Folding Bikes - mezzo vs brompton?

ur thoughts?

my thought is the day of the brompton is pretty much over and mezzo will take a majority of the brompton market very soon.

to me, mezzo is the child of both the swift and a brompton. and now that they have a distributor in the us, all ur brompton lovers, eat ur heart out.

Haha........Too bad I just bought another Brompton today. What's a mezzo? Isn't that a level at a baseball stadium???

Here we go again.

the other thread isn't even cold yet people!?!? what's with these folder peeps anyways?! hahaha!

provocative though vincenyc may be he asks the right questions at root. I test rode mezzo and brompton s-type. I am a big guy - 5.11 and 210lbs. The mezzo was flexi, the brompton solid as a rock. Guess which I am buying. And yes the lack of gear range is a bind. But, the fold is the best in the world. The ride is great. The aftermarket is stunning. The range of custom and color options is unique. I've owned DT and Dahon and merc, and was one of those guys who never followed the crowd. But then I rode, and folded, an S-type....

...The mezzo was flexi, the brompton solid as a rock...

mezzo flexi? would u mind telling us what model and when did u test rode the mezzo?

yes earlier version of mezzo was flexi, but not the newer version. other users' review would contradict your statement about mezzo being flexi.

here is one sentence i pulled from a full review from folding society:
"Mezzo make quite a point of the fact that the design, with no hinge in the main frame, reduces frame flex compared with folders which do have such a hinge."

http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/Mike/MikesMezzo/Mezzod9-2.html

and here is another independent's review for a mezzo:
"Unlike most other folders Mezzos don't fold in the middle. Instead the frame is made up of a one-piece central beam that the rest of the bike folds around thanks to some clever design and a couple of sturdy catches. Hanging everything off the beam makes for a stiff, efficient frame that gets more of your pedalling input to the back wheel.

That one-piece beam combined with that lack of rear suspension eliminates the pedal induced 'bob' that afflicts the Brompton..."

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/folding/product/d9-10551

another user from the above link stated:
"I bought this after a short test: Mezzo v Brompton. I wanted something compact over and above anything else and these were the two that folded up the smallest.
On the road the Mezzo won by a mile. Far more stable, responsive, fun than the Brompton. Although the Brompton's folding was simpler and only slightly more compact, the Mezzo was still a far better ride and the choice was made."

I have a Mezzo D9 now, and had a 6 speed Brompton previously, before it was stolen. As I've said before the Mezzo is a great bike to ride, better I think than the Brompton, but its fold is ungainly and the overall folded package is bigger and harder to carry. I dont think any bike has a better fold than the Brompton, its compact and locks into a solid package with no bits waving in the wind.

ur thoughts?

my thought is the day of the brompton is pretty much over and mezzo will take a majority of the brompton market very soon.
to me, mezzo is the child of both the swift and a brompton. and now that they have a distributor in the us, all ur brompton lovers, eat ur heart out.

There is no chance of that happening :lol:

Every time I look at the MESS-O, I can’t help but wonder if it was designed by a crazy plumbing engineer.... as that is exactly how they seem to get around an obstruction... add another 90˚ bend or two.:rolleyes:

The bike would look OK if it were not for that ridiculous handlebar stem :eek:

There is no chance of that happening :lol:

Every time I look at the MESS-O, I can’t help but wonder if it was designed by a crazy plumbing engineer.... as that is exactly how they seem to get around an obstruction... add another 90˚ bend or two.:rolleyes:

The bike would look OK if it were not for that ridiculous handlebar stem :eek:

Well I cant really disagree about the handlebars, yes it looks like they were an afterthought, but it works fine ! Mezzo take over the Brompton crown ? I doubt it very much, they have been on sale in UK for four or five years and they are still a rare sight outside of showrooms. I'd say, again, out of the box, they are a better ride than the Brompton, but folding and unfolding are far from intuative and the folded package isnt that good to lug around.

