14R 

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

invisiblehand

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

"Bringing Merc to the USA"

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ferrerid=31812

"Brompton & Merc Folders"

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ferrerid=31812

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

14R 

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.

EvilV

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.

LittlePixel

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...

14R 

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...

Wavshrdr

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!

14R 

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...

yellowjacket

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

Fear&Trembling

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.

Wavshrdr

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!

Fear&Trembling

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…

EvilV

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.

Chop!

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

windywheels

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!

14R 

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

EvilV

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.

14R 

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

EvilV

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.

windywheels

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: https://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.

EvilV

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: https://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

Fear&Trembling

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?

windywheels

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!

EvilV

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....



https://www.multimap.com/map/browse.c...multimap.y=262

windywheels

Hi again!
Yesterday I had my first commuting from my job to my house!
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.