Merida E-Bikes powered by Bosch

2024 is coming to an end. Most bikers in Central Europe are swapping their summer clothes for gear that protects against wind and weather. Not so in Catalonia, where summer has taken refuge. For bike manufacturers, it's the perfect time and place to present new bikes for the coming year.
This happened, among others, last week when Merida invited people to go mountain biking in Santa Coloma de Farners - accompanied by a former professional, on brand new E-MTBs.
Opportunities like this don't come around often. So, without much thought, I accepted. After all, my nickname isn't NoBrain for nothing.

Merida awaited the crowd of journalists with a plethora of new E-MTBs in tow. There was something for every taste.
On one hand, the eONE-Eighty, a hefty 180mm enduro bike. On the other hand, its smaller sister, the eONE-Sixty SL, a light E-MTB with 160mm travel. And then there was the new fleet of more urban E-bikes, called eFLOAT, in four versions.
Common to all of them were Bosch units - a novelty for the manufacturer, which had previously primarily relied on Shimano motors.

Also part of the team: José Antonio Hermida, a three-time XC world champion, multiple Olympic participant and silver medalist in Athens, six-time World Cup winner, and multilingual joker, as our guide. That's the "Ride with a Pro" part.
The long-time Multivan Merida team figurehead and now testimonial showed us fine, challenging trails, advised us on mode selection ("Turbo now!!!"), and warned us of obstacles. Because, to be honest: "In professional company" is not synonymous with "in professional manner." For me and the other journalists, compared to José, it was more like "Ride not like a Pro" ...

In the past, I was used to Full-Suspension Bikes feeling a bit like rocking horses when pedaling. Whether intended or not, the frame would bob. Today, that's different because designers are considering anti-squat, which is the damping behavior when pedaling.
The frame of the eONE-Eighty is designed so that at the beginning, with low speed and a low gear, little bobbing is noticeable. Only later, with more speed, does this change, so that obstacles are not a problem even uphill.

Next important point: How does the damping behave when braking? Here, we talk about anti-rise. A high value means little movement in the frame. The eONE-Eighty has a value greater than 100% at a SAG of 30%. Only when the damper is used more does the anti-rise value decrease, and the damper works efficiently even when braking.
If I, and this happened to me more often, did not land where planned after a jump and had to brake harder, I still had traction, and the damping helped to handle the conditions on the non-ideal line.

Geometry eONE-Eighty

* in Austria, not all sizes will be available for all models

The frame size at Merida is not defined in Small, Medium, and Large, but based on the reach. A shorter frame represents more agile riding, while the longer frame offers more stability. Seat tube or seat post travel and head tube height are intended to allow a certain degree of choice - resulting logically in XShort, Short, Mid, Long, and XLong as frame sizes, from which you can choose in the so-called Agilometer system depending on your riding style and preferences (within a certain range).

The seat angle is a steep 78.5° for a central position when climbing, while the head angle is a (nowadays not exaggerated) flat 64.5° for sufficient stability without lacking maneuverability. The stack of the medium frame is a relatively high 661 mm, and the reach is an inconspicuous 460 mm. The chainstays are quite short at 435 mm.
The eONE-Eighty clearly focuses on fun on and over technical trails, rather than racing at high speed. Or as Merida puts it: The bike features "an aggressive geometry for bike parks and big mountain trails.

The cables are routed internally from the headset along with the Acros Blocklock to their respective points of action without rattling. Externally, the frame is protected on the down tube (held here by Fidlock magnets), the rear triangle, and the chainstay by extra-long protectors, a short fender (longer ones are available optionally, see e.g. picture no. 17), and protective films.
Under the saddle, Merida's V-Mount multitool is placed, and a removable 4/6mm Allen key is located in the rear axle. A spare tube can be stored under the top tube.
The tested top model was suspended by a RockShox Vivid Ultimate in the frame and a RockShox Zeb Ultimate at the front. The Shimano RT66 brake discs were generously sized at 220 and 203 mm (there's optional space for 220 mm at the rear as well) and were operated by XT levers. The same applied to the shifting. The contact with the ground was provided by a Maxxis combination (Assegai/Minion DHR II) on DT Swiss HF1700 wheels.

All these components resulted in a 27 kg bike of Category 5. This means it is approved for "comprehensive use in bike parks." Pleasingly and reassuringly, Merida offers a five-year warranty on it. The maximum system weight is 140 kg.
The entry-level version of the eONE-Eighty (400) is offered here for €5,099, but it includes the smaller PowerTube (600 Wh). If you want the larger battery, you'll have to pay at least €5,999, and in return, you'll own the eONE-Eighty 500.
The 900 model I reviewed costs €7,799. In between, there is the eONE-Eighty 700 for €6,799.

The motor assistance opens up new possibilities for designing an uphill ride. The Bosch CX motor, slightly reduced in weight (- 100 g) and dimensions (Q-factor like SX), offers plenty of help here.
Brand new in the fifth generation: the start-up aid. By pressing the minus button and applying slight pressure on the pedal, the motor kicks in and provides gentle support without immediately pushing the bike forcefully. This makes it easy to get going again even in tricky spots.
Additionally, you can activate the motor by repeatedly tapping the pedal. This is very helpful when a full pedal rotation is not possible due to the ground conditions. These features can also be used on older Bosch motors through firmware updates.