I think part of the joy of the folding bike movement is that people / small companies come up with all these whacky solutions to quite complex design problems, which is also in part why this is such a lively forum. The continual Brompton bashing i do find tedious, the company owes the public nothing, if you dont like what they do go elsewhere for your bike, or put your brain & money where your mouth is & start your own company.

+1 Lol ..... Mad plumber sums it up.
the mezzo is a fine bike and does ride well. But IF ANY benefits are made by single piece ALUMINIUM beam (vs steel on the B) they are completely lost by mr. Plumbers mad work on the stem. To me it looks like a broken swans neck - all wrong. Add a more complex and bigger fold, similar prices and it's a no- brainer. Of course this is just my opionion - I own a B and have ridden a M for 30mins. And if ANY folder intoduces more people to to benefits of cycling and MM cycling the better. Si

How is it more complex fold? It takes the same amount of time to fold or even less than brompton. And for the lugging around. In case u don't know it has smaller wheel just like the brompton so u can roll it when it is folded and don't need to carry it. And for ppl criticizing about the shape of the handlepost, how many of u criticize the weird shape of the brompton frame when it first came out? And u all act like the brompton is much smaller when folded when it is only a "tad" smaller when are both folded and sitting next to each other. U won't even be able to tell the difference.

Why don't you buy one and then give us a field report?

......... And yes the lack of gear range is a bind. ...........

Really, 33 to 99 inches is a bind?

I've been riding a M3L for a year, & having ridden a BWR with the above range, find it copes admirably with most topography, & is reliable & relatively lightweight.

How is it more complex fold? It takes the same amount of time to fold or even less than brompton.

why do you disslike brompton so much Vincentnyc? im not getting it, im starting to think somedody is paying you to bash brompton....its strange.

it's not that i hate the brompton and im not getting pay to bash the brompton.

i'm just tired of hearing from ppl here that nothing compare to the brompton and now that we have a folding bike that can compete against the brompton and all the brompton lovers come to its defense and tried to bash the new folder. i think the brompton time has come and will be gone...time for new folder to dominate the market.

If you go by looks alone, then, in my mind Mezzo wins hands down. I bought one. It rides good. The chain never falls off. It is a solid, yet comfortable ride. I like the saddle. No flex that I can feel, except maybe in the folding pedals. I don't like the pedals. Mine is the four speed hub model. The shifting is smooth. The bike climbs well. I wish I had a higher gear.

The new Brompton with the 31 to 99 inch gear range looks like it will be a winner, if the chain stays on and one can get used to the awkward shifting.

They are both good English bikes.

I am not married to the Brompton, but I am completely dependent on a compact fold that does NOT include any dis/assembling for international airplane travel, and comes with a riding quality that is close to (or equal) to a conventional bike (26inch or 700c wheels). Believe me, i tried everything else before: Giant Halfway (including not so popular models like the RS), Dahons, Downtubes, even the Super Merc.

ideally, my bike would be a Brompton with V-Brakes (since I am not a big fan of their brake system), different gearing (since I am not a big fan of the bunny switch either), light enough to be compared to a S1E-X (wow, I like that!), comfortable enough to do a century on it, fast enough to keep up with roadies in spandex (18-21mph without buying new legs/lungs/heart after 5 minutes), attractive enough to please my own eyes and reliable enough that I can go touring in remote states of Brazil without the need of taking another bike on my back as a spare.

I personally don't like the mezzo because it is just not visually attractive to my taste (and please, nobody needs to agree with me on this one, I have a unique taste for women too). I am under the impression that stem is a product of some improvised fix instead of slick design. Even if it is a better bike than the Brompton, it is an ugly bike and it is not a better folding bike.

Now, without stealing the original purpose of this thread, besides a highly modified Brompton, what are my choices?

I still think the OP cannot afford the Brompton which is why he's trying to convince himself the Mezzo is better. I used to do the same thing with my old Dahon Piccolo by saying there was no difference in quality. Boy was I wrong!

