At Mountain Biking UK magazine – sister brand to BikeRadar – we ride our long-term test bikes hard for a year, constantly scrutinising their performance, to bring you the truth behind the marketing waffle. We also use them as test beds for the latest kit, chopping and changing parts to help you decide which upgrades are worth spending your money on. In this new video series we'll be giving you a closer look at some of our rides.
When he's not hitting downhill tracks on his Saracen Myst, MBUK Wrecking Crew member Jake grabs his Merida One-Sixty to tear up the local trails. Over to him...
I was really excited for the Merida to arrive. It looks great with its Gulf Porsche reminiscent paint job and the spec is tidy considering the £3,250 price – DT Swiss wheels, an 11-speed SRAM set-up and a RockShox Pike RCT3 Dual Position Air fork up front matched with a Monarch Plus DebonAir shock out back.
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It’s been a really interesting bike to have on long-term test. The suspension has some unusual traits – the rearward axle path causes a huge amount of chainstay growth, leading to chain growth and pedal kickback. I’ll be experimenting with different shock set-ups to try to improve the ride.
- The static geometry is pretty sorted. The head angle is slack, sitting at 66 degrees, and the effective top tube measures in at 605mm. The chainstays are 440mm long, and because they extend through a large part of the travel this makes the bike feel pretty stable.
- The spec is great for the money, considering it’s not a direct-sales bike. The Monarch Plus DebonAir shock is top notch, giving a huge amount of sensitivity and support throughout the stroke. The SRAM X01 transmission has been reliable and performed well too, even after I snagged the outer cable quite badly.
- Model: Merida One-Sixty 7. 900
- Price: £3,250
- From: Merida, www.merida-bikes.com
- Rob's Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Race
- Rob's Scott Spark 700 Ultimate Di2
- Rob's Pivot Phoenix
- Guy's Whyte T-130 SX
- Guy's GT Force Expert Carbon
- Jake's Merida One-Sixty 7.900
- Jake's Saracen Myst Pro
- Olly's Giant Reign 27.5 1
- Olly's NS Fuzz 1
- JCW's Intense Carbine 29 Expert
- JCW's Stanton Sherpa 853
- Jimmer's Marin Mount Vision C-XM8
- Matt's Surly Ice Cream Truck Ops
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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