Bike Check: Johann Rabie's Merida Ninety-Six Team

Johann Rabie does it all. He’s a former road professional, now riding as mountain biker for Team Telkom, and in between being a pro he owns a successful bike shop in Malmesbury. There is much we could talk to Johann about but for this feature it’s all about his bike, a Merida Ninety-Six Team.

The Ninety-Six Team is Merida’s full carbon professional level marathon and cross-country 29er race weapon.

Johann’s cockpit is a touch on the busy side. He likes to have control over the fork and shock lockouts separately meaning he runs two remote lockout levers. The cable clutter is short lived as the Merida’s internal routing cleans it up as soon as it reaches the frame. Johann’s brake lever position is fairly aggressive, pointing them almost directly towards the ground. The stock stem was a bit too slammed for Johann’s preference, so he has fitted a KCNC stem that better suits his riding position.

Johann has an rather extreme position for his Fizik Aliante saddle. He says it helps him get a more aggressive position over the pedals.

Johann’s Merida is kitted out with a full suite of SRAM products. A RS-1 fork and Monarch XX shock from RockShox do suspension duty. The drivetrain is full SRAM XX1 with Johann preferring a 34 tooth chainring. He uses a Stages power meter that feeds data to his Garmin computer. Stopping is covered by a pair of SRAM Guide Ultimate brakes.

For his wheels, Johann trusts local carbon rim manufacturer South Industries, paired with DT Swiss hubs. In races, he usually rides with a Continental X-King (front) and Race King (rear) tyre combination which provides a level of reliability instead of going full weight weenie. After all, you have to finish the race to win it.