Top spec Merida Eone-Sixty Vs Bottom spec 2019 Specialised Levo?

[Shane]

So I'm still about a month or two off buying (hopefully before the end of the year), but just wanted to get some opinions on how the new Specialised Levo (not really sure what its called, just seems to be Levo, as opposed to Levo Exper or Levo Comp) stacks up against the Eone-Sixty range.

I was originally looking at the Merida Eone-Sixty 800 which retails for around $5500 down here in (Adelaide) Australia. I was thinking about the possibility of stretching the bank account up to the 900 (~$6000) or the top of the range 900e (~$7000). Trouble is this brings me into a whole new price bracket where the brand new 2019 Specialised Levo sits ($7000). That's the lowest spec in that range though, and so thought I'd ask...

How does the top spec Merida stack up against the new bottom spec Levo?*

*Obviously I'm gonna want to test ride whatever I end up buying. I ride for fun and fitness, not going to be winning any comps or anything, but still want to spend my money wisely and get something that will allow me to improve my skills without having to upgrade anytime soon.

 

[MattyB]

Ride both and see what you think, but for me the componentry on the entry level Levo (especially the fork) is just too basic for the money they are asking, so I would choose the Merida (assuming fit was good). YMMV.

 

[knut7]

The Levo and the eOne-Sixty are both great bikes. The Merida has been around for a few years though, would it be okay having bought it and then another model comes along in a year or two? e160 isn't the most modern looking bike, does that bother you?

The base level Levo needs a dropper IMO, and I wouldn't be too happy with the fork. I'd get the Comp rather than upgrading fork/seatpost on the base Levo. Unless you can get the parts very cheap, 2nd hand perhaps.

Have you seen the eOne-Sixty M#rida? It should be a bit cheaper than the 900 non-E, and it's well specced. https://www.merida-bikes.com/en_int/bikes/e-bikes/performance/2019/eone-sixty-m-rida-11287.htm

 

[Shane]

Yeah, that's the impression I've been getting about the Levo, but the Comp is $9500 which is just out of the price range (could nearly buy 2 Merida 800's for that).

But I just stumbled upon the M#rida then (stupid name). I'm not well versed in all of the components enough to just look at a list and see where it sits in a line-up, but you're saying this is between the 800 and the 900?

 

[MattyB]

...But I just stumbled upon the M#rida then (stupid name). I'm not well versed in all of the components enough to just look at a list and see where it sits in a line-up, but you're saying this is between the 800 and the 900?

Just a guess, but I suspect that is not a different bike, just the placeholder for a 2019 900 or 900e replacement in new colours with a tweaked 12 speed drivetrain.

Based on your description of your riding and experience I suspect you would be fine spending less on the 800 or even the new 600 version with the E7000 motor and Suntour suspension. Spend the difference on coaching or an MTB holiday instead!

 

[Gary]

Obviously I'm gonna want to test ride

This ^^

Without an idea of your riding style/preferences etc. you won't get good advice as to which may suit you better. They're quite different bikes. But both will do everything you've asked for absolutely fine.

 

[knut7]

But I just stumbled upon the M#rida then (stupid name). I'm not well versed in all of the components enough to just look at a list and see where it sits in a line-up, but you're saying this is between the 800 and the 900?

I was assuming it's below the 900, but I might be wrong. We don't get the 900 where I live, so I'm not sure, but it's worth checking out with your local dealer. We don't get the E600 either, but that looks interesting and I like the E7000 motor. I'm currently trying to decide if I even prefer it over the E8000 for trail riding.

 

[Shane]

Thanks guys. Yeah Matty, you're probably right. If I had to make a decision tomorrow it would be the 800. Just exploring options/dreaming.

 

[Swissrob]

I haven't lived in Adelaide for 15 years but I would try and stretch to the Specialized. It looks like Australia is not getting the Comp in aluminum from the Spec website. A quick look through a couple of bike sites there, bike society is offering 500 voucher for 2019 preorders which would cover your dropper post. I live in Switzerland and my local trails are quite similar to Adelaide so I would suggest looking at the 2018 model which I have (Comp) and range wise get about 50kms and 1000m vertical. This is more than enough for Adelaide as you have easier accent routes than I have here and the battery sizes are the same on the lower models. In Europe discount on older models is between 15&30% to give you some idea of what to haggle to assuming margins are the same. The upside of having the same bikes is you can do a monster ride out with a spare battery.
Ps
I bought my last Specialized at JTs in the city and they always seemed to have a good range of upgrade parts they had taken off other new bikes at very good prices.

