Much like we saw from Pivot yesterday, Merida has given new life to their popular 160mm long-travel enduro e-bike. But the new Merida is a bit unique in that it evolves into a more streamlined solution thanks to a new, lower-profile internal battery co-developed with Shimano. Packing the same juice into a more compact profile inside a carbon front triangle led to some interesting engineering solutions like the vent ports in the headtube. But the bike didn’t stop there, getting slightly tweaked geometry and a 29″ front wheel to go with the 27.5″ still in the rear – a new life for the 69er concept, that we’ll now call a Mullet… business up front, party in the back! While this e-bike is all about technical evolution, the final design became something all together new…
Merida eOne-Sixty carbon/alloy mullet enduro eMTB
The big visual difference between this new eOne-Sixty and its alloy predecessor is the inclusion of an internal battery within the carbon downtube. That turned out to be harder to do than it seems, as Shimano only really offered a super boxy internal battery that seriously limited framemaker options without going completely custom wit a battery solution.
Getting Shimano on board with producing a more compact internal battery solution in a case that was more octagonally shaped was a big part of shaping the new eOne-Sixty. But it also mean creating a sort of chimney to let heat rise up and escape out of the headtube, since a carbon frame can’t dissipate battery heat, especially at slow riding speeds (when the battery is most under load.)
That with a number of other small technical details allowed Merida to build a lighter weight, stiffer carbon front triangle, which could still be matched to the alloy rear end of the current & popular alloy eOne-Sixty.
The new eOne-Sixty isn’t only about integration & an aesthetic makeover. Merida also re-tweaked the geometry slightly, getting a tiny bit slacker, a slightly steeper seat angle, a
slightly lower BB, oh and a bit less standover because the new bike shifts to a 29er wheel up front. Yes, the rear stays 27.5, making this a return of the mullet, with snappy power & acceleration with a 27.5×2.6€ rear tire paired to better rollover with the 29×2.5″ front.
There’s plenty more tech like an all-new dropper seatpost, an internal steerer stop, an integrated 4/6mm tool, fast swapping batteries, and even a EVOC backpack with a spare battery included with the top 9600€ / 9500£ build. If you want to get the full details, head over to out full breakdown on e-Bikerumor.com.
