Merida Big Nine 200 (2021)

[CPT MTBer]

Hi All

 

Can anyone give me some reviews or personal opinions on this bike ?

 

https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/merida-29er/products/merida-big-nine-200-2021

 

Will be using it for trail rides maybe once a week. Nothing serious .

 

i have been browsing bikehub, gumtree and facebook market place since December but decided that i would rather buy something new. Also dont want to buy something too entry level as i have seen many posts here saying that the cheaper bikes gives endless problems and arent reliable when doing off road cycling .

 

 

Are there other bikes in this price range that i should consider ? Budget is R14k .

Also considering the Talon 1 but currently no stock . Stock levels of the entry level bikes seems low all over .

 

 

 

thanks

 

[ChrisF]

Hi All

 

Can anyone give me some reviews or personal opinions on this bike ?

 

https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/merida-29er/products/merida-big-nine-200-2021

 

Will be using it for trail rides maybe once a week. Nothing serious .

 

i have been browsing bikehub, gumtree and facebook market place since December but decided that i would rather buy something new. Also dont want to buy something too entry level as i have seen many posts here saying that the cheaper bikes gives endless problems and arent reliable when doing off road cycling .

 

 

Are there other bikes in this price range that i should consider ? Budget is R14k .

Also considering the Talon 1 but currently no stock . Stock levels of the entry level bikes seems low all over .

 

 

 

thanks

 

VERY nice bike.  Brilliant value for money.

 

 

It is already 1x (single gear in the front). 

 

The 10 speed cassette at the back could be considered "old school", with most bikes now offering 11 or 12 speed cassettes.  HOWEVER, another thread now compares two bikes in the R40k price range ... with "NS" components, which some would say is worse quality than this 10 speed unit.  Practically you will have slightly larger jumps between some of the gears ... hardly an issue for many riders.  The 11-42 range is wide enough for most use.  

 

 

ENJOY this bike !!

 

 

 

PS - I have owned a couple of Merida bikes, so I am a bit biased. 

[CPT MTBer]

VERY nice bike.  Brilliant value for money.

 

 

It is already 1x (single gear in the front). 

 

The 10 speed cassette at the back could be considered "old school", with most bikes now offering 11 or 12 speed cassettes.  HOWEVER, another thread now compares two bikes in the R40k price range ... with "NS" components, which some would say is worse quality than this 10 speed unit.  Practically you will have slightly larger jumps between some of the gears ... hardly an issue for many riders.  The 11-42 range is wide enough for most use.  

 

 

ENJOY this bike !!

 

 

 

PS - I have owned a couple of Merida bikes, so I am a bit biased. 

Thanks for the feedback Chris

[Steady Spin]

What I do like is the 10speed to be honest. It's a wide range cassette and they are pretty much bomb proof. The new 12 speed stuff I find to be fragile and expensive. 

 

Other than that the bike is well specced and pretty good weight as well. 

Personally I think this will serve you really well. 

[wildwindfr]

Go for it!

[dasilvarsa]

Go for it!

As He Said

[CPT MTBer]

Thanks for all the replies guys .

 

No stock available . The search continues then .

[OVERDRIVE]

Hi All

 

Can anyone give me some reviews or personal opinions on this bike ?

 

https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/merida-29er/products/merida-big-nine-200-2021

 

Will be using it for trail rides maybe once a week. Nothing serious .

 

i have been browsing bikehub, gumtree and facebook market place since December but decided that i would rather buy something new. Also dont want to buy something too entry level as i have seen many posts here saying that the cheaper bikes gives endless problems and arent reliable when doing off road cycling .

 

 

Are there other bikes in this price range that i should consider ? Budget is R14k .

Also considering the Talon 1 but currently no stock . Stock levels of the entry level bikes seems low all over .

 

 

 

thanks

Think the Drone Dash is also in that range? 

 

https://www.titanracingbikes.com/product/drone-dash/

[Fork-it]

So nice to see the positive feedback regarding relatively entry level bikes and components. I am in exactly the same spot (predicament) as the OP! Wanting to buy something for weekend fun at around that budget. Stock levels seem very low. Where else to look. I was thinking local brands would have more stock but alas.

[Fork-it]

Any comments on this MTB for the abovementioned purpose?

 

https://www.scott-sports.com/za/en/product/scott-scale-980-yellow-bike?article=280489008 

[CPT MTBer]

Any comments on this MTB for the abovementioned purpose?

