Simply over per week in the past Merida launched their first actual light-weight eMTB with the all-new eOne-Sixty SL powered by the Bosch SX ebike motor and a 400Wh inside battery. Mixing the graceful really feel and ‘simply sufficient’ energy of the SX eMTB powertrain, Merida provides the e160 SL a full carbon body with actually enduro-capable all-mountain geometry and 160mm of journey entrance & rear to create a do-it-all shredder for riders in search of final light-weight and a extra pure experience.
I spent a pair days using this new gentle eMTB on acquainted steep, free & rocky trails in Catalonia, and got here away actually appreciating an ebike that felt like using a daily bike, simply with a number of hours of contemporary legs built-in!
First Rides on new light-weight Merida e160 SL Bosch SX eMTB
I’m slightly torn over whether or not I ought to name this ebike the eOne-Sixty SL like Merida does on their web site, or the e160 SL like is written on the highest tube. However I’ll persist with the latter, if for no different cause than simplicity.
I really feel like this new e160 SL is the actual spotlight of Merida’s 2025 transfer to Bosch. After years of Shimano pedal-assist energy, Merida diversifies with their first transfer into Bosch motors. The Shimano-powered bikes aren’t going wherever, however now German motor lovers get their choices, too.
Along with this Efficiency Line SX-powered e160 SL, there’s a brand new Efficiency Line CX-powered e180 and some base CX-powered eFloat commuters of assorted kinds. All come at a time as Bosch has severely overhauled their premium efficiency ebike motors, whereas additionally including the identical small unobtrusive handlebar fashion mounted shows that Shimano has used for years.
Necessary particulars – Bosch SX
The center of this e160 SL ebike then is the light-weight Bosch Efficiency Line SX motor that debuted final 12 months, tucked underneath this tradition plastic protector.
You get a nominal 250W ebike motor cranking out 55Nm of torque however at a claimed motor weight of simply 2kg. That makes it 35% much less torquey than the newest CX motor, and 40% lighter. However it nonetheless peaks at 600W of pedal-assist assist – the identical because the CX, making it double what you get out of a TQ motor, for instance. The decrease general SX torque truly interprets to much less energy drain, although.
So regardless that this Merida e160 SL solely has a 400Wh battery inside, you’ll get rather a lot longer vary than in the event you put that small of a battery right into a CX-powered eMTB.
+250Wh in the event you want extra
But nonetheless, if vary nervousness is a priority, the Merida eOne-Sixty SL has its charging port proper on the facet of its seattube beneath the rocker hyperlink pivot. And you may strap an additional 250Wh Bosch PowerMore vary extender exterior battery rather than the common water bottle to hold you 62.5% additional than with out it.
In reality, I might most likely suggest that everybody who buys this light-weight ebike plan to cough up one other 400€ for that additional battery.
The best factor about this eMTB might be how gentle it’s and the way that makes it deal with extra like a daily enduro or all-mountain bike. And I feel the constructing 400Wh battery affords loads of vary for almost all of rides you’ll do on it – the place you don’t need the penalty of an additional 1.6kg on each experience, when it’s often not wanted. However having the ability to improve your vary by a lot while you do plan on an all-day experience with extra climbing than traditional, simply makes this a way more versatile ebike in the long run.
29er eMTB with 160mm entrance & rear
This new light-weight 29er Merida eOne-Sixty SL ebike will get 160mm of journey entrance & rear in a <2kg full-carbon body with a easy linkage-driven single-pivot suspension design and flex stays that assist preserve it easy & light-weight. Or 174mm within the rear in the event you convert it to a mullet setup by way of the flip-chip and a 27.5 rear wheel swap.
It appears to be like fairly a bit totally different, however suspension kinematics-wise it’s fairly much like the brand new Shimano EP8-powered eOne-Sixty that launched final spring (which was truly already a mullet with 174mm of rear wheel journey paired to a 170mm fork). Plus, this new eMTB is about 3.5kg lighter.
With its new lighter weight, this SL eMTB even feels a bit extra succesful off-road too, even with the shorter fork journey. It does get a half a level slacker headtube at 64°, the identical ultra-steep 78.5° seat angle, 4mm longer chainstays at 450mm, and an additional centimeter of Attain to 489mm on my dimension Lengthy take a look at ebike.
So, it’s a bit longer and slacker for extra stability. However it’s lighter, so it’s a lot simpler to hop and maneuver round on the path – and nonetheless obtainable in 5 Agilometer sizes (XS-XL).
A number of extra key particulars… all of the cables are routed in by the Wire Port cap on the Acros block-lock headset, and there’s an UDH out again. There’s a downtube protector, thick sculpted wrap-around rubber chainstay protector to silence the drivetrain, and optionally available brief or lengthy rear fenders to maintain mud away from the primary pivots.
The e160 SL has clearance for 29 x 2.4″ tires, and is rated for enduro Class 4 using, something shy of DH racing. Plus, Merida backs the carbon body with a lifetime guarantee.
Need extra particulars? Take a look at my eOne-Sixty ebike launch story, right here.
Precise weight
Okay, so the brand new Merida e160 SL 8000 that I examined in dimension L (Lengthy or Massive) weighs 20.4kg That’s arrange tubeless with out petals, however with the mini-tool strapped underneath its seat.
That’s probably not gentle for a daily bike, however it is just about 2.5kg greater than an entry-level pedal-it-yourself One-Sixty. And so for an ebike, it’s a fairly light-weight really feel.
A variety of weight financial savings comes from that 400Wh battery in it, which is comparatively small. However it nonetheless appeared to be lots for what I used to be getting as much as and using.
So how does it experience?
