Merida eONE-SIXTY 6000 first ride review

Merida’s new eONE-SIXTY 6000 is well priced at £6,000 / €7,200. It’s aimed at those performance-oriented, enduro-centred riders who prioritise on-trail handling and a dynamic ride feel above all-out range.

To achieve this, Merida shaved a claimed 700g from the previous bike's frame, while integrating a non-removable 600Wh battery into the down tube.

This design enabled Merida to build a simpler and lighter front triangle, keeping weight to a minimum and improving handling.

The bike comes fitted with mixed-sized wheels and dishes out 174mm of flex-stay rear suspension travel, paired with a 170mm fork. It's Ideal for enduro and bike-park thrashing.

I tested the eONE-SIXTY CF 6000 pre-launch at a press event in Italy and came away impressed by the new bike. Even in biblically wet conditions, the Merida provided plenty of smiles.

It has impressive handling that makes you feel comfortable from the get-go. Its lower-spec RockShox suspension is good, but not great, although there are plenty of options to tune the fork and shock.

The eONE-SIXTY CF 6000 is a good bike for those prioritising a dynamic ride feel above all-out range.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 6000 frame, suspension and motor

At the heart of the Merida eONE-SIXTY 6000 is its carbon construction, FAST kinematics and P-FLEX flex-stay suspension design.

With the carbon construction, new suspension layout and integrated battery, Merida claims it was able to trim around 0.7kg from the frame weight, compared to its older eONE-SIXTY frames.

The bike comes with mixed wheels as standard – 29in on the front and 27.5in at the rear. The frame features a geometry-correction flip chip that enables you to fit two 29in wheels if you wish. This setting shrinks the rear-wheel travel to 160mm.

The frame itself features a host of details, including internal cable routing through the headset. That'll be a joy to some and an inconvenience to others.

There are water bottle – or range extender – mounts on the down tube, depending on your priorities.

While there’s a whole new frame layout, Merida has carried over its exhaust ports on the carbon frame at the top of the battery compartment near the head tube. This is to help vent hot air.

Carbon can’t radiate heat away like an alloy frame and Merida doesn't want the integrated battery roasting on hot days.

There’s an integrated main-pivot fender and the option to run a larger rear mudguard. The rear end uses SRAM's Universal Derailleur Hanger and Boost Standard hub spacing.

More bounce

Merida’s FAST kinematics are frame-size specific, where the smaller frame sizes have less progression to help lighter riders achieve full travel. Larger frames are more progressive to deliver better support.

The bike's 174mm of rear travel (27.5in rear-wheel setting) is effectively a single-pivot linkage-driven suspension design.

However, instead of having a pivot on the seatstay, it uses a carbon flex-stay design.

This helps save weight and reduce maintenance by removing the pivot point and bearing, which needs looking after.

A short rocker and yoke drive the horizontally mounted shock, and are claimed to be suitably stiff so as not to apply side loading to the shock, maximising sensitivity and longevity.

The shock is offset and mounted sideways to free up space inside the front triangle.

The power station

Merida uses Shimano’s latest EP801 motor for the eONE-SIXTY 6000, dishing out 600W of peak power, 250W continuous power and 85Nm torque. This is powered by a 600Wh battery.

For those riders wanting more range, there’s a 360Wh range extender available that gives a maximum 960Wh capacity.

That should cover plenty of ground, although it adds approximately 2.9kg to the bike weight. As with all electric mountain bikes, there’s a balance between capacity and weight.

The bike will drain the range extender first, so once that’s empty, you could remove it and leave it at the van or car and drop the additional 2.9kg to improve the bike's ride feel.

Merida has positioned its integrated battery as low in the down tube as possible to keep the bike's centre of gravity low.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 6000 geometry

To update the eONE-SIXTY’s geometry, Merida has taken cues from its well-reviewed enduro bike and tweaked the frame shape to make it more ebike-friendly.

While the ebike is longer, lower, and slacker than its predecessor, it’s a touch shorter and steeper than the non-assisted bike to help improve agility.

There are five sizes available, from extra-short to extra-large, featuring Merida’s Agilometer geometry concept.

That grows bike length while keeping standover heights as low as possible as the sizes increase, enabling riders to choose sizes based on their riding style and preference.

I tested the mid-size eONE-SIXTY 6000. This features a well-balanced 459mm reach and 445mm chainstay. A 633mm stack underlines the bike's descending priority with a tall head tube.

There’s a capable 64.4-degree head tube angle and modern 78.4-degree effective seat tube angle. The eONE-SIXTY 6000 has a modest and comfortable 589mm effective top tube length.

The seat tube is short at 425mm and it features a 9mm bottom-bracket drop below the rear axle. On paper, the geometry looks on point for the eONE-SIXTY’s intended enduro use.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 6000 specification

As the base model for Merida’s eONE-SIXTY carbon range, the 6000 is specced with practical parts to help keep the price in check.

It gets RockShox’s stocky 38mm-stanchion Domain Gold RC fork with 170mm travel and a RockShox Super Deluxe Select shock. These are basic but functional pieces of kit.

Gear changes are taken care of by SRAM’s NX Eagle range, with an SX Eagle chain. Merida parts deck out the rest of the bike, with its Expert TR II cockpit, dropper and Expert SL saddle.

