FAST BIKE FRIDAY – MERIDA E-ONE-SIXTY 8000

This week for Fast Bike Friday we’re casting our eyes over the stunning Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 E-MTB designed for aggressive trail riding with 160mm of travel up front and 150mm at the rear. As well as being packed full of the latest tech with some very welcome extras there are two key elements to this E-MTB that stand out from the get-go; firstly the eOne Sixty 8000 features Shimano’s brilliant new Steps EP8 motor and 630Wh battery, secondly Merida have created this bike around the ‘Mullet Principle’, what’s a Mullet bike? We’ll explain later, first let’s look at the Motor that drives this super-fun E-MTB.

The stunning Merida eOne-Sixty is packed-full of tech…

The new Shimano EP8 motor noticeably more compact than its E8000 predecessor and is considerably more quiet; it boasts a significantly lighter weight overall and allows for cleaner integration into the E-MTB’s chassis. In use the motor is smoother with a more natural feeling to the pedalling assistance. Another key improvement is the EP8’s heat management allowing the motor to output max torque for longer without overheating. The Shimano Steps EP8 motor has a maximum torque output of 85Nm with the power delivery being direct but incredibly smooth to ensure you are in full control with a natural ride feeling. The motor features a Magnesium drive unit casing which is more compact than previous Shimano motors as well as being 300g lighter than their E8000 motor.

The Shimano EP8 motor is more compact than its predecessors…

Switching on the Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 with the button on the top tube brings the simple to understand black and white digital display to life. Once on you can toggle between the motor’s ‘Eco’ ‘Trail’ and ‘Boost’ modes using the slim ,ergonomic and easy to use switch located next to the left-hand grip.

The new SW-EM800-L assist switch includes a more ergonomic concave button profile…

To accompany their new Steps EP8 e-bike motor system Shimano have produced an equally compact, integrated battery for the downtube, freeing up bike brands to create even more svelte-looking e-bikes, as seen here on the Merida eOne-Sixty 8000. This 630Wh integrated battery is quick charging with a 50% charge taking 2.5 hours and a full charge taking 6 hours. The Merida engineers have cleverly added vents at the headtube of the eOne-Sixty to help keep your battery from overheating which is a nice touch.

The internal Shimano Shimano E8036 630Wh tube battery is super-compact enabling Merida to design a great handling chassis with good weight distribution…

There’s a lot more information available on the new Shimano Steps EP8 E-MTB motor system; we recently published a guide to the new motor which includes more details on how you can customise the settings of your own bike to tune the motor to behave in the best way that suits you and your riding. If you want to find out more please follow the link below; but for now let’s get back to the eOne-Sixty 8000 bike and find out more about that Mullet setup…

You can read a detailed review of the Shimano EP8 Motor by clicking the link below…

A brief history on mountain bike wheels sizes and how Merida have arrived at the Mullet option…

…So first off mountain bikes had 26” wheels which, in hindsight, were pretty awful! These wheels accelerated well but didn’t necessarily roll well over bigger obstacles on the trail. Then 29ers came along – 29” wheels helped more racey, cross-country focused mountain bikers to carry their speed over rough terrain and they proved really popular, however the 29er wheels were deemed too cumbersome and slow to accelerate for riders focused on more playful trail riding; the wheel choice for them quickly became the 27.5” option – basically the best of both worlds – faster rolling than a 26” wheel but still more agile and easier to accelerate than a 29” wheel.

For while that’s how things stayed with most hardtails and cross-country-focused MTB’s featuring 29” wheels and more playful trail and enduro-focused MTB’s featuring 27.5” wheels. The next significant thing that influenced what wheel size we rode was the advent of Pro Downhill Racers running 29” wheels! They did this because they recognised that they could carry their speed better through technical terrain and they were particularly popular with taller riders. All of the best bike brands were quick to tune the geometry of their bikes to accommodate these larger wheels and at the same time 29” wheels became lighter and more durable thanks to advances in wheel and tyre technology.

