Wanna know if anyone out there have an ORI bike. I got several folding bikes like Brompton M6L, Birdy Classic Alivio, Birdy Monocoque DeoreLX, CarryMe Dual Speed, Bike Friday Tikit, Strida3, Strida5, Reach MTB and ORI Monocoque Capreo. And I foud that it is the best deal you can get for commuting to work.

It comes complete with mudguards and rear rack, carrying bag for the bike, a commuter bag to carry a 15.5' laptop for just USD1,400

Park like a Brompton, folds up slightly smaller than a Birdy and as compact as a Brompton. Folds under 10 seconds and rides really really really like a BIG RIGID BIKE. Superb detailing and love the rebound catch.

Maybe it is lack of marketing, if not I am sure that it will be one of the best seller.

first time I heard about them
but I know almost nothing about
folding bikes apart from me
a user of an old Microbike.

found the Ori homepage here
https://www.oribikes.com/

Surprised they are not more known.

Here is the explanation maybe.
It is an interpretation or sequel to the Mezzo
and that one is well known?

What would it cost to get one to Sweden?
Any dealers in Europe?

Here is another site for it.
https://www.entro.com.sg/ori08.htm

Three models, 9 speed, 8 speed.
9 speed but another frame more
like Mezzo I guess. All of them
have cassette and not gear in hub.
Which I would have preferred.

Agreed.

It's the Mezzo with a new name. I like the bike but it should have come with a hub gear. I believe it comes with a front bag like the Brompton but the bike would have made more waves if one of the versions came with with the Sram 9 speed hub.

A good quality bike.

Is there A way to get this bike to US? What price? And does anyone have the folded dimensions? Thanks

You probably can't put a hub gear on there because of chain slack issues when folded.

It also looks like you have to remove the front wheel in order to get a compact fold.

With all those other bikes the OP has, and now pimping this bike, "shill" comes to my mind. But 'tis the season I guess.

Merry Christmas!

Certainly has the look of a shill to me. Regardless, it would be interesting to see some measurable statistics about the bike like weight and folded volume.

I am so poor on (at) reading rules. Too much of legal language
for my homegrown English.


I used the search and asked for rules and shill and found this one
I didn't know that.

When I invite the designer of the Lordan bike is that seen as bad behavior then?

My intention was to get relevant info on the bike from someone who knows.

So one need to do as they recommend here?
I have to tell the Lordan bike guy to do that then
in the thread about that bike I've created so he don't get in trouble.

Hey Guys,

Don't take it wrongly. The aim of this site is to share information of folding bikes and make this a good resource for new members.

The MEZZO or ORI is designed by Jon Whyte (F1 design engineer). The "Classic" frame is marketed as MEZZO in the UK but in Asia and some parts of Europe, it is known as ORI and comes with the latest monocoque frame. Manufactured by A Pro Tech in Taiwan.

Designed in 2004 and due to lack of publicity and marketing, therefore many people don't know much about it.

Google the word "Jon Whyte" to know more about the designer and visit www.oribikes.com or www.oribikes.nl

Of course not! Invite him!

I doubt anyone has a problem as long as manufacturers and sellers declare who they are. Nothing worse than getting one-sided information from a salesman posing as a customer. (Ok, there are things that are worse...)


True, true. It's just surprising you're advocating this bike over the other bikes on your impressive list.

hi spambait11, I am not bias against any bike. Each folding bike is design for a different needs and suitable for a certain kind of cycling lifestyle.

The CarryMe is good for its ultra portability especially if you need to go up a crowded subway or public buses. The Strida rolls better than the Carryme and great if you got a back problem, very maintanence free too. The Birdy is really the strongest 18 inch folding bike for touring use and Bike Friday Tikit is really fast at folding if you really need to catch a bus or train in less than 5 seconds

So you see, folding bikes are like chef's knifes, you can't really get one that is perfect for every needs. Right!

I always advice my friends, don't look at the size, gears, weight, color or brand for a start when getting a folding bike. Look at how you wanna use it, where you're going to ride it then you start deciding the wheel size, the gear, etc.

Personally, I have no problem when someone represents a particular company--like Yan from Downtube--posts here given that it is with full knowledge. That is, we all know that they represent the company. It is a real bonus to the community to communicate directly with the company.

.............

Back to the ORI ...

