cpg

Good to hear you got the wobble fixed, the rear clamp can be adjusted in the same way.

I am in the process of fitting skate wheels to my Mezzo. I was going to do my own version of the Ori easy rolling kit but I notice from your photo that you have fitted extra wheels to the rack where the clamp is. Is that your own invention or something you bought?

prone

I actually replaced the mezzo rack wheels with some spare brompton wheels I had-all works well and the bike folds and stands well-but notice the extra long piece at the back of the front mudguard (also a Brompton part-a seat post bung!) which was necessary to keep the bike stable when folded. The alfine 11-speed hub has been terrific, and definitely worth the change, at least for me.

cpg

I have have replaced the small wheels at the end of the rack with roller blade wheels and made brackets to attach a second pair of wheels to the front end of the rack. I re-used one of the original small wheels in place of the foot on the front mud guard. When folded it rolls very easily and is a big improvement on just the small wheels at the end of the rack. The small wheel bracket on the mudguard needs some work, its a bit bendy, I will probably make a different bracket with more offset to the outside for stability. The roller blade wheels are 62mm diameter and 18mm wide.

bhkyte

Great stuff, would a front caster on front good idea ??
I will do this mod soon. Thank you for photos. Where did bracket come from?

In my expereience claer rollerblade wheel on rear aid the visability of LCD lights as they warp the light around to sides and front aspects.

chagzuki

Perhaps with a klickfix seatpost-mounted bag/basket the bike could be quite 'trolleyable', reversing the seat post and leaving it extended? Would that work or does the seat post lock the fold in the same way as a brompton?

cpg

I made all the brackets using my lathe and milling machine and I am in the process of anodizing them black. The mudguard wheel bracket is just a piece of bent aluminium plate but the grade of ally is too soft and it bends too easily so I am thinking about an alternative design. This wheel is not a true castor, its fixed in place and can not swivel in the way a castor would. I thought long and hard about a proper castor but decided that with the four fixed wheels on the rack it would be of no benefit as the bike can not turn on the spot.

The seat post height can be set so as to use the seat as a handle to pull the bike along, similar to the Brompton. I can imagine rotating the seat and using a seat post mounted rack would make a good trolley and if rotated slightly more towards the rear wheel (when folded) would help the stability, especially the front mud guard stand is not be lengthened to suit the height of the skate wheels. I would like to use the slip on cover with the bike but I dont know if the seat can be passed through the top of the cover to be used as a handle.

bhkyte

Yes it does

cpg

I am not a fan of the standard handle bars so I have replaced them with some xc bars. Chain Reaction Cycles have some FSA riser bars in the sale for £4.99 delivered so I bought a set along with a pair of Clarks bar end grips. To me, it feels a lot more comfortable to ride now, the new bars and bar end dont hamper the fold and there is also more space for mounting lights, computers, etc.

morphix

Great to have a Mezzo thread, I'm a big fan of these bikes having recently just bought a D9 (second-hand).

When I saw the Mezzo D9 advertised and reviewed everywhere, its weight was given as 11kg which is what really attracted me to the bike, that and the very compact fold.. however, on receiving my bike (2010 model) and weighing it, I was surprised to find it weighs 12.3kg. I don't believe anything has been changed on the bike and don't know whether D9's made post-2010 are lighter..

Having ridden the bike, I'm amazed at the quality of the bike and ride...especially the gearing.. I've seen some reviews say the Mezzo D9 is under-geared, but for me it feels like a perfect gear range.. I can climb very steep hills without standing and pedal down the other side in 9th still and keep up nicely. Saying that, I'm not exactly fit and have a bad knee..perhaps very fit cyclists would indeed find the Mezzo D9 under-geared. I think the latest incarnation of the Mezzo has 10-speed? So this may solve this under-gearing problem for fitter people.

