Em Chadwick - tourist to Bright local

One year after her first visit to the MTB mecca that is Bright, VIC, former Sydney, NSW resident, Emma Chadwick, was hooked! She decided to relocate ~700km down the road, and now calls the small town home.

With the move came the search for a bike suited to tackle the High Country terrain. "I started looking for something a little more burly. Dabbles with different brands and componentry over the years but always in the 120-140 mm range. The unicorn I was looking for was – carbon, with RockShox suspension, 160mm at least. I wanted an enduro bike that still lets me keep up with my XC mates or a day of longer riding."

After a full 35km day on the Indigo Epic with the Flow MTB team on the Merida ONE-SIXTY, she was impressed. "Light, nimble, poppy and still inspiring confidence on rutted out, root-laden steep Mystic descents."

Em ended up choosing the second-from-top model of ONE-SIXTY. So, how does she find it so far?

"...landing on a Merida ONE-SIXTY 8000 was a great next step to keep progressing, whilst not compromising too much on loving a pedal up too."

She adds, "I have loved getting to know Baz. His blueberry colour is one to write home about, and I’ve found setting up his suspension on the stiffer side makes for buttery feel on technical descents, whilst responsive on jumps."

Beyond the bike, Bright's legendary Mystic MTB Park and the fellow, tight-knit community of female shredders has also played a vital part in Em's riding.

"This bike and this place and getting to spend it progressing with such an awesome bunch of girls has really changed the riding scene for me. More inclusive and even more progressive."

Oh, and we couldn't help but ask - how did the name 'Baz' come about?

"He just looked like a big bad Barry, you know? And he's blue. We love some alliteration."

Read Em's story over at Flow MTB >

Take a look at the ONE-SIXTY 8000 >

Learn about the tech features in the new ONE-SIXTY range >

See the full ONE-SIXTY lineup >

For availability, find your nearest MERIDA dealer >