• Drive system: Shimano STEPS
• Riding style: All-mountain
The Merida eOne-Sixty has been one of the most popular e-bikes of 2018, with it being one of the most sighted e-mountain bikes in the wild. There are a few reasons for its success. Number one, it’s a remarkably well-balanced bike. Merida have worked hard on the geometry of the bike to make it ride ‘like a normal bike’: its 439mm chainstays are the shortest out of all the major brands. That, combined with the reasonably long reach and 66.5 degree head angle makes for a well-balanced bike in anyone’s book – regardless of whether it has a motor or not.
In addition, the eOne-Sixty has provided exceptional value. The entry-level eOne-Sixty 800 has an equipment spec that’s equivalent to an e-bike costing thousands of dollars more with some other brands, featuring a beefy Rockshox Yari RC fork, a mixed Shimano SLX/XT drivetrain with SLX brakes and the obligatory dropper post. Go up to the $7,999 eOne-Sixty 900E model and you’re looking at a bike with a full Shimano XT Di2 groupset, Saint brakes, Fox Kashima suspension, DT Swiss Spline HX501 wheels and a Rockshox Reverb dropper. Add to that the reliable Shimano 8000-series STEPs motor and battery, and it’s not hard to see why the EOne-Sixty has been a winner for Merida.
2019 sees little change in the range, with the 800, 900 and 900E models remaining largely unchanged. However, Merida is introducing a new base model, the 500, which will use the Shimano E7000 motor rather than the more powerful E8000 system.
2019 models
• 2019 Merida eOne-Sixty 500: $5,299
• 2019 Merida eOne-Sixty 800: $5,999
• 2019 Merida eOne-Sixty 900: $6,699
• 2019 Merida eOne-Sixty 900E: $7,999
