Following on from our review of the Merida eOne-Forty earlier this year, Andi throws a let over the longer travel Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 to see what this STEPS powered eMTB can do.
Earlier in the year, the Merida eOne-Forty eMTB arrived with us here at Singletrack Towers and while I didn’t review that bike I did nab it from time to time for lunchtime spins around Havok Bike Park. The 140 impressed me so much that when Merida offered its bigger brother up for review, I made sure I was first in line to test it.
With 160mm of front-wheel travel on tap, the eOne-Sixty sits at the long-travel/enduro end of the eMTB spectrum, but with a more conservative geometry, this is a bike anyone can swing a leg over and enjoy.
Merida eOne-Sixty 8000
The introduction of the current Merida eMTBs brought with it some major updates and changes that not only improved the integration of the battery and motor, but increased the cost of eONE-Sixty range. The first incarnation of eONE-Sixty was an all-alloy bike with an external battery, and when it was released it represented excellent value for money.
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For the 2020 season Merida took advantage of new Shimano battery technology and decided to wrap its eMTB range in a new carbon skin. Now with a carbon front triangle, alloy rear, and internal Shimano battery the eONE-Sixty is certainly cleaner looking, but it’s more expensive too.
The major change is the battery. Shimano’s BT8035 battery was the first reasonably sized internal battery from the Japanese gear maker and has been adopted by many eMTB makers. The BT8035 offers the same 504Wh capacity, but because it sits inside the downtube it helps to create a better-looking bike while improving the handling with a lower centre of gravity.
While designing a new frame for the internal battery, Merida decided on a carbon front triangle. Carbon is actually an excellent material for eBikes as it offers strength and light weight but it also allows engineers to create slender looking bikes. Sure, you’re never going to mistake this for a non-assist bike, but it looks a whole lot slimmer than those original eBikes.
Using carbon fibre also meant that Merida was able to easily add a couple of air intake ports up near the headtube of the frame. These intakes channel cool air down through the frame to help regulate the operating temperature of the battery. I’ve ridden my fair share of eBikes across the UK, Europe and even as far away as Bali, and I’ve not had one complaint of an overheating battery so far, but the intakes are there and they also make a great place for introducing hoses and cables for internal routing.
On a normal mountain bike internal routing can be a bit of a pain, but on eBikes it’s not usually much of a problem. On bikes like the Merida, all the cables and hoses are usually easily accessible behind the easy to remove battery. In the case of the eONE-Sixty, a rubber-coated plastic battery cover is held in place with a band and once removed you can release the battery with a 4mm Allen Key. This is useful for riders wanting to carry a spare battery, if you want to charge your battery inside, or if you want to remove the battery to help prevent theft.
Because eBikes have additional wires to hide, Merida has fitted the eONE-Sixty with a bar and stem that allows wires to run internally. The wire for the motor control sits inside a groove on the back of the bar hidden by the lock-on grip. The wire then threads through the bar and exits out through the stem and down through one of those cooling vents. It’s a very neat and tidy solution, to keep the cockpit cable and wire free.
As mentioned earlier, you can remove the battery to charge it, but there is also a charging port on the frame. It’s located beneath the shock in an area that looks like water or mud can easily pool, but I didn’t find this to be the case. The soft rubber cover does an excellent job of keeping the muck and grime out, and fits firmly in place when shut.
While Merida did upgrade the front triangle to carbon, the rear end is still made from tubes of welded aluminium. Compared to the chunky carbon up front the back end looks very slim. I didn’t notice any performance disadvantages but in my opinion it isn’t the most attractive design.
What I do like about the skinny back end though is that chunky rubber chainstay protection. All that rubber protects the frame and makes for a silent bike on the trail. There is more rubber protection found on the battery cover and just behind the headtube on the downtube.
To give the eOne-Sixty its 160mm of front wheel travel, an eBike specific version of the Marzocchi Bomber Z1 is plugged into the headtube. This air fork is essentially a Fox Performance Grip fork only with the Marzocchi ‘M’ brace. Out back the frame offers 150mm travel which is controlled by a RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ rear shock. This shock comes fitted with a damper lever, but I didn’t feel the need to use it while testing.
If you’re looking at the side on photos of the Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 and are wondering about the wheels, let me assure you that your eyes are not playing tricks on you. The front wheel is larger than the back. A 29in wheel sits up front with a 2.5in wide Assegai tyre, while the back is a 27.5in wheel with 2.6in DHR. The larger wheel provides riders with the ability to easily roll over obstacles and smooth out steps, the smaller rear wheel is faster for acceleration.
