Folding Bikes - Merc

Seems that every folder had their own thread pretty much covering the good, the bad, the owners and some pictures of different mods. I noticed that besides Wav., just a few other people own/had contact with a Merc either the 3 speed basic model or the new, ready to be released to the public 6 speed one.

I decided to create this new thread so users can post their pictures, talk about the bad parts that should be replaced, the upgrades they got, so on. I am interested in learning everything about this bike

Thank you,

Rafael

Well there are two older threads that cover many of the issues

"Bringing Merc to the USA"

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=184719&referrerid=31812

"Brompton & Merc Folders"

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=203444&referrerid=31812

plus you will find a few older ones if you search "Brompton vs Merc"

Thank you invisiblehand. I am familiar with both threads, but I would like to "bump" the subject into a different spin, not comparing the mercs with bromptons, but just a merc specific thread to leave hints, mods, pictures, etc...

Thank you anyway.

Biggest flaws in the Merc GT3 are -

feeble brakes
slipping down seat post
spoke breakage

That's it, and all are easily fixed.

Brakes will be greatly improved by simply dribbling 3 in 1 oil into the cables. There are steep bends in the cable especially the front one and good lubrication is a must. If you can fit Koolstop Salmon brake pads. They go straight on and will make it stop the way you'd like. Wavshrdr sourced some for me and posted them to the UK. My brakes are now excellent.

The seatpost may slip down about 1 cm every five miles. Wipe off the oil and it will stop happening.

Spokes in the rear wheel will break if you cycle strongly. To avoid this, check spoke tension regularly and ensure even tension. Replace with the Brompton 13 gauge 155mm spoke when they do break. It's an easy job, but you need a spoke key really - they aren't expensive and every cyclist should have one. The best bet would be to have the Merc rear wheel rebuilt with Brompton 13 gauge spokes. It wouldn't cost much to do.

Now - don't let any of this put you off the Merc. It has put a bigger grin on my face than any other bike I ever owned and I've had a few and I've ridden many thousands of miles over the years. My Merc is now th only bike I ride about the town and I do have other choices, one of which cost a lot of money.


Maybe I shouldn't be surprised I broke four spokes.... I took the Merc touring a couple of weeks after it arrived. I actually had a broken spoke when I took this picture and I rode it another eighty miles loaded like this with a snapped spoke. Later three more went while the bike wasn't loaded up, but I suspect they may have been seriously fatigued during the tour riding with a bust spoke and the wheel flexing because of that.

You only broke four? :O I think you need a kids plastic Mag wheel for the rear. In pink. That might solve your high load problems heh... :)

Your are kidding Little pixel, but if it wasn't for the rear hub, a nylon/mag wheel as those you see on kids bike may not be a bad idea after all...

EvilV- I think you win the prize for most loaded Merc or Brompton. I can't believe you only broke 1 spoke with that load. All I can say is OMG!

I'll see how things go. My options are:

-Keep the Merc and sell the Giant halfway if the Merc really replaces it as a real bike and use the Merc for my 14 miles r/t commute;

-Keep the Merc as the "folder", sell the Giant halfway and buy a beater/used hybrid for the commute;

-Sell the Merc and keep things like it is now. When it is time to travel, buy a Strida or just rent upon arrival (I don't think that's even an option. but...)

In one way or another, I believe I need the money, so my loved Rear Suspension Halfway may have to go soon...

Questions for anyone who has either a Merc or a Brompton with the traditional "violin" handlebars: how flexy are they? Is this ever a problem? What about the upright posture: do you ever wish you could get out of the wind more? (EvilV? you've put a lot of miles on one of these things.) Can you attach what you want to to the bars? Would you change them if you could?
YJ

I could not live with the original bars that were fitted to the Brompton - but I am hard on bikes and many others simply learn not to "honk'.

The riding position is not suited for speed, get an S-Type or P-Type if you want better aerodynamics.

Questions for anyone who has either a Merc or a Brompton with the traditional "violin" handlebars: how flexy are they? Is this ever a problem? What about the upright posture: do you ever wish you could get out of the wind more? (EvilV? you've put a lot of miles on one of these things.) Can you attach what you want to to the bars? Would you change them if you could?
YJ

Are you referring to the "P" model bars? I remember P = pretzel and that is what they look like. At first I wasn't too keen on them. Then they really grew on me. You have a more upright riding position around town. On “the drops” they are lower (hence more aerodynamic) than the “S” sport bars. Downside is there are NO BRAKES on the lower drops so don’t use them if you expect any traffic.

Only other real negative (besides the funky looks and that is a personal issue) is that you don’t have a lot of bar space to hang stuff. You learn to be creative. A mirror is the most troublesome thing to hang. Aside from that I love them (after truly hating them at first). They won me over with their versatility.

They are not “manly man” bars but I don’t wear spandex on my butt either. It might take a little while for you to adapt to them but if more people tried them they would see how well they really work. You really do have 2 sets of bars and they are quite comfy. You can grab onto the sides should you get out of the saddle while climbing (don’t recommend that if you are big).

In general I do like the amazing number of hand positions you can have on them. I HIGHLY recommend them, stodgy look be damned!

The “violin” bars are now referred to as the M-type bars in Brompton speak. They were fitted as standard to all Brommies pre 2005. With the advent of the à la carte system you get three handlebar choices and the somewhat confusing alpha-numeric references and endless classificatory permutations.

The “violin” bars were good at providing an upright riding position, but they felt mushy and I could over-rotate them under pressure. However, lots of people like them and I guess others simply adapt their riding style accordingly. Depending on how you ride, they may or may not be suitable…

Questions for anyone who has either a Merc or a Brompton with the traditional "violin" handlebars: how flexy are they? Is this ever a problem? What about the upright posture: do you ever wish you could get out of the wind more? (EvilV? you've put a lot of miles on one of these things.) Can you attach what you want to to the bars? Would you change them if you could?
YJ
Sorry to resurrect this, but I just found Yellowjacket's question today.

