New Merida One-Sixty FR combines 180mm travel with mullet wheels for hard-hitting park laps

Following the impressive launch of the new One-Sixty and One-Forty platforms a year ago, both of which won BikeRadar's coveted Bike of the Year awards, Merida has unveiled the new One-Sixty FR family of bikes.

As the FR moniker infers, these are hard-hitting bikes built for park laps and harder-hitting riders looking for a dependable machine to send big jumps and gnarly lines.

The two models are based on the alloy One-Sixty frame, but rather than coming stock with 29in wheels front and rear, these are supplied from the factory as mullet bikes (29in front, 27.5in rear wheels), giving 171mm of frame travel.

This is then paired with 180mm forks for extra front-end bounce.

The large front wheel is there to give roll-over speed and stability, while the rear is said to aid agility.

Bikes are built with tough-casing tyres, four-piston brakes with 220mm rotors at the front and a coil shock at the rear.

Merida has prioritised spending the money on key items, such as suspension and tyres, rather than fitting a fancy rear derailleur or shaving weight.

While built on the successful platform of Merida's enduro bike, the One-Sixty FR is shaped for fun, rather than flat-out speed.

Merida One-Sixty FR frame details

Merida has targeted riders looking for a pocket-friendly deal, using the alloy version of the One-Sixty frame for this hard-hitting bike.

The frame uses a flex-stay single-pivot suspension design to dole out the 171mm of travel. While the frame features a geometry flip chip to enable the use of a 29in wheel at the back (which shortens the travel a touch), Merida reckons the bike is best suited to the smaller wheel.

If the thought of a 171mm-travel alloy bike relying on flex-stays to operate properly worries you, it shouldn't. The bike has been tested to Category 5 certification, which is the standard for full-on downhill bikes. To back it up, there's a five-year warranty on the frame.

While we found the One-Sixty in its enduro guise pedalled very well, Merida says the FR version isn't built to be a racing snake.

The coil shock, paired with the FAST suspension linkage, is built for performance in the park.

The suspension is designed to be very supple at the start of the stroke, thanks to the linkage and use of a coil shock, for maximum small-bump sensitivity.

In the middle, the coil shock gives ample support, so lips can be boosted and berms railed without the bike collapsing in the middle.

When it comes to the bigger hits, the progressive nature of the suspension linkage means the One-Sixty FR shouldn't struggle to cope.

Short seat tubes are paired with longer reaches, so riders should have the pick of a range of frame sizes to suit their preference – longer for speed, shorter for tricks.

The dropper post, with travel adjustable up to 230mm, means taller riders shouldn't struggle to get the saddle out of the way.

Finishing touches to the frame include ISCG05 mounts for a bash guard, a small port near the bottom bracket to help guide cables through the frame, an integrated chain keeper, headset-routed cables and a heat-sink rear brake mount to keep things cool.

Merida One-Sixty FR geometry

Merida went big with the launch of the One-Sixty last year, with geometry that is as modern as it comes – long reaches, slack head angles, super-steep seat angles and properly short seat tube lengths.

This was dubbed 'AGILOMETER' sizing, enabling riders to pick handling characteristics via bike length, independent of how long their legs are.

With the One-Sixty FR sharing the same alloy frame, it's no surprise that the geometry figures are similar, though with an extra 10mm travel up front, the front end is a touch higher, the reaches slightly shorter and the head and seat angles marginally slacker.

Merida One-Sixty FR models

Merida is offering the bike in two builds, with budget-friendliness a key feature.

Merida One-Sixty FR 600 details

The top model, the FR 600, will come with DVO suspension front and rear.

At the front, a 180mm-travel Onyx 38 fork offers a sturdy chassis with useable, but not overly complex adjustability.

At the back, the Jade X D2 shock comes with a compression lever to give a little extra help on the climbs. An air valve helps tune the damper's feel, too – rather like altering a shim stack.

The main shaft is also over-sized to help prevent any longevity issues. Spring rates will change for a given bike size.

The brakes come from TRP, with 220mm rotors, while the tyres are Continental Kryptotals. The front is an enduro-casing, soft-compound version, while the rear has a DH casing and similarly sticky rubber.

A Shimano Deore drivetrain takes care of forward propulsion.

In the UK, this top-spec model will cost £3,500.

Merida One-Sixty FR 400 details

Even more pocket-friendly is the FR 400 model.

This comes with SR Suntour's Durolux 38 fork and a slightly cheaper version of the DVO shock – a Jade X D3.

Tektro Gemini brakes take care of stopping duties, while Shimano's 10-speed Cues groupset, touted as extremely durable, provides the drive.

In the UK, the FR 400 will cost £2,800.

Merida One-Sixty FR 600 initial ride impressions

I rode the One-Sixty FR 600 briefly at the bike's launch.

As described by Merida, the bike hasn't been built for climbing, with supple suspension that's tuned to smooth impacts rather than give a peppy ride, as well as soft-compound, heavy rubber there to prevent punctures.

As such, it's a bit of a drag on the ascents, and not the most reactive to pedal inputs when you're using leg power, rather than gravity to get going.

It's not built for that, though, so we can give the Taiwanese brand a bit of wiggle room for its less than perky uphill performance.

It took a few runs for the thick rotors to build up enough heat to get the pads properly bedded in, and the fork to work through its sticky seals.

However, once it had done so, with sturdy and sticky rubber and powerful brakes, the One-Sixty FR felt at home pointed down the steep, loose, rocky trails on the coastline of Exmoor.

The geometry Merida has given the bike works well on such terrain, with the front wheel planted well in front of the bike's centre of mass.

The fork's chassis feels stout, enabling you to muscle the front wheel through obstacles with confidence, while the Kryptotal tyres' soft rubber offers assured grip over rocks and roots – in the dry at least.

At the back, the shock's coil spring soaks up trail chatter and bigger hits well, and there's plenty of tuning capability too.

I like mullet bikes' handling, though I know that's not a universal opinion. For sure, on a race rig I'd go for big wheels front and rear, but I like how mullets corner, and there's something comforting about a more compact-feeling rear end.