Mr Scooter
Member
Hi. Just an update. Note posted in a while.
Done 3000ks....heres what I have found.
Merida E160 10k has pretty descent spec.... but I changed the XTR brakes to Magura MT7s. The Grips were changed to Bergtec Minnaars, the saddle went in the bin...pity about the tool.... I added a one up tool in the stem but this was tricky to get to stay tight so the bike shop customised the star nut fitment and it now tightens from below and doesn't creak or loosen. Apparently pushing the star right down to facility the short one up tool,put the nut in a sharp taper section or E bike Fox fork steerer tubes and it was always coming undone. If the custom solution hadn't work I may have fitted a specialized swat tool.
Battery settings were tweaked to remove the 5% that is dedicated to the light. I have kept light on but its shit frankly.
I have slammed the stem as low as possible but the Merida front ends all seem a bit too high. At 178cm the reach is good for me but the AXS post is slammed as low as possible. Seat mast on the E160 doesn't need to be that high for this size bike.
I have been through 3 chains onto second cassette 3 back tyres and about to change to stock Assegai up front.
Battery is still 100 percent. No issues with the motor.
Bike has done plenty of work and we have tough hill here in NZ.
Only had one serious issue and that was the cables snapped inside the headset. Mechanic thought it was routed the wrong way from factory an was getting pinched. Luckily I wasn't too far from the car as it would cut out every time I turned the bars.
Improvements......
I really want to find a carbon bar that can internally route control cables. The stock Merida Grips are terrible and the tall front is a bit much even with a slammed stem
The saddle is ridiculous for this kind of bike. If you go out for long rides it rips your arse... I have yet to see an E160 in the wild where the owner is still on the stock saddle.
Centre lock rotors are scarce and I'd say the centre lock wheel set isn't ideal as a 220 rotor up front would be great but not advised. Centre lock rotors with shimano magnets are really scarce. I am on a Magura 6 bolt mated to a DT centre lock adapter.
XTR brakes were fine but the Maguras kill them dead, and Magura has a nice range of lever blade sizes. I wish that shimano had different length lever blades.
The EP8.... well no matter what I do it is either under powered or down on range. I can get 20 percent more out of the Trek Rail...and the specialised system has some special sauce going on that allows epic range...
The single biggest issue with the bike is the EP8. Noisy, chews battery. I have one profile set super low for max range but I get left for dead against Bosch bikes....and I still run out. At 94 KG 1500m of climbing is about it. Once you get to that last red bar you had better be close to home with not much climbing left.
Where I live the tracks are steep..I almost always run eco, almost never boost....a tiny bit of trail.
A battery percentage display would help
So there ye go , the Merida 10K ,Its a lovely looking bike, I was luck to secure one.
Done 3000ks....heres what I have found.
Merida E160 10k has pretty descent spec.... but I changed the XTR brakes to Magura MT7s. The Grips were changed to Bergtec Minnaars, the saddle went in the bin...pity about the tool.... I added a one up tool in the stem but this was tricky to get to stay tight so the bike shop customised the star nut fitment and it now tightens from below and doesn't creak or loosen. Apparently pushing the star right down to facility the short one up tool,put the nut in a sharp taper section or E bike Fox fork steerer tubes and it was always coming undone. If the custom solution hadn't work I may have fitted a specialized swat tool.
Battery settings were tweaked to remove the 5% that is dedicated to the light. I have kept light on but its shit frankly.
I have slammed the stem as low as possible but the Merida front ends all seem a bit too high. At 178cm the reach is good for me but the AXS post is slammed as low as possible. Seat mast on the E160 doesn't need to be that high for this size bike.
I have been through 3 chains onto second cassette 3 back tyres and about to change to stock Assegai up front.
Battery is still 100 percent. No issues with the motor.
Bike has done plenty of work and we have tough hill here in NZ.
Only had one serious issue and that was the cables snapped inside the headset. Mechanic thought it was routed the wrong way from factory an was getting pinched. Luckily I wasn't too far from the car as it would cut out every time I turned the bars.
Improvements......
I really want to find a carbon bar that can internally route control cables. The stock Merida Grips are terrible and the tall front is a bit much even with a slammed stem
The saddle is ridiculous for this kind of bike. If you go out for long rides it rips your arse... I have yet to see an E160 in the wild where the owner is still on the stock saddle.
Centre lock rotors are scarce and I'd say the centre lock wheel set isn't ideal as a 220 rotor up front would be great but not advised. Centre lock rotors with shimano magnets are really scarce. I am on a Magura 6 bolt mated to a DT centre lock adapter.
XTR brakes were fine but the Maguras kill them dead, and Magura has a nice range of lever blade sizes. I wish that shimano had different length lever blades.
The EP8.... well no matter what I do it is either under powered or down on range. I can get 20 percent more out of the Trek Rail...and the specialised system has some special sauce going on that allows epic range...
The single biggest issue with the bike is the EP8. Noisy, chews battery. I have one profile set super low for max range but I get left for dead against Bosch bikes....and I still run out. At 94 KG 1500m of climbing is about it. Once you get to that last red bar you had better be close to home with not much climbing left.
Where I live the tracks are steep..I almost always run eco, almost never boost....a tiny bit of trail.
A battery percentage display would help
So there ye go , the Merida 10K ,Its a lovely looking bike, I was luck to secure one.
