Merida adds 3 all-new Shimano EP801-powered ebikes to their lineup with a new full carbon eOne-Sixty CF, bigger range alloy eOne-Sixty Lite & versatile aluminum eOne-Forty Lite. All three eMTBs get similar geometry and travel upgrades like their pedal-powered siblings. Plus new optional range extender external batteries to take your big rides further without weighing you down every day.
2024 Merida eONE-SIXTY & eONE-FORTY ebike family
Full ebike pedal-assist power. Enduro or trail-ready travel and geometry choices. Lighter weight, more maneuverable options. And range extender batteries add up to over a thousand Watt-hours of juice for big eMTB days. Merida’s new eOne-Sixty & eOne-Forty ebikes deliver more performance and range, with fewer trade-offs. Like their recently revamped 160 & 140 mountain bike line-up, the new e160 & e140 share a similar platform that adapts to everything from trail to all-mountain to enduro riding.
Starting with the alloy-only 29er eOne-Forty at 143mm of rear wheel travel paired to a 150mm fork for lighter trail or eSUV commuter duties.
Or pick the bigger eOne-Sixty for more technical terrain with 174mm of travel out back at the 27.5″ rear wheel in the mullet setup with 170mm at the 29″ wheel up front. Then, on the e160, pick from either lightweight carbon with a slightly smaller 600Wh internal battery or aluminum with a 750Wh internal battery.
All the new bikes share a quick-release external battery option that snaps on an extra 360Wh of extended range in a look that harkens back to the early days of Shimano eMTBs. That means up to 960Wh or 1110Wh of total battery capacity to power the longest rides you can plan for your new ebike.
Shared tech details
Merida dubs the three new ebikes their eTrilogy as they share the same common platform, like their trail-to-enduro mountain bikes. But here with a bit more specialization and fewer individual models, you only see the alloy eOne-Sixty & eOne-Forty Lites sharing the same front triangle. Even so, there are plenty of common tech details and features across the eTrilogy.
They all feature an ebike-specific adaptation of Merida’s FAST suspension kinematics for the linkage-driven single-pivots. That includes size-specific suspension leverage ratios so smaller, lighter riders can fully benefit from their ebikes’ full travel and bigger riders get proper support – all with reasonable shock pressures.
And pivot-less flex seat stays in carbon or alloy for the e160, but a seat stay pivot that doubles as a lower rear rack & fender mount on the alloy e140.
Plus, asymmetric sideways shock layouts that alloy for piggy bag shocks without getting in the way of the range extender, or rubbing your legs.
They also get internal cable routing through the upper headset cap, UDH compatibility, Boost spacing, max 2.6″ tire clearance (2.4″ with EQ fenders), and premium wired-in Lezyne headlights. Both alloy & carbon frames include a standard bottle cage mount plus another set of bosses under the top tube to mount a tool/spares carrier. But adding the optional range extender external battery means losing the water bottle. And then, the carbon ebike gets a remnant of the OG e160‘s headtube heatsink vent that improves airflow to dissipate heat on hot days.
While the e160s come out of the box as a mullet and the e140 as a full 29er, both share a flip-chip at the top of the rocker link that lets all ebikes run a 27.5 or 29″ rear wheel without impacting their geometry.
eMTB optimized geometry
Both the new eOne-Sixty & eOne-Forty get updated long, low & slack geometry, inspired by Merida’s latest 160/140 mountain bike family. That starts with longer reach numbers compared to the previous generation e160 & e140 – stretched out around 2cm. Plus, Merida slackened the headtube angle one degree to 64.4° for better shredding. And gave them a whopping 3-degree steeper seat angle to 78.4° to get back up hills with ease. Add to that slightly longer 446mm chainstays to balance it all out.
The new eMTBs also share Merida’s latest Agiometer sizing concept with lower standover heights & long-travel adjustable dropper posts so most riders can pick from at least two sizes to get the feel they prefer. Pick a shorter frame Reach for more nimble handling (especially helpful to offset the added ebike weight) or go long for more stability riding fast and technical terrain.
2024 Merida eOne-Sixty & eOne-Forty – Pricing, options & availability
The new Merida eTrilogy includes three core frame options – carbon eOne-Sixty CF, alloy eOne-Sixty Lite and alloy eOne-Forty Lite. Each then gets several component build spec options to hit a wide range of price points. And five sizes – XShort to XLong.
The carbon eOne-Sixty CF comes in 3 specs – from £6000 / 7200€ NX Eagle at the base to £7000 / 8400€ XT LinkGlide in the middle and £10,000 / 12,600€ SRAM XX AXS transmission at the absolute top-end.
The aluminum eOne-Sixty Lite gets just 2 specs – £6000 / 7200€ XT 11sp Link Glide or £5500 / 6600€ Deore 10sp LinkGlide for reliable shifting under power.
Then, the 5 alloy Merida eOne-Forty models start at lower pricing tiers, from £4300 / 5150€.
Plus, the e140 adds two levels of EQ ‘equipped’ eSUV builds spec’d with a rack & fenders that add £100-150 / 100-200€ over a standard spec.
Reach out to your local Merida dealers now to get a hold of one.
