bhkyte

Now your getting it. !!!
Lol

bhkyte

Very good points (including not requoted)
I use an telescopic post with the top half swoped for a suspension seatpost.
This means on my mezzos I can swop between ridgid and suspension setups quickly . With a spare set of wheels one can swop ratios and tyres quickly due to qr skewers. Perfect to alter a fast commute bike for touring.

Agree folding bikes elvoving too slowly. Often too many compromisers unless one custom build or upgrades

Ozonation

I'm not sure where this thread is headed (does it matter after a while ?), but I really like how my Brompton has come in so handy in many different situations. The integration of the luggage system, the compact fold, and just the overall "fit" really come together.

But that being said... I wouldn't mind some flexibility and perhaps some changes. For example, I swapped out the EZ wheels for inline wheels. The EZ wheels are easier to turn the bike when towing it, but are barely sufficient for any smooth rolling or stability. I wouldn't mind a Brompton with a 20" tire version so that I could swap in Big Apples for some better suspension: I'd be willing to tolerate a slightly larger fold footprint for some more cycling versatility. And while the 6 speed gearing works well, why not have a 11 speed option from Shimano or others?

I know that such changes mean the original design gets tampered with, but I'd be willing to accept such changes.

dynaryder

D'oh! Why didn't I think of that? Oh,that's right,they don't make Mezzo's any more. They changed to Ori,which while very nice,are impossible to find around here,and expensive to boot. I actually tried to get a leftover Mezzo from one of the local shops,but wasn't quick enough.

No it isn't;the Brompton had a better fold,the Mezzo was a better bicycle. It rode better,handled better,had better brakes,better gearing(one shifter,no big jumps between gears),and the wheels came off without tools. The Brompton is good for folding,the Mezzo was good for riding.

kamtsa

The Jifo killed it. ;-)

smallwheeler

i didnt find the mezzo to be superior in handling or ride quality to the brompton s6l. if i understand correctly, the intended function of both bikes is for urban multi-modal commuting. so, even if the brompton was somewhat inferior in handling and/or ride quality to the mezzo or birdy, the brompton still wins on superior folding. also, i've never understood the criticism about brompton brakes. i suppose that's a knock-on effect from complaints about the brakes from the late 90's bromptons? and personally, i love the gear spacing on the 6 speed BWR brompton.

complaints i find to be legitimate are regarding the crappy plastic shifters and the aluminum frame clamps. i wonder what the designers at brompton thought when they saw the brompfication clamps? surely, they had already thought of this. if one shoulder of the clamp is 4mm longer the clamp won't spin. solved!

badmother

also early 90`s B brakes can work! I upgraded the dorky looking brake handles on my early 90`s B to Tektro FL 750. https://www.google.no/search?q=Tektr...w=1366&bih=638

I also put new housing: https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/I...inal/23407.jpg

misplaced the brakeshoes I bought so those plus calipers are old.

Had a "near death experience" innside a hedge in Copenhagen in the middle of May as I was riding fast I decided to take a U-turn trough a hedge (in fear of being late to catch the boat/ship) just to find there was already a Cristiania bike innside the hedge. Brakes worked just fine, would have ended up in the C`s box with my B on top of me if they did not.. (Cute guy riding the C so maybe not so bad..)

They need to be properly adjusted- if they are they`ll stop.

smallwheeler

a romantic comedy starring jennifer anniston and matthew mcconaughey...

smallwheeler

does anyone know what we technically call the sort of, "double-vertical" stem riser? is such a thing generically manufactured? i've been looking for such a thing but dont know what to properly call it..

dynaryder

<shrug>I did. I owned a Mezzo for about a year and a half,and have owned a Brompton for like 3yrs,and the Mezzo def handled and rode better.

The intended function of the bikes is that they can be ridden and folded. The Mezzo rides better,the Brompton folds better. If I just wanted something that didn't take up much space,or would fit in the trunk of a car,I'd choose the Mezzo hands down. If I was folding/unfolding the bike multiple times a day for a multi-modal commute,I'd choose the Brompton.

I've only ever ridden modern Bromptons. My Mezzo had a caliper front brake and a V rear. Both had superior feel at the lever,and both could be opened for easy wheel removal(also both wheels had QR's and there was no shifter cable or chain tensioner to remove).

bhkyte

I guess fairness and balance goes both ways. Some of my critisms in the past may have been out of ignorence. Brompton Brakes are fine on modern versions , rear is better than a d9 but not a d10. The mk2 brakes are weak, but they can be upgraded to be ok. Mezzo handling is differenct, and ride different from brompton.- find a brommie wobbles and fits badly, but I have never had a bespoke version. Generally feel mezzo stiffer and faster, not as smooth certainly as brommie.

I prefer mezzo luggage options, but brompton front bwag is convient
Mezzois more adjustable.
Nearly all brompton advantages I have negated by cheap upgrades.
Suspension, gearing,front bag (ori)available, 4 wheels on rack ori upgrade or made one.

Brompton upgraders will opt to try to achive mezzo or other competitors advantagers.

badmother

And which one of them would play me??

smallwheeler

lance armstrong, of course.

badmother

Of course, he is almost as fast and almost as cute as me...

