We primarily ride hybrids (two Marins, one Specialized, and one Jamis) and my Salsa Vaya now around town - up to 20 miles at a pop together (I'm out longer and farther), but we ride often too. I am planning a train-bike-train trip for me and the 13 year old - along the C&O, but likely the GAP trail between Washington DC and Pittsburg, PA and then some city riding at various stops on the 3500 mile trip.

The three kids are all about ready for an upsize in frames. They all rode the D10 tonight and approved!

Your thoughts?

I just had the oppurtunity to ride and checkout the new Tern D8. I was very impressed with the latches and Schwable tires. It rode very nice and I found the 8 gears were enough for pottling. A lot of bike for $600. For longer rides I was impressed with the Tern P24h and this thread http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...Tern-Link-P24h. Just another option, although if you can afford it, Bromptons all around.

Seriously, wtf? Almost every thread in this forum is devoted to Tern, or Brompton (or Dahon - of course). Can you leave this thread for discussion of Mezzos? If someone is interested in other bikes, they ony have to click "Folding Bikes" above.

I took it as a suggestion while I was in the "decision" mode. Actually, I had considered both of those cited (as well as many others, but the TERN was my choice at the time) before I happened upon my LBS being able to get the Mezzos. I asked if they could get Tern, as they were a Dahon dealer and was told yes, but that I might want to check out the Mezzo. He had a D10 that I could test ride and the rest is history (well almost, it will be next week when they come in). Me and the family went down there after work and all 5 rode the D10.

I am the most picky and was impressed by the responsiveness (to my pedaling that is) and thought this would be a good buy. I came back to the shop after the test ride and was told that he could get me a $400 discount on the D10, and proportionately similiar on the D9 and I4s. Yesterday I told him I would buy 5 D9s. They will be in next week. My family all (except the misses - and me with the Salsa Vaya) said they'd give up their Marin, Jamis, and Specialized for a D9 (our garage is crowded since they each have a "beater" bike for back and forth to school and I have a small "collection" - 10 in there at present). Of course I am planning a train-bike-train trip this summer with the "middle" child (not sure if I posted that here) and the folder will be perfect for the GAP trail from Washington DC (actually I think Cumberland, Maryland) to Pittsburg, PA and other city stops on our way around the eastern US.

I went with the D9s because of the extra gearing/versatility for climbing. I like the IGH, but with the I4 being discontinued I thought I'd go with deraillers. I always had good luck with them, that is I have never had a derailler issue on any of my bikes in over 100,000 miles!

I go to him (the LBS) all the time and am up to 23 bikes either purchased directly by me, or by friends who I referred to him (probable about half me and and half from referrals). After next week it will be 28! I always get good service, great deals, and he has a lifetime tune-up deal going on (I don't use it, but the people I send down - not as mechanically oriented - do).

The other cool thing about the Mezzo is that the designer is the same guy who designed my Marin Mount Vision Pro - dual suspension MTB. I don't think I will ever part with that bike - it is an awesome ride. I got it for 1/2 off retail price from the LBS above many years ago (got one for my cousin as well)!

Now I have to referee the battle to which kid gets one of the two blue ones and which will get one of the three green ones (have black, but no on that for us).

Can any of you recommend a replacement tire for the Mezzo (a.k.a., Kenda Kwest)? I'd like to go a little wider for me and like Schwalbe. Is the Big Apple too wide for the stays on these? I would still like to go with a lite one, but need better flat protection.

Does your LBS have a website? I'd like my (er, my husband's) next folder to be a Mezzo. I, er, my husband wants a D9 in blue or red. :twitchy:

He will have 4 I4s available and has one D10 right now for $999 - for your husband of course.... I bought all the D9s (sorry). Check your PMs.

:twitchy::notamused:I might forgive you for that provided you post lots of pics of them along with a full review when you get them.

We will be a sight that is for sure. The kids all ride well, safe, and fast. All 5 of us through a neighborhood or on the MUP is fun. I am safety conscious so we all have helmets, but each kid and the wifey have highly personalized their bikes - in contrast to the uniform nature of the helmets and our riding style.

