Long-travel eONE-EIGHTY gets new single-pivot suspension, while eONE-SIXTY SL keeps flex-stay design
Merida’s all-new eMTBs follow hot on the heels of the brand’s latest eONE-SIXTY and eONE-FORTY bikes, released earlier in 2024.
But the latest eONE-EIGHTY and eONE-SIXTY SL use Bosch’s full-power Performance Line CX Gen 5 and Performance Line SX motors respectively, marking a move away from Shimano.
The new range of eONE-EIGHTY bikes starts at £4,900 / €5,750 and rises to £7,500 / €8,800. The eONE-SIXTY SL starts at £6,000 / €7,000, lifting to £11,500 / €13,500.
Technical editor-in-chief Robin Weaver rode both the eONE-EIGHTY and eONE-SIXTY SL ahead of the launch, and you can read his ride impressions here:
The eONE-EIGHTY follows the tired and tested full-power electric mountain bike formula of ‘more is better’.
Along with boasting 180mm of rear-wheel travel, it sports Bosch’s massive 800Wh battery, coil-shock compatible kinematics and a chunky spec designed for descending.
Its gravity-focused geometry is based around Merida’s Agilometer sizing, with the Mid frame getting a 460mm reach, and, of course, it runs mixed wheels (29in front, 27.5in rear).
The new eONE-SIXTY SL also follows recent trends. Along with Bosch’s SX electric bike motor and internal 400Wh battery, its full carbon-fibre frame and full build contribute to a respectable claimed 19.5kg weight.
Merida claims it has fitted no-compromises components in a bid to keep the weight down, with a special mention going to Maxxis’ EXO+ casing tyres front and rear across the range.
The brand’s Agilometer sizing is present and correct, with headline figures including a 466mm reach on the Mid-size bike and a 64-degree head angle. Like the long-travel eONE-EIGHTY, it runs mixed wheels.
2025 Merida eONE-EIGHTY tech highlights
Along with its Bosch motor, the move to a different suspension design is the biggest switch-up for Merida’s new bike.
Up to this point, all of Merida’s current-gen full-suspension bikes – human-powered and electric – have used a flex-stay suspension design, forgoing a physical pivot between the chainstays and seatstays.
The alloy-framed eONE-EIGHTY adds that physical pivot back in, creating a linkage-driven single-pivot design. Merida says it has changed the design because of the sheer amount of travel available; a flex-stay design can’t reliably handle 180mm of squish.
All that suspension travel has been tweaked for each size of the bike; the kinematics differ depending on how big the bike is, designed to accommodate different-sized riders.
Using the Agilometer geometry system, Merida has basically kept standover and seat-tube lengths minimal, so riders can size up depending on their reach requirements. The reach spans 415mm (XShort) to 505mm (XLong).
Stack heights, however, start and remain high across the board. The lowest is 652mm (XShort), while the XLong gets a 670mm figure.
| Frame size (29in / 27.5in wheels) | Xshort | Short | Mid | Long | XLong |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube (mm) | 400 | 410 | 425 | 445 | 465 |
| Top tube (mm) | 556 | 577 | 604 | 630 | 652 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 435 | 435 | 435 | 435 | 435 |
| Head angle (degrees) | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 |
| Seat angle (degrees) | 78.5 | 78.5 | 78.5 | 78.5 | 78.5 |
| Bottom bracket drop (mm) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Head tube (mm) | 110 | 115 | 120 | 125 | 130 |
| Reach (mm) | 415 | 435 | 460 | 485 | 505 |
| Stack (mm) | 652 | 657 | 661 | 666 | 670 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1195 | 1218 | 1245 | 1272 | 1294 |
Now synonymous with the brand, the bike has an in-built front light and tool storage under the saddle, but Merida has added an integrated rear mudguard in both long and short guises.
The Gen5 Performance Line CX motor is mated with an internal 800Wh battery, and Bosch’s PowerMore 250Wh range extender is compatible, boosting watt-hours further.
In a nod to the self-shuttling gravity riding the eONE-EIGHTY is clearly designed for, it can be fitted with a dual-crown fork to further boost descending prowess.