The only thing I regret is not buying the Brompton sooner! The price is not going down so get one while it's still cheap! LOL! When I started looking at the price of a Brompton, you could get a C3 for $600.00 USD! Not anymore.

The OP will live in regret if he spends his hard earned dollars on a Mezzo. He'll end up like me trying to convince himself, he got the better bike but in the end, there will always be deep resentment everytime someone with a Brompton crosses his path.

Don't put yourself through that agony.

14r - i don' think that taking some forks and a rear triangle to a local framebuilder to add v-brake mounts is much of a job. re-powdercoating would cost little and i think you'd definitely enjoy the upgrade. doing that though - it might be just as easy to get disk mounts added.

it's not that i hate the brompton and im not getting pay to bash the brompton.

i'm just tired of hearing from ppl here that nothing compare to the brompton and now that we have a folding bike that can compete against the brompton and all the brompton lovers come to its defense and tried to bash the new folder. i think the brompton time has come and will be gone...time for new folder to dominate the market.

I don't go often for the latest and the supposed greatest widget around. If I did and I have the money available, I supposed I would have bought the BF tikit already. Yet I still shop for longetivity and use for my varied tastes and needs of any product I buy now. That means a conservative approuch which translate into folding bike-wise; a Brompton for now and in the future.


I still think the OP cannot afford the Brompton which is why he's trying to convince himself the Mezzo is better. I used to do the same thing with my old Dahon Piccolo by saying there was no difference in quality. Boy was I wrong!

The only thing I regret is not buying the Brompton sooner! The price is not going down so get one while it's still cheap! LOL! When I started looking at the price of a Brompton, you could get a C3 for $600.00 USD! Not anymore.

The OP will live in regret if he spends his hard earned dollars on a Mezzo. He'll end up like me trying to convince himself, he got the better bike but in the end, there will always be deep resentment everytime someone with a Brompton crosses his path.

Don't put yourself through that agony.

You are right about Bromptons slipping away from being affordable for most people, Dahon Steve. When I bought my own Brompton, I just wanted a basic bike like the other folding bike I already owned with no accessories unless I decided I want it later. I knew that the accessories that come with most bikes do push up the price, rather than the question of the basic bike's frame or other basic parts. And the C3E that I bought has certainly fit that bill and more. I also decided to spring for the last Piccolo made just 11 months later. For me, having both works out very well. I use my Brompton for the most formal, nice riding. My Piccolo is used in areas that are not so nice. And I will tell you the truth-my all time favorite of both bikes is-the Brompton. And when I am in the market again for another folder the only bike I will buy is another Brompton-with some added improvements.

14r - i don' think that taking some forks and a rear triangle to a local framebuilder to add v-brake mounts is much of a job. re-powdercoating would cost little and i think you'd definitely enjoy the upgrade. doing that though - it might be just as easy to get disk mounts added.

Thank you LP. Disk brakes are too heavy, but V-Brakes done locally is an option. That compromises my ability to have it in clear lacquer since it is hard to find a place to do that kindof finishing here in Florida (I tried to find someone to do that on a full size bike more than once).

I will investigate and see it sand blast + famebuilder price + recoating = < Merc parts.

So far, the brakes are the only thing from Brompton that I am really looking for a better alternative. Everything else is already fixed on my previous attempts.

provocative though vincenyc may be he asks the right questions at root. I test rode mezzo and brompton s-type. I am a big guy - 5.11 and 210lbs. The mezzo was flexi, the brompton solid as a rock. Guess which I am buying. And yes the lack of gear range is a bind.

Mezzo frames are not at all "flexy".
People have criticised its stiffness leading to a harsher ride over the brompton.There is some truth in this, as a former brompton owner. I love the mezzo bike as a road bike due to this stiffness. There is flex in the seatpost when larger riders use it. But the post goes up higher than the Brompton standard meaning there is more tube in the frame. Flexy seatposts are not just a problem on a Mezzo. I would love to find a custom builder to get myself a Titanium to address this. If you rode a Mezzo with a maladjusted rear clip you might feel some play,

generally flexing frame= no chance!!