I can relate to some of your criticisms and weak points mentioned above.. particularly the last part of the fold-down where the front wheel locks into that slot..this for me is the big weak point of the bike that needs improving (unless it's just my bike).. the front wheel doesn't seem to want to slot in naturally and doesn't stay there when it does go into the slot. I feel that makes the fold-down awkward. I've found a simple solution to this though.. I "hang" the front wheel above the slot via its little rail thing, over the derailleur, which seems to provide a more secure fold and doesn't open out when you carry or drag it. You also have to remember to to shift the gears to the middle before folding else the chain, else things can get messy and the chain hangs over the frame and may even come off.

I think the anodised frame, rack and handlebar is a huge plus on the Mezzo and helps preserve the durability and keep the bike free of scratches and nicks which are all too common on folders..especially black, which mine is! Although mine is 18 months old the frame is spotless and like new. That for me, makes these bikes very good value for money and good investments, particularly since they can be bought on the second hand market for a fraction of Bromptons.

I think the Mezzo is a serious competitor to the Brompton but for some reason hasn't really captured the market or made such a big impression as one might expect. I think perhaps the unusual angular front of the bike and forwards handlebar appearance might put some people off (even though this is a key design feature for a compact fold and better steering than the Brompton). Perhaps it's just down to competition from Dahon (JetStream's were selling at same price as Mezzo's new)..Although I've never ridden a Brompton from what I can tell from all the glowing reviews of Mezzo's and comprisons by experienced reviewers and owners of Bromptons, the Mezzo definitely is a better bike in terms of ride.

bhkyte

They dont weight 11kg. Bike weighing alters sometimes it excludes details like pedals and seats. The current bikes are no lighter as far as I know. (the Ori / D10 frame is lighter by a fraction of a KG? TTBOMK).

I feel your last point in reverse is the main reason why Bromptons out sell Mezzo.
People have heard the hype about Bromptons buy without comparing the ride to a Mezzo. Thats what I did. Then I sold my Brompton after test riding a Mezzo. Then I bought another Mezzo and upgraded both to 21/ and 27 speed dualdrive and so forth.
I now now rebrought a Brompton at a silly price that I could not turn down !!

cpg

This isn't a design fault, it needs a simple bit of adjusting. There is an allen head grub screw in either side of the clip, simply tighten each one by a small amount and check the fit and repeat as necessary. Page 27 of the manual, downloaded from the Mezzo web site, describes how to make the adjustment.

sillyoldtwit

Hello ,
I also have a d 10 and am going to fit a rohloff 14 speed hub but I'm not sure if the dropouts on the mezzo are standard.....I'm getting my local bike shop to fit the hub but they won't order it themselves so I have to buy it myself. On the rohloff website they list the various types of hub and the dropouts that corrospond to them but like I say I'm not sure if the d 10 has the standard king .....they all look much the same to me.

bhkyte

All Mezzo drop out are 135mm (to the best of my kniowege), so you can fit anything really
Ie its a standard width.
Your Rohloff should go striaght in no problem with shortened spokes due to the hub size.
How many spokes ??
You might have issues with the cable /click box for the Rolhoff fouling the mezzo rear frame clip mounted near the drailer.
This locks the front forks in postion once folded. This can easily be removed to allow the roholff to be fitted, and moved elsewhere.
There are other ways around this mentioned in the "dualdrive on a mezzo thread"
In the thread the OP converted his I4 to a nexus 8. Ori bike use a nexus 8 speed anyway so I see no reason why the rolhoff should be a problem.

That will be a very nice bike when finished, but I like dual drive matched to brifers myself.

cpg

Has any one thought of or tried converting to a double chain ring and front derailleur? I think the small chain ring on a triple crank will catch the frame in the area where the rear hinges but a double should be fine. Might be a cheap and easy way to improve the gearing, especially on the I4.

bhkyte

Guess what, I have!!
Problems were;
1 biggest chain ring it takes for the chain cather is 56, but maybe if mounted as an outer ring not an issue if you fold with the bike in small ring?
2 it will work with brifthers , yeah.....
3 lack of chain guard (but could add a plasatic ring like brommie)
4 main problem is mounting the front shifter. Will need an adatper.
5 lack of cable stopper braze ons ( use frame clips)
6 cable routing for extra cable ( see dual drive mezzo thread for infro)

So no real problems other than mounting it! (4) don't think
6 will be difficult.

