The new Merida eOne-Sixty is finally here, and the eOne-Forty too

Launched back in 2017, the original Merida eOne-Sixty was a revolution to me. New, compact motor designs allowed manufacturers such as Merida to design a frame with sensible chainstay length and bottom bracket drop. This did wonders for handling on the trails.

The new eOne-Sixty isn’t as revolutionizing. Still, Merida has done a lot of changes. I was sure the new eOne-Sixty would be launched in 2023, but it kept getting delayed. And when it was finally announced, Cannondale beat them by a week with a few significant similarities.



Just like the recently announced Cannondale Moterra SL, the eOne-Sixty has the Shimano EP8 (801) motor. It doesn’t end there, the Merida eOne-Sixty also has got flexstays and an internally fixed 600 Wh battery. Making both bikes light for a big battery, big motor emtb. But they’re also quite different. The Merida is a burlier bike with beefier components and longer travel. Check it out in this video or keep on reading.

Flex-stays​

Looking at the rear triangle, you might notice the pivot point near the rear axle is gone. The new flexstay design named “P-FLEX” allows the rear frame to flex as the suspension compresses. Merida says the new rear suspension design is tuned for more progression to work well with the new high-volume air-shocks and even coil-shocks. Suspension progression is higher for the bigger frames, ranging from 8 for the smallest frame to 16% for the biggest.



The first part of the travel has over 100% anti-squat, which should make for a stable and efficient pedaling experience. Around half-way into the travel, the anti-squat drops below 100% and becomes more active over bigger impacts. Anti-rise has been reduced compared to the previous model. The new eOne-Sixty rear suspension should be more active under braking while still ramping up towards the end of the travel.

The kinematics are the same for both the carbon and aluminium frames. And that seems plausible, the stays probably don’t need to flex much. I like the idea of flexstays, less moving parts and less maintenance is good. And it’s probably less weight too. I expect it will work well, Merida has been using flexstays on the latest non-assist One-Sixty that has been out for a while.

Merida eOne-Sixty sizing​

As with the unassisted One-Sixty, the frame size names have changed. Now they’re Short and Long, what Merida calls AGILOMETER sizing. The idea is you don’t choose the size based on how tall you are, you pick the frame length you prefer. This means the height difference between the frames isn’t big, as seen by the stack numbers. The XLong frame is just 20 mm taller than the XShort. The rear part of the frame is identical between the sizes. While the seat tube, head tube and reach increase on the bigger frames.

Merida fitted an adjustable dropper post to make it easier fitting a frame size to various rider heights. The Merida Team TR II dropper post can easily be adjusted between 30 and 230 mm, that’s a huge range.

eOne-Sixty geometry​

The new frame is longer, lower, slacker, as expected. You might know I prefer chainstays of about 445 mm, or slightly above. And I think 64.5* is a nice head angle for a down hill capable trailbike. It’s no wonder I was happy reading the geometry table showing 446 mm chainstays and 64.4* head angle. The frame in size Large, I mean Long, has a wheelbase of 1.266 mm. There are longer frames around, but this seems perfect for a capable descender that wants to work well on flatter trails too. The 78.4* seat angle is properly steep. 9 mm bottom bracket drop doesn’t seem a lot, but it isn’t tall considering the rear suspension travel has increased drastically.

A burlier mullet bike that can be converted to a 29er​

The eOne-Sixty has been a mullet bike with 155 mm rear travel for years. The 6 mm increase in chainstay length is a sign the new model will fit a 29er rear wheel. In the default, mullet setup the eOne-Sixty now has a whooping 174 mm of rear travel. There is a flip chip on the rocker that drops the rear travel to 160 mm and makes room for the 29 inch wheel. The fork travel has been increased too, up from 160 to 170 mm. It seems the new bike is a more capable descender while not giving up on its pedigree as a great allrounder.

Motor and batteries​

The motor is a powerful one that weighs about 2,6 kg. I think this is a good choice for a lighter full-power bike. It seems the updated Shimano EP8 (EP801) is quite durable too. Here’s more on the motor:


The new 600 Wh battery is fixed inside the frame. Unfortunate, or too little, some will say. But it’s not that surprising. The carbon eOne-Sixty always was the lighter weight, high-performance option. And internally fixing the battery saves weight. Labeling it 600 Wh is a bit confusing, but it seems it's because of some new EU legislation. The battery has the new 5,8 Ah (21700) cells making it 626 Wh. That’s about the same capacity as the old carbon model while being lighter, more than half a kilo is my guess.