14r - i don' think that taking some forks and a rear triangle to a local framebuilder to add v-brake mounts is much of a job. re-powdercoating would cost little and i think you'd definitely enjoy the upgrade. doing that though - it might be just as easy to get disk mounts added.

The D10, as opposed to the D9, has a rear V brake as standard, so does the import version the "Ori" I think. The Mezzo benifiets from telfon linned brake cables more than the Brompton rear brakes does IMO. The D10 is over priced really. I like the Mezzo D9 as a base than can easily be upgraded from. Its great with bull bars and the standard rear axles means that more extensive gearing upgrades are easy.

i'm just tired of hearing from ppl here that nothing compare to the brompton

I personally now compare other bikes to my Mezzos.

Perhaps this is a more function preceptive if you like the Mezzo bike. I have also owned a Merc and a Brompton and I can not understand why anyone would buy a Brompton over a Mezzo as reguards the ride and folding speed,and upgradability, unless the folded size is the be all and end all. I have also critisied the Brompton in the past, but I have learnt alot about the relative disadvantagers of the Mezzo, through upgrades and daily use of 2 bikes in various situations. People should try the completion for both bikes. They are better at slightly different roles. A Brompton is a better bike for carrying shopping on, for instance due to the front bag system.

, but folding and unfolding are far from intuative and the folded package isnt that good to lug around.


I have owned a Brompton and now own 2 Mezzos. I have never found much difference in carrying of the either bike, nor have I ever found the Brompton a better folding size and shape that has ever made any difference to my rail journey or multi modal commutes. It is smaller,but if you put the two bikes side by side there is very little difference. The Brompton is generally more compact ,but the Brompton seat sticks out more, epically is the extended or telscopic post is used. The brompton is marginally better to carry and store, but really not by much. The Mezzo is a roomer bike to ride.
As for the Mezzo fold, it is quicker. But you have to remember to get the crank in line with the rear chain stay,else it needs unfolding. Something that is not a problem on a 1/2 folded Brompton. Generally the Mezzo folds well with well designed self locking catches. It self locks well and all the catchers can be adjusted for ease of movement verse locking action.

It is not accurate to dismiss the Mezzo as a slower folding, much bigger,more difficult to fold package.

Lets have some balance here.

He'll end up like me trying to convince himself, he got the better bike but in the end, there will always be deep resentment everytime someone with a Brompton crosses his path.

Don't put yourself through that agony.

Other way around for me. Why do I get a Brompton, and Merc! Sold them both and bought 2 Mezzos.

I would love to here a forum user who has sold their Mezzo to buy a Brompton. I know its a numbers game, but I have never heard this said yet, all though I have ask this question before.

Now, without stealing the original purpose of this thread, besides a highly modified Brompton, what are my choices?

A modified Mezzo?

Putting short bull bars on mine with road STi brifters worked great. Folds a bit bigger ,but I have found a good compromise,than does not effect my commutes.
Then I went for dual drive to address getting some high gears.
Brakes, get a D10 with rear V brake, braze on some V mounts, or just go for telfon cables and Koolstops.

it's not that i hate the brompton and im not getting pay to bash the brompton.

i'm just tired of hearing from ppl here that nothing compare to the brompton and now that we have a folding bike that can compete against the brompton and all the brompton lovers come to its defense and tried to bash the new folder. i think the brompton time has come and will be gone...time for new folder to dominate the market.

If you think it's bad here Vincent, try the Brompton Talk email list. I went there and mentioned my Merc and they went totally bonkers. I think people express pretty fair opinions here mostly, give or take we have had the occasional nut drift in. I remember one guy who responded to a polite request as to how the brakes on a bike might be improved by telling the OP to try stopping it with his face. He also wrote about being chased down the streets by women when he wore cycling shorts and pulling a gun on punks who laughed when they saw him on his folder.

