Merida e160 9000

[grizzlygriff]

Hi all , I’m currently riding Mondraker dune and thinking of getting a emtb , I’m thinking of a Merida e160 9000 , with the ep801 motor , just looking for bit information on them , reliability etc , any help /advice be much appreciated as this will be my first emtb , thanks

 

[Tonybro]

9000 is a carbon frame so a bit lighter than the aluminium models.

I have a 2020 Limited (Alu) with E8000 motor and my wife has a 2022 700 with EP8 motor and my Orbea has the EP8 RS motor and all have been fine. I like my Limited for it's ability to bash through stuff smoothly (weight helps).

Take a look at the reviews on the front page, Knut has reviewed some of the latest Merida's and also the new 801 has motor overrun in the firmware to liken it to Bosch.

Good luck...

 

[steve_sordy]

Mine is the 2021 model with the EP8 motor.
For suspension, it has the FOX Float DPX2 Elite, EVOL LV shock (150mm) and the FOX 38 Elite fork (160mm).
I've done just under 3200 miles since I bought it in Jul'21.

Zero problems with the motor or the battery.
I have replaced chains, cassettes and tyres when worn. All bearings except the rear hub bearings (see below) are still OK. The shock and fork have been serviced by TF Tuned at 1200 miles or one year, whichever came last. Stuff that has broken or worn unexpectedly are listed below. It's a short list.

#I have broken three rear mechs, two were snapped clean through; the other mangled to a pretzel (all collisions with trail debris such as pine saplings). The first was a Shimano XT, all others were SLX. I couldn't tell the difference. In addition, the lower mech arm needed straightening three times (various mechs). If you see any replacement mechs on offer, do yourself a favour and buy one now, my first break was after 3 weeks of ownership! Also, buy yourself a Mech Hanger Gauge and Alignment tool. You will save yourself a lot of money in servicing charges, and you will also be back on the trails much quicker. It's a good tool that fixes those annoying shifting problems when your usual magical skills fail.
# At 1775 miles the rear hub bearings were replaced, freehub still good.
# At 2500 miles one of the control cables that are diverted through the headset was chafed through (trapped by the knock-block). If it hadn't been for the thicker headlight cable (also badly chafed) the control cable would have failed earlier. I replaced and rerouted the control cable and removed the headlight and its cable (never used it anyway).
# At 2985 miles the dropper remote inner wire was replaced.

As at right now, there is no play in the crank bearings, no gritty feel when turning the cranks, no untoward noise from the motor, no need for a service just yet. The rims are still true and all spokes are still tight. All frame bearings and wheel bearings are good.

I love this bike! If the motor or battery failed, I would replace and keep the bike.

 

[Lad]

Zero problems on my 2018. Great bike, top components. Looks dated with the battery hump...who cares? Surprisingly a lot of people do. A fellow rider of mine bought a next gen (internal battery) for a fair bit more than I paid for. He keeps complaining about fork (34 something) and shock, wanting to upgrade this and that.

 

[steve_sordy]

@grizzlygriff After the advice you received what did you go for in the end?