Test: The Eurobike Media Days are currently taking place at Plan de Corones in South Tyrol. Of course, one or the other manufacturer already has some test bikes of the new 2018 models with them - including Merida. From the coming season there will be a new model, the One-Forty, which is intended to close the gap between the One-Twenty and the One-Sixty. With 140mm of travel, enduro-inspired geometry and plenty of tire clearance, you can present a modern trail bike that we were able to test extensively on a few test rods.
Among other things, the new Merida Trailbike shares the rear triangle with its floating shock absorber with its two sister models. The design language and appearance also unmistakably refer to the family affiliation. The One-Forty will only be available with an aluminum frame, which, however, has the latest standards and features ready: Boost axles are now a matter of course for new bikes, as are metric damper lengths and internally routed cables and lines. With the latter, however, a lot of thought has been given to simplify assembly on the one hand and to avoid rattling of the cables inside on the other. The result of these considerations are the Smart Entry line inlets and outlets, which offer plenty of space when removing to fish the lines out of the frame and when mounting with a screw allow the sleeves to be clamped tightly. Another nice detail is the brake attachment in the rear triangle: The saddle disappears behind the seatstay and is therefore better protected, but is still easily accessible.
The Merida One-Forty stands on 27,5″ wheels, but offers plenty of tire clearance. Tires with a width of up to 2,6″ can be accommodated in the rear triangle – 2,6″ wide Maxxis tires were mounted on our test bike, which still had a lot of air between the struts. Of course, the bike can also be ridden with "normal" wide tires - if you want. The geometry of the new trail bike is right in line with the times – a slack head angle, steep seat tube angle, long reach and short chainstays are what most buyers want from a new trail bike. You swim a little against the current when it comes to the bottom bracket height. This is a bit higher than many of the competition's bikes. This sacrifices downhill qualities, but the greater ground clearance makes it easier to pedal in difficult terrain.
Merida One-Forty: First Ride Impressions
We were allowed to take the new Merida bike from the Eurobike Media Days test site to the surrounding trails for a few test laps. We had the top model, the One-Forty 800 under the butt, which is equipped with the new GX Eagle drivetrain from SRAM, Code R four-piston brakes, dropper post from Kind Shock and Rock Shox suspension with new Revelation and Deluxe dampers. The price of the Merida One-Forty 800 is said to be just over €3.000, the entry-level model One-Forty 600 is already available for around €2.000. On the cheaper variants you have to do without the 12-speed gears, but with Merida they thought about it and combined the Shimano gears with the 11-50 cassette from Sunrace for a wide range.
The choice of tires made a positive impression during our test: With the Maxxis DHRII at the front and the Rekon at the rear, both in the new 2,6 width, you are quite potent for a trail bike, but that hardly had a negative impact on the rolling resistance. Only when climbing on a damp surface did the rear tire tend to spin. Apart from that, the Merida climbs quite willingly and the front wheel stays firmly on the ground even on steep ramps. If it's a long and tough climb, the 12-speed GX Eagle helps, which works great and, in our opinion, is hardly inferior to its more expensive counterparts. It's nice that the omission of the second trigger was used well and a thumb lever was installed for the dropper post.
Overall, the chassis was inconspicuous and gave hardly any reason for complaint, at least during our short test. The bike itself is extremely quiet on the trail and can still be pulled through the many berms on our test track in a very playful way. The brakes on our test model were still new and hadn't been run in much, but with the Code you've installed a real anchor here, which seems to us almost a little oversized for a trail bike - on the other hand: Reserves for the brakes are certainly not wrong. The overall very good-natured handling should be quite encouraging, especially for (re)starters or less experienced drivers.
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