As usual, the CX has four levels. It was noticeable that they all operated much quieter than the predecessor and the much-criticized rattling during downhill seems to be a thing of the past.
Although it can be tuned via the Flow App, in the Eco Mode intended for battery savers, it proved to be very challenging for motivated bikers to move the 27 kg eONE-Eighty uphill with only minimal support. Travel+ would be more suitable for that!
The e MTB-Mode, known as the mountain biker's first choice, I mainly used during difficult uphill sections in the terrain. It offered plenty, but not too much support and provided it noticeably more sensitively than before. Similar to "bio-biking," the new model required more input before it engaged with full power, and it reacted quite sensitively to everything my feet did.
The Turbo Mode was only useful to me on short steep uphill sections. Otherwise, this level did too much for me. But I've seen colleagues who always used the Turbo and managed just fine. Like so much in mountain biking, it's a matter of taste!

The frame itself is a further development of the already known and also mentioned above eONE-Sixty (CF). Optimized for 160 mm of travel, the carbon platform, unlike the eONE-Eighty, manages without a pivot on the seatstays.
As a concession to frame weight, but a downside in terms of battery management, is the fact that the battery is permanently installed and therefore cannot be removed for charging.

A 29” wheelset is installed as standard. If desired, a 27.5” rear wheel can also be used without any geo changes – a flip chip makes it possible.
The tire clearance allows for tires up to 2.4” wide, and in terms of brakes, the Boost frame offers a 200 mm post mount standard.
The aforementioned applies to cable routing, frame protection, and various accessories.
And there's also a reunion with the Agilometer sizing: The very short seat tube allows for long dropper posts. As with the eONE-Eighty, the size selection is more oriented towards short or long rather than large or small with insufficient standover height, allowing for a choice between more agility or stability according to personal preference.

Geometry eONE-Sixty SL

* in Austria, not all sizes of all models will be available

In any case, you sit on the eONE-Sixty a bit more stretched out, more aggressively than on the big brother (Reach in size Mid 466 mm, Stack 620 mm) and just as steep (seat angle 78.5°). The head angle is even half a degree flatter at 64°, the chainstays (450 mm) and logically also the wheelbase (1245 mm) are longer. So, you're dealing with a bike designed for stability and good climbing.

The leverage ratio of the eONE-SIXTY SL is, unlike the more progressive 180-mm full suspension, optimized for smaller piggyback shocks like Rock Shox Super Deluxe, Fox Float X, or Marzocchi Bomber Air. For those who prefer coil shocks: that's possible too!
With a progression of 12% (MX setup: 10.8%), protection against bottoming out is provided at the recommended SAG of 30%. Nevertheless, the translation is linear enough to regularly use the full travel efficiently.
When pedaling (anti-squat) and braking (anti-rise), similar principles apply as for the eONE-Eighty, but the eONE-Sixty responds a bit more firmly.

The eONE-Sixty SL can be maneuvered much more gracefully through the trail thicket. It requires less persuasion to elegantly guide it around the corners on winding paths, which is probably less due to its dimensions and more to the over seven kilograms weight difference compared to the eONE-Eighty.
However, I quickly got used to the 180 mm travel of the eONE-Eighty on day 1 and needed some time to feel really comfortable on the eONE-Sixty SL as well. Then, however, I had a lot of fun riding it.

Overall, I preferred the geometry of the eONE-Sixty SL because the seating position is somewhat more stretched compared to the eONE-Eighty.
"It climbs like an XC full-suspension bike, and downhill you rely on the performance of an Enduro bike," a friend of mine described its riding characteristics. I can only agree with that.
I also like the characteristics of the lighter Bosch Performance SX motor. It reaches its full power only at a cadence of around 90 revolutions per minute, but then it performs really well.

With its 19.5 kg weight, the SL is not among the lightest E-MTBs on the market, but it feels much more like a traditional bike compared to various full-power counterparts. In return, it offers ZEDLER-certified durability of category 4 and motor assistance, which I would classify more in the mid-range rather than the light range.
Additionally, the SX, provided you take some initiative, does not lack in range. After 800 meters of elevation and 1.5 hours of riding, I still had just under 50% battery left, even though I was mostly, but not always, riding conservatively. From my side, a clear recommendation for everyone who does not want to completely forgo physical exertion, but wants to ensure they can emancipate from climbing aids or extend their trail rides.

The 2 ½ test days in Catalonia were really fun! As for the eONE-Eighty: I never thought you could elegantly maneuver 27 kilograms over a trail. As long as I didn't forget to dance, I didn't want to give up a single one of them - and not a millimeter of suspension travel either!
The danger of a complete loss of control was never present. I was always in control and mastered sections with the well-balanced 180 mm of travel that I would normally classify under "never ever."

In my eyes, the eONE-Sixty is a very successful bike that effortlessly bridges the gap between eMTB and agile enduro bike. I got to test the luxury version with Fox Float Factory suspension, Sram XX Eagle Transmission gearing, FSA carbon wheelset, and Sram Maven Ultimate. It gave me a bit of the feeling of maybe riding like a pro...