I never had the impression that the Brompton nor the Merc had a lot of flex in the monotube and I have ridden both enough to get a decent estimate. And when I ride a lot of Dahons I do experience a decent amount of flex--a side-effect of being heavy. So I am surprised that there would be a big improvement with the ORI over the Brompton/Merc. The stem (?stempost?) on the ORI, however, looks like it would be subject to a lot more flex than the Brompton/Merc. Does it also have a front mount for bags? Can one install roller blade wheels on the back? (I think yes ... ) I like the wider drivetrain of the ORI (a big plus, IMO). Both bikes can stand partially folded as well as fully folded.

The Brompton/Merc front bag is one of the best features for commuting for its huge capacity, stability, ability to remain on the bike while folded. It is one of the reasons that I think that the Dahon Curve is so competitive with the Brompton/Merc. As I have written in the past, the ability to roll the bike--just from anecdotal experiences with smaller women--is a big plus for a good percentage of potential commuters. At least in the US, the ORI at $1400 USD is a noticeably more expensive than the Brompton. The ORI also lacks Brompton's established support network.

Obviously, I have never ridden the ORI. But what makes it so much better than a Brompton/Merc other than the drivetrain? Most commuters, however, seem to get by with a much smaller selection of gears and narrow drivetrain. Mind you, my fragile knee needs a wide drivetrain, so I can see a small percentage of commuters willing to make the tradeoff.

https://www.entro.com.sg/images/ori_allbikes.gif

The above link has the folded dimensions ... and it does appear that to get the compact fold one needs to remove the front wheel ... not very commuter friendly in my opinion.

Most definitely NOT commuter friendly if you have to remove the front wheel; I still think there are better alternatives.

But check out the brakes on the Ori's front wheel: they seem to pivot with the wheel when the wheel is in folded position, which means you don't have to release the brake arms to remove the wheel. That ungainly folding handlebar then "locks" the wheel in place next to the frame. I'd be interested to see if it can really fold in 10 seconds. Sounds like a perfect test bike for you, IH.

The front wheel is not completely removed, it is still attached by a 'structural' mudguard, and the whole assembly unclips around the axle ... works OK, but a bit fiddly.

The mezzo is sold in UK as a 'Brompton alternative' ie to pack as small as possible in 3 dimensions .... there is such a waiting list for Brompton, they have been able to sell a few. I have ridden one and its OK ... but IMHO not as good as the brompton .... OK I AM a biased, occational brompton (ab)user. The mezzo looks a bit more high tech than a brompton, and has really neat, automatic stem and rear triangle clips .... (but the benefits of these are offset by the fiddly front wheel fold sytem (abit like Birdy but more complex). It claims to be stiffer than bromptons and dahons because it doesn't have a hinge in the fame .. BUT it 'wastes' any saving by having a really long and dog-legged stem which feels flexy (and looks all wrong to me).

It has a good pedigree the designer is an ex F1 suspension designer and has done some great Whyte mountain bikes (I know cos i got one !), as well as most Marin bike suspensions ... he says he never wanted to see another folding bike again .. much more hassle than MTB's

YES, a good bike, but as long as no one else is selling bromptons next door for similar money

Hah! I already deal with something similar with my (modified) mini. When I need a compact fold, I remove the handlebar and attach it to the inside of the fold with a velcro strap. Otherwise, I just let the handlebar stick out on the outside of the fold still attached to the handlebar post. It works for me since I rarely need that compact fold. I would have to see a 10-second ORI fold to believe it.

With regards to the handlebar locking the front wheel in place, what happens if you pick the bike up? Is there something keeping the wheel attached to the handlebar?

Hmm agree with those who suspect motives behind the post. But then again, the Mezzo/Ori is a great bike, and ought to be celebrated

There are already a good few threads on the Mezzo, and a few on the Ori, if you search the forums. I've heavily commuted my Mezzo around London for a year and half and am well pleased with it. It has been fairly well promoted by a fair number of London bike shops, and you do see them around town a fair bit now. Picking up points up the thread, it does come in a hub gear variant, so chain slack not an issue, but I (and most) have gone for the 9 speed derailleur. A couple of months back, I swapped my rear hub for a capreo hub, to enable me to install the higher geared capreo cassette (as original set-up is marginally undergeared) and will post a 3 month in review sometime soonish.

The Ori-bike variants look rather fab - again, a search through the forums should provide you with details of a Belgian dealer importing them at around E1000 a throw, which is exceptional value for what is a very good bike (think hard-tailed Birdy and you won't be far off).

Here we go:

https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/150627-newish-mezzo-folder.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/238178-mezzo-folder-us-dealer.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/240472-interesting-article-folding-bike-handling.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/181190-birdy-gobike-hybrid.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/364265-brompton-mezzo.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/359994-combination-mezzo-birdy-brompton.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/359969-mezzo-folders.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/343755-i-can-t-afford-birdy-so-i-should-get.html

Hi
Maybe Ori/Mezzo is a nice folding-bike, but isn't aesthetics of any importance? To me Ori/Mezzo is so ugly unfolded, that I would never want to ride it. Sorry ... only my little opinion.