Forward motion is supplied by a combination of your legs, a Shimano XT 1×12 drivetrain and a 70Nm Shimano STEPS E8000 motor. The E8000 sports three levels of assist that are controlled via an on bar button remote. A colour display provides you with speed, distance, range and battery life info, and also houses a Bluetooth connection for tuning the system via App.
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Merida hasn’t been stingy on brakes, and supplies the 8000 with a pair of Shimano SLX 4 piston brakes. They might not be as shiny as the XT equivalent but they provide bags of stopping power and I’ve found them to be an excellent set of stoppers on an eBike.
The rest of the build is largely from Merida’s own parts bin. The bar, stem and lock-on grips are Merida branded items. As is the 170mm dropper post and saddle. I actually really like the Merida saddle as it comes with a trail tool that hides away in a rubber hooded case. Yes, on the rear of the saddle it will get covered in mud and water, but Merida does ship the 8000 with a pair of fenders (which I forgot to fit).
Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 Geometry
| FRAME SIZE | XS | S | M | L | XL |
| TIRE SIZES | 27.5″ | 27.5″ | 27.5″ | 27.5″ | 27.5″ |
| FRAME SIZE CM | 41 | 42 | 44 | 47 | 50 |
| ST SEAT TUBE [MM] | 405 | 420 | 440 | 470 | 500 |
| TT TOP TUBE [MM] | 562.5 | 583.5 | 605 | 628.5 | 652 |
| CS CHAIN STAY LENGTH [MM] | 439.5 | 439.5 | 439.5 | 439.5 | 439.5 |
| HTA HEAD TUBE ANGLE [°] | 65.5 | 65.5 | 65.5 | 65.5 | 65.5 |
| STA SEAT TUBE ANGLE [°] | 75.5 | 75.5 | 75.5 | 75.5 | 75.5 |
| BD BOTTOM BRACKED DROP [MM] | 17.5 | 17.5 | 17.5 | 17.5 | 17.5 |
| HT HEAD TUBE [MM] | 110 | 115 | 120 | 135 | 150 |
| FL FORK LENGTH [MM] | 571 | 571 | 571 | 571 | 571 |
| R REACH [MM] | 400 | 420 | 440 | 460 | 480 |
| S STACK [MM] | 628.5 | 633 | 637.5 | 651.5 | 665 |
| WB WHEEL BASE [MM] | 1168 | 1190 | 1212 | 1238.5 | 1264.5 |
Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 | The Ride
I know there will be comments asking what the range is like on the eOne-Sixty, and as I have said multiple times before the range of an eMTB is dependent on a lot of factors, such as rider weight, trail conditions, the type of trail, where you’re riding, rider fitness etc. For pretty much every eMTB ride I took the Merida out on, I was accompanied by another rider who rode the Patrol E-Six. The E-Six has each of its three assist modes maxed to full-power, is heavier, has DH tyres and was ridden by a rider who isn’t as fit as me. Yet, for every ride we took both bikes on the Merida ran out of juice far faster, even when climbing in Eco mode. Why the difference? Simple really: the E-Six has a larger battery and despite the weight and the fact the rider climbed in Trail or Boost modes, the bigger battery outlasted the smaller Shimano unit in the Merida.
The Merida being such a fun descender wanted to be climbed more so I could ride the fun bits over and over again. Because it is slightly lighter it climbs efficiently in Eco too, but if you want range you’re going to have to carry a spare battery with you, something an E-Six rider can’t do as the battery isn’t easily accessible.
As you can see by my waffle, the range isn’t an easy question to answer but simply put, during tests around the Peak District and Wharncliffe Woods the 504Wh battery in a lighter eMTB still doesn’t offer the same range as a heavier eBike with a larger battery. If two hours of big climbs and downhill is enough then the Merida will do it, longer rides would either need fewer climbs or an extra battery.
But while you can’t ride as far as your mate with a larger battery, chances are you’ll leave them for dust both up and down the trail. Merida’s choice to go for that clean carbon triangle and the smaller battery does help the eOne-Sixty shave a few lbs off compared to similar travel bikes, and this can be felt on the trail.
Although it has 20mm more suspension travel than the eOne-Forty, the bigger bike still retains a playful side. The not overly progressive geometry makes the eOne-Sixty an easy bike to move around. If you ride it around with the same level of body English you might a longer, slacker bike you’ll revel in how easy it is to chuck about.
