I can't ride my bike, even when I hold the handlebars.

Took the Mezzo to the Peak District in the UK, for five days of hiking and cycling. We had a week of hot days at 24 C. Took the bike along the Monsal Trail, an old railway line now converted to a mild 'offroad' piste, mainly hard flat crushed limestone.

http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visit...le/monsaltrail

Kojaks were fine. The trail goes through old sooty steam train tunnels, through limestone gorges, and so forth. It's about 9 miles long, so did it twice for a workout. Mezzo very fast on this hardpack, compared to lumbering 'mountain' bikes everyone else was riding. Then hopped into nearest town (Bakewell), fodled the bike up, and went into a bistro for lunch with it. Perfect.

The good folk of inland Derbyshire appeared never to have seen a fodling bike before, the Mezzo was stared at for the whole week of the holiday.

http://i39.tinypic.com/eir0p.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/23vnf3m.jpg

Your shadow instantly reminded me of "Letters from Iwo Jima", dunno why!

^^^ It's the M1903 Springfield slung from my left shoulder, and the Camel cigarette dangling nonchalently from my lips. (Don't try this at home.) I'm also wearing my regulation 'bike nerd' p*ss-pot MTB helmet.

Snafu, they stared because it's a gorgeous bike, 'fodled' or not. :)

<blush>

I've had the leaflet for that ride in my intray since the end of last autumn, only put of by it being such a long way to go for a quite short ride, spectacular as it may be.

There is of course The Bakewell Tarts to consider - did they live up to expectation ?

The Monsal trail is anodyne, apart from the scenery, and quite short. Moreover it is populated, at least when the sun comes out, by every Harry and his unfettered dog, and his unfettered and witless small chidlren. Dodging these represents the only hazard. My own nearby bike ride , The Meon Valley Trail, is also an old railway line, but covered in pot-holes, boulders, bear-traps, horse-apples, dog-lumps, stolen golf buggies, entire fallen trees that weren't there last night, and wild dogs which tear at your ankles just before you run them over because you can't stop on the loose surface. It's much more fun.

Bakewell has been gentrified since I as last there; a French Bistro has a-sprouted, and you can now get vegetables to eat which haven't been boiled to death. We hired a cutesy cottage, and spent the week stuffing our faces, climbing lonesome limestone ridges with a gazillion pounds worth of satellite mapping kit, (I'm an amateur cartographer for OpenStreetMap,) and cycling like a mad potty thing before the locals emerged from their hangovers. If you're a bit outdoorsy, 'tis the place to be outdoors. Mr Mezzo loved it.

No 'Bakewell Tarts' were ate, due to me trying, and failing, to shed my winter hibernation fat-store. Local scenery:

http://i40.tinypic.com/2h2pik8.jpg

I have asked this in other threads, but I will ask it here again. Anyone travelled by air with one of these in hardcase of any kind ? Would you ? Could you ? Just the gearing makes it attractive for these kind of jaunts...

(edit by this I mean besides our S Korea pal's home made box...)

Well, I'm literally sitting at a gate waiting to taxi (if you miss your slot at Heathrow it can be a long wait) with my mezzo in the hold in a soft case. In 30 hours (?!) I'll let you know how I get on.
Last time was fine but this time I'm changing planes.

Anyone know where I can test ride a Mezzo in Western Canada? (Calgary or Vancouver)

http://www.cambiecycles.com/folders.html

Vancouver. They advertise the newer Ori D9 with yummy curvy frame. The Mezzo brand name seems reserved for the UK, the frames carry a little Union Jack logo.

Thanks for the link. One of the stores in Toronto had a sale on actual Mezzo's a year or so ago but back then I didn't have the funds. I don't know how the brand name works since on their site you can choose UK or USA.

A few more questions.
1. Does anyone have one around here in Toronto (GTA) that I might be able to test ride?
2. Will the Greenspeed Scorchers fit the Ori D9?
3. Any pics comparing the folded size of a Mezzo/Ori next to a Brompton?

Really want to get one of these as soon as I sell my Dahon Speed D7. I want something that folds smaller and also different geometry. Thought about Brompton but they're just too expensive for me and too many proprietary parts.

Tyres - if the Br*mpt*n accepts them so will the Mezzo/Ori. Out with the boys yesterday, it was noticable that the Mezzo with its high pressure Kojak slicks, rolled further without pedalling than a couple of 20" bikes fitted with Schwalbe Marathons. (The 20" bikes had hub gears though.) I don't know what the bikes now come with, but the original Mezzo tyres were 85 psi medium pressure tyres. I think the high pressure tyres address the increased rolling resistance of 16" rubber.

