It's horses for courses. If I were rich, and I am not, the curvy Mezzo D10, with snazzy hydroformed frame would be the next upgrade, but the D9 works well for me.

I don't think that there's much in the speed of the fold or unfold of either bike. As Omiak says, the Brompton has those little twiddly butterfly clamps which work very well, but it's all a bit Steampunk. Both ends of the Mezzo snap together like an automatic weapon in about five seconds, and there are quick releases on the wheelsfor puncture repairs, and so on. A Mezzo Quick Release rear wheel comes out in about ten seconds, about five to ten minutes longer for the hub-geared Brompton, they say. Wheel-nuts mean carring a spanner, but QR's mean losing a wheel if you leave the bike locked up outside. Although you won't.

One important factor in rider comfort is handlebar height, the Mezzo has a telescopic handlebar post, along with most other 21st Century bikes, the Brompton does not, but offers a pretzel shaped handlebar as an extra instead. I'm a funny shape, so the Mezzo fits me well. I prefer a slightly head-down position which puts a little weight on my wrists; and therefore the front tyre for more grip, I can fine tune that on the Mezzo, but not on the Brompton which was too low for me. Consequently there was too much weight, and too much road shock coming up through the bars. If you're tall, telescopic handbar posts on smaller bikes are vital.

Aesthetics are important, I agree. I still don't know if I'm horrified by my rose-pink Mezzo, or in love with it. It's just a bit 'Hello Kitty.'

RE: luggage, I have the large Mezzo bike briefcase/bag, I found on ebay for £15 ($25?) It's fine for a day out, or lugging books and a laptop to lectures. The Mezzo and Brompton racks will take a variety of luggage by other manufacturers.



Storage Bags for either are available. I got a generic carry bag for the price of two burgers from Ebay. The bike sleeps in that in my car.

Finally, the Mezzo uses a standard derailléur drive train, a great advantage for me. The rear cogs ('Cassette') can be replaced in minutes, or a 11-32 tooth granny cog-set fitted for hilly areas and a wider spread of all nine ratios. The front crankset can be reduced to a 48T for Alpine pursuits, or increase for street racing, fitting both costs only around £44, and the originals can be refitted at any time. The original chain is retained for these changes.

Drivetrain spares: rear mech, chains and so forth are no more expensive than for a mid range road bike or, say, a Dahon folder.