First Ride: Merida eONE-EIGHTY - An Absolute Unit

The eONE-EIGHTY joins Merida's eONE-SIXTY, which uses a Shimano EP801 motor and has carbon or alloy frame options, and the new eONE-SIXTY SL, with Bosch's lightweight SX motor, a carbon frame and a smaller battery. The eONE-EIGHTY slots in above them in terms of travel, range and power; it's for people who don't care about weight and want to do big laps with big gaps.


Frame Details

The frame is built around the new Bosch CX drive unit and 800 Wh removable battery, but it's also designed with the RockShox Vivid air shock in mind. Merida say they asked RockShox what suspension kinematic and leverage curve suited the shock best, then designed the frame around their recommendation. This strikes me as an interesting way of doing things. After all, a frame can't truly be optimised for several different shocks with different force curves.

Having said that, the leverage curve does vary according to frame size, where smaller frames are less progressive. The difference isn't dramatic except for the size extra small, which is notably less progressive. The idea is to remedy the fact that smaller riders often struggle to use all the travel while bigger riders are more likely to bottom out. Merida also point out the bike will play nicely with other shocks (the entry-level model comes with SR Suntour suspension), including coilovers.


The suspension is a single-pivot layout, but unlike other Merida bikes, the seatstay pivot uses traditional bearings rather than a flex pivot. This is because a flexible seatstay pivot couldn't accommodate the movement required for 180 mm of travel. The rocker link is mounted well in front of the seat tube so that Merida can do without a shock extender. This approach should result in less side-loading of the shock.


The frame has room for a full-size bottle or a range extender on the downtube, plus a tool mount in front of the shock. There are a few cooky accessories like a front light, which isn't bright enough for off-road night riding but could help to get home from the trails safely. There's also a tool mount under the saddle and an optional massive rear fender.

Once again, Merida has put the cables through the headset, but they insist the cables are still easy to change and the upper headset bearing will last so long that when it does need to be replaced, the brakes will need a re-bleed anyway. The Acros headset also limits the steering to stop the bars contacting the frame in a crash.


Geometry

The key measurements are the relatively short chainstay and tall stack height. These make it easier to get your weight off the front wheel and pick it up off the ground (easier said than done when the bike weighs almost 30 kg). The relatively steep head angle for the travel bracket (64.5 degrees) also make it easier to handle at low speeds or to pick up the back wheel with the front brake.

At 6'3" / 191 cm I rode the XL, which has a slightly shorter wheelbase than many of its rivals size-for-size.

Models & Pricing

All four models use the same alloy frame and the new Bosch CX motor. The top models have the 800 Wh battery while the base model has 600 Wh to play with. If you want a best-buy recommendation, I'd suggest the 700 model.









*European prices vary by country.


Ride Impressions

When lifting the eONE-EIGHTY out of the stand or manoeuvring it around the workshop, the bike's heft is undeniable. But out on the trails, it disguises the weight remarkably well. The quiet Bosch motor has plenty of torque to scamper up tricky climbs while the steep seat and generous stack height make for a comfortable seated position. You definitely wouldn't want to ride this bike without assistance (believe me, I tried) but the 800 Wh battery should be enough for all but the longest rides.

More importantly, the long-travel rear suspension isolates the rider from bumps while pedalling, making it easier to maintain momentum and traction on technical climbs.

On the descents, it's surprisingly easy to move the bike around on the trail and change direction. Even picking up the front wheel or bunnyhopping is easier than many lighter eMTBs thanks to the short back-end and tall handlebar. Set up with bang-on 30% sag, I got to the end of the travel once when landing deep on a drop, but there's plenty of support to stop it from feeling lethargic. The suspension never felt mushy and the handling doesn't feel wayward or lazy. Maybe by not going too long or slack, Merida have offset the inherent stability of the low-down battery weight. It doesn't feel twitchy either even when riding over fast rocky trails; it excels when you let it run.

A long-travel dropper post, grippy tyres and powerful brakes are essential components that some other e-bike brands still miss. The recently revamped Zeb Ultimate fork impressed too, although when faced with repeated square-edge hits or dropping into big holes even it started to spring back and forth a little. Perhaps the bike's weight puts more stress on the long-legged fork.

The weight might result in more downsides on steep, slippery descents with tricky crux moves (the terrain where I tested was generally grippy) but from my first couple of rides, I was impressed. If I just rode the bike without trying to pick it up first, I wouldn't have guessed it was nearly as heavy. It's comfortable, capable and surprisingly manoeuvrable.

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eMTB Reviews and Tech First Rides Enduro Bikes Merida Merida E180