2025 Merida eOne-Sixty 675 review

The 3rd iteration of the Merida eOne-Sixty was recently released, and we’ve finally gotten our hands on a Merida eOne-Sixty LITE 675. LITE is Merida’s way of telling us this is the heavier aluminium model. 675 means the bike is the second most expensive model with a big 750 Wh battery.

More weight, more range​

We weighed the bike to 26.6 kg without pedals, this isn’t a lightweight bike. But it’s not unusually heavy either. Big battery alloy emtbs can easily be 26 kg. Merida’s take is that if you want maximum range, you’ll accept a heavier bike. If you prioritize handling, you get the lighter carbon eOne-Sixty. And you’ll accept it has a lighter 600 Wh battery because, well, that’s better for handling.

Merida eOne-Sixty 675 specs​

The most expensive eOne-Sixty LITE is the 875 model. We’re testing the model below, the 675, and it’s nicely specc’ed. I really like the Shimano Deore M6120 dual caliper brakes and the long dropper seatpost. The size L (Long) demo bike has a generous 200 mm of seatpost travel.


Suspension is fine too! After having ridden the bike a few times, I was surprised to see it had a Marzocchi Bomber Air shock. I would have guessed it was a Fox Float X, meaning I’m happy with how it performed. The Marzocchi Z1 forks I have ridden before. This time the travel feels more linear than I’m used to. I usually remove a token on the 160 mm Z1, but not this time. Either the fork is upgraded, or the 10 mm of extra travel makes it more linear.

Unsurprisingly, the 675 has Maxxis rubber. It’s a mullet setup with a Minion DHR II 27.5x2.4 DD at the back and a 29x2.5 Assegai on the remaining end. For all this, Merida is asking £5,500/€6,250. This RRP seems okay to me, but it’s difficult keeping track of prices these days, and discounts can be found.

Drivetrain​

This deserves a separate paragraph! I haven’t been the biggest fan of 12-speed drivetrains. The big cassette adds weight, the chains can be less durable, the rear derailleur is more exposed. Therefore, I’m very happy to see Merida has moved away from the 12-speed gears on the LITE lineup. The eOne-Sixty 675 gets the 10-speed Deore Linkglide!

Sure, I might come across as an odd fellow, being this excited about a Deore drivetrain. But I really like it. Even though I wish Shimano added a tooth or two to the big cog on the cassette, it’s fine. The 11-43t cassette is okay combined with a 27.5” rear wheel. That equals 45t on a 29er bike.

Shimano EP801 motor and maximum carryover​

This bike has the latest 4.3.0 motor firmware, and we set the overrun to max, or "assist carryover" as Shimano calls it. I couldn’t imagine riding the EP801 with maximum overrun on a drivetrain that can’t handle shifting under high load. The motor overrun lasts so long. If you suddenly find yourself at the foot of a steep climb, there is no time to stop pedaling and wait for the motor to calm down. Even though I stop pedaling, the motor just keeps powering on, and I have to shift.

I was able to suppress my mechanical sympathy and just shift carelessly. This worked well, but I can imagine the Assist Carryover set to long will be tough on the chains and cogs. Regardless, the EP801 is nice and strong and works nicely with the Linkglide drivetrain.

Even burlier​

I tested the original eOne-Sixty in 2017. Despite the 160 mm travel fork, I found it more of an inspiring trail bike than an enduro bike. After being updated for 2020, the bike became a more capable descender. And in 2021, some models got burlier 38 mm stanchion forks and heavier tyres and became a tad burlier.

For 2025, the eOne-Sixty is even better at descending. And I wouldn’t call this an incremental change. The chainstays are longer and the head angle is slacker. And to prove they mean business; the suspension travel has been increased. The fork is now up from 160 to 170 mm. And the rear suspension takes it up by about 20 mm, to 174 mm.

The longer chainstays and increased travel also makes it possible to set up the Merida eOne-Sixty with a 29er rear wheel. That requires you to drop the rear travel to 160 mm by flipping the flip-chip.

Geometry​

The new chainstays measure 446 mm. That’s noticeably longer than the 439.5 mm of previous generations. The head angle never was among the slackest, but now I think it’s spot on at 64.4*. As you’d expect these days, the seattube angle is steep. It’s 78.4* on our demo bike in size L. The smaller and bigger sizes are within a tenth of that.

A stretched rear end combined with a longer and slacker fork does of course increase the wheelbase. And it’s no just a little bit. At 1.266 mm for size L, the bike is almost 30 mm longer. That doesn't mean it’s an extremely long bike because the old model was quite short. Reach is 479 mm, so this sounds like a much bigger bike. But it doesn’t feel that big when sitting on the bike.

Riding the bike​

Comparing the eOne-Sixty to the older models says a lot about the new bike. Every previous iteration of the eOne-Sixty was a fun and nimble trail bike. But this time it’s a bit different. Now, for the first time, Merida have sacrificed a bit of that signature behavior. The longer rear, slacker front and longer travel makes the new model a noticeably steadier and more capable descender. This is a proper enduro bike that takes on high-speed, gnarly descents with a new level of ease.

It's much the same story on the climbs. The longer rear end makes it noticeably easier keeping the front wheel planted on the steep inclines. It’s less work keeping the front wheel planted and the bike is more comfortable in the high gradients.


It comes as no surprise that our LITE 675 isn’t as nimble and playful as previous generations. But I believe that’s in part due to the weight of 26??? kg. Sure, the longer chainstays and wheelbase contributes too. But it will be interesting to see how much more light-footed the carbon models are. The steering of this alloy eOne-Sixty 675 will feel a bit slow in the narrow, low-speed, technical trails.

Conclusion​

This is as expected and perfectly fine. Merida has moved the eOne-Sixty deeper into the enduro category. That means it’s taken a step out of the all-round trailbike category. And that has made room for the Merida eOne-Forty which is now up to 150 mm travel.

That’s not to say the new Merida eOne-Sixty doesn’t do regular trail riding. It’s still comparable to many 160 mm travel trail bikes and it can still be playful. But as the downhills get challenging, it shows itself as a more aggressive and stable descender than ever. I really liked the older Merida, like the 2021 eOne-Sixty 9000. But the new Merida eOne-Sixty has become the bike I always wanted it to be.