So then we all discovered that 29” wheels could be just as fun as 27.5” and in most cases could be quicker too and those bigger wheels started to feature on a large majority of trail and enduro MTB’s as well as on cross-country-focused hardtails. THEN some forward-thinking Downhill Pros (yes, we’ve got them to thank again) started experimenting with running a 29” wheel up front and a 27.5” wheel at the back – the Mullet setup was born! Why Mullet? Because it’s business upfront – big wheel, fast-rolling over obstacles, and party out back – a smaller wheel for a playful, slightly more agile bike; this setup also suited smaller riders such as Danny Hart.

Which brings us back to the Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 E-MTB and the Mullet configuration on this particular bike; Merida’s rationale for this setup has a lot to do with the extra demands of an electric mountain bike. What the designers and manufacturers have found is there’s considerably more force going through the rear wheel and the smaller 27.5” wheel copes better with these forces. Because of their clever Mullet setup the eOne Sixty 8000 is able to accelerate quickly and plough through technical terrain while coping with the significant forces applied from both the bike’s motor and the terrain that the bike is negotiating.

The Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 features a Mullet setup…

The Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 is spec’d with a 160mm travel Marzocchi Z1 Ebike+ suspension fork complete with iconic Bomber decals running down the fork legs; Marzocchi Bomber forks have a rich heritage in downhill mountain biking, harking back to more than twenty years ago, however this fork is ACTUALLY a Fox fork. Marzocchi is now part of Fox Racing and while this fork carries the Bomber name it actually benefits from a ton of Fox’s fork technology including their EVOL air spring and Grip damper.

The e-bike-specific Marzocchi Z1 Ebike+ fork has been built to meet the demands of aggressive E-MTB riding…

You can adjust the Marzocchi Z1 Ebike+ on the fly…

To balance out the suspension travel from the Marzocchi fork upfront Merida have fitted the eOne-Sixty 8000 with a Fox Float DPX2 Performance rear shock which has been E-MTB tuned and features 150mm of travel; a lot of the technology found in this Fox shock has been developed and used previously in Enduro racing so it’s built to withstand the sort of forces applied from riding an E-MTB off-road.

The Fox Float DPX2 Performance rear shock is E-MTB tuned…

Clever linkage placement combined with the capable Fox Float DPX2 Performance shock gives 150mm of rear wheel travel…

An E-MTB that’s been built for aggressive trail riding, with bags of suspension travel will no-doubt have you pushing the limits of your riding ability very quickly. With this in mind Merida have spec’d their own Expert TR cable-activated dropper post so that you’ll be able to get the saddle out of the way and move more freely around the bike when you hit those steep arse-over-the-back-of-the-bike descents. The dropper post is activated by a neat Shimano lever on the left of the handlebar; sitting under the bar away from the digital motor shifter it’s easy to activate in the heat of the moment but doesn’t get in the way when you’re toggling through the Shimano EP8 motor modes.

Merida have spec’d their own Expert TR cable-activated dropper post…

You probably won’t be surprised to see a bike of this calibre being spec’d with some of the best Shimano MTB components available. The eOne-Sixty 8000 features Shimano’s 12 speed XT groupset which couldn’t really be more simple to use and is extremely reliable, providing crisp, precise gear shifts every time regardless of what conditions you’re riding in.

A 12-Speed Shimano XT M8100 shifter takes care of gear-changing duties…

The 12-speed rear derailleur includes a clutch which is activated at the flick of a switch and adds tension to the chain to prevent it from unshipping during your ride (you only need to flick it off again if you’re removing your rear wheel for any reason). This system comes into its own when you’re blatting down rocky, loose terrain and has proved itself to be virtually bombproof on the sort of rocky, technical descents we have to negotiate here in the Lake District. Needless to say, this drivetrain has all the gear ratios you’ll need with a 34 tooth chainring upfront combined with a 12-speed cassette giving you an enormous spread of gears from 10T to a whopping 51T. Once you become accustomed to selecting the right motor mode in unison with your gear changes you’ll quickly find that you can ride almost anything!