A shocking sentiment (though I know one shared by this forum's resident design guru Little Pixel...)

I find the Mezzo a thing of beauty, certainly the equal or better than the suburban granny-bike looks of the Brompton or the tractor chic of the Birdy. I'll admit that it is a bit erm industrial to look at without a rider, but with a rider on it it suddenly makes sense in a way that many small wheel bikes that look nice on the page just don't. And it rides like a dream (albeit a slightly under-geared dream, but that's fixable...) And the engineering underpinning it - the catches (better than ANY other folding bike - seriously), the cantilevered stem, the folding arrangement - is all so well thought out and effective, you find yourself admiring its quirks if you give it the time. Like the slightly ugly girl you end up fancying more than the others because she is brighter and more interesting than the others (or maybe that's just me...).

i think the monocoque ori is a great looking bike.

Those are all the bikes carried by stridasingapore (which just recently started carrying ORI). I wonder if stridaman has an affiliation with stridasingapore.

Matt52 wow the looks of GFs and bikes are highly subjective I guess.
Maybe it is just me being picky. I didn't like the look of the Ori/Mezzo

but could it be like with most GFs. If one get to know the bike maybe
one like them better.

Matt, thanks indeed for linking to
https://foldingbikes.wikispaces.com/Carryme

I hate the look of the Carryme bike at first. But the more
I read about it the more I fell in love with it.

Intelligence in design and how unique it is add to it.

LOL ..... but that dog legged stem is a real .... well, Dog ..... maybe after a drink

This reminds me of a line in the movie "When Harry met Sally". Asked to describe a not so pretty girl, Harry said, "She's interesting".

From an aesthetic point of view, Ori's achiles heel is its strange goose-neck stem. A pretty girl with a crook neck, but with such promise. The folding seems interesting enough. However, the necessity of a front wheel removal seems like a pretty messy affair, unless gloves are included.

Hope to get a chance to ride it but on first glance, its an "interesting" bike. My bet for the best 16" folder is still the classic Brompton or the brilliant Tikit (I have both). Its always hard to give an unbiased opinion without first test riding the bike. But on first impressions, the Ori has got to try harder or be priced sharper to take on the top dogs with such proven credentials.

The A to B Mezzo report sums it up; "It has some advantages over the Brompton, but does not clearly surpass the Brompton. "

Will report again after a chance to test the Ori.

OnF

I love the small fold but I never see a suitcase with near square dimensions you would need for this type or the brompton. A 29" suitcase is only 22" high. Anyone know of one these bikes would fit without disassembly?

The only bike in my fold that can fit into a suitcase without disassembly is the Brompton. I use a 31" suitcase and though its slightly oversized, no problems with any airlines thus far. Now you know why the Brompton is still the reigning champion in terms of packability in my experience.



Notice how much spare space I have - enough to put your clothes in. It will weigh about about 19kg with just the Brompton and suitcase. I normally put my personal stuff in as well and though 22-24kg, most airlines just let it through

You don't have to remove the front wheel - and the fold is a 10sec job. very easy and straightforward. See here for demo (albeit rather more violent than my usual folding routine. Gloves aren't necessary. Since buying, I spent a fair part of a year on a mad multimode commute that at times involved multiple (packed) trains and had to fold and refold, and had no problems at all.

Definitely worth having a ride. A quality bike, that is well priced for what you get - manufacturing standards are high, finish is pretty much unscratchable (anodised, not powder coated), luggage system that is more elegant and more practical (I think) than the Brompton. All together very well thought out. Could do with an extra top gear, but I sorted by replacing the rear hub with a Capreo hub and smaller Capreo cassette. The bike as been around for about 3 years now, and has been slowly upgraded, so is a fairly well tested concept, with a fair few around in London. Although the stem looks odd, its practical and well engineered - providing a better fold and more space in the cockpit. Again, worth trying out before criticising.

As I've said in other threads, the comparator here is the Birdy, not the Brompton - its like a hard tailed Birdy,which is not a bad thing. Indeed a Birdy riding friend (who grew up on road bikes and) prefers its ride.

I generally discount A to B on the basis that they overate Bromptons and their reviews can sometimes be a bit um unreliable. Peter Eland was incredibly generous in his review in Velovision a couple of years back. (For those who haven't subscribed yet, Velovision is by far the best cycling mag out there by some way)