Merida's heartland has always been bombproof aluminium hardtails. Half a century of frame building experience counts for a lot.
Merida UK chose to upgrade all the Big Nine and Big Seven bikes destined for the UK to use a sophisticated TFS frame featuring the latest technology:
full internal cable routing, for a neat and clean set up,
tapered headtube for future upgrade potential
inboard disc brake mounts to protect the brake and maximise stopping power
Perfectly matching the modern frame Merida have used as much Shimano componentry as possible for reliability.
Merida offer a wide range of sizes, Big Nine for taller riders, Big Seven for shorter riders with a healthy overlap of sizes in between.
For riders in the middle, riding style can be taken into account. If you are looking for speed and efficiency choose a Big Nine, if you are looking for agility choose a Big Seven.