It rolls on Merida Expert TR II rims and Novatec hubs, shrouded in an enduro-capable 29x2.5in Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip EXO+ on the front and 27.5x2.4in Maxxis DRH II 3C MaxxTerra DoubleDown on the rear.

The spec blends functionality and performance for a respectable shop-bought price. It weighs in at a claimed 23.1kg for a size Mid.

Unfortunately, at the bike’s launch event at Bike Connection, I wasn’t able to weigh it with my own scales, so take the claimed weight with a pinch of salt.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 6000 ride impressions

I spent an afternoon riding the eONE-SIXTY 6000 through incredibly wet conditions at Massa Marittima in Italy, during Bike Connection.

The ground was wet, conditions were grippy and the trails were running well.

These varied from smoother-flowing runs to rocky, awkward tech, with a few steep and rough sections thrown in for good measure.

I set the bike up with Merida, with the brand recommending a touch over 30 per cent sag at the shock, and set the rebound to 12 clicks from closed of 14.

There’s no compression adjustment on the RockShox Super Deluxe Select shock.

To get the support I wanted, I ran the Domain fork with significantly higher pressure than recommended by RockShox, inflating it to 78psi compared to the 65psi suggested for my 75kg.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 6000 climbing impressions

The overall climbing experience on the Merida was very positive, something you should expect from a modern enduro eMTB.

Thanks to the contemporary 78.4-degree effective seat tube and upright 589mm effective top tube, the seated position was comfortable on the climbs.

That position enabled ample control of the steering and weight distribution when using the ebike's assistance to charge me up twisting climbs.

The front wheel wasn’t prone to lifting on steeper pitches and there was decent traction at the back wheel.

Even on wet climbs, handling the eONE-SIXTY 6000 was easy and predictable. There wasn't any noticeable understeer on tight hairpins and the bike remained stable when applying the power on steep pitched trails.

Tipping the bike through slow, jinking trails didn’t upset its balance thanks to its low centre of gravity and the Merida didn’t slip, slide or squirm through technical sections.

Shimano’s EP801 motor kicks out enough power to conquer most climbs and make uphill trails a fun affair.

The 600Wh battery is a compromise, sacrificing range for handling, because it weighs less than higher-capacity batteries. The 360Wh range extender would be a wise choice for all-day rides.

I burned through around 80 per cent of the battery in the bike's stock Trail mode on a 20km ride, climbing approximately 750m.

The rear wheel tracked well over bumpy and loose, rocky climbs without wallowing through its travel. The Merida delivered ample pedalling support without compromising performance.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 6000 descending performance

Once at the top of the trail, the Merida eONE-SIXTY is ready to conquer the trails and plaster a grin on your face.

The overall feel of this electric mountain bike is calm and composed, with an impressive weight distribution between the wheels that enabled me to feel confident and in control right from the get-go.

However, the basic suspension had a few flaws that tainted an otherwise competent bike.

The well-proportioned 459mm reach, 445mm chainstays and 633mm stack put my weight in a neutral position on the bike. This meant I felt centred and able to control the front of the bike through corners, cambers and ruts on the wet trails, while not having to move aggressively to maintain balance, rear-wheel grip or braking traction.

The eONE-SIXTY’s handling was engaging and brilliantly competent. It was nimble and agile enough to link turns with ease, yet stable enough to drift confidently and commit to unsupported corners.

It railed turns almost as well as the Canyon Strive:ON CFR, one of my favourite ebikes. However, the Merida doesn't feel as glued to the dirt as the Canyon.

Still, its smaller 600Wh battery helps give the Merida a fluid ride feel for an eMTB of this weight, and it leans from one turn to another easily without hesitation or needing tons of effort and forethought.

Even with its dynamic handling, the bike's weight helps give stability at speed. I think the bottom bracket could be 5mm lower, which would suit skilled riders and improve the bike's cornering.

However, the bottom bracket height balances decent handling with a forgiving pedalling height for less experienced riders, helping to avoid rocks, roots and ruts.

The Merida isn't perfect though; the basic RockShox suspension didn't deliver as capable a ride feel as its handling.

There was noticeable feedback through the pedals and bar that came from a slightly over-damped rear shock, which felt slow in reacting to fast, hard inputs.

This meant repetitive bumps were less controlled than with more sophisticated dampers. However, the suspension was supple enough in the beginning stroke to provide decent traction.

Overall chassis stability was okay, however. The bike never pitched and the fork didn't dive heavily.

The rest of the kit on the test bike proved to be functional and well thought-out. Fortunately, the trails weren't overly steep and I didn't need to use the brakes too heavily.

However, some thicker rotors, with a 220mm front and 200mm rear diameter, would be a welcome upgrade.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 6000 early verdict

Merida has produced a great bike with the eONE-SIXTY 6000. It's a lot of fun on the trail, with handling that makes it a front-runner in the full-power eMTB category.

It will suit those looking for an electric mountain with a dynamic ride character.

The range-anxious will appreciate the extender too. The bike will prioritise draining the range extender first, meaning you can ditch it back at the van or car if you're parked close by to save carrying the additional weight once it's empty.

Spec choices are smart and overall performance is good. The suspension can be tuned to get the best from it, which I’m sure would unleash even more potential and fun.

Is the eONE-SIXTY 6000 the best electric mountain bike at this price? Probably not, but its handling is superb and the frame is ready for upgrades.