I have now put on over 1300 miles - the posture suits me really well, although into a headwind, I just have to drop my head, drop a gear and resign myself to a slower passage than I might have had on a still day. I don't find much flex in these bars, though I will change them one day just in case they have become fatigued. I think that is a good practice considering what might happen if they snapped on a busy road!!!

I have been able to attach a light bracket for my cateye, a speedo mount AND most recently, a gear change lever from my new front mech which now allows me six speeds. I don't think I would change anything about this bike except that v brakes would be good, a non-plastic chain tensioner would be a delight, and maybe 13 gauge spokes in the rear wheel would aid reliability for touring.

I actually have a hankering to do a 1000 mile tour in Northern Spain - both ways on the Camino de Santiago, a medieval pilgrimage route from France to Finistere. I'd hate to have the chain tensioner break on that trip, or have to mess with spokes, but spokes are easy to carry and a doddle to replace.

Hmmm, this overloading could have contributed to your chain tensioner problems too!

Hi everyone,

This is my first post. I just bought a Merc 3 speed folder. I will have my new bike this week and hopefully I will start commuting to work. Firstly I will take it easy as it is a long time that I don't ride and I will mix train with bike.
Then I will like to conmute the whole way. It is a 6 miles each way.
How long is your longest commute in a Merc?
Thanks!

I've done 17 miles with my Merc several times on a trail right in front of where I live. You will be fine.

Hi everyone,

This is my first post. I just bought a Merc 3 speed folder. I will have my new bike this week and hopefully I will start commuting to work. Firstly I will take it easy as it is a long time that I don't ride and I will mix train with bike.
Then I will like to conmute the whole way. It is a 6 miles each way.
How long is your longest commute in a Merc?
Thanks!
I hope you enjoy the Merc as much as I do. It is a wonderful little bike, and of my three bikes this is now my favourite ride.

Like 14R says, you'll probably do fine. How you get on may depend on stuff like the terrain you need to ride over - steep hills, and you may find it a trifle over geared, but Anita at Merc will supply smaller front chain rings for laughable money (£4.50). Mine has been VERY reliable all told, but you may find the following small niggles with a new one:

* The seat post may slide down a tad as you ride.
* The stock brake pads are dire and need replacing
* If you are a VERY strong cyclist, you may snap the odd rear spoke
* You will sooner or later find that you break the horrible plastic chain tensioner.


These things can easily be changed and will lead to a VERY nice little bike.

1. Wipe off excess oil from the seat post and it will stop sliding down. Tightening the bolt won't stop it.
2. Buy some koolstop salmon pads for caliper brakes. They will transform braking performance. While you are about it, get some 3 in 1 oil into the brake cables where they do that 190 degree loop back. This is particularly worthwhile on the front brake.
3. Keep an eye on the trueness of the back wheel. First sign of wobble, attend to it. You may find you have a bust spoke. Neglect this and you will find you have four bust spokes, like I did. If you do break one, replace it with a stock Brompton 13 gauge spoke. These are slightly thicker, MUCH stronger and cost about £0.26. They go straight in, even though as you first start to thread them through the hub they may seem a little tight.
4. Order a new aluminium chain tensioner NOW before you need it. Anita has them on the Ebay shop at £12.50, though the ebayshop isn't always there. I can only find it when she is selling a bike on ebay which they do regularly for £330. The alli tensioner is a WONDERFUL upgrade and will ensure reliability. You can't have your commuter let you down on the way to work EVER. I'd replace the plastic one NOW, then you will never have any trouble. Putting this in perspective, I ran about 1200 miles between breaking my last two tensioners. The aluminium one will never break - that's the way I want my bike. I sometimes tour on it and I can't afford a breakdown.

I have also modified my 3 gear Merc into a 6 gear one, by putting on a 39 tooth chain wheel inside the 52 tooth one. You have to do away with the neat little alu chainguard ring, but to me, getting up steep hills is important. I bought a front mech and a specially engineered Brompton clamp made by a specialist called Steve Parry. It didn't take much trouble to fit the whole thing and I now have easy changing. To be honest though, fitting a 39 tooth sprocket alongside the big one is all you NEED to do. You can change it by hand, but it's a mucky doing it. If you do run the small chainwheel without shortening the chain (which you can't do obviously if you want to be able to use both chain wheels) then you MUST upgrade the tensioner to the metal one. The plastic one is all the more likely to break if the lower chain run is slacker than the way it was supplied to you, which it obviously will be if you put on a 39 tooth with the same size chain. The plastic tensioner breaks in my opinion when the bottom run of chain 'lashes' on bumps and either a doubled up link tries to go through the small gap between the fixed jockey wheel and the rear cog, or the chain tries to ride off the side of the cog because of lash. There is NO GIVE in that space between the fixed jockey and the rear cog at all and a very small gap. The only thing that can happen if you are pedaling enthusiastically is that the tensioner snaps. If that happens, you can't ride it properly - the chain rides over the back cog if you apply any power beyond crawling along.

Don't be put off by any of the above. I love the bike and have done over 1300 miles on it.

I just came back from FedEx. My Merc is no longer mine. :(

Ah - I was wondering if someone had bought it. I looked at the listing the other day - looked nice. Today, I looked again and couldn't find it.

I wouldn't sell mine. Hope you got a good price.

