm travel; platform
Headset - Acros ICR Merida external neck; upper and lower IPS sealing
Stem - Merida Expert eTRII; material: aluminium; 35mm diameter; 0 degree rise; length: 40mm
Handlebar - Merida Comp TR II; material: aluminium; 780mm wide; 35mm rise
Grips - Merida Comp TR
Brake type - Hydraulic disc
Front brake - SRAM DB4; 4 piston with SRAM CenterLine; 200mm
Rear brake - SRAM DB4; 4 piston with SRAM CenterLine; 180mm
Front tyre - Maxxis Minion DHF; 29x2.5"; Kevlar bead; TR EXO Dual
Rear tyre - Maxxis Dissector; 29x2.4"; Kevlar bead; TR EXO Dual
Wheel size - 29"
Rims - Merida Comp TR; 29mm inner rim width; material: aluminium; tubeless ready (Stans 30mm tubeless tape installed, valves not included)
Spokes - Double butted black stainless with black nipples
Front hub - Shimano TC500-B; 110x15mm; 32 spoke; Centerlock
Rear hub - Shimano TC500-HM-B; 148x12mm; 32 spoke; Centerlock
Speeds - 10
Rear derailleur - Shimano Cues U6000; GS
Shift levers - Front: Shimano SL-MT500-L, Rear: Shimano Cues U6000
Chain - KMC xGlide
Cassette - Shimano LG300; 11-48 teeth; 10 speed
Chainset - Merida Expert TR II; 32 tooth; crank length: XShort-Long 165mm, XLong 170mm
Bottom bracket - Attached
Pedals - Not included
Saddle - Merida Comp SL; 25% recycled material; V-mount
Seatpost - Merida Expert TR II; 34.9mm diameter; in-line; XShort 150mm, Short-Mid 170mm, Long 200mm, XLong 230mm seatpost travel
Big Trail 500 2026
- Trail
- Hardtail · 140mm fork
- Alloy frame
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The Big Trail 500 is a fun, hugely capable hardtail trail bike with progressive geometry, a long-travel 140mm RockShox air fork and aggressive Maxxis tyres on 29" wheels. It's made for lively trail sessions and long, challenging days over rough terrain.
The original Big Trail idea came from a few UK dealers sitting down with Merida's head of R&D to describe the ideal UK trail hardtail: a 140mm air fork, 29" wheels, a 1x drivetrain and a dropper post. Now in its second generation, it pairs a steep 76.5° seat angle with a slack 64° head angle, so it climbs well and stays calm and stable when the trail gets steep or rough.
Sizing follows Merida's Agilometer principle, so most sizes suit a wide range of rider heights and you can choose by riding style: size up for speed, size down for agility. The 500 build brings a RockShox Psylo Silver RC fork, SRAM DB4 4-piston brakes, a Shimano Cues 1x10 drivetrain with an 11-48T cassette and wide 29mm rims with tubeless tape already fitted.
Features
- TFS 6061 aluminium frame with internal cable routing and clearance for 29x2.5" tyres
- Progressive geometry with a 64° head angle and 76.5° seat angle
- 140mm RockShox Psylo Silver RC air fork
- Shimano Cues 1x10 drivetrain with 11-48T cassette
- SRAM DB4 4-piston hydraulic brakes with 200mm front and 180mm rear rotors
- Dropper seatpost with 150-230mm travel depending on size
- Boost axles, 29mm rims with tubeless tape fitted, Maxxis Minion DHF and Dissector EXO tyres
Specifications
DisciplineTrail
MaterialAluminium
Front Travel140mm
Rear TravelHardtail
Wheel Size29"
WarrantyLifetime
Frame - TFS, 6061 double butted technoformed aluminium, smooth welding, Boost axle standard, tapered head tube, inboard disc mounts, internal cable routing, BSA BB standard. Max tyre size 29x2.5"
Fork - RockShox Psylo Silver RC; Air; 140mm travel; platform
Headset - Acros ICR Merida external neck; upper and lower IPS sealing
Stem - Merida Expert eTRII; material: aluminium; 35mm diameter; 0 degree rise; length: 40mm
Handlebar - Merida Comp TR II; material: aluminium; 780mm wide; 35mm rise
Grips - Merida Comp TR
Brake type - Hydraulic disc
Front brake - SRAM DB4; 4 piston with SRAM CenterLine; 200mm
Rear brake - SRAM DB4; 4 piston with SRAM CenterLine; 180mm
Front tyre - Maxxis Minion DHF; 29x2.5"; Kevlar bead; TR EXO Dual
Rear tyre - Maxxis Dissector; 29x2.4"; Kevlar bead; TR EXO Dual
Wheel size - 29"
Rims - Merida Comp TR; 29mm inner rim width; material: aluminium; tubeless ready (Stans 30mm tubeless tape installed, valves not included)
Spokes - Double butted black stainless with black nipples
Front hub - Shimano TC500-B; 110x15mm; 32 spoke; Centerlock
Rear hub - Shimano TC500-HM-B; 148x12mm; 32 spoke; Centerlock
Speeds - 10
Rear derailleur - Shimano Cues U6000; GS
Shift levers - Front: Shimano SL-MT500-L, Rear: Shimano Cues U6000
Chain - KMC xGlide
Cassette - Shimano LG300; 11-48 teeth; 10 speed
Chainset - Merida Expert TR II; 32 tooth; crank length: XShort-Long 165mm, XLong 170mm
Bottom bracket - Attached
Pedals - Not included
Saddle - Merida Comp SL; 25% recycled material; V-mount
Seatpost - Merida Expert TR II; 34.9mm diameter; in-line; XShort 150mm, Short-Mid 170mm, Long 200mm, XLong 230mm seatpost travel
Returns Information
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