New Merida eOne-Forty and eOne-Sixty eMTBs share looks and suspension with non-assisted siblings

Merida has redesigned its three-bike eMTB range, now sharing its looks and suspension design with the brand’s award-winning enduro and trail bikes, the One-Sixty and One-Forty.

The eOne-Sixty CF, eOne-Sixty Lite and eOne-Forty Lite’s all-new design uses a horizontally mounted rear shock, and on the One-Sixty models, a flex-stay suspension system.

The carbon fibre CF model gets a 600Wh fixed, internal battery, while the alloy Lite models have a much bigger 750Wh unit that can be removed. All models are powered by Shimano’s 85Nm and 600W EP-801 electric bike motor.

Travel figures are the same across the two eOne-Sixty models (174mm rear with 27.5in rear wheel). While the eOne-Forty shares its outline with its bigger sibling, it forgoes the flex-stay suspension design for a seatstay pivot delivering 143mm of travel.

Prices start at £4,300 / €5,150 / AU$6,999 for the most affordable eOne-Forty Lite 400 and rise to £10,500 / €12,600 / AU$15,999 for the fanciest eOne-Sixty CR 10K.

An all-new frame for the eOne-Sixty CF and Lite, and eOne-Forty

The new bike’s horizontally mounted shock mimics Merida’s One-Sixty and One-Forty design, moving away from the outgoing electric mountain bike model’s vertical shock positioning.

The carbon fibre model gets a fully enclosed down tube – and unremovable battery – while the alloy versions’ batteries are removable via the U-shaped down tube’s cut-out.

All models have internally routed cables via ports on the headset, dubbed Wire Port.

The carbon frame’s externally smooth tubes have heat exhaust grills to expel excess warmth in the battery compartment, but the alloy one forgoes this feature.

SRAM’s Universal Derailleur Hanger features across the range, as do multiple down tube mounting points for bottles, accessories and a range extender. Slotted neatly under the front of the top tube is an additional accessory mount.

There’s under-side and chain-slap protection aplenty, plus an in-built main pivot mudguard. There are mounting bosses on the seatstay bridge for an additional, longer rear mudguard too.

At the rear, there’s tyre clearance for up to 2.6in rubber, with Merida using the Boost 148 standard and a 200mm post brake mount.

Size-specific suspension kinematics customise the ride

At the heart of the new eOne-Forty and eOne-Sixty models is Merida’s FAST kinematic suspension platform.

This is a linkage-driven single-pivot layout, where the longer-travel models forgo a seatstay pivot in favour of a flex stay, dubbed P-FLEX. The shorter-travel One-Forty bike has a seatstay pivot, but is still a single-pivot design, rather than a four-bar or Horst-link bike.

Merida claims its kinematics have been tuned for ebikes and rider size, which corresponds to frame size. Bigger sizes get increased progression, which should tune suspension feel to rider size.

There’s a flip chip in the rocker used to compensate its geometry when switching between 29in and 27.5in rear wheels, but its different settings also change the rear travel.

Set to the 29in position, the eOne-Sixty has 160mm of travel, but swap to the 27.5in position and that lifts to 174mm. The eOne-Forty has 142mm in the 29in setting and 156mm in the 27.5in configuration.

Finally, the shock’s mounts position its piggyback horizontally rather than vertically. Merida claims it has used this design for space purposes.

Style and speed-focused geometry

Merida’s Agilometer geometry concept focuses on growing bike length, while keeping standover heights as squat as possible as the sizes increase.

The five-size range spans from extra-short to extra-long via short, mid and long.

For example, Merida recommends a 175cm-tall rider should ride a short bike for a more agile feel, a mid-sized bike for a balanced feel and a long bike for a stable feel.

A long and deep seatpost, and the brand’s 30-230mm adjustable-travel dropper, add to this versatility because the post can be slammed in the frame’s tube.

Compared to the One-Sixty, the ebike version’s reach figures are slightly shorter and head angles steeper for any comparative size, justified by the bike’s extra weight increasing stability, negating the need for longer geometry.

Standout eOne-Sixty figures include reach numbers that start at 419mm and lift to 499mm, a 64.4-degree head tube angle and a 78.5-degree seat tube angle.

Stack heights start at 624mm and rise to 642mm, while the all-important standover is 776mm for the extra-short and 755mm for the extra-long.

Chainstays are fixed at 446mm across the sizes.

Although the eOne-Forty gets a similar long, slack and low treatment, with the same extra-short to extra-long sizing, its figures are slightly less extreme.