Thanks 14R and EvilV for replying!
I just can't wait to have the little bike with me! Thanks EvilV for the detailed email, I've already printed it and I will do the changes you recommend.
Regarding the brake pads, I've found this website: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/brakeshoes.html . Would the model Kool Stop Mountain Salmon showed in their site be the one for the Merc? or is it a different model?

Also, I am a woman, 1,60 height, 60 kg weight, I don't think I will be breaking the spokes but anyway I will buy some of them just in case. As you said will be better not to brake anything at all or to have the spare parts.
I will be commuting in London, basicaly will be a flat surface nearly the whole 9 miles trip, but I will really like to start doing some touring with the bike as my husband will buy the same bike after testing mine. Therefore, I think that I will have to make the changes for the 6 speed, but first of all I have to learn how to use the speeds! I've only used before the classic bike with one speed.

I am really looking fordward to commute the whole year on my bike and making it a lifestyle. I am just starting now (in the nice weather!) but ideally would like to use it the whole year, not matter rain or sun.
Rain is a main concern for me as of course I don't want to arrive to my work place totally wet and stressed. Do you have any recommendations for that?

Sorry to everyone if my post sound soooo amateurish but ... I am really new to ciclyng

I am not afraid of making changes to the bike as with my husband we built our sailing boat from scratch! and these bikes will come really handy in the boat. :D

Thanks 14R and EvilV for replying!
I just can't wait to have the little bike with me! Thanks EvilV for the detailed email, I've already printed it and I will do the changes you recommend.
Regarding the brake pads, I've found this website: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/brakeshoes.html . Would the model Kool Stop Mountain Salmon showed in their site be the one for the Merc? or is it a different model?

Also, I am a woman, 1,60 height, 60 kg weight, I don't think I will be breaking the spokes but anyway I will buy some of them just in case. As you said will be better not to brake anything at all or to have the spare parts.
I will be commuting in London, basicaly will be a flat surface nearly the whole 9 miles trip, but I will really like to start doing some touring with the bike as my husband will buy the same bike after testing mine. Therefore, I think that I will have to make the changes for the 6 speed, but first of all I have to learn how to use the speeds! I've only used before the classic bike with one speed.

I am really looking fordward to commute the whole year on my bike and making it a lifestyle. I am just starting now (in the nice weather!) but ideally would like to use it the whole year, not matter rain or sun.
Rain is a main concern for me as of course I don't want to arrive to my work place totally wet and stressed. Do you have any recommendations for that?

Sorry to everyone if my post sound soooo amateurish but ... I am really new to ciclyng

I am not afraid of making changes to the bike as with my husband we built our sailing boat from scratch! and these bikes will come really handy in the boat. :D
As you are new to cycling - especially commuting to work, I think you are wise to start gently and use the bike AND public transport. My advice would be to take it easy - allow plenty of time at first so you don't arrive at work sweating and exhausted. Also, since you are smallish in size, don't be always trying to use the top gear, you may find it hard to pedal in that gear into any sort of headwind or up a slope. The middle gear on the SA hub is the most efficient anyway, because it is direct drive. If you do find the bike hard to pedal, do not despair - buy a 44 tooth chain wheel instead from Anita (and get the alloy chain teNsioner as well). The smaller chain wheel will make pedaling much EASIER, and you won't go that much slower.

Rain is not as frequent as we British like to think. A good shower proof jacket is essential of course, but don't forget that if you ride all zipped up, you will become very damp from your own perspiration. I like good air circulation around my body, so ride with my jacket open a bit.

Being very VISIBLE on the road is important. Decent LED lights are good (even though the merc has a dynamo system, I always have LED lights as well because the bulbs can blow in old fashioned dynamo lights. You should try and wear a bright fluorescent jacket too. Car drivers can be careless - watch out, and ALWAYS ALWAYS look over your right shoulder before moving out on the road or turning right.

Sorry if this advice is too obvious and simplistic.

On the brake pads - these are the ones I use, but be warned Harris Cyclery has a very high minumum international order so you can't order them from here: http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=476

This is the UK importer of Koolstop, but I can't see the pads I have - the BMX koolstop looks like it will fit fine. Just tell them it is for a caliper brake and make sure you get the SALMON friction compound. The importer is called Amba Marketing - Tel: 01392 840030

Rain is a main concern for me as of course I don't want to arrive to my work place totally wet and stressed. Do you have any recommendations for that?

Well, the Merc comes with mud-guards/fenders so that will help to keep you from getting totally splattered with water, but you could also invest in a waterproof jacket and possibly trousers/rain-legs. As Evil V says, you will get hot in the spring time, but you can increase the air circulation if your jacket has "pit-zips". Also don't cycle behind other riders who dont' have mud-guards, otherwise your face will end up looking like a Jackson Pollock canvas. Apart from that, dodging rain drops is pretty tough...!

Where will you be commuting from/to - have you sorted out your route?

Hi everyone!
Yesterday I've received my bike! It is fantastic! What a great service from Anita. I've ordered it on Monday and on Wednesday the bike was with me.
It took me a while to understand the folding/unfolding part but I managed it. Anyway it will be a while until I can fold it quickly. How log it takes to you all?
It is not a big issue for me but my husband tried it and he needs a quick way to fold the bike. He is still not convice but will try more as we had it only for one evening.

I've tried the bike yesterday afternoon and this morning I did my first train/bike commute. The day is sunny today and the weather is fantastic. After work I will try to do the whole way home, very, very slowly just to feel how it is.

Fear&Trembling: Thanks for the avdice. Everything is really wellcome! I will buy some waterproof jacket and trousers this weekend. If it rains before, I will simply take the train (for now).
Good point about riding behind others without mud-guards.
I will be commuting from Lewisham to Hammersmith. Yes, I've sorted the route, in theory, now I have to try it to know if I feel confortable with this one or I will have to change.

