With three new e-bikes to choose from, Merida is aiming to offer something for everyone in the market for one of the best new electric mountain bikes. Let’s break those three models down and pinpoint their key differences and who they are aimed at.

The range-topping Merida eOne-Sixty 10K tips the scales at a claimed 22.2kg and comes with a carbon frame and non-removable, 600Wh battery.

Merida eOne-Sixty CF – the lighter one

• Focus on reduced weight and agile ride
• 600Wh non-removable battery inside the carbon frame
• 174mm of travel (not 160mm as the name suggests)
• Flexstays
• Mullet wheels
• Optional 360Wh range extender available

Same travel bigger battery, more weight. The Merida eOne-Sixty 875 has a 750Wh battery, alloy frame and identical geo and travel to the CF models, but incurs a 4kg weight penalty.

Merida eOne-Sixty Lite – the heavier one

• Prioritises burly build and maximum range – not a light e-bike at all
• 750Wh removable battery and alloy frame only
• 174mm travel
• Flexstays (yes, the flexstays are also alloy)
• Mullet wheels
• Optional 360Wh range extender takes the maximum battery capacity to a mind-blowing 1,110Wh (1.1Kwh)

With less travel and less aggressive geometry, the Merida eOne-Forty is the trail offering.

Merida eOne-Forty Lite – the shorter travel 29er

• Focus on versatility – rack and pannier mounts mean this can be turned into a go-anywhere, SUV overlander
• Alloy frame with 750Wh battery and optional 360Wh range extender
• 143mm of travel at the rear, with seatstay pivots to accommodate rack fixings
• 29in wheels front and rear

Hopefully that’s cleared things up. And if you want to know our early impressions of the new Merida eOne-Sixty Lite 875, read Danny’s first ride review here.

With the basics covered, let’s look at some of the details that make the new eOne-Sixty stand out from the crowd.

Shimano’s EP801 features on all platforms.

Motor and battery

Merida has a cosy relationship with Shimano, so it’s no surprise to see the new eOne-Sixty stick with a Shimano motor, specifically the latest EP801. This gets around 100w more peak power than the previous Ep8, as well as better sealing and an extra wiring port for accessories. The main stats are 85Nm of torque, 600W peak power, a narrow q-factor for efficient pedalling, compact sizing and splined crank interface. There’s a compact, wired remote to cycle through the adjustable power modes, and a small colour display behind the bars with a frustratingly vague battery status indicator. Why frustrating? Well, with five chunks, each representing 20% charge, you can never be sure exactly how much juice you have left.

The eOne-Sixty Lite and eOne-Forty come with removable batteries in the down tube.

To help increase the range, Merida has sourced third-party batteries from Trendpower for the eOne-Sixty and eOne-Forty. To save weight in the CF model, Merida has gone for a 600Wh unit that’s not removable for charging. Reducing the number of cells saves weight in itself, but removing the battery clamps/latches and not having to reinforce the frame gives further savings. To put this into some kind of context, the new frame is claimed to be 800g lighter than the previous model, although not all of that saving will be down to the fixed battery.

The shock is offset to give clearance to the range extender.

In the not-particularly light ‘Lite’ version, the alloy frame still features a big cut-out in the down tube so you can remove the large-capacity 750Wh battery. And to supplement the internal power packs, both eOne-Sixty variants can be outfitted with the big 360Wh range extender, available to buy separately. This gives the eOne-Sixty what may be the biggest potential range of any e-bike with over 1Kwh on the Lite models, but it also leaves no space in the front triangle for a water bottle, and adds 2.9kg to the weight of the bike.

Merida takes a modern approach to sizing with short seat tubes, loads of standover clearance, and the option to choose between frame sizes based on handling preferences.

Frame geometry and sizing

The new e-bike models are offered in five frame sizes, all with low standover and short seat tubes so you can choose between three options depending on your handling preference. For example, the ‘Agilometer’ allows an average height rider to choose Short, for dynamic handling, Mid for balanced, or Long for stable.

Geometry is effectively fixed across all three platforms, although there is a flip-chip to maintain the geometry if you switch rear wheel sizes. On the mullet eOne-Sixty CF and eOne-Sixty Lite there’s a 64.4º head angle, steep 78.5º effective seat angle and mid-length 446mm chainstays. The reach has been trimmed compared to Merida’s equivalent analogue bikes because the extra frame weight creates so much stability in itself. Specifically they are 419mm, 439mm, 459mm, 479mm and 499mm across the sizes. Seat tubes, head tubes, and stack heights are all pretty low too, and with Merida’s special adjustable dropper post (from 30mm to 230mm drop), it should be easy to get your riding position dialled.