Its head angle is 66.5 degrees and reach figures range from 431mm to 511mm. However, standover figures are lower, starting at 758mm and dropping to 739mm for the extra-long.

Bespoke batteries power Shimano’s EP-801

Fitted to the carbon fibre eOne-Sixty CF is a custom-made fixed Simplo 600Wh battery, claimed to offer mid-weight handling and full-power assistance to the range-topping model.

The alloy bike has another custom power source, this time a 750Wh Simplo unit that can be removed via a cut-out in the down tube. This ups weight, giving the Lite version a full-power feel.

All modes are compatible with a custom 360Wh range extender, which sits on custom mounts within the bike’s front triangle.

Shimano’s EP-801 motor boasts 85Nm of torque and 600W of peak power, up from the 800’s 500W. Each model gets Shimano’s colour display and left-hand remote, and a new battery-level and mode-indicating satellite switch.

A split personality for the eOne-Forty Lite

Everything about the eOne-Forty screams trail bike, but Merida is positioning it as an SUV ebike.

As a nod to the sports utility vehicle moniker, it has rear pannier rack mounts – designed to lug shopping as much as camping equipment – and a kickstand to stop it toppling over at the local supermarket.

While all models have an integrated, hard-wired Lezyne front light, only the eOne-Forty gets rear illumination.

The eOne-Sixty CF has three models in its range, and prices start at £6,000 / €7,200 for the 6000 model, lifting to £10,500 / €12,600 / AU$15,999 for the 10K bike.

Its alloy sibling, the eOne-Sixty Lite, has two models: the £5,500 / €6,600 / AU$8,699 675 and £6,000 / €7,200 / AU$9,499 875. The eOne-Forty ups that to five, starting at £4,300 / €5,100 / AU$6,999 and topping out at £5,300 / €6,350.

eOne-Sixty CF models and specifications

Merida eOne-Sixty CF 6000

• Frame: CF4 Carbon, 174mm travel (27.5in rear wheel)
• Motor and battery: Shimano EP-801 motor, 600Wh battery
• Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select
• Fork: RockShox Domain RC, 170mm travel
• Drivetrain: SRAM NX Eagle
• Wheels and tyres: Merida Expert TR II, Maxxis Assegai (f), Minion DHR II (r)
• Price: £6,000 / €7,200

Merida eOne-Sixty CF 7000

• Frame: CF4 Carbon, 174mm travel (27.5in rear wheel)
• Motor and battery: Shimano EP-801 motor, 600Wh battery
• Shock: Fox Float X2 Performance
• Fork: Fox 38 Performance, 170mm travel
• Drivetrain: Shimano XT M8130 Link Glide 11-speed
• Wheels and tyres: Merida Expert TR II, Maxxis Assegai (f), Minion DHR II (r)
• Price: £7,000 / €8,400 / AU$11,499

Merida eOne-Sixty CF 10K

• Frame: CF4 Carbon, 174mm travel (27.5in rear wheel)
• Motor and battery: Shimano EP-801 motor, 600Wh battery
• Shock: Fox Float X2 Factory
• Fork: Fox 38 Factory, 170mm travel
• Drivetrain: SRAM XX Eagle Transmission
• Wheels and tyres: DT Swiss HXC 1501, Maxxis Assegai (f), Minion DHR II (r)
• Price: £10,500 / €12,600 / AU$15,999

Merida eOne-Sixty Lite 675

• Frame: Lite aluminium, 174mm travel (27.5in rear wheel)
• Motor and battery: Shimano EP-801 motor, 750Wh battery
• Shock: Marzocchi Bomber Air
• Fork: Marzocchi Z1 eMTB Air, 170mm travel
• Drivetrain: Shimano Deore M5130 Link Glide 10-speed
• Wheels and tyres: Merida Expert TR II, Maxxis Assegai (f), Minion DHR II (r)
• Price: £5,500 / €6,600 / AU$8,699

Merida eOne-Sixty Lite 875

• Frame: Lite aluminium, 174mm travel (27.5in rear wheel)
• Motor and battery: Shimano EP-801 motor, 750Wh battery
• Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select
• Fork: RockShox ZEB Select, 170mm travel
• Drivetrain: Shimano XT M8130 Link Glide 11-speed
• Wheels and tyres: Merida Expert TR II, Maxxis Assegai (f), Minion DHR II (r)
• Price: £6,000 / €7,200 / AU$9,499