EvilV: Don't be sorry. Not advice is simplistic. I will defenitely buy the alloy chain tesioner. The plastic one doesn't look reliable at all. I will be ordering today the pads. The pads that come with the Merc are really bad! I was reading the forums and everyone was saying that but I couldn't imagine that they were so bad! That is something that I have to change inmedietly.

My first impresion of the bike is that it is a really good one. I feel comfortable on it but of course I have to do miles on it to give a better opinion.
I like how small it is once folded. Other change that I will have to do NOW is to change the roller wheels to be able to push the bike easier. Also, how do you push the bike, if you do it at all. Do you extend the handlebar or how you do it?
Today I was just lifting the bike from the sadle and the bike was rolling with the two wheels at the back, the last 2.

Will see what I will say in few month time but today I am thinking... why I didn't buy it before!

OK, I don't want to bore anyone, I will stop here.

Thanks to all for the advice, and I will continue asking questions!

Ah -that's great Windywheels. Glad you like it and hope you enjoy the ride home. If you aren't used to cycling, don't over use the high gear. You don't want to end up with pains in the legs from getting overtired.

I've never wheeled my bike on the little wheels - I just carry it if it's folded. I rarely fold mine up actually, and find that I can pick it up easily by grasping the frame in my right hand over the pedals where the 'Merc' transfers are. The bike is beautifully balanced held like that, and I can walk into my house and stand it where I want to keep it in the hallway. That way I don't leave wet wheel marks on my oak floor. I stand it on a strip of carpet off-cut to protect the flooring. Holding the bike like that I can also easily climb up the steps of the pedestrian railway bridge I regularly cross. The bike is light enough to be an easy carry for me.

Keep us posted about how you get on. At first the bike seems very quick steering and a little shaky, but after a very short time I got a lot of confidence in it.

One last thing, I ride a lot in town and I ALWAYS try to find a traffic free or a low traffic route. It is surprising how much more peaceful it is to ride along back lanes and quiet back streets. I just looked at Multimap.com and you may be able to ride part of the way along the Thames pathway. Obviously I don't know exactly where you are going but the Thames winds through the route for sure....



http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&X=520000.074459397&Y=180000.167102566&width=700&height=400&gride=523312.074459397&gridn=178677.167102566&srec=0&coordsys=gb&db=freegaz&addr1=&addr2=&addr3=&pc=&advanced=&local=&localinfosel=&kw=&inmap=&table=&ovtype=&keepicon=true&zm=0&scale=200000&multimap.x=572&multimap.y=262

Hi again!
Yesterday I had my first commuting from my job to my house! :D
It took me one hour and 40 minutes for 11.5 miles. I think it is no so bad for being the first time taking into considertion that:

1. I didn't know the way at all. It was my first time trying to do this and the route I choose was 90% cycle paths.
2. I was lost trying to follow the indication on the map from the London Transport route.
3. Therefore I just try to find a way to go home as I was riding. At the end I realised that I did 2.5 miles more that expected.
4. and most important! the chain idler derailed the chain! I didn't put any pressure at all but it did. I've put back the chain and tried to align it as best I could but it kept just derailing. Because of this it really took me time to fix it and then ride veeeeeery slowly just to arrive home at whatever time!

Apart from that the way was really nice through the Thames path! but because of the problem with the chain just I couldn't enjoy the ride to much.

Today, I am back at work with the bike but I just took the train, again I will be going home riding and will see what happens but I don't feel confortable at all thinking that at any time it will happen again.

Yesteday I tried to buy the alloy chain tensioner but it wasn't on sell. They have a lot of parts but not this one. :(

<QUOTE>At first the bike seems very quick steering and a little shaky, but after a very short time I got a lot of confidence in it. </QUOTE>
I didn't have any problems with the steering at all. It felt like I used it before. I didn't have to adapt to it.

Regarding the little roller wheels: when I am taking the train I have to walk a bit it is then when I want to push the bike. Today, I did it. I just put the handlebar in position and pushed from there. It worked great really! Anyway I will change them for in-line skate wheels and will roll really smoothly.
This is my report from now.
I've emailed Wav about the problem with the chain because I read his post about it when he first had the bike and he fixed it.

Sorry to hear that you had problems. If the chain is properly on the tensioner, you shouldn't have problems with it derailing much. I've had it happen the odd time, usually when it has been folded (which I don't do that often). Just make sure that as you unfold the bike, the chain is running properly on the tensioner. It would be a good thing to look each time you've had the bike folded and gently run the pedals backwards to check. Also, I'd lift the back end and rotate the pedals forward as if you were riding to make sure it is working properly. This may sound a pain, but is a LOT more convenient than a derailed chain.

If the chain was slipping over the rear cog after you'd had the problem, it is certain that the chain isn't running in the tensioner correctly. From what you say about 'slipping', it sounds as if the chain wasn't on the fixed jockey wheel. It should look like this picture below. It is quite easy to pull the sprung tensioner arm up towards the front of the bike and then lift the little jockey wheel over the bottom run of chain while pulling the chain inwards towards the wheel so that the jockey wheel ends up on top and the chain is pulled downwards by the tensioner Maybe you should carry some latex gloves, because if this happened when the bike isn't new, the chain would be very dirty to handle. Memorise how this picture looks below. This is how the chain should run through the tensioner assembly:



By the way - if you are looking for the alloy tensioner, it is on their ebay listings and not the ordinary merc website. They don't always have the ebay listing going. If someone buys a bike, the page disappears until they put another one up for sale. Speak to Anita on the phone or by email. The problem you describe won't be cured by the alloy tensioner, I don't think. It's probably more a matter of making sure that all is correct with the chain when when you've had the bike folded.