 

[Tamas]

If you care about value for money and you like its look then no question, Merida. The 900e pretty much S-Works specs for half of the price but the 800 is also incomparably better specced than the base Levo for much less.
If you want the latest and greatest bling and you are fine with the compromised specs then Levo. For coffee runs and commuting it's OK but for ripping the Reba with 150mm travel will be weak, the Level T brakes are also questionable and you'd need a dropper.

By looking at the geo numbers the new Levo with the updated geometry just got up to the level of the competition and has pretty much the same geo as the Merida.

If you have a chance, try to test ride the same spec models you are planning to buy.

 

[Shane]

Yeah, I’ve had Merida front of my mind for a while now. I love the look of the Levo, but am much more interested in value than looks.

I don’t care about coffee runs. I’m not the most skilled rider but am keen on improving my skills and want something that will best allow me to do that, without me wishing I’d spent more 6 months down the track.

Cheers fellas. I think Merida it is. As for which model, well finances and patience will dictate that.

 

[Gary]

@Tamas
True Story:
Back in around 2002 I cased (50/50d) a 52ft double on a hardtail running a 28mm stnchion 100mm travel QR straight steerer rock shox Judy. We both survived fine, I then hit it again clean and went on to ride the bike in the same manner until I cracked the frame headtube lazily hucking off a 10ft drop to flat and landing front wheel first a few years later. On my next hardtail I fitted a 2005 20mm axle Reba (because despite riding hard I quite like a light but durable hardtail). it was a stiffer fork. 2019 Reba's are considerably stiffer/stronger than those.

@Shane I'd happily ride a 150mm reba on a 150/140mm trail bike. It's a solid but lightweight high quality trail fork with decent damping/adjustability. Maybe my commute isn't as gnarly as Tamas' though.

SRAM Level Ts are actually surprisingly good brakes too.

Out of interest, have you ridden either of these products?

 

[Shane]

No, not yet, except for riding around the suburb where the bike stores are but what can you really tell from that?

I’m a teacher and tomorrow is the last day of Term 3, so the last month or so has been super busy, but got 2 weeks off now to give ‘em a go.

I’ll update once I’ve ridden them properly, but that will most likely be in the second week.

 

[Swissrob]

I have to say now I have had a look at the specs on the 900 that looks like a sweet ride so we wait and see on your feedback after riding both. Have a look at JTs to see what they have lying around if you do go with the Specialized.

 

[Basy]

+1 900E

 

[Tamas]

@Tamas
True Story:
Back in around 2002 I cased (50/50d) a 52ft double on a hardtail running a 28mm stnchion 100mm travel QR straight steerer rock shox Judy. We both survived fine, I then hit it again clean and went on to ride the bike in the same manner until I cracked the frame headtube lazily hucking off a 10ft drop to flat and landing front wheel first a few years later. On my next hardtail I fitted a 2005 20mm axle Reba (because despite riding hard I quite like a light but durable hardtail). it was a stiffer fork. 2019 Reba's are considerably stiffer/stronger than those.

@Shane I'd happily ride a 150mm reba on a 150/140mm trail bike. It's a solid but lightweight high quality trail fork with decent damping/adjustability. Maybe my commute isn't as gnarly as Tamas' though.

SRAM Level Ts are actually surprisingly good brakes too.

Out of interest, have you ridden either of these products?

@Gary The thing is, amongst others I had Fox 32 150, Fox 34 160, Reba 120 and now, I have a Fox 34 130 in my trail bike, 160mm Pike in my enduro and 160mm Lyrik in my ebike. The difference in stiffness between a 32 and 34/35/36mm stanchion forks (especially above 120mm travel) is very noticeable even to me - I'm just an average bloke not racing EWS or anything like that - and the added weight of an ebike doesn't make the 150mm Reba more appealing to me. It will be hard to find another longer travel ebike - other than the Levo - with Reba and I think there is a reason for that.
I know, many years ago we rode 'this and that and it was OK' and all that stuff, but it's 2018 (2019 if we look at the model year) and there are more sufficient budget options - Revelation, Yari, Fox 34 Rhythm etc. especially if we consider the price of the bikes. I'm not saying that the base Levo with the Reba cannot be perfect for someone, but I wouldn't buy it with that fork and the OP asked for opinions compared to the much better equipped Merida.

No, I have not ridden the Level T brakes. My enduro came with Guide RS, the ebike with Guide RE. I gave them a chance but as I'm used to the braking power and reliability of the Shimano brakes (currently SLX, Saint) they just didn't cut it for me. RS's lever stuck in warm weather, not enough power, I don't like DOT fluid so no, thank you. Oh, and I rode last year's Levo with Guide R, it wasn't a convincing experience either. Sram positions the Level T brakes below the ones I rode and it's hard to imagine that they perform better on a 20+kg ebike than those.

