After the support of Gaia Tormena, another bomb arrives at the Merida headquarters. The 2023 of Merida Italy, the Italian division of the Taiwanese company, opens under the banner of competition: after the many successes on the road, the brand also returns to off-road competition and has set up, in collaboration with the Fristads Comes Team, a lineup for the main enduro events of the season.
Source: press release
The new team was presented this morning in the Reggio Emilia headquarters, with a ceremony in which Paolo Fornaciari, CEO Merida Italy, illustrated the group's programs and introduced the athletes.

2023 CALENDAR
The team's competitive calendar includes some stages of the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup (both in the traditional version and in the pedal assisted trials), the Italian specialty championships, the Italian Cup, the TES circuit (Toscano Enduro Series) and some stages of the 4Enduro.

At the court of Bruno Zanchi
The team is led by the experience of Bruno Zanchi, ambassador of the training and its top athlete (among the Masters). Ex pro mtb, specialty Downhill, boasts the world title and the European title as Juniores in 1991, a stage of the World Cup (in Sweden) and then, in 1998, another European.
Being part of the big Merida Italy family is really a great source of pride for me and this partnership between the company and our Team Fristads Comes already has all the flavor of a great racing challenge at the highest levels: we are ready to face it with grit , determination and passion. My team and I are already on track to bring the Merida livery to the top step of the most prestigious national and international podiums - Bruno Zanchi

The new Merida One-Sixty
Bikers are already testing and taking measurements of the new Merida One-Sixty, the Taiwanese brand's enduro model. The bike features a premium-end carbon fiber frame, with a 79° seat tube angle and a 64° head angle. 170mm of travel at the front and 162mm at the rear (which becomes 170mm if mounted with 27,5″ for the Mullet version).
Ohlins TTX 22M shock absorbers and Formula Selva forks. Brakes always Formula (Cura). DRC wheels.

Some athletes will use the bike in the Mullet version, i.e. those less robust guys still in the development phase, while the more mature ones will go with the classic 29″ front and rear version. I am flattered and proud to be the first biker, together with my team, to launch Merida into the world of Gravity with the new Merida One-Sixty. It was love at first sight: when I did the first tests I was thrilled by its performance , both in terms of smoothness and for the great driveability - Bruno Zanchi