There are steven perry brompton kit(£50 ttbomk),a dahon one?,bike friday don't use one? There is abloke who spent £1000s on a campaqnolo mezzo with drops. Which seems pointless to me because it will fold clumsewrly and still be undergeared unless he fit a 68t.

Ther was a thread recewtly about a front drailler that attachers to a bottom bracket being a possibility. (D or g type?)

Asaik none of the ori 's use an adapter or a front changer?

cpg

Thats promising, I am sure the mounting problem can be overcome with a bit of engineering and metalwork.

Some of the Supaz range have a front derailier but I am not sure those bikes are directly comparable to a standard Mezzo/Ori.

bhkyte

You ve got a lathe........... and a customer!!

ORis are either a D10 monocoque frame or a 20" version, Or carbon.

cpg

And a milling machine.

bhkyte

Drop bar on mezzo. Or brommie, fitting bar end drop bars. From inbox. Maybe of interest to all you mezzo upgraders out there!

I think you will not be able to keep a compact fold on the mezzo with drops. That's why I opted for compromise low profile types. On the mezzo you need the stem needsto be high to get bars with forward reach to fold compactly.
My bars add around 3 inches folding width. But make a great improvement. Thought about improving this, but generally I am extremely happy with it.
I know you (cqp) are very enterprising so I wait with interest!!

You might want to consider
1) Cutting bars down, or mount upside down.
2) Can bar ends go throught spokes when folded; reduce front wheel spoke number. make bigger gap.
3) Do you rest front wheel on rear triangle when you fold? Ie you removed front wheel clip. If not, I am interested in what you did instead? Anyway this does reduce folding size about 1/2 to an inch in width.
4) Adjusting the angle the stem folds at might also help? Not sure if when I tried it had any effect and difficult to get right. Leave alone unless sure it will make a difference.
4) Consider a stem extender that quick releases. Ie dahon andres or moddify a santori ( see little pixel threads)

You might be able to try some of the kit I have for this last point.
Reguards the last one point I have been also considering the swift option for my brommie. I am having some slippage difficulties with dahon stem. Problem is the qr is not independantly adjustable. I need to get the stem section to grip better. Bars clamp ok. Might just need to add a coat of hammerite paint to act as a shim. Dahon intended for less leverage than drop type bars. Best on flats.

If hammerite option does not work I might need to rethink.
Considering the options at moment as I also have a santori stem ( with out qr mod). This might work better.

Another option on brommie is that a 45 cm wide bullbar bar will fold either side of the front wheel with no other modifications or qr needed. Not been able to find a suitable bar this wide in 25.4mm. So bar ends sound ideal. If so I will have two dahon stems.

cpg

I have bought a used pair of Origin 8 drop bar ends, the same as these. https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/origin8-p...ack-prod18606/
Some time ago I replaced the Mezzo bars with shallow riser MTB bars and ergonomic bar ends. Being wider, the bars enable the bar ends to sit either side of the front wheel when folded.

I tried longer bar ends but they hit the front forks when folding, I am expecting the same to happen with the drop bar ends. So I think bhkyte is correct, I will probably need a QR stem to enable the bars to rotate out the way so the ends dont hit the forks and then rotate into a final more compact position. I wont really know until the bar ends arrive but I am thinking about getting a Dahon QR stem or modifying the Mezzo stem to be QR. I intend to keep the flat bar brake levers and shifters to keep the fold as compact as possible and I only tend to go onto the drops when cruising.
When the bike was setup as a standard I4 I did some experimenting with cutting up drop bars but then I realised that the grip shifter would not go round the curves. With drop bar ends that would no longer be an issue. Now the bike is dual drive its not an issue either but my main reason for going with bar ends is to get a wide spacing when used with the MTB bars so they will sit either side of the front wheel. The shallow rise MTB bars are approximately 59 cm from end to end.

