Does performance have to be complicated or expensive? We think not. We know that creating something simple but impressive is a real challenge but we committed to this when developing the new One-Twenty. We've taken the essence of the original One-Twenty and refined it for today's mountain biking challenges. The new bike is a strong climber, perfect ground coverer and fun packed, daredevil descender. This all comes in an affordable, easy to maintain, high performance package.

We see the One-Twenty as the perfect bike for riders who don’t just do one thing but want a capable ‘do it all machine’ that can be taken out on a long XC ride one day followed by a demanding trail session the next. For us, the One-Twenty is the simple, fun solution to hitting the hills without worrying about what lies ahead; steep climbs, rough descends, swooping flow trails and a few flat sections thrown in for good measure. By taking elements and inspiration from the Ninety-Six and One-Forty/One-Sixty, we've delivered the pedal and climbing capability of our XC and marathon bike, the confident handling, looks and sizing concept of our long travel trail and enduro bikes to deliver a fast, agile, fun, capable ride - the perfect mix!

The One-Twenty has been the quiet success of the Merida mountain bike range, loved by riders. The media focus on lightweight XC short travel bikes on one side and enduro bikes on the other, the short-travel ‘trail’ bike often flew under the radar. Encouraged by the down-country trend, the interest in ‘short travel trail’ bikes have increased. With more progressive geometries to deal with today’s more demanding trails and the down-country trend shifting towards longer travel, it was time to give the One-Twenty a once over. Sitting between the marathon and XC focused Ninety-Six and the long travel One-Forty trail bike, design elements from both bikes have been incorporated into the new One-Twenty. Our 130 mm travel bike delivers great ground covering capabilities, impressive climbing prowess and surprising descending strength.

Our ambition was to make the One-Twenty more capable and more affordable and easer to maintain. With more capable equipment and a wealth of trails being available to the growing family of mountain bikers, we simply ride different trails today to those when the sport originated. We decided to recreate the One-Twenty from the ground up to deliver a simple, high performing platform at an aggressive price point. Incorporating the P-FLEX suspension system from the Ninety-Six and One-Sixty/One-Forty featuring a horizontally mounted rear shock, we've delivered clean lines and a simple to look after system that performs on the trail. Alongside the P-FLEX suspension system, we've incorporated the AGILOMETER geometry and sizing principles, whereby riders choose the frame size based on the riding characteristics they are looking for rather than seat tube length. Furthermore, we focused on the aluminium which is very much the backbone of the Merida production history. The well proven spec allowed us to offer top performance at an affordable level.

The most dramatic update on the new One-Twenty is the new P-FLEX suspension platform. The compliance of the material and the specific shaping of the tubes allow the frame to flex near the seat and chainstay junction, making a pivot point obsolete. This makes for a simple rear end, reducing weight and adding stiffness. The very progressive leverage curve from sag to full travel helps to absorb even the hardest impacts, giving our 130 mm rear travel bike impressive trail capabilities beyond those you'd expect for a bike of this travel.

The 100% anti-squat at the sag point aids efficient pedalling, rapidly decreasing to minimise the influence of the chain deep in the travel. The new suspension design is very active, encouraging riders to take off on the smallest edges and lips out on the trail. This was achieved by creating a very progressive leverage ratio in combination with the P-FLEX rear end. To maintain this active suspension during braking, the anti-rise is below 100% over the complete travel.

Some may assume that aluminium would not withstand the deflection over time. Extensive testing, on the One-Twenty and on our longer travel One-Sixty aluminium frames by the independent Zedler Institute, challenging the bikes well beyond industry standards, has eliminated any doubts about its long term durability.

The newly designed frame is available in two different configurations, serving two different user groups. On one side, the 130 mm travel One-Twenty, taken the ‘one bike does it all’ spot in the Merida range, showing its strength on long XC and marathon long days as much as on fast and twisty trail and enduro track sessions. And on the other, the 110 mm Ninety-Six LITE is aimed at the more XC and marathon-focused rider looking for a more budget-friendly alternative to the full carbon Ninety-Six models. Both bikes are based on the same frame, and the different travel and slight changes in geometry are due to the stroke length of the shock as well as specification details, for example, fork travel.  

To go flat out, you need good brakes. Only powerful and controllable brakes give you the confidence to brake late and accelerate out of the corner. With that in mind, we spec most of our One-Twenty with 200 mm rotors and 4-pot front brakes. Our top model even gets the full 4-pot treatment. To keep the rear brake from interfering with the P-FLEX rear end, we use our proven CNC machined brake bracket, which also helps to dissipate heat on long descents. 

Similar to its bigger brothers, the One-Forty and One-Sixty, our One-Twenty also gets a small but very effective Merida Service Port. This opening underneath the down tube, just in front of the bottom bracket, makes internal cable routing and servicing fast and simple. The opening is not meant for any internal storage but is ideal to reach the internally run gear, brake and dropper post cables.  

Only a quiet bike is a fast bike. To keep the frame protected from trail debris as well as make it run smoothly and quietly over rough terrain, we have fitted a number of foam patches, foam sleeves and ribbed protectors on key parts of the frame. The large high-density foam patches on the lower part of the downtube protect the frame from trail debris, while the ribbed chainstay protector paired with an additional inner seat stay protector keep any noise and damage from chain slap under control. And to eliminate any cable rattling, all inner cables are run through noise-deadening foam sleeves. Simple but hugely effective.