I never rode a Mezzo, but its a damned UGLY contraption.

[QUOTE=EvilV;9495254 I think people express pretty fair opinions here mostly,

I never rode a Mezzo, but its a damned UGLY contraption.[/QUOTE]

+1 on the comparative "reasonablness" of this forum.

Yes. EvilV I know what you mean about owning a Merc, apparently if you speak to some people it has loads of faults that the Brompton does not suffer from, ie the cables get tangled in folding ect. It does have issues,but some of the comments are complete rubbish.

What is all this about the look of the Mezzo? Go and test ride one.Than compare how you feel about its looks compaired to its ride. If the ulgiset bike rode the best I would choose the ulgist bike. I think the Mezzo is better looking than the brompton personally. I do not understand why this comment is used so strongly against the bike.

Bromptons, (Merc), are beautiful bikes? Really? I prefer the look of my modiifed Mezzo,to a standard one or a Brompton, but how important is it? I remember "Matt52"? stating that a ridden mezzo looks better than a brompton, but I do not see how this as important unless you are worried what people may say.

The main way I feel happier riding my (fast) 27 speed mezzo is that it is quick and brakes well. I can ride quick enough and stable enough to blend in with the traffic moving between 20-30 Mph, rather than impatient ques of cars developing behind me, rather like being on a road bike.I therefore feel much safer on it. Something I could not do on a standard mezzo or a Brompton, or Merc. But from my experience upgrading a Mezzo is the easiest and cheapest to reach the former stage.

If the Mezzo was a car it would be French..... their cars are efficient at transporting people from A to B but their designs are incredibly boring and ugly. The nearest thing to anything stylish and good looking was the old Citroen DS (which was styled by Italian sculptor). ;)

I can never see the Mezzo gaining the sort of affection that is found with Brompton... no one is ever going to stop a Mezzo owner to admire the bikes looks are they:innocent:

He he he he - we're getting into deep water here. I didn't realise the Mezzo had 27 speeds. I know this for sure, once people get a taste for a bike, it becomes like their girlfriend - the most beautiful creature on the planet, and woe betide anyone who looks upon their love and laughs or makes an uncomplimentary remark. People have died for less.

Let me be uncharacteristically consensual and say that all bikes are things of beauty to their owners and they do us all lots of good unless we drive them under a truck or a bus or a big horrible four wheel drive car.

Peace and love to all (man - this is some good sh*t I'm smoking. :lol:

If the Mezzo was a car it would be French..... their cars are efficient at transporting people from A to B but their designs are incredibly boring and ugly. The nearest thing to anything stylish and good looking was the old Citroen DS (which was styled by Italian sculptor). ;)

A woman friend of mine had a Renault Savanah about ten years ago. It was the worst most unreliable car I have ever had any dealings with. It would stop in traffic for no good reason, the method of attaching the battery was truly grotesque and it would regularly fail to start because the connection was so flaky. It cost her a fortune and the RAC were sick to death of her calling them out when she was broken down somewhere with three little kids in the back. Then her mother bought a neat little Peugeot sports car thing and the moulding surrounding the gear stick came off when she changed gear one day. That was a brand new car. I wouldn 't touch a French car with a barge pole. Germans now - they know how to make a car. Check out that Audi diesel that wins the LeMans 24 hour sports car race every year now on Youtube. It is a revelation. All the other cars are screaming around making a noise that would deafen you and this thing just purrs by at about 3000 revs going Wooooorrrooooom and leaving them all in the dust.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuNtw5XbxJg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChGGWY_CwO0&NR=1

I'm a great diesel fan. I'd never go back to spark ignition having had one. I get fantastic mileage out of mine - 55+ MPG around the city. It is all about thermodynamics and the new ultra high pressure, computer controlled injection systems.