 

https://www.scott-sports.com/za/en/product/scott-scale-980-yellow-bike?article=280489008 

Could you find a dealer who has stock of this bike ?

[Fork-it]

Could you find a dealer who has stock of this bike ?

 

Possibly yes. Waiting on confirmation and sizes etc. What size are you after? 

[CPT MTBer]

Possibly yes. Waiting on confirmation and sizes etc. What size are you after? 

Medium . Major stock issues with most shops

[117]

You can get a lot of 2nd hand bike for that budget

 

I was in the same boat awhile ago.  I found that the new price wasn't the walk away price, as there was always the "oh, you want to go tubeless? Its tubeless ready but you need to do ABC. Thats an extra kaching kaching". "Oh, the stock tyres are rubbish, you want to go tubeless with these tyres instead, its an extra kaching kaching". "These stock pedals are junk as well, rather get these flats instead, kaching kaching"

So the budget went from (an example) R15k to an actual R10k bike with 3k to 4k accessories. I left 1k in the budget for a helmet. Thats not a 15k ride sadly.

I also found lack of stock everywhere and I called/visited just about every bike shop in the greater gauteng

 

I was guided with some great advice for the 2nd hand route and I set up a list up of what I wanted - the frame size, the components (this was an important factor to me on the good advice). I ended up looking at around 10 different bikes and settled on a frame that I am more than happy with. Plus, it was already set up with tubeless, flats etc.

Ok, granted I did service it just after purchase, but this was factored into the budget anyway. I think I ended up with a much better valued ride than an out of the box machine. 

 

The point is, dont be shy to look arond at the 2nd hand markets. Be patient and the right ride will pop up. Set up the alerts to automaticlaly keep you posted and browse the classifieds daily and multiple times daily as occasionally ad's get snapped up quickly. 

If its in a different area to you, call a friend in that area to go have a booger look see to give you feed back, or I'm sure some hubbers can help out if needed. 

 

You have an itch in the pocket - I get that, but dont rush as good deals pop up all the time. 

[Fork-it]

You can get a lot of 2nd hand bike for that budget

 

I was in the same boat awhile ago.  I found that the new price wasn't the walk away price, as there was always the "oh, you want to go tubeless? Its tubeless ready but you need to do ABC. Thats an extra kaching kaching". "Oh, the stock tyres are rubbish, you want to go tubeless with these tyres instead, its an extra kaching kaching". "These stock pedals are junk as well, rather get these flats instead, kaching kaching"

So the budget went from (an example) R15k to an actual R10k bike with 3k to 4k accessories. I left 1k in the budget for a helmet. Thats not a 15k ride sadly.

I also found lack of stock everywhere and I called/visited just about every bike shop in the greater gauteng

 

I was guided with some great advice for the 2nd hand route and I set up a list up of what I wanted - the frame size, the components (this was an important factor to me on the good advice). I ended up looking at around 10 different bikes and settled on a frame that I am more than happy with. Plus, it was already set up with tubeless, flats etc.

Ok, granted I did service it just after purchase, but this was factored into the budget anyway. I think I ended up with a much better valued ride than an out of the box machine. 

 

The point is, dont be shy to look arond at the 2nd hand markets. Be patient and the right ride will pop up. Set up the alerts to automaticlaly keep you posted and browse the classifieds daily and multiple times daily as occasionally ad's get snapped up quickly. 

If its in a different area to you, call a friend in that area to go have a booger look see to give you feed back, or I'm sure some hubbers can help out if needed. 

 

You have an itch in the pocket - I get that, but dont rush as good deals pop up all the time. 

 

Great advice, thank you. I will definitely keep my eyes and ears open.

 

I do not mind going that route at all. I just don't want to end up buying someone else's problems. Also, being relatively new to mountain biking, there is a lot of uncertainty. 

[117]

There's nothing wrong with the original topic of a new Merida big nine 200 (I ride a Merida) and I'm not trying to detract you away from a new bike, but keep your options open. Generally if you can change a car tyre you'd be able to sniff out problems just by applying common sense and logic on a used bike

 

There's a couple of things to look out for on a 2nd hand rig, maybe start a new thread to ask for pointers. 

 

Sorry for the thread drift CTP MTBer 

Edited March 11, 2021 by 117