The little one was concerned that she could not reinstall a basket to tote her 5 pound ****zu around with us. The middle one is very excited about the train-bike-train trip, but asked if she could hitch her trailer to tow her 60 pound Portugues Water Dog, and "tall" the oldest just likes the cool bike.

I will post pics. I am looking forward to riding more because of the new folder. It appears easier to just jump on and go. Also, we can toss them in the back of the van and go to St. Pete and have a day of sightseeing. Now, I load the four bike rack on the back with the four bikes and throw one inside for a tight fit with five people and a dog.

The misses actually wants to take the train to Orlando and ride, spend the night, and then ride home. I also think she really wants to do the trip with me and "middle."

Ha, ha. Just this past weekend I strapped a milk crate with a pet bed inside it to the rear rack of my bike and took my Shih Tzu for a nice hour long bike ride.

"Little" may not like going from a Topeak rear rack and basket to the milk crate, but that is what I had in mind!

Here's a link to my doggy setup.
I do plan on upgrading to a better setup eventually.

What made you choose the D9 over the D10 besides the obvious cost factor....? Or was that all.

Couple of reasons. One, I was getting five bikes and since I am the only mechanic at the house it makes it easier to keep all in shape if they are identical. I liked the looks of the D9 better. The price was $250 less ($750 vs. $1,000).

I think they both ride great, but identical. The D10 was a great deal at $1,000 as they are normally $1,400, but I still couldn't see spending more for an almost identical bike.

Were you trying to decide between these two?

I'm going to switch to Schwalbe Marathons on mine as I don't care for the Mezzo/Kendas. My rear has a hop to it and it produces a bounce. Also, the seat are not very comfortable. I already switched to SPDs.

The other four bikes will stay stock, except for the seats.

BTW- told a friend about thr D10 and he went down that day and bought it! That gets me to 29 bikes that I have bought from my LBS or caused to be bought!

In addition to the monocoque ( spelling!)/hydroformed/ cast / lego construction of the d10............
The d10 also has a 56t front gog , rather than 54, and a rear V brake.

Always seems a lot for the small upgrades to me , epically as usually I upgrade my bikes anyway.

i would like a D10/ Ori frame, but i would sooner buy an additional good hybrid.
Maybe one day on ebay I will be temped.

An essiential upgrade IMO is to swap to teflon lined brake cables and better brake blocks. (koolstop salmon front, and green swiss stop rear).

Going further swopping the outers cables to Kelver with telfon linning inner has made my dual drive even slicker. I expect it will also improve the braking on the rear brake when I get around to installing the outers.

Re; tyres. Or, tires. The Schwalbe Kojaks are very fast on my D9. They're at 100 psi. Lord knows what they are like in the rain, but on a piece of damp tarmac the other day, I had a 'moving' sideways moment. I regard this as a bonus. Grip is for wussies. :-)

I wish I was at the store when Ridefreemc walked in and said 'I'd like five of those please.'

Everyone - I was surprised to read in the Mezzo warranty that they treat their handlebar as a maintenance item and recommend that it be replaced at least every two years. Comments?

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

It seems as though they really want to cover themselves legally on the handlebars. Their manual says a big no to bar ends too - because the handlebars were not tested in the big testing machine so they cannot vouch for their use.

bhkyte - what brand and model did you use?

handlebar as a maintenance item and recommend that it be replaced at least every two years.

They flex and twist, and so are a fatigue item. Adding bar ends adds leverage, and thus more evil, flexy twisty-badness.

7000 series alloys are only good for elongation or stretch of between 3 to 9% before they fail. Depending on the alloy. The aircraft I fly has a 7075 alloy spaceframe. Just taping my GPS on it has the maint-crew screaming hysterically.

Bar ends are thus the Work of Satan, especially on aircraft, Mezzos, and other fine pieces of engineering. They'd be OK on a Brompton. Strike that from the records.