2025 Merida eONE-EIGHTY models and pricing
There are four models in the eONE-EIGHTY range, starting with the eONE-EIGHTY 400, retailing for £4,900 / €5,750. At the top end is the eONE-EIGHTY 900, which costs £7,500 / €8,800.
eONE-EIGHTY 400
- Fork and shock: SR Suntour Aion 38X / SR Suntour TRIAIR2
- Motor and battery: Bosch Performance Line CX Gen5 / PowerTube 600Wh
- Drivetrain and brakes: Shimano Cues / Tektro Gemini M535
- Wheels and tyres: Merida Expert TRII on Shimano hubs / Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 3C MaxxGrip, Maxxis Minion DHRII DoubleDown 3C MaxxTerra
- Price: £4,900 / €5,750
eONE-EIGHTY 500
- Fork and shock: RockShox ZEB Base / RockShox Vivid Base
- Motor and battery: Bosch Performance Line CX Gen5 / PowerTube 800Wh
- Drivetrain and brakes: Shimano CUES U6000 / Tektro Gemini M535
- Wheels and tyres: Merida Expert TRII on Shimano hubs / Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 3C MaxxGrip, Maxxis Minion DHRII DoubleDown 3C MaxxTerra
- Price: £5,750 / €6,750
eONE-EIGHTY 700
- Fork and shock: RockShox ZEB Select / RockShox Vivid Select
- Motor and battery: Bosch Performance Line CX Gen5 / PowerTube 800Wh
- Drivetrain and brakes: SRAM GX Eagle / SRAM DB8 Stealth
- Wheels and tyres: Merida Expert TRII on Shimano hubs / Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 3C MaxxGrip, Maxxis Minion DHRII DoubleDown 3C MaxxTerra
- Price: £6,500 / €7,650
eONE-EIGHTY 900
- Fork and shock: RockShox ZEB Ultimate / RockShox Vivid Ultimate
- Motor and battery: Bosch Performance Line CX Gen5 / PowerTube 800Wh
- Drivetrain and brakes: Shimano XT Linkglide / Shimano XT M8120
- Wheels and tyres: DT Swiss HF 1700 / Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 3C MaxxGrip, Maxxis Minion DHRII DoubleDown 3C MaxxTerra
- Price: £7,500 / €8,800
2025 Merida eONE-SIXTY SL tech highlights
Using a full-carbon frame (front and rear triangles), the 160mm-travel eONE-SIXTY is claimed to weigh around 19.5kg thanks to Bosch’s mid-power Performance Line SX motor and onboard 400Wh battery.
But the bike – according to Merida – is a no-compromises affair, with burly tyres (Maxxis EXO+) and a hard-hitting spec. The brand's first SL eMTB is designed for enduro riding and specced with a 160mm-travel fork and Fox, RockShox and Marzocchi shocks, befitting the category.
The eONE-SIXTY's 160mm of rear-suspension travel uses the brand’s flex-stay design, but it has a new linkage layout with fewer pivots to reduce maintenance potential, while still tuning its kinematics.
Agilometer geometry features again, with the same low-slung frame design. Key figures include a 64-degree head angle and reach that spans 420mm up to 512mm. Stack numbers are much lower than the eONE-EIGHTY, starting at 611mm and lifting to 629mm.
| Frame size (29in wheels) | Xshort | Short | Mid | Long | XLong |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube (mm) | 400 | 410 | 425 | 445 | 465 |
| Top tube (mm) | 543 | 567 | 591 | 616 | 640 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 450 | 450 | 450 | 450 | 450 |
| Head angle (degrees) | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 |
| Seat angle (degrees) | 78.5 | 78.5 | 78.5 | 78.5 | 78.5 |
| Bottom bracket drop (mm) | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 |
| Head tube (mm) | 100 | 105 | 110 | 115 | 120 |
| Reach (mm) | 420 | 443 | 466 | 489 | 512 |
| Stack (mm) | 611 | 616 | 620 | 625 | 629 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1202 | 1228 | 1253 | 1278 | 1303 |
A flip chip in the seatstay means it can run 29in wheels front and rear – or a mixed-wheel setup – without impacting its geometry.
However, there’s only clearance for 2.4in tyres between the bike’s stays – it remains to be seen whether you can squeeze bigger tyres in the space, but if you can’t, this may limit tyre choice.
Cables are now routed through tubes within the bike’s tubes to make replacement easier and reduce rattles, but they still enter via the headset.
There’s chain-slap protection aplenty, mudguard compatibility (as on the eONE-EIGHTY), large frame bearings, and onboard tool storage and accessory mounts.
