Merida Etmo 800

The Merida Etmo 800 is built for riders who want to lap the same demanding trail again and again without the climb back up wearing them out first. It's a mixed-wheel, full-suspension electric mountain bike with 160mm of travel at each end, matched to trail-grade brakes and a drivetrain chosen with durability in mind. If your rides involve technical singletrack, sustained climbs and the occasional built jump on an official trail, this is a bike built around exactly that use.

Suspension, motor and battery for repeated climbs

The 160mm of suspension front and rear, delivered by a Marzocchi Bomber Z eMTB air fork and a matching Bomber Air shock, is what puts this bike into proper trail and enduro territory rather than gentler cross-country riding. Merida classifies the frame for Category 4 Enduro MTB use, which covers official trails with built jumps and landings up to 1.2 metres, and bike-park routes as long as they stay within that same category, so it's built with an eye on repeated, harder-hitting descents rather than casual towpath spins. Climbing back up is where the Bosch Performance Line CX motor earns its keep. Merida's own materials describe its output as 100Nm of torque, a manufacturer figure rather than an independently measured one, but it gives a sense of how firmly it can help on a steep, loose pitch. Power comes from a removable Bosch PowerTube battery holding 800Wh, managed through a Purion 400 display with a System Controller and Mini Remote, and topped up via the included 4A charger. That's a healthy amount of energy to draw on, though a Wh figure on its own doesn't translate into a guaranteed number of miles; how far you get depends on the terrain, how much climbing is involved and which assistance level you lean on. If 800Wh isn't enough for your longest days out, a Bosch PowerMore 250 range extender can be retrofitted with the right mount and cable, though that's an optional extra rather than something included with the bike.

Brakes, drivetrain and wheels built for trail use

Stopping power comes from Shimano XT four-piston brakes with 203mm rotors front and rear, chosen with descending in mind rather than the lighter two-piston setups you'll find on less trail-focused e-bikes. Shifting runs through Shimano's XT LinkGlide groupset, an 11-speed 1x setup paired with an 11-50 tooth cassette, giving a wide spread of gears for both steep climbs and faster sections. The wheels are a fixed 29-inch front and 27.5-inch rear pairing rather than a choice between two set-ups, so it's worth reading that description as one specification, not an either/or option, when you're comparing listings. Continental's Kryptotal-F and Kryptotal-R tyres, in 2.4-inch Enduro casing, are fitted front and rear on Reynolds 309 Enduro Comp rims.

Sizing that overlaps by design

Merida publishes four sizes for the ETMO 800, Short, Mid, Long and X-Long, with height bands that deliberately overlap: Short covers 155-175cm, Mid 165-185cm, Long 175-195cm, and X-Long starts at 185cm with no upper limit given. Where your height falls into two bands, the decision comes down to whether you'd rather size down for a more agile, playful feel or size up for extra stability at speed. One size-specific detail worth flagging is the dropper post: the X-Long frame gets a longer 230mm of travel to suit its bigger proportions, and because Merida's post-length spread across the range isn't clearly mapped to every size, it's worth checking exactly what's fitted on the size you're considering rather than assuming a single travel figure applies throughout.

What to know before you buy

All of this trail-focused kit adds weight: Merida's approximate published figure is 26.8kg, which is worth bearing in mind if you'll be lifting the bike onto a car rack or over gates regularly, even though that figure isn't separately confirmed for every frame size. There's also a maximum system weight of 140kg, and that's the combined total of bike, rider and anything you're carrying, not a rider weight limit on its own. On price, the official UK list figure is £5,250 as list-price context rather than a current selling price. Merida's warranty documentation describes a lifetime guarantee against frame breakage for the original owner, but notes that terms outside the EU can differ, so it's worth confirming exactly what applies in the UK rather than assuming the lifetime description carries over unchanged. The manual also asks for a first specialist-dealer check-up at an early distance, riding-time or calendar point, and no later than four months after purchase, which is sensible to diary in given how much of the bike's performance depends on the motor and drivetrain being properly set up. If you're weighing up different online listings for this bike, it's also worth double-checking exactly what drivetrain and wheels are fitted: independent testing on this build differs from at least one specification table circulating for the ETMO 800, so confirming the actual parts list on the bike you're buying is a sensible precaution rather than something to take for granted from a listing title alone.