Callum's 140
A review of the Merida One-Forty with Callum.
It was pretty much the release day I went to choose my new bike. Obviously with my borderline famous levels of organisation i'd not placed any pre-orders so stock was limited.
I reaaaally wanted a mid- which left me with the One-Forty 6000. I'm out of practice these days- but my taste is for the steep and techy, so i'd definitely normally go for the One-Sixty.
My worries were actually compounded on the first ride- I'm a bloody dreadful climber and I was flying up the classic ballo climb that everyone in Perthshire knows so well.
And then I dropped into the first run, with my pal Charlie in tow. We were absolutely hoofing. The wheelbase is pretty long so there's a weird sense of calm, but you're definitely aware the surroundings are passing a bit quicker than normal.
We left the trail absolutely cackling at the daftness of that run. It might've been new bike hype, but jesus that's a fast bike. Rowdy as you like, climbs well and I love the aesthetic. It's the geometry that makes this bike so special- I think a lot of people have Merida down as a conservative brand, but this bike is right at the extreme end of its' category.
If you prefer descents- every new bike takes a similar path and this has been no exception. 
Phase 1: Make it a worse climber.
I think on ride 3, after declaring that it was the best bike i've ever ridden- and i'm 10 years into the bike industry, so i've had quite a lot of bikes- I decided to stick a DHX2.0 coil shock on and an insert in the rear tyre.
The One-Forty shares a frame with the One-Sixty, so changing the stroke of the shock changes the travel. With a 60mm stroke shock instead of the 57.5mm I had a Merida One-Forty Six.
It had the desired effect and it became an absolute bruiser.
And with that the rest of the changes happened!
Phase 2: Maxxis Shorty and a coil conversion for the Z1
I think I've ran a Maxxis Shorty for about 6 years. The 2.5 has slightly wider knobs than the older 2.3 and makes a pretty good all round tyre. The sideknobs are pretty tall and on a fast run of fort bill or something it's not ideal- but that's rare and well worth the laziness payoff. And you have a lovely day when it suddenly rains.
The fork is an absolute game changer. I'm running the firm spring, with quite a bit of lsc to keep it up in it's travel- it's just so supple. Wolf in sheeps clothing.
Phase 3: A bikes not complete without nice rotors.
If you've spent any time at all in the shop you'll know Neil and I are massive Galfer fans. I'm running a set of 2.0mm 203mm Shark rotors with the advanced pads. They're bloody awesome. 
This is a stunning platform. Bravo to Merida, and I look forward to choosing a new colour of the same next year!
Fancy one? We've got 2 demos in store. Give us a bell on 01828 920055!