Are Brompton and Mezzo the main higher tier choices in the UK?
Kind of leaning toward getting a Brompton but not 100% sure.
About a month ago I saw someone riding a folder and it got me thinking about them as a solution to not riding my mountain bike enough, which is a pain to take anywhere and if I make the effort to do so I worry about it getting pinched or damaged (also guilty of abit of laziness).
I plan to keep it in the boot of my car so whenever I drive anywhere I can also go for a ride if I want to. Also the prospect of any day or weekend+ bike trips by train open up.
Originally I had not meant to spend this much, but most bike places offer 0% finance to ease the burden. I also looked at the cyclescheme but there is massive and detailed negativity about this on the net so it turned me off.
I test rode a couple of Tern's a few weeks ago which weren't to bad but I wasn't outright sold.
Today I test rode a Brompton 3spd M-bar and a Brompton 6spd S-bar. The 6spd S-bar actually felt really nice, I assume it had standard gearing but the range felt quite large. The bar was ok, felt pretty stiff and responsive and I could ride out of the seat without much trouble. The 3spd M-bar wasn't so nice. Noticeably spongier and tweakier but unfortunately the rear tyre was a tad flat and I think the front had the gyro light making the back jump around and the front drag.
Both had the telescopic seat post which I would need as im nearly 6'1 but long in the leg.
Bar wise I was wondering if could just stick a mountain bike riser bar on it and trim off the ends?.
Negativity on Brompton's seems to be they're abit slow compared to some, the internal gearing is more expensive on the maintenance side and a pain to fix punctures and the frame is pretty old technology?.
Plan to test ride a Mezzo D10 in the next week as there is a dealer in my area.
Negativity on the Mezzo's seems to be an ongoing problem with the chain coming off, derailleur and gears getting dirty/knocked around and high rate of mechanical failures?.
As a general rule most (all?) companies state their bikes are designed for urban use, yet still post pictures and articles on their websites of people riding everywhere from mountains to deserts on them. Is this just blanket base covering for warranty claims?.
I dont plan to try and do everything a full size bike can do, but I would like to ride on tow paths and rough'ish trails where applicable. Is that feasible?.
Thanks for any advice.