Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k review (2021)
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Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k review (2021)

Merida’s top-spec electric mountain bike comes dripping with high-end kit, but does this help on the trail?

Our rating

4

9899.00
9000.00

Russell Burton / Immediate Media

Published: August 24, 2021 at 7:00 pm

Our review
Smooth and agile, the eONE-SIXTY can take on pretty much any trail

Pros:

Very smooth, composed suspension; good handling on a wide variety of trails; for the most part, the spec list is second to none

Cons:

A longer front end would improve performance; the front end is pretty high and the seat tube quite tall; the light and rear fender don’t add anything to the package

Merida’s enduro-focused ONE-SIXTY platform received the e-treatment for the 2021 model year, and with Shimano’s release of its EP8 motor got the updated hardware too, along with the E8036 630Wh battery.

The EP8 and its battery have been merged into a carbon front triangle, while an alloy rear triangle takes control of the 160mm single pivot, linkage-actuated rear suspension.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
Shimano's latest motor, the EP8 has some good and some not-so-good points. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

As is common on e-MTBs, the bike rolls on mixed wheel sizes, with a larger 29in wheel up front and smaller 650b at the back, commonly referred to as a 'mullet bike'.

Merida says this has been done to benefit from the roll-over capability of the bigger front wheel while retaining a shorter back end for nippy handling.

The Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k frame

Integration is the name of the game here and the Shimano battery has been sleekly integrated into the down tube.

The battery is accessed via an easily removable door under the tube – simply release a rubber tag, slide the door towards the head tube and the door comes away.

The battery is then released with a 4mm Allen key and clip — handily there’s a key secreted neatly into the rear axle.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
Hidden underneath the cover is the 630Wh battery. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

The battery can be charged in situ, and the on/off button is located on the top tube for ease of use.

A small reset button is accessed via the underside of the down tube, should the battery need it.

Shimano’s display sits tidily at the bar and while it's really easy to read, it would be good to have more than five battery capacity bars.

Around the head tube/down tube junction is what Merida calls the Thermo Gate, which is effectively venting for the battery in the down tube, to help prevent overheating.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
Gills in the head tube are there to let heat escape from the battery. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

There's also an Internal Block System to prevent the fork from rotating too much in a crash.

Steering blocks, such as this, prevent the fork from spinning too far to protect the frame. They make storing a bike with the front wheel off a little more annoying, though, because the bar can’t turn 90 degrees.

Merida’s system has a little more freedom of movement than Trek’s Knock Block, but it’s worth bearing in mind if storage space is tight.

The frame’s geometry is very middle of the road, and whether that bothers you or not is down to personal preference. The size Large I tested has a reach of 460mm, a head angle of 65.5 degrees, seat angle of 75.5 degrees, a 651mm stack and 1,238mm wheelbase.

Riders looking to size up, in order to get a longer reach, will need to check seat tube lengths because at 470mm (L) and 500mm (XL) they’re relatively long, compromising the ability to get the saddle height right.

During testing I pushed the saddle further forward in the dropper, to steepen the effective seat angle.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k kit

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
Fox's 38 Factory is a fine fork for the front of an ebike. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

This top-end 10K model understandably comes kitted out with some high-spec parts.

Suspension is handled by Fox, with a 160mm ebike-specific Fox Factory 38 fork. This has the GRIP2 damper and a stiffer chassis to cope with the extra loads an electric bike can potentially bring.

At the back, there’s an X2 shock, again in Factory flavour and with a custom tune for Merida. Both fork and shock offer high- and low-speed compression and rebound damping.

Shimano’s new 12-speed XTR groupset comes with the 10-51t cassette at the back, mounted to DT Swiss hubs at the centre of the XHC 1250 Hybrid carbon wheelset.

These are wrapped in Maxxis tyres with a 29×2.5in Assegai up front and a 650b×2.6in Minion DHR II at the back. The Assegai gets a full DoubleDown casing for maximum puncture protection and sticky MaxxGrip compound, while the Minion gets the DoubleDown casing and dual-compound rubber.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
There's a ton of tuning capability from the Fox X2 shock. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

Braking is taken care of by a pair of Shimano XTR four-pot brakes, with 203mm rotors front and back.

Befitting a bike of this price, RockShox’ excellent Reverb AXS dropper is fitted. Its wireless system works fantastically, with a light lever (or button!) feel and instant reactions when pressing the lever.

Large and XL size bikes get a 170mm drop dropper, S and M size bikes get a 150mm version, while the XS receives a 125mm dropper.

The bulk of the finishing kit, from cockpit to saddle, comes from Merida.

Up front, a Lezyne light is wired straight into the battery. It’s probably more useful as a ‘be seen’ light rather than a ‘to see’ light, though.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
Merida kits the bike out with its own alloy cockpit, as well as a light from Lezyne. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k ride impressions

When the previous eONE-SIXTY was launched in 2016 it gained plenty of fans, largely thanks to its excellent rear suspension and, to an extent, the shape of the bike. It was one of the best e-enduro bikes around at the time.