Chain tensioner here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Chain-tensioner-assembly-alloy_W0QQitemZ260097789278QQcategoryZ33503QQcmdZViewItem

From second page of Merc shop here:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Merc-Folding-Bike-Spares

Chain tensioner here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Chain-tensioner-assembly-alloy_W0QQitemZ260097789278QQcategoryZ33503QQcmdZViewItem

From second page of Merc shop here:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Merc-Folding-Bike-Spares

Every time I see those prices I grin. I bought a stack of spares for it last week. I have in stock:

two new tyres
two tubes
Bottom bracket assembly
a spare front chain wheel (as well as the two chain wheel conversion that I put on - which works really well).
spare cables (al of)
dynamo

Oh and a spare plastic chain tensioner, which I doubt I'll ever need now I got the metal one.

By the way, I bought a cheap five led front light on ebay last week. It's VERY bright for the money and although not as robustly made as the CatEye one I have, it was 1/35 of the price. I took the big clumsy cateye one off and put this on - not bad for £0.99.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5-LED-Bright-Bike-Head-Lamp-Bicycle-Front-Torch-Light_W0QQitemZ160096719985QQcategoryZ22689QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Thanks EvilV and LittlePixel for the links.
After emailing Anita, she put back the tensioner on eBay and now I have it!
I will change it today. I've also ordered the break pads, I will receive them next week.

I am still having the problem with the chain. I can see how some times is not in the correct position after unfolding the bike and I am puting it exactly in the same position as you (EvilV) show in the photographs.

I really don't know what else to do. It is really very anoying having to put the chain back nearly everytime I am unfolding the bike.

Apart from that, I am very happy with the Merc. I know I will sort this problem at some point.
The commute so far is been great really. I will be train/bike commuting in the morning and going back home on the bike the whole way, at least for one month or whatever it will take me to be fit again!
I don't want to rush in the morning and I am really enjoying the ruturn, knowing places that I never seen before!

Thanks everyone for the help.
I will keep the you up to date with my "adventures" with the little thing.

Oh - I'm glad you haven't given up, but what a shame you are having this problem. Are you a bit of an amateur bike mechanic? If not, could someone else check it out? there may be something obvious wrong here. In my view, once unfolded, one should check the chain, but that is all - I wouldn't expect to have to fiddle with the chain all the time - not at all. Get someone else to check - It sounds like the tensioner that is on there isn't pulling hard enough and keeping the chain tight when folded.

When you put the new tensioner on, you'll find that having put the chain over the fixed jockey wheel, you have to swing the sprung arm forward and lift the chain over it. From memory, you need to fiddle the chain inside and then under the sprung arm which is pulling down then. It's quite easy to get it on right. I hope this problem is over once you do this.

Does the bike have the large 52 tooth chain wheel? If it is the smaller one, maybe the chain has not been shortened and that is the cause of the problem.

You will also have to remove the gear change linkage from the hub before you can remove the nut which holds the tensioner on. It unscrews from the cable, and then you can wind it out of the hub easily by just unscrewing it. Put the new tensioner on, tighten the nut (with the washer under it) and then check it is all OK, and swing the sprung arm up and over the chain. Then you need to put back the gear change rod and attach it to the cable again. By the way - you will find that after screwing the rod back into the hub, you have to unscrew it a tiny bit to allow the gear change chain to align properly with the cable. That is normal. You will need to adjust the cable tension with the adjuster barrel on the end of the cable. It is best to set the bike in high gear first, and just take up the slack so that there is a little slack when the gear change is set in high gear. Then check that all three gears are available and work consistently. You may find that at first, either top or bottom gear are not there. If this happens, you either, lengthen the cable by unscrewing slightly if it is TOP or HIGH gear that isn't there, or if it is the LOW or bottom gear that doesn't engage, you need to tighten the cable slightly. It's just a matter of try it and see.

Yes, I don't have experience fixing bikes but I know I will manage at the end.
I don't have the bike today with me. Really cold day! therefore I didn't check how many tooth the chain wheel have.
Thanks a lot of explaining how to change the tensioner. I will do it next week as I am off for my holidays tomorrow! :D
I've also saw this video in youtube that explain really well have to take out the rear wheel and of course it shows how to take out the tensioner as well. Very handy!
This is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohGa620P-pM

I will be back in two weeks and continue with my learning curve!
Thanks again!

Just an update to say that I am really very happy with my Merc.
I am not having anymore that problem with the derailed chain. I didn't do it anything at all. It is like the whole thing acommodated itself.
I am ciclying from work to home everyday. It turned out to be 10.5 miles after all. I think in a month I will be able to do it from home to work as well.
The bike is all I expected from it. It rides smoothly, I can take it in the underground, I am even using it as a troly to do my weekly shoping in Sainsbury. No one in the supermarket bother at all with it. I fold the bike except the handler and I am using a front basket.
The Merc is so useful and practical that my husband decided to buy another for him. In his case he will buy a Brompton because we can't find a dealer that sell the Merc with the cycle scheme run by the goverment at 30-40% discount.
All in all, after nearly a month of using it everyday. I love that bike and I am wondering why I didn't do it before!

Excellent

Ah - I'm really glad it worked out for you Windywheels. Maybe your husband could get Anita at Mercbike to register for the ride to work scheme. The Bromton even with the discount must be close to the price of the Merc without... not sure - do your own figures.

Like any cycle, from time to time, something will go wrong. I was just thinking about your problem while riding today and I thought it really isn't possible to depend on cycling for daily transport without having some mechanical skills and tools to put the odd thing right. Strangely, the curse of cycling - punctures, have never hit my Merc even though I've covered about 1500 miles on the same tyres. I do keep the tyres hard, but the kevlar belt inside them seems to work very well. I have often ridden over glass, including today, and so far so good......... Hope I haven't spoken too soon.