Merida eOne-Forty Lite 675

• Frame: Lite aluminium, 142mm travel (29in rear wheel)
• Motor and battery: Shimano EP-801 motor, 750Wh battery
• Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select
• Fork: SR Suntour AION X 36 Boost, 150mm travel
• Drivetrain: SRAM NX Eagle
• Wheels and tyres: Merida Expert TR II, Maxxis Rekon (f&r)
• Price: £5,200 / €6,250

Merida eOne-Forty Lite 675 EQ

• Frame: Lite aluminium, 142mm travel (29in rear wheel)
• Motor and battery: Shimano EP-801 motor, 750Wh battery
• Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select
• Fork: SR Suntour AION X 36 Boost, 150mm travel
• Drivetrain: SRAM NX Eagle
• Wheels and tyres: Merida Expert TR II, Maxxis Rekon (f&r)
• Price: £5,300 / €6,350

Merida eOne-Forty Lite 475

• Frame: Lite aluminium, 142mm travel (29in rear wheel)
• Motor and battery: Shimano EP-801 motor, 750Wh battery
• Shock: SR Suntour Edge Plus
• Fork: SR Suntour Zeron 36 X, 150mm travel
• Drivetrain: Shimano CUES U6000
• Wheels and tyres: Merida Comp TR II, Maxxis Rekon (f&r)
• Price: £4,850 / €5,800

Merida eOne-Forty Lite 475 EQ

• Frame: Lite aluminium, 142mm travel (29in rear wheel)
• Motor and battery: Shimano EP-801 motor, 750Wh battery
• Shock: SR Suntour Edge Plus
• Fork: SR Suntour Zeron 36 X, 150mm travel
• Drivetrain: Shimano CUES U6000
• Wheels and tyres: Merida Comp TR II, Maxxis Rekon (f&r)
• Price: £5,000 / €6,000

Merida eONE-FORTY Lite 400

• Frame: Lite aluminium, 142mm travel (29in rear wheel)
• Motor and battery: Shimano EP-801 motor, 630Wh battery
• Shock: SR Suntour Edge Plus
• Fork: SR Suntour Zeron 36 X, 150mm travel
• Drivetrain: Shimano CUES U6000
• Wheels and tyres: Merida Comp TR II, Maxxis Rekon (f&r)
• Price: £4,300 / €5,100 / AU$6,999

eOne-Sixty Lite 875 ride impressions

I briefly rode the eOne-Sixty Lite 875 ahead of the launch on my home trails in Scotland’s Tweed Valley, which meant I got a good taste of how it performs.

I rode the mid-size bike with a 459mm reach figure, a good chunk smaller than my usual 480mm sweet spot, but it’s the bike Merida recommended for me.

The temptation to run Shimano’s motor at its maximum assistance levels is high, especially with the extended ride time the chunky 750Wh battery doles out.

While this is a real 'smiles per kilowatt hour of battery power' setting, the motor’s thirst depletes even the biggest-capacity units quickly. On a single charge, using exclusively the Boost mode, I managed 1,285m of ascent over 33km.

The trade-off for the added range over Shimano’s own 630Wh unit or Merida’s 600Wh battery is a chunky headline-weight figure.

The eOne-Sixty Lite 875 tips the scales at a portly 26.34kg.

Fear not, however, on the ups the steep seat tube angle, relatively long chainstays and fairly low stack and bar heights keep front-wheel lift and rear-wheel spin in check.

Your weight can be shifting fore and aft quickly to balance either end of the bike out, helping keep control well and truly in check.

That low front end certainly gives it a trail rather than enduro bike slant, despite the hips-above-cranks seat tube angle usually associated with winch-and-plummet machines.

Point it downhill and there’s a world of balanced magic happening between the front and rear dampers.

The basic ZEB Select fork’s performance is exemplary, absorbing chatter and big hits alike; so glued to the ground was my front wheel I thought I’d lost air from the tyre.

At the back, the rear end’s ramp-up feels archetypally Merida; big hits use full travel, but in a soft and quiet way.

While the shorter geometry may look conservative on paper, it wasn’t twitchy on high-speed descents. The 459mm reach and 446mm chainstay ratio is possibly closing in on a sweet spot, usually out of the grasp of riders on bigger frames.

Equally, that headline-weight figure gives it a plough rather than pick demeanour, smoothing out and devouring bumps for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Keep tuned for a full review of the eOne-Sixty Lite 875 once I’ve spent more time on it.