See this pic for side-by-side images. The Ori/Mezzo fold is slightly taller and wider, but will mostly fit where the B*** fits. I keep mine in the trunk of my city car. Both weigh about the same.

A rear wheel flat or tyre change can be fixed in minutes on the Mezzo/Ori by the way, as opposed to the unseemly and lengthy fildding needed at the rear end of the B.

I think this has been disproved as 1970's dogma. But it's another can of worm that's often been opened before.

Perhaps gyroscopic is the wrong term scientifically then. Regardless I find that when pedaling out of the saddle on a 16" wheeled bike one needs to retain a firmer grip on the handlebars to keep the bike from tilting right or left as you push down on the right or left pedal respectively. This isn't really a big deal after you've ridden the bike for a few days and have become accustomed to it.

I suppose the rotation of the wheels could be irrelevant and this could just be caused by folding bike generally having a lower center of gravity in part due to small wheels and in part due to the step through frame design.

I did a 80km ride on the Mezzo last weekend. I managed surprisingly well given I was the only person riding a folding bike. Got up to 68km/hr on some of the mountain downhills.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5160/7...a32f3d6b_b.jpg
Unfortunately I got doored by someone getting out of a taxi while cycling back to my place. I didn't expect it to come from my left side.

Anyway, I'm fine and aside from some scrapes on my bar end the bike has no visible damage.

One thing I like about the Mezzo that hasn't been mentioned is that I was able to get a little more reach out of the bike by rolling the handlebar forward. Instead of acting like a riser it acts like a longer stem. This is nice given I'm bordering on too tall for the whole "one size fits all" thing.

I'd also say that the best upgrade I've added is a set of small ergon bar ends. I think the manual might technically say not to do this (covering themselves against lawsuit?) but I've had no problems and they're extremely helpful when climbing out of the saddle.

I did a 26 mile, (42Km) charity ride on a Mezzo the day after I bought it, effortless and comfortable, a great bike straight out of the box - doubt I could have done it on the Brompton I'd had.

Does the Mezzo wheel as easily when folded as the Brompton?

The Mezzo rolls ok with the seat-post out, but the seatpost locks the rear sub-frame in position.

The Brompton doesn't roll too well, and the silly little rollers on the outside of the bike catch the heels of many when riding. Brompton riders learn to pedal with their heels sticking out, like ducks. It's very entertaining to watch. The Brompton rollers are often discarded and replaced by skateboard wheels. Something to do with 'fitness for purpose' and 'low'.

The Mezzo, being designed by an engineer and not a socially-maladjusted plumber, puts the rollers inside the perimeter of the rear rack, where no foot may inadvertantly venture. :-) It still doesn't roll very well, but at least it looks like 'design' and not 'kludge'.

Mind you, worrying about whether a bike rolls well when folded is often a sign of 'folderitis'. It's wise to get it checked out by a medical profession at an early stage, before the warts and the tumours kick in.

Omiak:

Congrats on the ride, it looks like a nice bunch of chaps.

I have run bull bars on my Mezzo for 3 years no problems.

Looking at and riding a new D10 tonight and possibly purchase another D9 or I4 later. Can any of you give me an idea on how much these are going for retail? I see about $1400 for the D10, $900 for the D9, and $1,000 for the I4 (might have the D9 and I4 reversed).

If you guys had to do it all over again would you opt for the I4, the D9, or the D10? I am purchasing 5 bikes for me and my family and have all available for a good price. I worry a little about the I4 being discontinued, but I like the IGH idea (not sure exactly why). The D9 is a great price and the D10 even better, but I don't care for black of the D10.

Would you let me know what you'd do? I can get a combination (I4, D9, D10 if desired).

I rode the D10 and was impressed.

Also, is there any "must have" changes for you? I will go with SPD pedals for one.

I do not like the Kenda tires that come with it and would opt for a better and more flat resistant tire like a Schwalbe. Any suggestions here?

Did you see the prices above? I had the I4 and didnt feel it was enough gears , I would go for the d9 or d10.

Those are good prices but they sat they are out of stock. That would be real good though.

I tend to agree on the I4 with not enough gears. I plotted all next to each other and big difference top to bottom and in between.

Do you have a preference for the D10 vs. the D9s? $250 extra for what looks to be one extra gear does not appear to be worth it on the D10 (I know it is 105 vs. Tiagra too). D10 is supposed to be stiffer, but my buddy at the shop says he couldn't tell the difference (he is an avid cyclist).

I like the looks of the D10 better.

My understanding of the d10 frame is that it is stronger and lighter.

Wow, those are good sale prices. If only I had some extra money lying around to get a D9 from them...for my husband of course.

What kind of riding are you doing with your family?