On the shorter travel eOne-Forty, there’s also five frame sizes, but it’s a full 29er and the geometry is appropriately tamer. The most important numbers here being a 66.5º head angle, very steep 79.7º effective seat angle, and longer 449mm chainstays. The reach is also longer on the eOne-Forty, starting at 431mm and extending to 511mm in 20mm increments. Once again, seat tubes and head tubes are kept low to facilitate up and down-sizing.

Here you can see the offset shock, with the piggyback protruding to the side of the top tube.

Suspension

A unique feature of the eOne-Sixty range is that every bike uses a flexstay back end, regardless of travel and frame material. Flexstays are pretty common among short travel bikes, and some e-bikes recently (such as the Focus Vam2 and Cannondale Moterra SL) have adopted it to chisel away at the grams, but it’s not something we typically see on alloy frames, or bikes with 174mm of travel. But Merida has been using its P-Flex system for a while now, even on its long travel models, and the brand is absolutely committed to the design and backs it to the hilt with a lifetime warranty. For Merida, it helps reduce costs, by eliminating parts and steps in assembly, but it also helps owners because there’s one less pivot to replace/maintain and it can help stiffen the back end. Merida has also worked on its design to help the kinematics of the suspension. Note that the eOne-Forty uses a regular seatstay pivot as it is designed to be loaded up with a rack and panniers.

Flexstays are used on both the carbon and alloy eOne-Sixty models, although the eOne-Forty gets a conventional pivot bearing to alloy for the fitment of a rack.

In order to accommodate the massive range extender, Merida has had to get creative with the shock placement on its new e-bikes. As such, it has offset the shock to the right of the top tube slightly, and twisted it 90º so that the piggyback sticks out to the left of the top tube. It’s a slightly ungainly design, but it doesn’t seem to impede pedalling, or catch on your thigh when descending. Well, unless you’re Travis Kelce, in which case you might encounter some light chafing.

Merida has also given its e-bikes size-specific leverage curves. Sounds fancy, but it boils down to more progression on the larger sizes and less on the smaller frames. The idea being that smaller riders are lighter and find it harder to use full travel, while bigger/heavier riders have the opposite experience.

Under the saddle is a useful multi-tool, but it gets covered in cack.

Merida e-bike accessories

Merida certainly doesn’t skimp on accessories aboard the eOne-Sixty and eOne-Forty. All models get integrated tools – a pull-out quick-release lever with 4/6mm hex keys, and a multi-tool under the saddle. There’s a rear mudguard between the stays, as well as a rubber flap at the chainstay yoke where the cables exit the front triangle, and comprehensive rubber frame protection. At the head tube is a light wired into the battery, although it’s not bright enough for proper trail riding at night.

Merida eOne-Sixty range overview

Merida eOne-Sixty 10K

Merida eOne-Sixty (CF) 10k, £10,500 / €12,600

Merida’s flagship model comes with Fox Factory suspension and a SRAM XX Eagle Transmission. Up front is a 38 Grip 2 fork, paired with a Float X2 shock. Wheels are DT Swiss carbon HXC1501, and claimed weight for a medium bike is 22.2kg. Two colours are available: Silver/grey or white.

Merida eOne-Sixty 7000

Merida eOne-Sixty (CF) 7000 £7,000 / €8,400

This model drops down to Fox Performance level suspension, still using the 38 chassis and X2 shock platform. The drivetrain is Shimano XT throughout.

Merida eOne-Sixty 6000

Merida eOne-Sixty (CF) 6000 £6,000 / €7,200

There’s a switch to RockShox suspension for the 6000 model. It gets a Domain RC fork and Super Deluxe Select shock out back. The drivetrain is SRAM NX/SX 12-speed with SRAM DB8 brakes. Claimed weight, 23.1kg.

Merida eOne-Sixty 875

Merida eOne-Sixty (Lite) 875 £6,000 / €7,200

The top of the range alloy model is the 875, and it gets a RockShox Zeb Select fork, Super Deluxe Select shock, Shimano XT 11-speed drivetrain with Linkglide and Shimano XT brakes.

Merida eOne-Sixty 675

Merida eOne-Sixty (Lite) 675 £5,500 / €6,600

The entry-level model uses a Marzocchi Z1 Bomber fork and Bomber Air shock, with Shimano Deore Linkglide drivetrain and Deore brakes.