But hey, my opinion is my opinion based on my preferences and experiences. Of course, you - or anybody else - can have different opinions that's why these forums are great. We can share, have discussions, agree, disagree etc. and the OP will figure out if anything is useful for him.

 

[Gary]

The Merida is spec'd as a harder hitting platform with more bais to gravity and the Levo is being marketed as a lightweight trail Emtb, hence the beefier (and heavier) fork on the Merida. A Reba isn't exactly a budget fork

I have many sets of SRAM brakes.
Guide RS (2 sets), Guide RE (one set) and Level T (one set) here.
The REs on my Ebike are by far the most powerful brake I have, RS aren't so powerful but perform really well and perfectly adequate for any descents I ride. (I have them on one DH bike and one Enduro bike). The Ts are on a trail bike. They're obviously not as nice as an RS but power is still there and for the money they're a good brake.
This notion that an Emtb needs massive tyres and DH brakes is a misconception. It depends masively on what sort of riding the Ebike is going to be doing.
It's quite laughable that you seem to think Shimano brakes do not have reliability issues. Every rider I know has had problems with SLX/XT. Yes Saint are more powerful. Do you need that sort of power on a 150mm trail bike. probably not.
Whether you personally like Dot fluid or not is fairly irrelivant unless you give a valid reason

I don't really understand why you're giving your opinion on them if you've never used them. it's neither based on your experience or preference.

I've ridden everything from MK1 MonsterTs (the stiffest, heaviest 7" fork ever produced to Shivers (torsionally one of the worst tracking forks ever made), to Boxxers/40s etc. Everything from old skool Sid/Jet/Judy//psylos to Lyriks/36s. Differences in stiffness is really not the big deal you seem to think it is. Yes you'd notice a huge difference goig from a Lyrik to a Sid but you'd cope just fine. Even more so if you'd skipped the Lyrik and gone straight to riding a Sid.

I get what you're saying and to some extent where you're coming from but you're slagging off perfectly good components you haven't even ridden. I don't think this is helpful

 

[knut7]

Hmm... Did I miss something? Isnt the fork a Sektor RL, or is the Levo spec'ed differently in different markets?

Oh, and look what showed up for a (very) long term review.

800!

 

[Tamas]

The Merida is spec'd as a harder hitting platform with more bais to gravity and the Levo is being marketed as a lightweight trail Emtb, hence the beefier (and heavier) fork on the Merida. A Reba isn't exactly a budget fork

I have many sets of SRAM brakes.
Guide RS (2 sets), Guide RE (one set) and Level T (one set) here.
The REs on my Ebike are by far the most powerful brake I have, RS aren't so powerful but perform really well and perfectly adequate for any descents I ride. (I have them on one DH bike and one Enduro bike). The Ts are on a trail bike. They're obviously not as nice as an RS but power is still there and for the money they're a good brake.
This notion that an Emtb needs massive tyres and DH brakes is a misconception. It depends masively on what sort of riding the Ebike is going to be doing.
It's quite laughable that you seem to think Shimano brakes do not have reliability issues. Every rider I know has had problems with SLX/XT. Yes Saint are more powerful. Do you need that sort of power on a 150mm trail bike. probably not.
Whether you personally like Dot fluid or not is fairly irrelivant unless you give a valid reason

I don't really understand why you're giving your opinion on them if you've never used them. it's neither based on your experience or preference.

I've ridden everything from MK1 MonsterTs (the stiffest, heaviest 7" fork ever produced to Shivers (torsionally one of the worst tracking forks ever made), to Boxxers/40s etc. Everything from old skool Sid/Jet/Judy//psylos to Lyriks/36s. Differences in stiffness is really not the big deal you seem to think it is. Yes you'd notice a huge difference goig from a Lyrik to a Sid but you'd cope just fine. Even more so if you'd skipped the Lyrik and gone straight to riding a Sid.

