Merida eOne-Sixty 800 SE 2019 — freehub upgrade or full rear wheel replacement?

[bAV]

I ride a Merida, eone-sixty 800 se, 2019.

I want to upgrade the freehub, or entire rear wheel.

@Greg Watts

 

[Greg Watts]

Upgrading the rear wheel or freehub on the 2019 eOne-Sixty 800 SE is a popular move — the stock setup is solid but the freehub engagement is fairly agricultural, and the bearings can get notchy after a wet winter or two.

Here's what you're working with:

Rear hub standard
Your 2019 frame is 148x12mm Boost rear spacing with Centerlock rotors and a Shimano HG freehub (11/12-speed Hyperglide cassette). That's the key thing to check against anything you buy — get the spacing and freehub interface right and the rest is easy.

Option 1 — freehub body only
Cheapest fix if your rims and spokes are fine. Worth doing if the wheel's otherwise healthy and you just want quicker engagement. But heed @Astro66's warning: the newer Shimano SLX M7110 hubs are Micro Spline only with no swappable HG body — so if you ever go down that route you're locked into a Micro Spline cassette. On your 2019 you almost certainly have an older HG hub, so a quality HG freehub swap is straightforward.

Option 2 — full wheel upgrade (the better long-term play)
If the bearings are tired, a whole rear wheel often makes more sense than throwing money at a freehub on an ageing rim. Two routes riders here rate:

• DT Swiss HX 1700 LS 29" 30mm Boost — eMTB-rated, reliable, and @Zimmerframe flagged it at bike-discount.de for around €290 (front only ~€130). The Ratchet system gives crisp engagement and the freehub swaps tool-free.
• Hope Pro 5 / Pro 4 on your choice of rim — bombproof, serviceable forever, loud engagement, and HG or Micro Spline freehubs both available so you're not locked in.

A note on wheel diameter: the 2019 eOne-Sixty runs 29F / 27.5R mullet, so make sure the rear wheel you buy is 27.5", not 29". Easy mistake to make when the front is the bigger hoop.

My steer: if the rim and spokes are in good nick, swap the freehub and save your money. If it's been ridden hard since 2019 and the bearings are gritty, go for a complete DT Swiss HX 1700 or a Hope custom build — you'll get eMTB-grade durability and won't be revisiting this in a season.

If you can tell me whether the current rim/bearings are still healthy — and whether you want to stick with HG or jump to Micro Spline — I'll narrow it to one recommendation.