27-speed? I hope it is automatic. :p

Mezzo seems dull to me. Comparing it to Brompton is pointless unless you compare it for a specific function. Brompton is definitely an elegant bike.

He he he he - we're getting into deep water here. I didn't realise the Mezzo had 27 speeds.and woe betide anyone who looks upon their love and laughs or makes an uncomplimentary remark.


My main Mezzo has 27 speed dual drive,the backup bike is 24 speed,as mentioned its not standard. The standard D9 has 9 speeds

No EvilV I am not saying the Mezzo is a "Thing of beauty",I feel it looks better than a Brompton, plenty of people at a local bike show admired the bike today,but I do not care about this issue. Looks at not important,please lets move on to personality!

I can never see the Mezzo gaining the sort of affection that is found with Brompton... no one is ever going to stop a Mezzo owner to admire the bikes looks are they:innocent:

I was at the York bike show today at there was loads of interest in my Mezzo, I would say much more than the Bromptons that were there.

This and looks is a none issue, lets move on ..........................

I would like to see a photo of that 27 speed set up. It would be great if I could mount a double chain ring and front derailer to add top end to my four speed hub.

I would like to see a photo of that 27 speed set up. It would be great if I could mount a double chain ring and front derailer to add top end to my four speed hub.

Instead of 27 speed, have u thought of upgrading to the 8 speed sturmey archer hub instead?

I was at the York bike show today at there was loads of interest in my Mezzo, I would say much more than the Bromptons that were there.



Most likely because Bromptons are a familiar and well established brand :thumb:
Did any of the people who approached you make comments about the strange handlebar stem?:)

Instead of 27 speed, have u thought of upgrading to the 8 speed sturmey archer hub instead?

Yes, I've thought of it, but when questions start rising about wheels and spokes I freak out and run for cover.

Yes, I've thought of it, but when questions start rising about wheels and spokes I freak out and run for cover.

It's not that bad once you start working on one. Any good bike shop can build you a wheel. If you are in nyc I can help you out. However, I am not sure if you will like the SA 8 since its a bit noisy in the higher gears.

I would like to see a photo of that 27 speed set up. It would be great if I could mount a double chain ring and front derailer to add top end to my four speed hub.

Check the thread I started on "upgrading a Mezzo/ORI"

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=510351

This is an old picture, it has a few more upgrades on it now,but my camera has broken.

.You really need to upgrade the hub to address under gearing.As you can not fit a dual chain ring on easily due to the chain guide that is fitted. Although at one time there was talk of a D20. A bit pointless really as under gearing the main weakness.You can go up to a 56 tooth front gog from the standard 54. Beat go for a sturmley or a nexus 8 speed if you do not fancy the Dual drive route. I would like to try this set up sometime also.

What the best price I can get on one of these hubs ?

This is what putt me off before, and i went for dual drive, but maybe I did not do enough digging.
I got a new 3X9 for £75, and a 3X7 on space genie bike for £200. I love the 3X9 on the faster bike.

[QUOTE=PDR;9504040
Did any of the people who approached you make comments about the strange handlebar stem?:)[/QUOTE]

No, but some people commented very favourably about the bullbars and the targia road STI fitted.

Instead of 27 speed, have u thought of upgrading to the 8 speed sturmey archer hub instead?

Yes,may try this later. I have my eye on one on ebay at the moment. I think it will be for another project ?

A modified Mezzo?

Folds a bit bigger ,but I have found a good compromise,than does not effect my commutes.

If it doesn't fit on my lap inside a cab or even a helicopter, if it doesn't fit inside luggage to be checked in without any tools, it is just not a good fit for me...

[QUOTE=bhkyte;9493498]A modified Mezzo?

Folds a bit bigger ,but I have found a good compromise,than does not effect my commutes.QUOTE]

If it doesn't fit on my lap inside a cab or even a helicopter, if it doesn't fit inside luggage to be checked in without any tools, it is just not a good fit for me...