Hi,
I've emailed Anita and she is looking into the scheme. We will see.

Regarding the mechanical skills, I agree with you that it is really necesary to have them. I am a very handywoman and normally I can fix nearly anything that is thrown at me.
I've never repaired any bike at all, but I am just getting familiarize with my bike and I have with me the normal set of tools for bikes.

I hope I don't have to use this skills in a time soon but yes, I know I will have some trouble at some point.
I am cleaning the bike every week and keeping the screws tight. During the weekends I am checking as much as I can.

You mentioned a lubricant 3 in 1 that you are using. I didn't use anything at all yet. Does it have any name?

As I said before, I am really enjoying my commuting. I am crossing London and visiting places that I've never been before. It never stops amazing me the diversity of this city.
I am cycling along very very posh places (with fantastic houses) and quite poor (with councils) as well. It is like every corner I turn, you never know what it will come next!

Thanks again for the help!

Still no cheap way to buy one in the states?

Still no cheap way to buy one in the states?

No, not even if you can get your hands on a used one. It's hard to justify forking out that kind of cash for a 27 pound chunk of steel. Try to convince Yan of Downtube to import a clone.

You mentioned a lubricant 3 in 1 that you are using. I didn't use anything at all yet. Does it have any name?


3 in 1 oil is a cheap machine oil available in any hardware store. In fact, cycles are not that fussy about what you oil them with, as long as you do oil them now and then. Every hundred miles or two hundred miles, depending on conditions, I clean and lubricate the chain lightly. There are many cyclists who favour all kinds of exotic lubricants for drive chains, but I use simple oil (three in one or cheap engine oil which is thicker, but cut with a small amount of white spirit to make it penetrate the chain. The white spirit evaporates in a day or even in a few hours if it is warm, leaving the oil film where it is needed). I've used the other types and found them usually very expensive and most didn't last long on the chain before they disappeared and the chain got rough and squeaky. Some expensive lubricants would be gone in a few miles of heavy rain and I found the chain rusted after a day. People will argue with great passion about chain lubricant. I'm not entering into that; all I'll say is that as long as your chain is kept free from excessive grit by wiping it off; is oiled so that the insides of the rollers are lubricated lightly, and is not allowed to go dry and rusty, it will last for a couple of thousand miles easily. Since the Merc chain is £3 or thereabouts, it won't owe you anything when you chuck it away. I have a new one as a spare and I won't be needing it anytime soon. You can see when a chain is starting to look dry, and it starts to make a different sound.

One way to look at the needs of a chain is to see what motor cycle chains are lubed with. They have a MUCH harsher life, running far far faster across the sprockets and many transmitting a hundred horsepower and more. Typically motorcycle chains are lubed with simple engine oil - though there are new and fancy types of chain now for M-cycles, and I don't know about them.

The other things that need oiling are the control cables and folding joints, but they don't need as much attention as the chain.

If oiling the chain, don't allow oil to drip or splash onto the wheel rim at the back. The brakes won't work if you do. I always protect the rear wheel from dropping oil as I lubricate the chain by putting a sheet of cardboard between the chain and the bottom of the wheel rim. First I clean the chain by running it through an old rag soaked in white spirit to remove excess grit and sticky dirt. Then I run it through a clean dry rag to dry it off. After cleaning, I use a tiny paintbrush to put thin oil onto each chain link and run the chain backwards for a few minutes to get the oil to penetrate into the inside of the chain where it is really needed. The tiny pins that go through the rollers are the part that needs oil most. I ride the bike for a couple of miles and then I wipe off any excess oil that is on the outside just so it isn't very oily. It really just needs a fine film of lubricant and shouldn't be wet in use or it will pick up dirt and grit which can cause more wear and anyway is filthy and unpleasant. As supplied the chain is VERY oily - much too oily for my liking.

Now I expect people will shoot me down and advocate exotic chain lubes that cost a hundred times more than what I've suggested. The above is just my opinion, but I have been riding bikes for fifty years and still ride between five and ten miles every day.

Thanks EvilV!
That is really usefull and I really appreciate your experience!! I know that other people probably will suggest other more expensive oil, but I know as well that not everything expensive is allways the best thing to do. The chain is alright at the moment but I am going to buy the oil this week.
Ahh, I've bought a book yesterday on Ebay: Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance. Hopefully it will allow me to know at least a bit more about bikes and maintenance!

I've got an answer from Anita and they can't register for the "ride to work" scheme. That is a real pity! In that case, we will buy a Brompton for my husband (the cheapest one, I think it is the M model). With the descount from the scheme everything will cost nearly the same as the Merc, with the plus that he will be paying a very small amount each month.
He is going to commute by train and then only for 3 miles per day on the bike. He just can't commute the whole way, it is too much.
But, we want to start touring at some point that is why we want to have the same bikes.

Did I say that I love my Merc?? It is really fantastic and I am using it every single day.
I've bought a really nice and very good quality folding basket for only £5.- Every time I am shopping I am attaching the frame from the front bag to the basket , and it works really well.
Brompton is asking £60 for a basket that is no as nice as the one I've got.

Ahh, I've another question. I am experiencing numbness in my fingers. I don't know very well if it is my position on the bike or what. I've searched the forums regarding this and some people say that can be the position, or too much weight on my hands. I've tried today to position my hands in a different way. It help a bit but not a lot. As you have been riding for so many years, how do you do to not carry your weight towards your hands??

Ok. this is the latest update!