The neutral geometry is so easy to live with that everyone I know who tried the eOne-Sixty instantly got on with the feel of the bike. Nobody complained it felt short, nobody struggled in twisty switchbacks or in the steeps, everyone just rode the Merida and enjoyed it.
Had this been a normal mountain bike then we might now start to complain that the stability at speed was affected due to the shorter wheelbase and reach, but because this is an eMTB we have weight on our side. Due to the battery sitting so low in the frame, both low in terms of height and also how close it is to the motor, the centre of gravity on the Merida is exactly where it needs to be for keeping you trucking in the chunder.
160mm of well-controlled travel doesn’t hurt either, and this well-mannered suspension setup combined with the low down weight ensures that you’ll happily hurtle down downhill runs with your eyes streaming over and over again, pushing harder and faster but always feeling in control.
Front 29 x 2.5 
Rear 27.5 x 2.6
I tend to descend in Boost on eBikes so that I can sprint out corners faster or use the extra assistance to get a turn of speed ahead of jump or gap. On the Merida the mullet wheel setup also aided in the corners, ensuring the smaller wheel spat the bike out of berms quickly and spinning up to speed in next to no time.
Of course, you have to climb to earn your downhill and this is where an eMTB really comes into its own. Coming from longer bikes I did need to adjust my body position slightly on the Merida, but only on extremely steep and technical climbs to stop the front end floating. Actually, who am I kidding? The types of climbs that did have the front wheel hovering would have been hiked up on my regular bike.
As I’ve mentioned above, the Merida’s lower weight in comparison to some other eBikes means I was able to climb a lot more in Eco mode, tapping into Trail mode now and again just to surge up and over obstacles or help me up the last 20 meters of steep, lung-bursting, ascent.
3 Things That Could Be Improved
- The chunky carbon front end attached to the slim alloy rear creates a design that isn’t the most visually appealing on the market. Size medium bikes manage to get away with it but on the large frame and above, that huge head tube and slim rear end look out of proportion.
- Shimano’s 504Wh 8035 battery is a little on the small side compared to what other brands are offering. On eMTB rides with the Patrol E-Six, the Merida would often hit red, while the bike with the larger power unit still had a decent range left on it.
- Compared to other eMTBs the cost of the Merida is a little higher for the build you get. There’s no denying the integration of the battery is neat, and the mid-range Marzocchi fork, mid-range SLX brakes and own-brand kit all works really well, but at this price, you can get a lot more for your money.
3 Things That I Loved
- The small trail tool stashed under the saddle is a really neat touch, and the rubber cover makes it UK weather compatible.
- The integrated Shimano motor and battery offers a nice low centre of gravity for surprising agility. The geometry, although far from progressive, offers enough comfort and pop for newbies, while retaining stability at speed for more seasoned riders.
- Lots of rubber all around the frame to protect the E8000 and ensure it’s super silent.
Overall
This is one of those bikes that rides better than the geometry charts might suggest. While I’m all for a long, low and slack regular mountain bikes, I’m still not 100% certain the same geometry should be adopted by eMTBs (not until battery and motor weights drop significantly). It’s not the longest or the slackest, but it will hurtle up and down anything you point it at, and the eOne-Sixty is more agile and eager to change direction compared to those big bikes.
The Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 offers what newer riders are after in confidence and roll-over performance, with the agility and big travel more experienced eBikers will be able to utilise.
Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 Specifications
- Frame: eOne-Sixty CFA 150mm travel, mullet
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select +
- Fork: Marzocchi Z1 E-Bike, 160mm
- Brakes: Shimano SLX, 4 piston
- Handlebar: Merida Expert eTR, 780mm wide, 20mm rise
- Stem: Merida Expert eTR, 40mm
- Grips: Merida Expert EC
- Saddle: Merida Expert CC with included mini tool
- Seat post: Merida Expert TR, 170mm drop
- Shifter: Shimano XT 12 speed
- Rear mech: Shimano XT 12 speed
- Motor: Shimano STEPS E8000 70nm
- Battery: 504Wh Shimano BT8035
- Display: Shimano SC-E8000
- Wheels: Fulcrum E-Metal 700, 29in front, 27.5in rear
- Tyres: Maxxis Assegai, 29 x 2.5in front, Maxxis DHR II 27.5 x 2.6in rear
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Size Tested: L
- Price: £5799.99
- Weight: 49.1lbs
- From: Merida