Yahay! Got my Mezzo delivered today. Will post pics soonish.
Rode it around the office (I'm one of the bosses, and its only a small bike, so its kind of ok...) and rode it halfway home from work (I took the bus halfway home to test out whether it travelled well in its folded state.
First impressions - this is definitely a well designed, quality bike. Better finish (anodised silver), smoother feel and nicer parts than my Downtube IXFS. But then I guess I'd expect it - the DT cost £200, the Mezzo £500. Initially I was bothered by some nasty creaking around the front stem, which was surprising in what seemed otherwise a well set up bike. But a bit of lube on the folding joint sorted out the source of the problem pretty quickly.
Visually, its stunning. Not quite as jaw dropping as the new Birdys or the Go-Bike (both of which it arguably shares some design concepts with), but definitely much more assertive and aggressive looking than you expect a 16" wheeled bike to get away with...
Riding home, was impressed with the super smooth ride. This feels like a much bigger bike than it actually is. Despite there being a fair few bumps in the road and the Mezzo having no suspension, it just cruised through - in some ways again more pleasant than the DT's suspension bounce. Having said that, the Shiman Capreo gearset is definitely more touchy than the SunSport set on the DT - this is a bike that doesn't tolerate crashing through gears. Having said that, the rather fab tap fire shifter doesn't really let you misbehave, and is a joy compared to the (for me) rather narrow grip shift on the DT. Frame (as you'd expect) is nice and stiff. Only slight quibble is that the handlebar stem seems to flex a bit more than might be ideal (but I guess this is a result of the slightly eccentric offset design of the thing). Gearing also seems a little low - but perhaps I'm just not used to the different feel of riding on 16" wheels.
Folding is fairly straightforward - as the video in Chop's initial post demonstrates - though took a lot of staring at the instruction sheet and practice to get right. Main problems are the need to precisely align pedals with right hand crank pointed horizontally backwards and shift into middle gears before starting to fold, and a tendency for the other side of the front wheel quick release bolt to crash into the derailleur kit as is swings down to lock. But so far only a bit of scratching caused to the Shimano decal and no other damage. Hopefully I'll get better with practice. Overall size when folded is a little bit bigger than a Brompton, but still very manageable and tidy, with everything either clipping into place or lying neatly where intended. When the folding works as you intend (and its happening more often) everything feels just right and clicks into place nicely. And carrying around in folded state is easy and straightforward, using the saddle as a handle.
Unfolding is event easier - provided you remember to raise the seatpost to avoid it preventing the back half of the bike from swinging back into place. The catches are very nicely engineered, ergonimic and super smooth in action. Although the front wheel quick clamping mechanism was a little stiff at first (something that seemed to completely throw the Folding Soc reviewer), after 10 or so folds it is working as smoothly as the rest of the bike.
Am I pleased with my purchase? You bet. An exceptionally nice bike, and one I can see me getting seroius use out of on multimodal commutes both in London and around Cambridge, where my business has just opened an office. And it isn't a Brompton, which helps it stand out from the London folding crowd.
Will I be getting rid of my Downtube? Certainly not. Its kind of hard to describe, but whilst the DT is inferior to the Mezzo in most ways - cheaper kit, larger and cruder fold, plainer finish - it is undoubtedly more fun. When it comes to plought around on a weekend, beating the bike around and then doing it all over again, the DT comes out top. But for the midweek smooth, stylish commute, I think I've found a soulmate.