Merida Lithos 8000

The Lithos 8000 is Merida's full-power carbon enduro e-bike, built for riders who want serious motor support on the way up and a genuinely forgiving, composed bike on the way down. It's aimed at enduro riders and regular bike-park visitors tackling difficult, technical terrain rather than casual trail spins, and the spec sheet, from the motor to the suspension, is chosen with exactly that kind of riding in mind.

What the motor and battery mean for your riding

Power comes from a Bosch Performance Line CX-R motor, offering up to 120 Nm of torque and 750 W of peak output, those are maximum figures rather than what you'll feel constantly on the trail. It's paired with a removable Bosch PowerTube 800 Wh battery, which you can lift out and charge indoors rather than needing a plug next to wherever you store the bike. In one independent test, a Mid-size Lithos 8000 covered 26.6 km with 1,650 m of combined climbing and descending on maximum assistance. That's a single result under that rider's terrain, tyre pressures and riding style, not a promise of what you'll get, but it gives you a useful real-world reference point rather than a marketing number. If you want more range from a single charge, Merida's compatible smaller and larger capacity batteries and a separate range extender are options rather than anything fitted as standard, so budget for that separately if you think you'll need it.

Suspension, wheels and the travel that changes if you switch them

The suspension is genuinely high-spec for this category: a 170 mm RockShox ZEB Ultimate eMTB fork up front and a RockShox Vivid Ultimate air shock at the rear. As supplied, the Lithos 8000 runs a mixed-wheel setup, a 29in front paired with a 27.5in rear, and in that configuration you get 174 mm of rear-wheel travel. Fit a compatible 29in rear wheel and reset the flip chip for it, and rear travel becomes 160 mm instead. That's not two configurations you get in the box; it's a genuine upgrade path, letting you choose between the stock mixed-wheel setup's manoeuvrability and the extra rollover of running 29in at both ends, without one being a lesser or unfinished version of the other.

Drivetrain, brakes and everyday equipment

Shifting is handled by SRAM's GX Eagle Transmission AXS, a wireless 12-speed system with a 10-52T cassette, which removes derailleur cable maintenance from your list of chores. Braking is by SRAM Maven Bronze four-piston discs on the best-supported specification for current offers, though it's worth knowing that one early test reported Silver-level brakes on its bike instead, so it's sensible to check exactly what's fitted on the individual bike you're buying rather than assume. The MERIDA Team TR II dropper post, adjustable up to 230 mm of travel, is specified across all five sizes, giving taller riders genuine drop without the post feeling undersized.

Sizing, weight and living with it

Merida offers the Lithos 8000 in five sizes, and rather than publishing rider-height bands, the manual gives bottom-bracket-to-saddle height ranges for the fitted 230 mm dropper, running from as low as 560 mm on the smallest frame up to 985 mm on the largest. That's a saddle-height window to check against your own riding position, not a substitute for knowing your preferred reach and stack, so use it alongside the geometry figures rather than instead of them. At 24.5 kg for the tested Mid-size bike, it's a substantial machine to lift onto a rack or muscle around at low speed, and that weight is worth factoring in if you're regularly loading it into a car or carrying it up stairs. If you plan to use it regularly in a bike park, Merida's manual calls for more frequent inspection than its standard maintenance schedule, which is a sensible ownership cost to build into your planning given the loads that kind of riding puts through the frame and suspension. One back-to-back test also noted that the CX-R motor's assistance could feel like it surged when setting off in the stronger modes, though delivery settled down once the bike was rolling, useful to know if you're used to a gentler take-off from other e-bikes. On price, current offers list around £8,500, which is useful context for what's fitted rather than a claim about what you'll actually pay today, since live pricing moves independently of any list figure. You may also see this bike offered with a 2027 label alongside plain