Driving Impressions – Light-weight All-Rounder
Merida describes this as an ebike meant to blur the divide between standard common bike using and pedal-assisted ebiking. And it does that for certain. There’s little doubt that the Bosch SX powertrain makes you’re feeling like you’ve contemporary legs zipping up climbs simpler than you most likely ought to. And the whole bundle continues to be gentle sufficient that you just go downhill with out actually feeling like being weighed down by a heavy, clunky ebike.
At simply 20 kilos, it’s lots gentle sufficient to nonetheless be maneuverable underneath you. That is an eMTB that’s straightforward to choose up and hop round on tight technical trails. And it’s very easy to get it off the bottom. Driving various heavier, ‘full-power’ ebikes, I typically really feel I’m plowing into issues, smashing by free rock gardens, dragging by creek crossings. However not with this e160 SL. This ebike nonetheless feels gentle sufficient you could decide traces simply, change path effortlessly, and confidently deal with more difficult traces. It simply feels far more pure.
However nonetheless loads of energy
Going uphill although, sure, the Bosch SX motor is much less highly effective than its heavier-duty CX sibling. However nonetheless it affords that very same peak energy of 600W, even when the torque is decrease. So it’s nonetheless feels prefer it’s going to hold you up among the steepest terrain. Positive, its torque is about 40% lower than essentially the most highly effective motors on the market, so it gained’t really feel fairly as zippy.
However to only make getting again up the hill a bit faster, a bit simpler, it positively felt like loads of zip for me. And that decrease torque in the long run truly does create a extra pure experience – a sense I want when getting pedal-assist.
Balancing battery & vary
The SX setup form of strikes a steadiness between actually light-weight and full-power motor assist. And it manages energy nicely with the 400Wh battery to nonetheless ship fairly lengthy vary.
I (85kg) had no drawback getting 2 strong hours of using and 900-1000 meters of climbing out of this comparatively small motor and small inside battery whereas pushing it arduous, largely in Turbo mode. Knocking it right down to eMTB mode appeared like it will get me about 10% extra, or 50-60% extra in Tour or Eco modes.
For certain, it gained’t sustain all-day with full-power eMTBs with a lot greater batteries in the event you head excessive into the mountains. However it’s positively a compromise I’m prepared to make with the intention to have that a lot better maneuverability and far more playful really feel to the ebike – each when going downhill and particularly carving the ebike by tight technical terrain & extra flowy trails. Saving 3-5kg off lots of the extra highly effective eMTBs on the market, the e160 SL simply creates a way more satisfying really feel that’s far more like using a mountain bike and fewer like lugging a heavy ebike up & down within the forest.
Going additional & countering range-anxiety
And I feel it’s merely extra enjoyable to throw a light-weight eMTB off of jumps that it’s a heavyweight ebike.
Now like I’ve already mentioned, in the event you’re trying to experience additional, you may simply strap on a variety extender battery. And whereas a 250Wh is a comparatively small addition to a thousand Wh battery, while you’re already ranging from simply 400Wh, it’s a large increase. So that you’re genuinely rising your vary by greater than 60%! After all, the one factor I don’t like is that the vary extender takes the place of your water bottle, and on these longer ebike rides, you’re going to wish extra water, too. So, you’ll simply have to simply accept carrying a hydration pack.
Hiccups
One latest Bosch replace that I can actually get behind is their new Purion 400 show (which appears to be like rather a lot like Shimano’s comparable Di2 & ebike show). It merely places helpful ebike information in an easy-to-see spot and lets the rider cycle by no matter you favor to concentrate on – estimated vary, pace, cadence, help stage, experience stats, and many others. It’s merely far more informative than the LED indicator bars that Bosch places in your toptube. Though typically it provides unhealthy information, as nicely.
The one problem I had examined this Merida e160 SL 8000 was that this mannequin features a wired-in SRAM AXS transmission rear derailleur. Whereas that might usually be wi-fi, right here it’s powered immediately from the ebike’s battery. However the Bosch system & SRAM don’t speak. So in the end, while you get to 0% battery in your motor, you’ve 0% battery in your derailleur, too. Meaning while you run out of battery for the ebike, you run out of the power to shift. It shuts down, and also you’re left in no matter gear you’re in. To be truthful, you get a good warning, it runs on 0% for a bit. So positively, while you see your ebike hit 0%, you need to simply flip off any pedal-assist to nonetheless get extra shifting. However as soon as it shuts down, that’s it. Sure, you can begin it again up for a second and possibly get a pair additional shifts out to get again to a pedal-able gear. I used to be in a position to, however your outcomes might differ. And in the end, it’s going to close down once more with its beautiful Bosch message of “See You” on the finish.
However straightforward sufficient to repair…
My suggestion in the event you get any Bosch ebike with a wired-in SRAM derailleur is simply to purchase an additional AXS battery to hold as a spare so that you don’t ever have to fret about it once more. It’ll price you about 60€ and weigh <25g. Absolutely well worth the peace of thoughts.
Parting ideas
What I come away with is that this new e160 SL is my favourite Merida ebike, but. It truly rides rather a lot just like the common 160s, which I preferred rather a lot for the it easy, playful experience, and nice slack & succesful geometry.
The Merida e160 SL isn’t tremendous lengthy journey, so it’s probably not e-Enduro. Though its geometry is absolutely attempting to emulate full-on enduro bikes. However it’s far more of an e-All-mountain shredder sort of factor. However with gentle weight, lengthy attain, lengthy chainstays, a slack 64° head angle, and Merida’s characteristically steep seattube angle, you may comfortably experience this factor down nearly any path. And with loads of eMTB motor assist, you may get again up nearly any path, too.
It’s most likely essentially the most versatile e-mountain-bike that Merida has made. And at this gentle weight and pure experience really feel, it actually simply handles a lot like a daily bike that it’s simply enjoyable for all sorts of path using and makes you’re feeling such as you all the time have contemporary legs.
