Merida launches the ETMO – A full-power, trail-ready eMTB powered by Bosch
As we understand it, the ETMO will be available in April and pricing will be outstandingly low. ‘Performance for every budget’ is what Merida is saying. Nice! Catch all the details in this official release.
The New Merida ETMO – Get Out and Ride
We are very pleased to announce the launch of the all-new Merida ETMO, our most price-focused Bosch-powered e-MTB yet.
Our aim was to create a proper eMTB that could be used by both fresh riders and experienced hands alike, with handling that’s designed to offer a versatile and stable ride without compromising on fun. Drawing inspiration from the award-winning eONE-EIGHTY, we’ve created an all-aluminium full-suspension frame that delivers either 160mm or 140mm of travel (model dependent), making it a highly competent all-rounder that’s ready for big mountain adventures, bike park fun or local laps.
The Build
While Merida has been making high-quality bikes for over 50 years and our expertise in aluminium frame manufacturing is second to none, our design and production engineers are always learning as they strive to create better bikes. The ETMO introduces a few key innovations. While outwardly very similar to the big brother eONE-EIGHTY, we’ve refined the manufacturing process in a few key areas.
Next, we have simplified the production of the seat tube/upper pivot. While the eONE-EIGHTY has an extremely similar side-on profile to the ETMO, the construction is subtly, but importantly, different. The eONE-EIGHTY frame uses a cast piece for the motor mount to the upper pivot section, which then has a seat tube of the correct size welded to it. The ETMO simplifies this by having the entire piece cast as one, with the upper section cut down to the correct frame before being machined to accept the seatpost. This removes the need for the welding step and the careful alignment needed during this process. Removing fabrication steps saves time, resulting in a more affordable bike.
The Geometry
We’ve adapted the award-winning eONE-EIGHTY kinematic and geometry to suit a shorter travel application. With 160 mm of controlled travel at either end, it’s designed to be even more agile and fun on more mellow trails, while still providing serious performance when things get rough.
When it comes to geometry, we’ve stuck with our Agilometer sizing concept that allows riders to choose the reach and therefore handling character they want, with low standover heights across all frame sizes and stack heights that are reasonably close together so that riders of different heights can find a good bar position using stackers or adjusting the handlebars.
We have made some important tweaks to suit the ETMO versus the eONE-EIGHTY. For a start, we’ve gone for even shorter seat tubes and greater standover clearance so that novice riders feel much more confident mounting and dismounting. That’s also paired with a greater bottom bracket drop to give a feeling of being ‘in’ the bike.
As the ETMO has less travel than the eONE-EIGHTY at 160 mm, the head angle is 65º, half a degree steeper than the longer travel bike. We’ve kept the seat tube angle super steep at 78.5º to keep rider weight forward on climbs and deliver tenacious climbing performance, but we’ve increased the chainstay length quite significantly to 446 mm from the short 435 mm of the big travel bike. A short chainstay gives a flickable and fun back end to the bike, which is great for more advanced riders (especially in the bike park!), but it requires a lot more rider input to prevent ‘looping out’ on steep climbs. The longer chainstay of the ETMO suits the bike’s all-rounder status and keeps things more predictable for less experienced pilots, but without making the bike ponderous in tight turns.
The Drive System
We’ve not skimped on performance either. All models feature the latest Bosch pedal-assist technology, with either the high-value PX or powerful CX drive unit, depending on the model. We also use internally mounted and removable 540Wh, 600Wh, or 800Wh batteries, depending on the model.
The ETMO uses both the 540Wh, 600Wh, and 800Wh Bosch InTube batteries, which are easily removable via a keyed lock for safety. When using the largest capacity 800Wh battery, the deeper section of the unit is compensated for via a slightly larger battery cover, nicknamed the ‘BELUGA’ cover. This will be available after-market for those with a 540 or 600Wh battery who may wish to upgrade in the future.
The more affordable bikes in the range use the all-in-one bar-mounted Purion 200 controller and display. It shows assistance level, battery charge, and more via a colour LCD screen and uses a wired connection to the drive unit, though it is Bluetooth enabled, so the use of the advanced Bosch Flow app is possible. The higher-end models use the digital LCD Purion 400 colour display, which is mounted inboard near the stem to keep it out of the way and give a sleek-looking cockpit while still displaying a wide variety of information. We pair this with the wireless Mini Remote that is mounted near the grip for easy access when riding.
Features
SHORT CRANKS FOR CLEARANCE. MORE CONTROL, LESS WORRY. All bikes in all sizes now come with short 160mm crank arms, giving much improved ground clearance over the more traditional 170-175mm lengths often seen. This means that riders can keep pedalling over rougher terrain without fear of hitting their pedals, allowing them to keep their cadence up and the drive unit delivering power even on tricky and technical climbs.
KEEPING STANDARDS SIMPLE. NOTHING FANCY. EVERYTHING WORKS. As ever, we choose to do without any proprietary standards or interfaces, making maintenance much easier. That means using the universally available SRAM UDH mech hanger, which also gives compatibility with the latest generation of SRAM direct-mount T-Type transmissions. We also use standard headsets and spacers, plus standard Boost axle spacing for our wheels.
QUALITY CONTACT POINTS. COMFORT AND CONTROL. We’ve updated our contact points, with the new half ribbed, half waffle pattern EXPERT TR grips providing comfort and control in spades. We have also used fixed travel dropper posts rather than our travel-adjustable EXPERT TR II unit to save costs, but each frame size is paired with a specific travel post, ranging from 150mm on the size Short frame up to 230mm on XLong.
Local Availability
The Merida ETMO 800, ETMO 700. ETMO 500 and ETMO 400 will be available locally in April. Follow Merida Africa on Facebook and Instagram for stock and pricing updates. //