Ahh, I've another question. I am experiencing numbness in my fingers. I don't know very well if it is my position on the bike or what. I've searched the forums regarding this and some people say that can be the position, or too much weight on my hands. I've tried today to position my hands in a different way. It help a bit but not a lot. As you have been riding for so many years, how do you do to not carry your weight towards your hands??

I would get Ergon or Specialized Body Geometry 2 grips - people talk about these making a difference (I have the latter as they were a third of the price of the former). You might also want to consider padded gloves or losing a bit of air from your front wheel. Another option is to get stubbie bar ends so you can change hand positions (I believe one of the models of Ergon grips comes with integrated bar ends).

I'm surprised you're getting numb fingers from riding the Merc, because it is a pretty upright riding position. However, gloves are a cheap and easy way of padding the fingers. Also, try not to grip the handlebars too tightly, and when you go over a rough surface at speed, be aware and hold the bars more lightly (as far as is safe). Maybe if your hands are getting a hammering on rough patches, you could get numbness. I ride over a stretch of broken road surface every day and I make sure I don't put weight on my hands at that part, but just keep a light hold on the bars. This prevents my hands getting an unpleasant hammering from the road shock at that location. On long rides I wear gloves. With respect to fear and Trembling's advice about changing the bar grips, I quite like mine. They are a part of the bike I personally wouldn't want to change, but then, I'm not a person with numb hands, so maybe of I was, I'd think differently.

About thirty years ago, I read some good advice in 'Richard's Bicycle Book' (see link below) which was a sort of classic. He recommended not sitting like a sack of potatoes in the saddle as you run over a bad and bumpy surface, but to put your weight on the pedals and hold the bars lightly, and keeping light contact with the saddle rather than just sitting on it with full weight. His reasoning was that this way, the bike could adapt to road shocks by pivoting around the bottom bracket. The front wheel and back wheel hitting a bump moves the energy to your body by a longer leverage through the frame and has an easier time as well as not shattering you through hands and bottom. Legs are sort of sprung anyway by the knees being bent and your muscles absorbing some of the shock in the same way a skier does when flying down a mountain.

Try that and gloves if you suspect that road shock is the root of the problem.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ballantine

Thanks Fear&Trembling and EvilV as usual!
I've bought a pair of gloves, not the Ergon or Specialized Body Geometry but they are padded at least.
I bought them just to check if they improve something or not and the good news is that today my fingers were quite OK, except for a bit of numbness at the end of the ride.
I think, it has to be with the gloves and position of my hands and trying to take a bit of weight from my hands. It has nothing to do with the Merc. I know that the riding position is pretty upright and I like it but I have a tendency some times when I sleep for my arms to be numb. It happens once or twice every year or more. I think it is just bad circulation.
I will try some more days how it goes, if it doesn't improve a lot, I will buy the Specialized Body Geometry gloves that seem they have a really good padding.

I don't think it has nothing to do with the Merc or the road shock as the surface the whole commute is quite smooth.
Thanks again to both, any, absolute any advice is very well received and help me a lot to improve every day.

Might not have anything to do with your case in particular, but my fingers got numb because of the upright riding position. Lower bars help. You might want to try loosening the bolt and turning the handlebars slightly inwards or outwards to affect your hand position as well - at least before your spend more dough.

Now I expect people will shoot me down and advocate exotic chain lubes that cost a hundred times more than what I've suggested. The above is just my opinion, but I have been riding bikes for fifty years and still ride between five and ten miles every day.

Quite the contrary - yours is the clearest, simplest and most sensible oiling regime I've come across - My chains always go mucky/rusty far too soon for my liking and I've been very much disappointed with pretty much every chain lube 'product' I've tried so far so you sharing this is very much appreciated - by this boarder at least. :)

Thanks Fear&Trembling and EvilV as usual!
I've bought a pair of gloves, not the Ergon or Specialized Body Geometry but they are padded at least.
I bought them just to check if they improve something or not and the good news is that today my fingers were quite OK, except for a bit of numbness at the end of the ride.
I think, it has to be with the gloves and position of my hands and trying to take a bit of weight from my hands. It has nothing to do with the Merc. I know that the riding position is pretty upright and I like it but I have a tendency some times when I sleep for my arms to be numb. It happens once or twice every year or more. I think it is just bad circulation.
I will try some more days how it goes, if it doesn't improve a lot, I will buy the Specialized Body Geometry gloves that seem they have a really good padding.

I don't think it has nothing to do with the Merc or the road shock as the surface the whole commute is quite smooth.
Thanks again to both, any, absolute any advice is very well received and help me a lot to improve every day.
I talked to my wife about this numbness. She has a quite common condition called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome . This shows itself in numbness in the fingers. She says it was much worse when she used to cycle, but she can get it while typing, holding a book in an elevated position for a while and in other ways. She knows other work colleagues with this problem. I wonder if this is what you are experiencing Windywheels? I don't think it does any harm other than give the annoying symptoms you have described.

Cyclists do get it but so do many other people. Women are three times more likley to get it than men are. This is because the nerve in the wrist passes through a small tunnel in the bones. Women having smaller bones on average than men are more likley to find their nerve being squeezed through funny hand positions. Check out this quote and link about it:


MEDIAN NERVE NEUROPATHY (carpal tunnel syndrome; thumb and ring finger)

The most common surgical neuropathy is the compressive neuropathy of the Median Nerve as it passes through the Carpal Tunnel in the wrist Irritation at this level in the course of the median nerve causes numbness of the thumb and index fingers. As with Ulnar neuropathy, it can be aggravated by wrist position and road vibration, and the approaches to treatment are similar including changing the aggravating motion/position, anti-inflammatories, and ultimately surgery if all else fails.