My bike is 3 inches wider at the widest point than my standard handlebar mezzo. Not a big deal.I am looking to make it the same by using less spokes in the front wheel at some time.

I personally nether felt happy with a Brompton on my lap. I think the slight differences in folding size in some dimensions makes little difference, it may not make a difference to you either. It is not reasonable to dismiss the Mezzo on folded size unless you find it does not suit your use.I seriously doubt that. I have never found a situation where my Brompton trumped the Mezzo due to its folded size. It is a comparable folding package that can be used in the same situations, but it feels much bigger to ride, and fits larger riders with out seatpost that add to the folded size.ie extending, telescopic.

A to B magazine (http://www.atob.org.uk/) found the brompton to be 85 liters in volume (August 2006 issue) when folded compared to 188 liters for a 2008 Mezzo (July 2008).

Given that a big part of having a folding bike in the first place is fitting in small places, it seems that the two bikes aren't really comparable. (And I speak as a Birdy owner :-)

That doesn't mean a Mezzo isn't a good bike, just that it really isn't in the same category as a Brompton.

A to B magazine (http://www.atob.org.uk/) found the brompton to be 85 liters in volume (August 2006 issue) when folded compared to 188 liters for a 2008 Mezzo (July 2008).

Given that a big part of having a folding bike in the first place is fitting in small places, it seems that the two bikes aren't really comparable. (And I speak as a Birdy owner :-)

That doesn't mean a Mezzo isn't a good bike, just that it really isn't in the same category as a Brompton.

I think this demonstrates what some posters have been saying for some while, that when it comes to folding there is nothing in the same category as a Brompton.

Mezzo importers complained that their review of the mezzo had many more references to the Brompton than the bikes being reviewed !

Many non Brompton owners have stopped taking any notice of A to B a long, long, time ago....................

Lets talk about real issues that matter, theoretical litreage of folding space, blimey!
I have owned both bikes and stated that the two bike functionality in folding are very similar and practically interchangeable for commuting users.

The differences in the folding size and convenience is not great between the bikes, other wise I would not have swapped. There are several bikes that fold smaller than a Brompton, they are not necessary superior. Surely we are talking about the overall package/bike systems rather than just one aspect, aren't we?

Surely we are talking about the overall package/bike systems rather than just one aspect, aren't we?

Well no, I wasnt. I've had both bikes, and whilst i struggled to believe the volume figures quoted above, to my mind the Brompton fold is far easier sequence to get to grips with than the Mezzo, (what with unlatching & swinging the front wheel and making sure that a mid gear is selected, etc.) and when folded is a far more ergonomic package to handle.

They are both great bikes to ride, as indeed are most bikes made by reputable makers these days, something that doesn't always come over in comments on this forum, folks will get partisan. In my present situation i buy junkers in the market to use before they get stolen, after 50m i hate them, but after a week i love them & would defend them against any & all critisism - bikes are like that, they get under your skin.

Well no, I wasnt. I've had both bikes,

Which Mezzo did you have. The 2005? onward Mezzo bike are better for folding than the old bike. The newer QR releases the front wheel as opposed to 2 stage process before. It now features a mountage "click" QR front fork wheel system, and a better seatpost clamp that is easier to fasten and increases the stiffness. The upgrade fork system and QR is retrofitable at £100,and tthe seatpost clamp £15.

I feel that all folding bikes need some adjusting to. I find the lowering and raising the Brompton seatpost and rear frame clip arrangment a pain, but yes the mezzo fold can go wrong until you are used to it. I much prefer it to the Brompton now. The Brompton is better to push on the rack wheels, but again I have got used to the mezzos 2 rather than 4 rack wheels. I rarely used this feature anyway on any folder. With the mezzo I find I tend to unfold it more than I did with the Brompton or Merc clone. I miss the ability of the front QR luggage of the Brompton, but prefer the size, shape, aerodynamics and balance of the mezzo QR rear rack bag system to the front QR system generally. I have the ability of the front QR system on my curve if I need it for shopping.