Merida ONE-Sixty 500 - test bike

You shouldn’t have to spend a fortune to get a bike that can take on everything from enduro races to epic, big mountain descents or gnarly bike parks. The all-new ONE-SIXTY 500 gets our radical new geometry and suspension design in a tough all-aluminium frame package, paired to components that deliver rock-solid performance and ironclad value. A RockShox Yari fork and Deluxe shock can take the rough with the rougher, while the four-piston Shimano brakes and wide-range drivetrain are tough and consistent.

Evolution or revolution? How about both? The 2022 ONE-SIXTY is a radical, all-new design that pushes our hard-hitting enduro platform to new heights. Just as well, because once it’s there it’s ready to rip the longest, toughest descents too. Our new suspension system uses a flexstay design with an adjustable rocker, so whether you choose to run it as a full 29er (162 mm travel) or mixed 29/27.5” setup (171 mm travel), the geometry is preserved. There’s a radically steep 79° seat tube angle for goat-like climbing and slack 64° head angle plus 170 mm fork to deal with downhill trail chaos. New sizing allows riders to run a longer or shorter reach frame independently of their height, while suspension becomes more progressive as you size up, all with long-travel dropper posts. Our WIRE PORT cable routing, reliable threaded bottom bracket plus on-board tool storage round out the package, while carbon frames also offer FidLock magnetic bottle cages.