Yep. Now that I realize how much coin I’m going to spend getting my Mercier to a decent level, I realize I perhaps should have ponied up and ordered a Zeta. I like the Merc, but this has been somewhat of a lesson in the old axiom that the pain of high price is felt once while the pain of low quality is felt many times over. This being said, learning to work on my own bike, being forced to by the M, is not without benefit. I can see the day potentially coming where I sell the M and use the proceeds toward a better quality mini. But the Merc is a decent way to dip a toe in the water if you’re willing to do some work yourself.

edit. Yikes. I just noticed the Zeta is even heavier than the Mercier, despite having an Alu frame. Surprising. Maybe the appeal isn’t quite as strong now that I think about pedaling around a 28 pound mini.