I get what you're saying and to some extent where you're coming from but you're slagging off perfectly good components you haven't even ridden. I don't think this is helpful

Again, I shared my experiences and preferences and I'm not questioning yours. Let me decide how much braking power I like/need/prefer and I don't need someone else to tell me.
You can laugh all day long on the reliability of the Shimano brakes it's absolutely irrelevant to me, but I don't remember stating that nobody had any issues with Shimano brakes. They are perfectly reliable for me which wasn't the case with the Guides. Yes, I prefer mineral over DOT fluid as I'm working a lot with brakes. It's better for the environment doesn't cause corrosion and has an indefinite shelf life as it doesn't absorb water.
Yes, I disliked the Level T brakes without using them based on my experience with the Guides. You said the Levels are 'not as nice' as the Guides even for you who like SRAM brakes so please tell me what was wrong with my assumption?
Same with the fork, we don't have to make a long list, I prefer beefier stanchions on longer travel forks regardless if it's an ebike or an analog. If the Levo was a 120mm bike I couldn't care less if it has a Reba. But for my money, I don't want to see it on a 150mm ebike especially when I can get what I prefer for less. But again, it's just me spending my 'virtual money'... you spend yours on the way you want it.

 

[Tamas]

Hmm... Did I miss something? Isnt the fork a Sektor RL, or is the Levo spec'ed differently in different markets?

Oh, and look what showed up for a (very) long term review. View attachment 5625
800!

Nice

Yes, you are right. The base Levo has the cheaper Sektor RL, not the Reba.

 

[MattyB]

Hmm... Did I miss something? Isn't the fork a Sektor RL, or is the Levo spec'ed differently in different markets?

Nope, don't think you are - it's a Sektor on the Specialized website...

 

[StevenM]

Shane go the Merida.

Don’t be bushwhacked into the Levo hype.

So much better gear on the E900 for the price.

If you want to look a bit further go to Giant Adelaide and sus out the Trance E line.

I just got a deal on the E+ 1 pro.

Price was less than the E+3 pro.

 

[SA63]

If you look around you can get the E900 way cheaper than listed. My 19 was in the low 6 " es.(in OZ) I know the e trance if you can find one is being sold in the high 5s . The fox 36s and zee brakes are fine pieces of equipment, I rate the brakes as the best Ive used, and is making me go into very steep territory for the fun side..beautiful 1 finger modulation..
Those 36 mm forks are superb, better than any 34s Ive tried, prior to that I rated the pikes as the best.
But yes the frame is becoming dated on the merida..

 

[Shane]

Thanks SA63. Yeah, I’m gonna do some shopping around. Got a good relationship with a couple of dealers here so will see what I can get. Still jealous of all the people that managed to snatch up a 900e when they were a flat 6k, but if I can get one for anywhere close to that then it will likely be decision made.

I literally just 5 minutes ago saw that a local bike dealer is hosting some Merida e-bike come and try day in a weeks time, so with a little luck I might be able to try out the whole range side by side!

 

[Shane]

 

[poppy]

G'day Shane, i have been looking/researching over the past few months at Ebikes. So far i have test riden the 2018 Levo carb comp, 2019 Kenevo poverty pack, Merida 160 800 and the Giant E pro 1. I am at best a very average rider, i dont think there is a bad bike amongst them. Out of all of them i think the Merida 900 only being a later model than the 800 is the best value for money. I like the colour of the 900e, but for me, i dont need the e shift or really the upspec brakes, seat post dropper, forks. The new E pro 1 Giant is also at the top of my list dollar wise and is also a fairly well spec bike, plus it is a 19 model which means it should be around for a few years as it is with upgrades along the way. The Merida has been around a few years and i reckon they will be updating in the not to distant future. The Specialized bikes are great and i really enjoyed the Kenevo but for what you get dollar wise, i don't see any value differance. I currently ride a Specialized Camber Comp and really like it, but for me there is not enough between the others to spend the extra asking. I have all those brand shops withing 15 minutes of me and tracks the same distance, so got to ride them all over the exact same terrain. They all offer something different, but for average Joe like me i could probably choose on colour.

 

[SA63]

I got mine 3 weeks ago for that price.. the bargains can be had

 

[Tamas]

But yes the frame is becoming dated on the merida..

Luckily, the Merida frame is only dated in the ‘looks and trend’ department the geometry is up to date, the rest of the brands were just playing catch-up up until now.
Personally, I like the look of the new Levo the best but still prefer the convenience of the standard external battery found on the Merida or on my Commencal Meta Power. Relatively cheap, small and easy to carry a spare on longer rides.

 

[R120]

Put simply the only reason to buy the Levo over the Merida at the specification you are comparing is if your prefer the looks.

if you want a 29'r then their are options like the Commnecal.

The levo is a great bike, but its not some huge jump forward compared to other well sorted bikes. It is a big leap forward over the old levo

 

[Shane]

Thanks everyone. Poppy, I’ve been looking at the Giant, and while it’s creeping up into that next price bracket it is definitely one I’ll add to the test ride list. Cheers!