Originally Posted by
EvilV
Absolutely you can. It'll be interesting to read how you compare the mini and the merc.
They are quite different. Ignoring the drivetrain differences which are obvious ...
We passed along the Merc To Seasame since the boss and I moved a little further out from the District and those around town jaunts never take place anymore. I can't remember whether this was mentioned before, but she is also in her second trimester, so she is riding less now and will be riding even less in another two months.
The Merc definitely is more compact and quicker folding than the modified Mini.
I think that the Mini with a long stem has better handling qualities than the Merc. Although I would say the reverse is true regarding an unmodified Mini. Then again, for ergonomic reasons I rarely rode the Merc--the boss did almost all of the riding--so there are a lot of things going on here.
I never had to take apart the Merc like I did the Mini. So it is difficult for me to comment on the QA and such. But with the Mini, I would definitely recommend following Yan's new instructions.