People who want maximum range is likely to care less about weight and handling. That’s just how it has to be, you can’t have both. More range means more weight. Therefore, the 750 Wh detachable battery is only available on the Merida eOne-Sixty LITE. LITE is the name of the alloy frame, which isn’t that lite. There is another solution for increased range, the 360 Wh frame mounted range extender battery. Prices and weight unfortunately aren’t out yet, but it appears to be 2.3 kg.

The Merida eOne-Sixty lineup​

The eOne-Sixty CF and LITE make up two of the eMTBs in what Merida calls the eTRIOLOGY. Prices range between £5.200 and £10.500 (Suggested RRP EU: €6.250-12.600) and weight starts at 22.2 kg. Bikes will be available in stores from early March, the alloy version is the first to arrive. I notice models such as the eOne-Sixty 500/575 and 5000 are missing, perhaps those will come next year?

My take – Merida eOne Sixty CF & LITE​

EMTBs are getting better and better. How can manufacturers even come up with a new bike that will impress me anymore, like the original eOne-Sixty did? Well, bringing out a new bike with a lighter and simplified rear suspension is intriguing. And having sorted frame geometry helps a lot, although that’s subjective to some degree. Fitting a new and improved battery that brings a weight savings of about 20% should excite most of us, I assume. I think the new and lighter eOne-Sixties look very good. But I think Merida need a lower cost eOne-Sixty or two, I believe the price was part of the reason the original eOne-Sixty 800 was such a success. The new eOne-Forty could fill some of that gap though.

Have I forgotten about the new Merida eOne-Forty?​

Almost. This is the third and final model in the eTRIOLOGY and it appears there are fewer changes to the eOne-Forty. It has the old batteries and the old rear suspension design. No flexstay rear triangle. Has anything changed really?

Merida eOne-Forty LITE frame and geometry​

The eOne-Forty is only available in the LITE version with the alloy frame. The head angle remains unaltered at 66.5*, the rest of the geometry is hugely altered. Merida has abandoned the 439.5 mm chainstays. To me, that’s another sign that emtbs are abandoning short chainstays. With the 449 mm rear end, the eOne-Forty positions itself within the 445-450 mm range which seems to become the new normal.


The wheelbase is up by a lot compared to the 2023 model, about 30 mm. This inevitably means the Reach has increased, up by about 20 mm. Another big change is the super steep seat angle of 79.5*.

Even though the frame looks similar to the old, it has changed significantly. Suspension travel has been altered too. It’s up from 140/133 to 150/143 mm. The old 27.5” rear wheel has been replaced with a bigger one, making it a pure 29er bike. But it can be converted back to a mullet setup using the flip-chip. This extends rear travel to 151 mm.

Motor and battery​

The Shimano EP6 85 Nm motor is nowhere to be seen in the spec sheets, that’s a surprise! I thought that was the obvious choice of Shimano motors on a cheaper, less weight conscious model. But it is a pleasant surprise, the new EP8 (801) is a stronger and more inspiring ride.

The batteries remain the same with the choice between the 750 Wh battery or the old Shimano 630 Wh. And they’re still easily detachable. The eOne-Forty too gets the 360 Wh range extender. Combined with the 750 Wh battery, you get a whopping 1.110 Wh capacity.

The eOne-Forty lineup​

Prices range between £4.300 and £6.000 (Suggested RRP EU: €5.150-6.350) and weight starts at 24.9 kg. Bikes will be available in stores from early March.

My take – Merida eOne Forty LITE​

Okay, even though the Merida eOne-Forty LITE looks similar, it’s a very different bike! I think most people used to overlook the eOne-Forty and only considered the eOne-Sixty. That should change now. Both models have grown over their predecessors and the eOne-Forty with a longer frame and longer travel should be much more capable on the descents.

As previously mentioned, this new bike should be an interesting alternative for those who are missing cheaper options in the eOne-Sixty lineup. And for those who are missing detachable batteries and more range. If what you really miss is fenders and a rack, get the eOne-Forty EQ.