Antony checks out the ‘ride it all’ Merida eOne-Forty 9000 – a trail ebike for those that want a nimble ride.
I have to hand it to Merida, they’re so confident in the appeal of this bike that they’ve decided to name it in CAPITAL LETTERS. More of us should have that sort of self-belief. And on paper, the eONE-FORTY 9000 (Sorry, I’ll stop using the capitals now) is a very appealing prospect. The market for ebikes, just like mountain biking in general, still seems to be made up of more have-a-go trail riders than self-shuttling downhillers, so it makes sense to put out bikes that pack less travel than a full-on enduro race machine, while still being able to handle a dash of tech.
The eOne-Forty isn’t a little sibling to the company’s flagship eOne-Sixty (which Mark got acquainted with here). It’s the same carbon frame, with a shorter fork and shock. The result lands firmly in the middle of ‘do everything bike’ territory, with a 66.5 degree head angle and a 76.5 degree seat angle. The frame’s length is middling but not too stumpy, at 450mm reach on our large test bike. If you want to go longer and slacker, the eOne-Sixty ticks both boxes by speccing a longer travel fork and nudging the frames up a size bracket. As a result, the medium eOne-Sixty has the same size frame as the large eOne-Forty.
The Bike
Merida has a long history of construction in carbon, and has made frames for some of the biggest names in mountain bikes. Lots of rubber armour on the downtube and chainstay keeps everything quiet, although there’s no protection on the motor case . Fortunately, judging by the marks on ours, it seems more than capable of shrugging off the occasional clonk from a rock.
There are distinctive huge vents near the head tube designed to draw air into the frame, and help prevent the battery overheating. This hasn’t been an issue so far in Yorkshire, but Shimano specify a safe operating temperature of 50 degrees, and I can imagine the inside of the frame reaching this in some climates, or even in the car on a hot sunny day.
The frame is somewhat jazzier in real life than in photos, and the gloss sections have a nice metallic sheen to them. There’s a tonne of standover room from the dropped top tube, but enough space in the front triangle for a small water bottle. With the adoption of integrated battery technology for eMTBs, carbon frames are more than just a bling extravagance – they enable tube profiles that are generous enough to fit a decent size internal battery, but also strong enough to withstand the stresses of mountain biking. The advent of internal batteries is definitely a big leap forward aesthetically. But it’s also a performance advantage, as the bike’s centre of gravity drops lower and the most expensive component is tucked out of harm’s way.
Continuing the capital letters theme, the eOne-Forty is built around a Shimano STEPS E8000 motor. This is paired with Shimano’s simplest two-button controller, and a nice clear display. It’s easy to read, even in sunshine, and lets you keep an eye on your battery levels and how much work the motor’s doing.
The 504 Wh battery can be charged on or off the bike, the latter by removing the huge rubber protector under the down tube. The on-bike charging port is situated in a small well on top of the downtube, which looks like a natural place for mud to collect, but we’ve had no problems with water ingress.
Drivetrain and brakes are also supplied by Shimano, both from its XT groupset. A 12-speed drivetrain paired with a 34-tooth chainring means you’ll never run out of gears on the climbs. On pedally downhills, I found I could nudge the bike slightly above the motor’s cutoff speed, but not by much.
On the suspension front, the eOne-Forty 9000 features a custom-tuned Fox Float DPS Elite rear shock with 133mm of travel, and a 140mm DT Swiss F535 fork. The fork has a reputation for playing nicely with ebikes, as it uses a position-sensitive damping system that offers extra support for heavier bikes, at the expense of a slight weight penalty. However the adjusters on top of the fork don’t clear the straight down tube, which could be bad news in a crash. Merida do fit their carbon frames with a built-in Knock-Block, but for some reason on our test bike this was missing.
The eOne-Forty also uses the most fashionable wheel setup of the moment, with a 29in up front and a not-quite-plus-sized 27.5in rear. In theory this should make for a flickable, playful bike that also stays on target through choppy terrain. At the very least, it means there’s a decent amount of mud clearance between the chainstays. Tyres are the dependable Maxxis Minion in the lighter EXO casing – in 2.5 width at the front, 2.6 out back. The forks feature a removable lever with a built-in hex key that also fits the rear axle. Unscrew the shaft, and inside there’s also a tiny Torx key that will let you access the air valve on the forks. It’s a neat bit of kit, but unfortunately on the eOne-Forty it’s hard to tighten the rear axle with it, as the lever catches on the seatstay pivot.
The Ride
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Most reviews of Shimano’s Steps drive system end up using the adjective “smooth”, and I’m going to have to use it too – It delivers power very intuitively. Features of eMTBs that can seem like annoying quirks on other systems, such as backing off the power when you change gear, or the obligatory cutting out at 15.5 mph, are much less noticeable. The bike has excellent traction when climbing, with the suspension, assist and that wide rear tyre all working together to get you up and over that tricky bit that’s always defeated you. The 165mm cranks also mean you really have to try hard to clip a pedal.