This generation’s rear suspension is largely the same and maintains its excellent performance.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k climbing performance

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
The EP8 might not have the top-end punch of Bosch's motor, but it has a lovely, modulated power output, which helps on greasy climbs. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

Early in its stroke, the suspension is supple, helping the Minion DHR II to maintain plenty of traction on loose, rough climbs.

The rear wheel seems glued to the ground, generating traction in places where you wouldn’t think traction was possible. With its stout carcass, the rear tyre can be run with relatively low tyre pressures, further boosting grip.

The 440mm chainstays aren’t overly long for an ebike and this helps the eONE-SIXTY 10k navigate tighter uphill twists and turns.

It’s easy enough to get the front wheel picked up over steps and obstacles. The front wheel doesn’t feel lazy or sloppy on steep pitches either, though you have to remember to consciously weight the front wheel more than on some bikes because the front end is a little high.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
The charging port area is a little prone to holding water but didn't cause a problem during testing. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

With super-sticky rubber and suspension that moves under pedalling loads, the eONE-SIXTY isn’t going to win any uphill drag races, but with Shimano’s excellent EP8 motor doing the donkey work, it’s hard to complain too much. If you want to get the most out of it, the X2 shock does have a compression switch you can turn to lock the shock.

The EP8 performs well on climbs, with a very natural feeling power delivery across its varying modes. That said, while it’s been boosted to 85Nm of torque, it doesn’t feel quite as punchy as Brose or Bosch’s motors at the top end.

The motor is exceptionally quiet when compared to the competition, but it does have an annoying rattle when coasting.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k descending performance

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
The eONE-SIXTY proved to be one of the best traction generators around. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

That supple suspension feel, which helps the bike create grip on marginal climbs, also helps smooth the way when firing over matted roots or scurrying over rocky hardpack.

This helps keep the rear wheel planted on the ground, making the most of the power on offer from the XTR brakes when needed and the grip provided by Maxxis’ rubber.

It’s a similar feeling at the front, with the Fox 38’s GRIP2 damper offering supple insulation from small- to mid-sized impacts.

While it doesn’t wallow, the eONE-SIXTY does feel happy dipping into its midstroke, and holding itself in a fairly active portion of its travel when pressing on and riding aggressively. It recovers quickly from medium-sized hits and encourages you to pump through dips and rolls.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
Shimano's display is good, though a more detailed battery life display would be welcome. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

As such, it’s an incredibly smooth bike on fast, choppy tracks where the bike seems more than happy holding speed, separating you from the minor details of the track and allowing you to concentrate on the bigger picture – turns, drops and jumps.

While it is happy to enter into the middle phase of its suspension, it does ramp up later on in its stroke and, as such, copes well with bigger impacts when needed. It may not quite have a ‘bottomless’ feel, but it’s not harsh or undignified when it’s pushed towards its full 160mm of travel.

The bike is nice and agile. It’s happy changing direction on twisty routes, thanks partly to the smaller rear wheel, and also a nice, low-slung bottom bracket that gives you the confidence to push the limits of the tyres. It’s also happy being popped up into a bunny hop, making it a really fun and intuitive bike to ride.

Push the bike harder into a corner and the big wheel up front holds its line well and the tyres, with their stout sidewalls, don’t crease and collapse.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
Yes, a longer bike would be even more stable, but Merida's ebike proved confidence-inspiring. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

In modern terms, the 460mm reach is relatively short though, and a longer reach would help with high-speed confidence when things get really rowdy or steep.

Despite this, the low-slung Shimano motor, low bottom bracket, slack head angle and monster truck tyres certainly help with stability, but compared to the latest e-MTBs hitting the market, the reach figure for a large looks a little ungenerous.

Merida eONE-SIXTY 10k
The on/off button sits on top of the top tube. Russell Burton / Immediate Media

Product

Brand merida
Price 9899.00 EUR,9000.00 GBP
Weight 23.0000, KILOGRAM (Large) -

Features

Fork Fox Float 38 Factory
br_stem Merida Expert eTRII, 40mm
br_chain Shimano M9100
br_frame eONE SIXTY
br_motor Shimano EP8
Tyres Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip DoubleDown TR WT 29x2.5in f, Maxxis Minion DHR II DoubleDown TR 29x2.5in r
br_brakes Shimano XTR 4-piston, 203mm rotors
br_cranks Shimano EP8
br_saddle Merida
br_wheels DT Swiss HXC1250
br_headset Merida
br_shifter Shimano XTR
br_cassette Shimano XTR, 10-51t
br_seatpost RockShox Reverb AXS
br_gripsTape Merida Expert
br_handlebar Merida Expert eTR, 780mm
br_rearShock Fox Float X2 Factory
br_bottomBracket Shimano
br_availableSizes XS, S, M, L, XL
br_rearDerailleur Shimano XTR