Merida launched a freeride version of their ever-popular OneSixty last week and Pete took it for some sporty laps in the South West.
Pete heads to the steeps of Porlock to check out the latest iteration of Merida’s OneSixty platform, the OneSixty FR that is up-forked for freeride and bike park use.
Key features:
- DVO Onyx 38 D2 180mm fork
- DVO Jade X D2 shock
- Shimano Deore 12-speed drive
- TRP Trail EVO brakes
- Shimano TC500 hubs on Merida Trail Expert TR II rims
- Merida Team II dropper
- £3,500.00 RRP
- MeridaBikes.com
The Merida OneSixty FR 600 is instantly recognisable as an alloy-framed OneSixty. What differs is the spec chosen for a fairly specific purpose, and that is to provide a hard-hitting bike that will stand up to the rigors of smashing out the laps at a bike park. This bike runs on Mullet wheels only, although the flip chip will allow you to run full 29″ if you so wish.
What you have different then in terms of spec, say, compared to the OneSixty 6000 I tested last year is more fork travel from the brand new DVO Onyx 38 D2 fork that offers 180mm travel, an increase of 10mm. You also get a coil shock, in this case a DVO Topaz X D2 shock. Drive train is Deore 12-speed, with TRP 4-pot brakes. Tyres are Continental Kryptotal tyres with a downhill casing on the rear and an enduro casing up front. Merida’s excellent Expert and Team TR finishing kit rounds things out.
The OneSixty FR range is two bikes strong. The range-topping OneSixty FR 600 and the lower specced 400. Both are aimed at durability.
Geometry
The OneSixty FR is available in XShort, Short, Mid, Long and XLong.
Reach on the Mid is 464mm with a seat tube of 425mm. Head angle is 63.5 degrees with a seat tube angle of 78 degrees.
Opening moves
As ever, sag first, rebound to suit, wind off most of the compression damping and set lever throw and angle. Easy peasy. The forks felt a little over-damped in the rebound department from the off, but slowly woke up into the day and TRP brakes, even wound fully in, are a little too far out for my hands. If you have shovel hands though, these are for you, and the power is always excellent. Careful setting of the IFP on the Topaz shock was also required to not leave it feeling notchy.
Whilst we’d have less pedalling to do thanks to the uplifts around Porlock, the immediate thing you notice is that the efficient pedalling of the OneSixty has been somewhat lost to the buttery opening portion of the OneSixty’s ample 171mm rear wheel travel. Thankfully, and wisely, the Topaz shock has a three-position switch that in its mid position regained that lost efficiency.
A few runs in and the rebound on the Onyx fork started to wake up but the compression still felt a bit firm. That said, the loose steeps of Porlock’s natural goodness meant that it was a case of hang on and try to keep our guides in sight. A far cry from whooped-out corners and massive sends of a bike park, but the OneSixty FR showed its versatility here.
On the steeps, the forks stood up well, maintaining the bike’ geometry rather than diving, giving an air of confidence. The combination of the powerful TRP brakes and the Continental rubber is definitely a sterling partnership and the DVO rear shock makes total sense when you’re pushing hard. Buttery smooth, especially in the opening part of the travel but providing good grip too.
If you ride a lot of bike park or just send it hard, the OneSixty FR will be right up your street. It might not be light and you will need that pedal switch if you plan to pedal it far, but that really isn’t the point here. Merida have aimed for robustness and simplicity combined with their excellent OneSixty platform.
Should bike park’s not be your bread and butter, however, the Merida OneSixty range is now two bikes stronger, and the OneSixty 700 offers the value of the alloy frame but with a ride more tuned to those every day missions, as well adding the full 29er option.
At £3,500.00, Merida are offering you a hard-charging bike that is a prime base for future upgrades. The bike is ready to go out of the box and with some fork fettling it could well break the sound barrier. Hopefully I can get a leg over one for a slightly longer review to see how it fares as a daily driver.