As well as being good for climbing, the shock tune is about right for playful, poppy riding. I’m not one of those riders who spends more time with my wheels off the ground than on, but on the eOne-Forty I could skip over lumps in the trail with relative ease, and it also responds well on twistier stuff.
As you’d expect for something that’s basically a sawn-off enduro bike, the eOne-Forty will gamely tackle techier descents. The DT Swiss F535 ONE fork is, despite its name, effectively two units in one: a coil takes care of the initial part of the stroke and soaks up the small bumps, then the main air spring kicks in on bigger compressions. What this means is that you need to set the fork up quite carefully, otherwise it has a noticeable compression spike mid-way through the travel, and what felt quite plush in the car park can become harsh half way down the first proper descent. A bit of a tweak to the air pressure settings made the F535 feel much better, and it also had excellent bottom-out resistance, but for this fork it’s definitely a case of “read the manual” rather than “stick a shock pump on it and take a guess“. To their credit, and ideal for fork fettlers, DT Swiss has an excellent web based tool for setting up this fork which is well worth a bit of time to research before you attempt your personal setup.
The slightly short dropper post will annoy tall riders who like techy downhills and big jumps, and the Shimano XT brakes have a great lever design and the 4 piston design offers lots of power, but if I’m being picky they could do with a spot more modulation for really steep things.
Durability Notes
The eOne-Forty has been a reliable companion through a very wet winter. The frame’s shiny finish has started to show wear and tear over a few months of testing, although looking at the odometer it seems to have gone around the office more times than a Reply All email. The down tube cover on our test bike is a slightly imperfect fit, which has meant a tiny amount of water has got into the battery compartment, but not enough to cause issues. The XT cassette is showing noticeable signs of wear on its smaller sprockets after 400-odd miles. Otherwise, component durability has been good, with a special mention for DT Swiss’s HX1501 wheels, which seem to have the strength and weight balance nailed. Our local trails usually result in test bikes going back with at least one dent in the rim, but these escaped unscathed, despite the extra weight of the battery and motor. More aggressive riders might prefer to fit tyres with a heavier casing, and our test bike also came with inner tubes rather than a tubeless setup.
Three Things We Loved
- For a 50lb bike, it’s relatively easy to pop and ping through the trails.
- Thanks to the suspension setup and the fat back tyre, horrible techy climbs are actually fun.
- The STEPS assist suits the bike’s character nicely.
Three Things That Could Be Improved
- Short, own brand dropper doesn’t fit with the price tag
- The relatively low gearing means the 12-speed cassette is on the way out already.
- It’s a hard sell on value compared to some e-MTBs on the market.
Overall
The eOne-Forty is billed as a bike that’ll excel on the climbs, but not balk at spicier descents, and despite the deliberately unadventurous geometry, it delivers on its brief. It also comes with a superbike price tag, but doesn’t feel like a top-of-the-range machine. It has too many small niggles, like the wheels not coming set up tubeless, a short own-brand dropper post, the poorly-fitting battery cover, or the head badge, which is just a sticker. There are also a number of bikes out there which are similarly specced but undercut it significantly price-wise, albeit mostly from direct sales brands.
Personally, I’d be more likely to part with my own money for the eOne-Forty if it was more affordable, and if the fork was a bit less fiddly to set up. It seems like Merida have thought of this already – the model one step down from this, eOne-Forty 8000, sticks to the same frame design and has a comparable spec, but comes with a Rock Shox Pike fork and a substantially lower RRP of £5,850.00. So even if this particular bike isn’t doing it for you, it’s worth checking out the rest of the eOne-Forty range.
Merida eOne-Forty 8000 Specification
- Frame // eOne-Forty CFA
- Front Suspension // DT Swiss F535 One, 140mm travel, 51mm Offset
- Rear Suspension // FOX Float Performance Elite
- Wheels // DT Swiss Spline HX1501 ONE 30 Boost
- Tyres // Front: 29×2.5, Maxxis Minion DHF II EXO Rear: 27.5×2.6 Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO
- Shifter // Shimano XT
- Rear Derailleur // Shimano XT Shadow Plus 12-speed
- Crank // Shimano XT 165mm
- Cassette // Shimano XT M8100 10-51t.
- Saddle // Merida Expert CC
- Seatpost // Merida Expert TR, 150mm drop
- Handlebar // Merida Expert eTR, 780mm width
- Stem // Merida Expert eTR, 50mm
- Headset // Merida 1901
- Brakeset // Shimano XT M8100, 200mm rotors front and rear
- Grips // Merida Expert EC
- Motor System // Shimano Steps E8000, 70Nm 250W
- Battery // Shimano E0835, 504Wh
- Mode Switch // Shimano SW-E7000
- Display // Shimano E8000
- Sizes// S,M,L,XL,XXL
- Claimed Weight// 21.96kg/48.4 lbs size medium, no pedals.
- Price // £7,000
I’d love to have a go on one, I have an E-120 900e & I love it, this looks better & I’m sure it’s a tad lighter, but I paid £3300 for my bike (with Di2) a year ago & that made me wince, £7K is a whole chunk of cash & I doubt I could ever justify it.
Cheers.