Bhkyte, I dont think hammerite will be up to the job, how about cutting up an aluminium drinks can to use a shim? Be careful of the edges, they will be sharp so make the shim a little narrower than the width of the clamp so the edges are concealed.

bhkyte

Had a look at my bike again. You have a lot to answer for!!

Personally I can not see a way of fitting drops or bullbars without effecting the foldling width.

Best bet I feel is to fit a qr stem and use bullbars.

Bar end do give you the ability to alter width to find a space. So this is proberly the right way to attempt it.
Maybe tha dahon stem would give you the forward reach and then fit cut down bullbars like mine. You may be able to get more forward reach than my set up, and still have a more compact fold. I have cut down the stem on my mezzo. The shorter reach bars would put less leverage on to the clamp so it would have more chance of holding.
Still think between spokes is most likely way of accomadating the brake levers.
Another possibility is what someone suggested in the fitting dahon androes stem on brompton thread. A promax quill. This could be attached to a tube and inserted in the stem holder clamp.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/promax-1-...-mm-prod25833/

The advantage of using the dahon androes stem on the brompton is that the bars can be rotated and curve beutifully around the top of the wheel. Width is possibly narrower than standard bike. Cut down bars would not fold as well. Brompton should add this design!

I wounder about folding the bars down on the other side of the mezzo ?

cpg

Sorry Are you now thinking of removing the Dahon stem from the Brompton and fitting it to the Mezzo?
The Promax stem is interesting, that's another potential solution to add into the mix.
Hmmm, I am not sure about folding the stem on the other side of the bike as the offset with the hinge open is enough to get the stem to sit in the correct position. Perhaps that wont matter with full dropped bars. There is only one to find out, try it.

cpg

Bar ends have arrived and are fitted. As yet I don't have bar tape on them and I am still using the brake levers and shifters that are attached to the flat bars. Positioning might need some tweaking. First impressions are that it feels a bit strange having drops that are that wide, probably because my daily ride is a 1980's road bike with narrow dropbars. Other than that it feels more efficient which was one of my main objectives.
It has increased the folded width. Most of the time the fold is fine but for those occasions when it needs to be as compact as possible a QR bar clamp such as the Dahon would no doubt do the job. I might play around with different stem orientations such as those suggested by bhkyte and see it makes any improvement.

bhkyte

Nice work. I will get some of this bar ends also. I like the fact that my black bike has no more folding stagers. So I am tempted to leave it alone.
Looks like going for the wide drops and a qr will get a compact fold like I got on the bullbar brompton.

Re quick release.
Tried hamerrite paint on stem extension tube on brommie, but it did not cure properly so reappling and will try again.
I also tried the anodised santori stem tube instead of the powder coated tube I had. This seems to hold ok on first test ride.
So I suggest you go for an anodosised finished tube to mount a qr on. A problem might occur that you might not have thought of.

Youthe bars to have a flat untappered middle section of 25. 4mm to acomadate the qr stems. Great if your bars have this, most don't. Needs to be about 100mm for dahon and 80 for santori.
Wounder if promax best option if compactable.

Advantage of santori is the double clamps are seperated so they can be mounted closer together,plus also its the only 4bolt stem option here. So you don't need to strip levers and tape off each time.
Dahon looking like worst option now for drops on a mezzo. Works well as an off the shelf option for flat bars.

Your photo looks encouraging.
How wide will the bars need to be to clear the wheels on your set up?
Have you tried altered the stem folding angle? Looks like you have a possibity of getting the back drops,(when folded), to fold flatter to the bike if the front bars rotate out a bit?

bhkyte

Re droped bar mods

Had a trail fit of tha santoi stem extender on my mezzo. I have not made the santori in to a qr yet. See photos. Certainly looks like it can field a compact fold. My bars are lower than cqp as my stem clamp has about 2" cut off.
Seemed to work best when satori mounted vertically , because of last point.
Folding was very awkward as one reachers the extreme range of the folding stem. Ie more than 90 degrees. I don't intend to do this mod due to this.
Wider higher bars like cqp might work better. Not sure if bullbars still will fold more compact than drops if using a qr. Certainly without it bullbars far more compact.