A 12-speed Shimano XT RDM8100 Shadow+ rear derailleur with clutch keeps gear changes precise…

As E-MTB’s continue to evolve and bike brands offer more powerful motors, increasingly durable componentry and ever-more-capable suspension this type of bike inevitably gets faster and faster. To keep you in control and able to ride out of steep, technical terrain Merida have spec’d a pair of Shimano SLX 4-piston hydraulic brake calipers to enable you to scrub off speed quickly and effectively; these 4-piston calipers are combined with whopping 203mm rotors that give a bigger braking surface and help dissipate heat when you’re breaking hard.

Powerful Shimano SLX 4-Piston hydraulic brakes enable you to scrub off speed quickly and effectively…

The powerful rear Shimano SLX 4-Piston brake caliper… 

As we’ve highlighted already we’ve got a Mullet wheel mash-up here; the rear 27.5” wheel features a Shimano SLX 148x12mm Boost hub laced to a tough 36 hole Merida Expert TR alloy rim with a super-wide 29mm inner width which is also tubeless-ready. This bomb-proof rear tyre is shod with a 2.5” wide Maxxis Aggressor Tyre which has been designed to provide loads of bite, traction and control even when you’ve got your EP8 motor pinned.

The super-tough 27.5″ rear wheel with 148x12mm Boost spacing and heavy-duty Maxxis Agressor tyre can handle the extra demands of this all-out E-MTB…

Upfront there’s a matching Shimano SLX 110x15mm wide front hub laced to a 32 hole 29” Merida Expert TR tubeless-ready rim. The front wheel is fitted with a 2.5mm wide Maxxis Assegai tyre with a really aggressive square-profile tread pattern that gives plenty of traction and control on tight, loose turns so that when you throw your bike into a turn at full speed you can be confident that you’re going to ride out of it (with a huge smile on your face!).

That fast-rolling 29″ front wheel features a super-wide 29mm inner-width tubeless ready rim shod with  chunky Maxxis Assegai tyre…

The Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 features a decent own-brand Merida Expert CC saddle that will stand up to the rigours of off-road riding and the occasional tumble. Not ones to miss an opportunity to include a particularly user-friendly addition Merida have included a small surprise stowed underneath the saddle.

The Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 E-MTB is packed full of tech and user-friendly details; what’s this under the saddle?!…

The Merida multi-tool is stored in a small rubberised case underneath the saddle so it’s quick and easy to access when you need it and is protected from the elements too. This small tool is a great little addition and is one less thing you have to remember to pack each time you head out on a ride.

There’s a pretty slick little multi-tool stowed away under the saddle…

If you’ve got a powerful 630Wh battery powering your E-MTB motor it makes sense to run a bright front light off it too; this is exactly what Merida have done. A Lezyne E-Bike Power STVZO E115 light is fitted as standard and features a German STVZO optimised lens with flood and long-range beam. The high-performance always-on LED delivers 310 lumens of light and is durable thanks to its heat-dissipating CNC machined aluminium construction while its auto day/night system extends battery run time.

An E-MTB with its own power source may as well include its own front light as standard! – The LEZYNE E-BIKE POWER STVZO E115…

The 310 Lumens Lezyne front light is a great addition…

Merida have also spec’d a rechargeable USB REAR Light CG-214RG on the rear…

The Merida eOne Sixty 8000 is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when some of the best bike brands in the bike industry work together to create a modern E-MTB. Merida have taken the excellent Shimano Steps EP8 motor and battery system and have integrated it into a really fun, capable electric mountain bike that features carefully selected components that will enhance your riding experience every time you throw your leg over the bike. The trail-friendly geometry, large amount of plush suspension travel and that inspired ‘Mullet Wheel’ configuration all hint towards just how much fun you’re going to have on this bike. Blast down your favourite trail-centre black-run before heading back up with ease thanks to that brilliant, compact Shimano EP8 motor.

The Merida eOne-Sixty 8000 E-MTB is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when some of the best brands in the bike industry work together…

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Blog written by Johnny Dodgin

Photos by James Vincent