2025 Merida eONE-SIXTY SL models and pricing
There are three models in the eONE-SIXTY SL range, each sharing the full carbon fibre frame. Starting with the eONE-SIXTY SL 6000, it costs £6,000 / €7,000. The range tops out with the eONE-SIXTY SL 10K, retailing for a whopping £11,500 / €13,500.
eONE-SIXTY SL 6000
- Fork and shock: Marzocchi Z1 / Marzocchi Bomber Air
- Motor and battery: Bosch Performance Line SX / CompactTube 400Wh
- Drivetrain and brakes: Shimano Deore M6100 / Shimano Deore M6120
- Wheels and tyres: Merida Expert TRII on Shimano hubs / Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 3C MaxxGrip, Maxxis Minion DHRII EXO+ 3C MaxxTerra
- Price: £6,000 / €7,000
eONE-SIXTY SL 8000
- Fork and shock: RockShox Lyrik Select+ / RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
- Motor and battery: Bosch Performance Line SX / CompactTube 400Wh
- Drivetrain and brakes: SRAM GX Eagle AXS Transmission / SRAM DB8 Stealth
- Wheels and tyres: DT Swiss HX 1700 / Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 3C MaxxGrip, Maxxis Minion DHRII EXO+ 3C MaxxTerra
- Price: £8,000 / €9,500
eONE-SIXTY SL 10K
- Fork and shock: Fox 36 Factory / Fox Float X Factory
- Motor and battery: Bosch Performance Line SX / CompactTube 400Wh
- Drivetrain and brakes: SRAM XX Eagle AXS Transmission / SRAM Maven Ultimate
- Wheels and tyres: FSA SC I30 / Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 3C MaxxGrip, Maxxis Minion DHRII EXO+ 3C MaxxTerra
- Price: £11,500 / €13,500
Merida eONE-SIXTY SL and eONE-EIGHTY ride impressions
Robin Weaver spent a day riding both Merida bikes. Although his time aboard the bikes was limited, he managed to get a grasp of how both felt on trails he's very familiar with, as well as an insight into any shortcomings they may have.
The trails he rode were a mix of flowy jump trails and technical singletrack, along with varied climbs ranging from smooth fire roads through to more demanding, rough doubletracks.
Merida eONE-SIXTY SL ride impressions
Uphill, the eONE-SIXTY SL feels comfortable and very competent when seated, thanks to the steep seat-tube angle and lengthy rear end, which helps ensure there’s next to no front-wheel lift or wander as the incline steepens.
As you spin the cranks, there’s little in the way of wasted energy through the suspension system, which stays relatively calm while seated.
As long as I was able to stay in the Bosch SX motor’s RPM sweet spot (it prefers higher revs), the eONE-SIXTY SL felt relatively speedy and powerful enough to zip up anything I pointed it at, without me having to blow a gasket.
On the descents, the decent reach and long back end make for a well-centred ride position, where you can remain relatively static as you carve from turn to turn.
The long back end, though, means the eONE-SIXTY SL doesn’t feel the most agile or lively bike. Getting the front wheel lifted to loft it over a feature requires a bit more effort than I’d have liked.
In terms of suspension performance, this isn’t quite the same offering as the non-assisted ONE-SIXTY enduro bike. Instead, the rear suspension here feels more efficient and less forgiving, skimming over rather than ploughing through the holes.
In that sense, it’s certainly more of a long-travel trail bike rather than an all-out enduro machine with a bit of help from a motor.
Merida eONE-EIGHTY ride impressions
On the climbs, the eONE-EIGHTY feels impressively capable. The mix of power from the new motor and the geometry ensures all climbs – especially those that are a little more technical – are disposed of with relative ease, all the while keeping a grin plastered across your face.
The suspension remains relatively neutral when sat down pedalling, and there’s masses of power and a real eagerness from the Bosch motor to get you to the top of the hill in good time (when using one of the higher assistance modes).
Despite the weight, get it going downhill and the impressive suspension tune helps ensure this bike doesn’t feel as though it's dead in the water. Instead, I could easily manoeuvre it onto just about any line I chose, loading it up and popping or skipping through sections as I would on a more lively enduro bike.
The hand-to-feet relationship felt spot-on, producing a confidence on the bike and making tackling steeper, technical sections far less terrifying than they might be otherwise.
It was through the turns that the eONE-EIGHTY really impressed me, though. Chuck it into a slippery corner and the supple suspension does a great job of keeping both tyres gripping. You can simply keep upping the speed and holding on, trying to find the limit of traction until the tyres or, more likely, your nerve gives way.