The merida matts TFS 800 spot a nice shape that comes with main tubes and curving, complex cross-section stays plugged into airy, cutaway dropouts. The matts TFS 800 looks just like the sophisticated hardtail. TFS stands for Techno Forming System, which may sound like a dodgy Euro dance band but is genuinely a clever edition of the more costly and widely used hydroforming process for producing complex section tubing.
According to Merida, the main difference of opinion between the two tube-shaping processes is that hydroforming allows thinner tube walls and hence lower weight, but the 800′s all-up 28lb heft is right on the money and the tube forming process should result in strength and rigidity exactly where it’s needed. Neat touches like the bullet-ended cable stops add to the feel of a high quality frame that would certainly warrant long-term upgrading as components succumb to wear and tear.
Holding up the front and trying to point everything in the right mode is this bike’s weakest point – a coil-sprung RockShox Tora 302 fork with 100mm travel, adjustable compressing and rebound damping. It’s just not anywhere near as plush or as adjustable for different rider weights and styles as, for example, its air-sprung Recon stablemate – although budding racers will appreciate the lockout purpose.
Cross province race hardtails sometimes sacrifice ease for speed, on the base that race-hardened athletes will put up with a harsh ride for a couple of hours if it gains them a few crucial seconds towards a podium finish. Thankfully, the Merida Matts TFS 800 doesn’t fall into this category. Racing on a budget doesn’t necessarily mean that you want to be ground into a pulp, and it appears that Merida’s product designers know this.
While there’s nothing about the Merida Matts frame’s design that suggests anything but an efficiently rigid chassis, the reasonably thin tube walls and some careful tube shaping make for a ride that’s sprightly and enthusiastic without being harsh. Spirited pedal input translates into gratifyingly rapid forward progress, while the fork filters out the worst that the trail has to offer and the rear end follows through with a lithe, skippy gait. That’s rather an achievement for an aluminium hardtail at this monetary value, and while the fast-rolling and grippy Maxxis tyres can potential take some of the credit, much of it is down to the sound frame design and construction. We can’t help but feel that it would be even better with a plusher fork, though.