James H Haury

Fenders "Silly"? Wait till it rains and have a laugh when you don't want to ride. Why does Brompton need to die?

Elvis Shumaker

^ the fenders on that Jifo looked pretty inadequate, probably as well off as on.

I'd love a Brompton and am sure to end up with one some day, but the heavy hi-ten frame puts me off a little. The Jifo looks cute as a button, it has to be said.

smallwheeler

PDR

I don't know what it is called..... but look at it... its is a hideous looking contraption

PDR

I've been riding my B-Spoke, S-Type 2 speed, Titanium Brompton in all weathers for over 4 years without fenders / mudguards. I specifically ordered that bike without them (and I've just put in another B-Spoke order for a S-Type 6-speed without fenders). I've found that with the wheels being smaller / further away from you that there isn't the same amount of spray you would find with a standard bike. I typically wear Craghopper Combats and they dry really quickly. If it is really chucking it down I will put on my waterproof over-trousers but this is very rare.
For me the added weigh of mudguards just isn't worth it... plus I think the bike looks so much better without them.

snafu21

^^^

I was almost called a weight-weenie by a chum at the weekend for riding my bike without rack or mudguards. 'Makes it lighter' I said. The real reason is that the stays get bent chucking the bike into the car and the rack scratches the car interior. Doncha just hate that?

I think bikes look better without them. Unless it's a Mezzo when they have a structural function.

As a possibly non-relevant post-script I sold my brilliant Mezzo earlier this year. I thought its design and engineering made the Brompton's construction look like it came from the Flintstones, and the ride quality at the front was much better for me.

But freed from the need for multi-modal use, I prefer 20" wheels on something I can still chuck in the back of the car. (I live in the sticks.) If I had to use the Tube in London twice a day, I'd probably still have a Mezzo.

bhkyte

What would be interesting is if there was a fashion for dahons.
In the uk there are some shops that stock mainly bromptons. This is mainly market driven, but I feel a lot of this is brand fashion. I realise brompton is good at what it does, however. ....

If a shop stocked all the dahon range and parts it would be fantastic. Jifo throught to matrix tern 30.

Ori has a potential to offer a carbon fibre 20 inch 30 speed bike, to a 16 "city. Not quite as impressive as daohons extensive range and upgrades like beam saddle and thudbuster.

When I go to my preferred local biike shop its nearly all brompton, thry have only just started getting dahons in after tern spilt. It would be nice if some shops/manufactores had more of a range with a long term view. Proportionally a greater share of all bikes sold could be folding bikes if they were visable and available.

bhkyte

Sanfu "I sold my brilliant Mezzo earlier this year. I thought its design and engineering made the Brompton's construction look like it came from the Flintstones, and the ride quality at the front was much better for me."

I am surprised at your ignorence, you have also owned a Brompton. Surley by now you have realsied from thew weight of evidence that your preference is incorrect !!
Lol

snafu21

^^^ Yes, I appeared to have erred somewhat. Moreover my Mezzo was pink. How utterly wrong was THAT?

The new bike is a funny shade of red. This too, make be a mistake. But I didn't want a British Racing Green bike. :-)

The Brompton-only shops are a bit odd. Fudges in London stock Dahons and much else, Moultons, and Pacific Reach. My local LBS, where I bought the Brompton was near the railroad station, so they sold mainly to commuters. Bromptons only. Although I'm a Cytech accredited bike-mechanic, they wouldn't let me take the Brompton without them doing a pre-delivery inspection on it. When I got it home I had to reset the brake shoes and gear cable tension.

Tut-tut. Although the Mezzo bottom bracket developed a wobble last year. Tut squared.

PDR

When I bought a new Dahon MU SL in 2008 I expected admiring glances from other Dahon owners around the main railway station, but what I found was rather different ..... I noticed a guy with a nice Dahon Speed Pro TT so I called to him that I liked his bike (I had my MU SL with me at the time)... he looked at me as though I was some weirdo on day release from the mental hospital I've come to the conclusion that the typical Dahon owner is the same sort of person who would shop at Primark... they know the clothes etc. are crap but they are cheap and serve a purpose... and they don't really want other people to notice their merchandise. I only had Dahons for around 5 months (2 replacement MU SL's because of frame wear issues) before I switched over to Brompton... best choice ever

By contrast I know that when I see another person with a Brompton the least I will get is a "knowing wink" and probably a wave / "hello" too. Even if I don't have my Brompton with me I know that I can pretty much walk up to any other Brompton owner for a quick chat about their bike. I have NEVER yet met a Brompton owner who didn't like / love their bike.

Four years on I still get plenty of complete strangers of both sexes and all age groups, looking and asking about the Brompton...... people are just drawn to it.

I've chatted to Moulton, Bike-friday and Birdy owners, all positive.... its just Dahon owners that seem a sad bunch.

snafu21

'Its just Dahon owners that seem a sad bunch.'

Y'know, most of us just can't be bothered with another time-wasting Brompton nerd boasting about riding a piece of over-priced rusting luggage.

Many Dahon owners have much better bikes designed in the 21st Century. :-)