Following a baptism of fire at the 2024 edition of The Ex Enduro, has the Merida One-Forty 6000 continued its fine performance on trails closer to home?
Merida’s One-Forty 6000 gave a solid account of itself despite being thrown straight into blind racing for its first outing and has been impressive since then.
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Key features:
- Marzocchi Z1 Air 150mm fork
- Rockshox Deluxe Select + shock
- Shimano XT/SLX 12-speed drive
- Shimano SLX 4-piston brakes
- Merida Expert TR rims on Shimano SLX hubs
- Merida Team TR dropper
- £4,500.00 RRP
- Merida-Bikes.com
The cheaper of the two carbon One-Forty models from Merida, the One-Forty 6000 is proof positive that if you do your homework, then you don’t need the fanciest kit or wild angles. This is something Merida have always done well, but the new layout full suspension bikes have taken it to the next level. 143mm rear wheel travel via Merida’s FAST kinematic on a 29″ CF4 III carbon frame are the nuts and bolts of the One-Forty. You can run it as a Mullet too.
Despite the relatively low asking price, the kit is far from just cheap and cheerful. The Marzocchi Z1 fork is essentially a couple of generations old Fox 36, paired with the Rockshox Deluxe which is solid and reliable. An XT/SLX 12-speed drive train mix is likewise as high performance as most might need, with the anchors also being SLX 4-pot units. Shimano SLX hubs are laced to Merida’s own rims, and the finishing kit is all Merida’s excellent alloy finishing kit.
Geometry
The One-Forty is available in XShort, Short, Mid, Long and XLong.
Reach on the Mid is 480mm with a seat tube of 425mm. Head angle is 65 degrees with a seat tube angle of 80 degrees. Chainstays are 437.5mm across the sizes, with the wheelbase on the Mid at 1232mm.
Ever since The Ex showed that the Merida One-Forty 6000 had plenty going for it, little has changed since. The only swaps being to the grips, which might be the only weak point on this bike out of the box. The firm Merida grips swapped out for some SQLab delights meant that sore hands were a thing of the past and I could focus on going as fast as I dared.
With a shed full of long travel test bikes with chunky tyres, I opted to leave the slightly faster rubber on the One-Forty as it had a very different feel that also meant it was happier bashing out longer rides too. The downside to this was a slightly higher heart rate on steeper, slicker trails but that was evident from the first time I rode the bike.
Low weight, fast tyres and that seat tube angle retained the ability to get along and up like a bike designed for much racier rides. If anything, a slightly smaller chainring would open a slightly wider gear ratio as the really steep winches do feel a touch on the tough side. Anything else is a dream on the One-Forty however.
On anything from fast singletrack to chunky mountain paths, the One-Forty just wants to go. Whether you want the the bike to plough or pop, it’s equally happy doing both. The damper choice proves that if you do your homework, you don’t need all the dials, as I haven’t found the limit of either yet. On the Short, despite the relatively short chainstays, the One-Forty prefers either both wheels off the deck or on the deck simultaneously, if you want back wheel love then there are other bikes that do this far better.
Unsurprisingly, the Shimano SLX drivetrain and brakes have been without fault, despite dealing with the wetter end of the year in the northern approaches of the UK. Both the Marzocchi and Rockshox dampers have proven their worth despite not being the most adjustable, helping keep the grip high and the trail chatter low. Merida’s finishing kit has been fit-and-forget as ever.
Despite this, a test Formula Mod coil shock and Cura 2-pot brakes arrived. These were quickly added to the One-Forty. The Mod shock was the key element as I did wonder how a higher spec shock would make the bike perform. Almost immediately the rear end now felt every bit the match to the Z1s, especially in that opening portion of the travel. Grip skyrocketed and the Dissector on the back no longer felt like a liability.
Speed, unsurprisingly also climbed, especially as the days got drier and longer. This didn’t seem to phase the rather shiny Cura brakes despite their diminutive calipers. They offered every bit the power of the SLX anchors they replaced despite missing half the pistons of their Shimano brethren. I also swapped the somewhat uncomfortable Merida grips out with the excellent SQ Labs grips for that gloveless love.
If you feel the need for SRAM transmission and Fox dampers, you can opt for the 8000 and 10000 models of the One-Forty, but I think the 6000 offers the best balance of performance and value. You could get two 6000s for the price of the 10000 and still have money spare, plus at just over a grand on top of the 8000, there probably isn’t enough of a tangible performance benefit to warrant the extra cash.
Arguably more impressive than the ride quality of the Merida, which is a hallmark of these bikes, specifically on this bike, is how it offers so much without the ludicrous asking price. Only my Saracen Ariel 60 Elite has a better spec list for less money but has an alloy frame instead of a carbon fibre one. These two bikes are different beasts though, so I wouldn’t necessarily compare them in anything other than price and spec.
What do we think?
The Merida One-Forty 6000 takes everything that the latest Merida platform offers in carbon fibre flavour, wraps it up with a high performance, low-frills spec that outshines its more expensive stablemates. As proven by the Formula additions, it’s also a fantastic base for upgrades and is on the short list of bikes I would pay my own money for.
We love:
- Climbs like a rat up a drain pipe
- Engaging, confidence-inspiring descending
- Solid spec
- Great value
Could do better:
- Rear tyre can cause bum quivers on wet, steeps
- Grips are firm
