Review: The 2026 Merida One-Sixty 700 — Alloy Enduro That Punches Up

TL;DR

Merida's alloy One-Sixty 700 is the value play in a range that has won enduro bike of the year awards. You get the same radical geometry and FAST suspension as the carbon bikes, 171mm of mullet travel, a RockShox Zeb Select up front and SRAM's Eagle 90 Transmission — for around $5,299. It's heavy, it's alloy, and it's very hard to argue with.

What you get

The frame is Merida's LITE III aluminium, and the headline is that it runs 171mm of rear travel in mullet trim (29 front, 27.5 rear) or 162mm as a full 29er. Sizes XS through M run mullet; L and XL go full 29. The geometry stays the same across both setups — that's the point of the flip chip.

Numbers worth knowing: 64° head angle, 79° seat angle, 434mm chainstays (437.5mm on the bigger sizes), and reach from 415mm to 525mm. Merida's AGILOMETER sizing lets you pick reach independently of height, which matters if you're between sizes or you like a longer front end.

The kit list is genuinely strong for the money: RockShox Zeb Select with 170mm travel and 44mm offset, RockShox Vivid Select out back, SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission (T-Type, 11-52), SRAM Maven four-piston brakes with 200mm CenterLine rotors, Reynolds 309 Enduro Comp rims at 30mm internal and tubeless ready, and Continental Kryptotal-F and Kryptotal-R tyres in Enduro casing with soft compound.

Contact points are Merida's own: a 780mm bar with 30mm rise, a 40mm stem on the 35mm clamp, and a dropper that runs 170mm on XS, 200mm on S and M, and 230mm on L and XL. Threaded BSA bottom bracket and a UDH hanger — both good news for anyone who services their own bike.

How it rides

FAST kinematic is a flexstay design with size-tuned shock progression — smaller frames get a more linear curve so lighter riders can use the full travel, bigger frames get more progression for heavier riders hitting harder. On paper that's a lot of engineering for a sub-$6k alloy bike.

The 79° seat angle is the number that changes the ride most. It puts you over the bottom bracket on climbs instead of behind it, which is why long-travel bikes with slack front ends no longer feel like dragging a wheelbarrow uphill. Pair that with a 64° head angle and you get a bike that climbs far better than its travel suggests, then settles when it points down.

The mullet setup on the smaller sizes is the right call. A 27.5 rear lets Merida run a shorter chainstay and keeps the back wheel out of your backside on steep, tight terrain without giving up the rollover of a 29 front. The large sizes going full 29 makes sense for taller riders who need the extra stability.

What it won't do is feel light. This is a 16.7kg alloy enduro bike, and it isn't trying to be a trail bike.

Weak spots

• Weight. 16.7kg is honest, but it's not svelte. You feel it on long fire-road climbs and when you lift it onto a shuttle trailer.
• Hubs are basic. Shimano TC500-B front and TC600-HM-B rear are reliable workhorses, not engagement heroes. Don't expect a fast, loud pickup.
• Alloy rims. Reynolds 309s are tough and tubeless ready, but they're not carbon and they'll dent before they crack.
• No on-board storage. The carbon frames get tool storage and FidLock bottle mounts. The alloy frame misses out.
• Own-brand cockpit. Merida's bar, stem and post are perfectly functional and completely unexciting.
• Pricing is dealer-dependent. Merida doesn't publish RRP on its Australian site, so what you pay depends on who you buy from.

Smart upgrade move

The cheapest real performance gain on any bike is the cockpit, because it's the only place your body actually touches the bike. On the One-Sixty 700 it's also the weakest part of the spec sheet.

If you're going to spend anything on this bike, spend it here first — before wheels, before suspension tuning.

Who should buy it

Riders who want proper enduro geometry and travel without paying carbon money. If you're racing club enduro, riding steep Victorian or NSW tech, or you're a bigger rider who wants a stiff alloy frame and won't cry about a scratch, this is the sensible choice. If you're chasing a light trail bike for pedally days, look at the One-Forty instead.

Verdict

8.5/10. The One-Sixty 700 does the thing that matters most: it gives you the geometry and suspension of a much more expensive bike, and only makes you pay for it in grams. The spec is sensible rather than flashy, and every part on it is a part you'd actually keep.

It's not the lightest and it won't win a weight-weenie argument. It will hold its own on a steep, loose descent against bikes costing a lot more.

Cockpit upgrades worth doing first

• WAKE Alloy Riser Handlebar — a wider, stiffer bar settles the front end and gives you leverage on steep chutes.
• Bucklos Lock-On Grips — seven colourways, and they won't spin on you mid-descent.
• ENLEE Enduro Flat Pedals — big platform, sealed bearings, built for exactly this kind of bike.

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