Common fixes for both

* Ice and NSAIDs (motrin, ibuprofen) acutely
* Use a firm but relaxed grip on the bar
* Change hand positions frequently
* Try padded gloves or cushy handlebar tape
* Concentrate on keeping your wrists straight (bar ends on mountain bikes and aero bars on a road bike keep the wrists in a more neutral position)
* Alter your position on the bike to stay more upright (a higher stem or more spacers in the headset)

PS:

My wife says her carpal tunnel syndrom does not effect her thumb, but does irritate the three long fingers on each hand. maybe other nerves pass through that tunnel in the bones too - they must do actually....
http://www.cptips.com/handsyn.htm

Thanks everyone for the hep and advices.
After buying the gloves and using them for few days, my fingers are much better. Not numb free but nearly.
I am changing my hands position on the handlebar.
I think that I am having all the problems that novice people have. I had to buy a new saddle as well because the one that comes with the Merc hurts a bit.

EvilV, probably I have carpal tunner syndrom, I will have to check with my doctor. I am having this numbness when I lift my arms for some minutes as well.

Spambait11, I will try this week changing the angle of the handlebars too. Everything helps!

Glad the gloves and changing hand position are helping you Windywheels.

I suffered your chain off problem yesterday - what a mess I got in!

I was racing around the park with one of my friend's sons. He challeneged me to race his mountain bike five times around the park. He's thirteen. I of course, having no dignity in spite of my fifty six years, accepted and after three laps of about 1 km, I was about 400 metres ahead. At one point, I came across some pedestrians and rode fast onto the grass, pedalling as I went. The rattling, rough ground shook the bike up a fair bit and the chain came off the sprung jockey wheel and off the rear cog. It also came out of the fixed jockey. So, there I was stopped with about a minute before my adversary caught up. I went at the chain with a will, and tried to ignore the filth and sticky grease all over my hands. The damned chain did not want to go back into place between the rear cog and the fixed jockey wheel - not at all. In the end, I put the bike upside down and fiddled it into place by turning the chain and swivelling it over the teeth. The chain is too thick to fit easily back into its run, unless you tip it side ways and wiggle it in again. Part way through this filthy job, smug young man sauntered past grinning and said, 'You know, if you took it more steady old man, you'd probably end up being faster. He won the race of course, and I got filthy...

At least I wasn't on my way to work though Windywheels. It took me about five minutes of scrubbing to get my hands clean again, and I still have to deal with cleaning the handlebar grips and brake levers.

DRAT!

:D


More on tingling fingers. There are other places than the wrist where these tingles start from because of squeezed nerves. It depends which fingers are tingling. The carpal tunnel syndrome causes tingling in the thumb and first finger. Problems in other fingers can be caused in the elbow and neck.

More info here:
http://www.cyclingforums.com/showpost.php?p=1260475&postcount=11

Thanks for the info!
I am much better with my fingers, still feel some numbness but it is really not very considerable.
I am much confortable riding as well, I am slowly realising how to position my body and how to concentrate my energy better, how to seat properly, etc, etc.
I am improving every single day and I am enjoying it A LOT!! now that the weather is fantastic here in London.
Everyone is expecting a very hot summer I am more than glad that I've started riding. Using the underground in summer is just hell! and using a car out of question.

I've already lost weight, hurrayyyyy! I don't need to loose really a lot but riding helps and I am eating more healthy as well.

Ufff, I am sorry you had that problem with the chain! It is not nice but anyway it i not the end of the world (though it is a pity because you were winning :D ).

I didn't experience that failure again. It was only the first month, now is everything in place and working really well. Ahh, I bought a mirror and it makes a difference really. Of course I turn my head always to check what is going on behind me but just having to move only your eyes to check it is very confortable and I feel more secure.
Next buy will be a horn, I am searching the forums to see other people comments.
I don't want to put more thing on my bike but I think that everything helps to my safety.

That's great Windywheels. Glad you're having such fun and getting the health benefits. At first, I wondered whether you might need to lower the gear ratio a bit by fitting a slightly smaller front chainwheel. The 52 tooth one supplied with the bike is a bit high if there is any hill climbing, or headwinds to deal with. If you did want to try that, it's a very easy swap and really cheap. The 44, or 39 tooth chainwheels are available from the Ebay merc shop for £4.50 and the 44 tooth one is worth a try if you find the bike hard to pedal in the higher gears.

On the mirror thing; great if you feel more secure, but as you mention yourself, ALWAYS LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER when turning right or overtaking. It is the most dangerous maneuver of any cyclist or motorcyclist. I'm sure you know that mirrors have blind spots. I even look over my shoulder in the car when making those kind of moves. In the car, I have MANY times started to move out and found cars just alongside me but a little bit back. It's happened a lot on the motorway.

Enjoy your riding.

Hi EvilV,

The 52 tooth one supplied with the bike IS a bit high if there is any hill climbing, or headwinds to deal with. There's no doubt about it. But I am trying really to get my legs fit anyway.;)
I am considering adding the extra chainwheel but not just now. I really like the neaty plate that covers the 52 chainwheel and I don't want to loose it yet. I've already saved a copy of your explanation about how to add the second chainwheel for when the time comes.

Regarding my search for a horn, I think that I will buy a Airzound2 as I don't want to have anything with batteries.

I am much confident commuter. Last week I shouted for the first time to some pedestrians: "Watch out!!!" and everyone stop dead! :D I had green light and was the last one after all the cars passed the light when all the pedestrians (more and less 20!) started crossing the path with a careless attitude that really strike me! It was plain day light and I was wearing the fluo jacket and no one bothered at all! I was cycling at (my) full speed trying not to loose the green light. Unbelievable!!! I missed to school girls by a inch!

I've reach for the first time 20 mph! heeeeyyyyy! I am improving!:D