MERIDA BIG TRAIL 400
£1,200
Merida’s short seat tubes allow you to upsize for more reach, giving aggressive geometry that works on diverse trails, as do the aggressive tyres. The Big Trail 400 handles flat fireroads comfortably, but its gear range is insufficient for steep ascents, necessitating a faster pace to maintain cadence. It also lacks the compliance (built-in flex) to tame worn trail-centre climbs, requiring the rider to hover over the saddle, and has a harsh ride on rooty and rocky descents. While the 435mm reach of the medium size felt just right for our 5ft 3in (160cm) tester, adding stability, control wasn’t as high as expected downhill, possibly due to the tall stack height and relatively high BB. The dropper post’s performance degraded quickly, too, and our heels rubbed against the chainstays.
CALIBRE LINE T3 27.5”
£999 with £5 GO Outdoors card (£1,200 otherwise)
Line T3 boasts comfy climbing geometry and fast-rolling Maxxis Rekon rubber, but its narrow-range SunRace cassette and 14.6kg weight give it a sluggish feel on the ascents. Downhill, the tyres lack grip in turns, but the bike is redeemed by its quick handling, aided by short chainstays. The KS Rage-i dropper post is a standout bit of kit, with a smooth 125mm stroke, but the Rockshox Recon Silver RL fork tended to dive through its travel on rougher trails, and adding more air pressure to improve this