Seatposts, in my slender MTB experience, tend to break before handlebars because they have more load, and more torsion. They are often made of 6061-T6 alloy or similar, which is good for about 25-30% stretch before fracture. Many road bars are made from 6000 series alloys because of this. A lot of bikes though, still use 7050, or similar, especially in alloy stems.

:50:

A D9 converted to 27 speed dual drive via road racing tiagra levers. See the "upgrading a mezzo/ori" thread or the "dual drive on a mezzo" theards
I also have a more standard d9 with a sash 3x7 dual drive.

Good information - but i will ride them for years with no issue I'm sure. Funny that you say bar ends are the work of satan. That is how I have always described peas.

Great - thanks!

"Good information - but i will ride them for years with no issue I'm sure."

Indeed. Blind faith is always much stronger than advanced metallurgy. :)

Throw in a bunch of fear At the company based on our propensity to file lawsuits and the time between when the bars start to show warning of having issues and when the company implies that they will explode in 781 days is "many years without issue I'm sure." Also, they design for the maximum weight rider (and then some), so with me many lbs less than that should factor in.

Did the GPS cause your plane to crash? Inquiring metallurgists want to know:)

Just read another part of the manual that says bring you bike to the shop for wheel inspection and possible replacement in 1 year or 5,000 miles whichever comes first.

Ouch.

If you ride your bike on commuting duty in all weathers, then the back rim will wear in this sort of timescale, given wet roads a few times a week. (When I discovered the hugely accelerated rear rim wear in wet weather, I stopped using the rear brake except for emergencies or really steep roads.)

I saw a familiar looking champagne Mezzo locked to the railings on a street corner off the Fulham Road this evening, alas i was going to fast to see if it was sporting Kojaks or not.

Where were we? Ah yes; fitting bar ends gives you brain cancer.

'Did the GPS cause your plane to crash? Inquiring metallurgists want to know:)'

No. There have been a couple of 'near misses' at the flying club recently when dimwits whisked maidens aloft and attempted to impress them by flying upside down. Trying to land with the aircraft canopy interior covered in vomit can be tricky. (Flying, I might add, is more fun even than riding a Mezzo.)

And the Hello Kitty Mezzo? Fine thank you. I haven't been to London with it for some time, mainly because April and May were both closed due to the idiot British weather. So I'm trying to wear out a pair of Kojaks by looking at them.

I was out on the road bike yesterday, and thought 'Oooh! I miss me Mezzo', so that's where I am today. Mezzo-ing.
s.

Hmm, is this about me? (I have no idea if my metalicy mezzo champagne or not). Well, I've never once shackled my little mezzo. In fact, if I saw such a situation, I'd probably call the authorities: a mezzo should never be in chains.

Also, I've given up on Kojaks - I need more from my sidewalls than they were prepared to give.

My daily ride is ten miles up the coast and back, pausing only to take on pies on the homebound leg. I've been using the road bike recently, only because I can't be bothered to get 'Hello Kitty' out of the car. Road bike has 700c wheels (two) shod with skinny Conti Ultra Sport 700x23 semi-racing tyres.

I've been coming home beaten up by this bike; sore wrists, sore um, parts. Took the Mezzo out today, same route and boy, was it more comfortable. Both bikes have alloy frames, same SDG saddle, same grips. Who would have thought it, eh? Kojaks for me. Road bike now up for tyre-ectomy. Begone, O skinny bone-shakers.

Mezzo is stared at around these parts. Urchins ride along side, pointing. I may have to get some tear-gas canisters, or a long, barbed stick.

I'd be very grateful for any thoughts on a dilemma I'm struggling with - I've been considering a used Mezzo D9, but I'm torn between it and a used Birdy.

My daily ride is a Chas Roberts track bike, and I also often ride my old Moulton. They are both fast and responsive bikes. I want a folder that feels good to ride, but is also easily foldable, easy to work on (particularly flat tyres), reliable, and upgradeable/customisable.

My girlfriend has a Brompton, and it's a lovely bike with a great fold, but I find it a bit too upright and slow.

Can anyone who has ridden both compare the Mezzo and Birdy? Any help would be much appreciated!