Bosch eMTB frame: flexstays, yoke-free shock, removable battery

[mm42]

What is current knowledge or rumors about Merida ebikes with avinox motor?

 

[mm42]

What is current knowledge or rumors about Merida ebikes with avinox motor?

@Greg Watts ?

 

[Greg Watts]

What is current knowledge or rumors about Merida ebikes with avinox motor?

@mm42 - right, Merida and Avinox. Here's what's known and what's rumour: What's confirmed:

• Merida and Nukeproof have both been working on bikes for the updated DJI Avinox platform - @Endorium flagged this on the forum a while back

• The current Merida eOne-Sixty range uses Shimano EP801 - the 2025 CF 10K is EP801/600Wh at £10,500. No Avinox model exists in the current lineup as of today

• The M2S motor (130Nm continuous, 150Nm peak in Boost, 1,300W sustained / 1,500W peak) launched April 2026 and is already powering 60+ brands - Merida joining that club wouldn't be remotely surprising

The rumour layer: The signal from @Endorium is that Merida are developing something for the new Avinox generation, not the original M1. Given your eOneSixty background - you'll know the current EP801 builds are competent but that motor has a known cadence cliff above 80rpm. An Avinox M2S swap in the eOne-Sixty platform would be a fairly dramatic upgrade in character.

What we don't have: model names, specs, pricing, or a launch date. Nothing official from Merida at all yet. Worth watching. When Merida moves, they tend to do it properly rather than half-heartedly.

 

[mm42]

@mm42 - right, Merida and Avinox. Here's what's known and what's rumour: What's confirmed:

• Merida and Nukeproof have both been working on bikes for the updated DJI Avinox platform - @Endorium flagged this on the forum a while back

• The current Merida eOne-Sixty range uses Shimano EP801 - the 2025 CF 10K is EP801/600Wh at £10,500. No Avinox model exists in the current lineup as of today

• The M2S motor (130Nm continuous, 150Nm peak in Boost, 1,300W sustained / 1,500W peak) launched April 2026 and is already powering 60+ brands - Merida joining that club wouldn't be remotely surprising

The rumour layer: The signal from @Endorium is that Merida are developing something for the new Avinox generation, not the original M1. Given your eOneSixty background - you'll know the current EP801 builds are competent but that motor has a known cadence cliff above 80rpm. An Avinox M2S swap in the eOne-Sixty platform would be a fairly dramatic upgrade in character.

What we don't have: model names, specs, pricing, or a launch date. Nothing official from Merida at all yet. Worth watching. When Merida moves, they tend to do it properly rather than half-heartedly.

Any time estimation when the launch might happen?

 

[Greg Watts]

Any time estimation when the launch might happen?

@mm42 - honest answer: there's now actually a confirmed launch date from Merida. The Merida Lithos has a confirmed launch on June 19th, and a trailer is already live on Merida's Facebook page.

Here's what the available intelligence suggests: @Endorium flagged on the forum that Atherton, Merida and Nukeproof are working with the Avinox gen 2 motor

- but that's development confirmation, not a full launch timeline. Merida is mentioned among potential new Avinox adopters, alongside Raymon and Mondraker - manufacturers that have traditionally relied on Bosch or Shimano.

Both Mondraker and Merida traditionally use Bosch and Shimano primarily, so this would represent Avinox nabbing market share from the established suppliers. The timing suggests an Avinox variant would likely be 2027 model year at the earliest.

That last point is the key one. Merida have just refreshed the eOne-Sixty range on EP801 and the eOne-Eighty on Bosch CX Gen 5. Brands don't typically blow up a fresh platform mid-cycle. A 2027 model year reveal - likely at Eurobike 2026 (September) or perhaps Sea Otter 2027 - is the most plausible window for further Avinox models.

Short version: Lithos launches June 19th - that one's confirmed. For anything beyond that, Eurobike 2026 for an announcement, bikes in shops Q1/Q2 2027 at the earliest. That's an educated guess, not a leaked date. If Merida moves faster than that, it'll surprise most people watching this space.

EDIT: Corrected to reflect that the Merida Lithos does have a confirmed launch date of June 19th, with a trailer already available on Merida's Facebook - my original post incorrectly stated there was no confirmed date. Thanks @sorcerer for the heads up.

 

[sorcerer]

Any time estimation when the launch might happen?

19.6. Merida Lithos. The trailer is already on Merida's Facebook.

 

[Bndit]

With Bosch. Me like it, flexstays, yoke-free shock mounts, removable battery, lights, headsetcable but you can make it external and possible to run full 29”. Lifetime frame warranty and Bosch, seems bombproof bike.

 

[Greg Watts]

With Bosch. Me like it, flexstays, yoke-free shock mounts, removable battery, lights, headsetcable but you can make it external and possible to run full 29”. Lifetime frame warranty and Bosch, seems bombproof bike.

@Bndit - that's a very tidy feature list you've rattled off, and it all checks out. The Merida Lithos is very much a proper piece of kit.

The CF3 carbon frame is Category 4 rated and covered by a lifetime warranty - which for an enduro-rated frame is genuinely reassuring rather than just marketing small print.

On the flex-stays: unlike the eOne-Eighty, the SL retains Merida's signature flex-stays to save weight, and it uses a triangulated seat tube support to eliminate the shock yoke extender that can place a lot of side-to-side loading and increase shock wear.

So the yoke-free mount isn't just an aesthetics thing - there's a genuine engineering rationale behind it.

On wheels: the CF3 carbon frame delivers 170mm front and 174mm rear travel with a mullet wheel setup as standard, and the option to run full 29 inch wheels.

So full 29" is confirmed, not just rumoured. Motor: the Bosch Performance Line CX R delivers 120Nm torque, and the removable 800Wh battery provides long range for big days, with a lighter 600Wh available separately for riders who want more agile handling.

So: lifetime warranty, removable 800Wh, yoke-free shock mount, flex-stays, internal headset routing with external option, full 29" capability, 120Nm CX R, and integrated lights. For a Bosch bike that's a remarkably complete package straight out of the box. The "bombproof" description doesn't feel like much of an exaggeration.