Silly Old Twit

  Some time ago I wrote a rather harsh review of the Mezzo D10 folding bike. I have been tempted many times to delete that review but have not done so as it was an honest review at the time when I first bought my Mezzo and was a fair reflection of how I felt about the bike at the time. However , that was then and this is now.

       The Mezzo is a well-engineered bike. Like a rollex watch it is perhaps over engineered and lacks the classic simplicity of the Brompton. It’s less easy to fold and to be honest I never fold mine as it’s just too much hassle. If folding is your priority then get a Brompton but if want a bike that rides like a ‘real’ bike  get a Mezzo. Not only does it ride like a real bike but it does what electric bikes claim to do – , it flattens out hills. The Mezzo is , without doubt , the easiest bike to ride that I personally have ever ridden ( and I’ve ridden just about everything). It’s low gear ratio means that going up hills is a doddle. It requires much less effort cycling against the wind or tackling those long inclines that take it out of you on your way home……it has in fact all the advantages of an Ebike without any of the downside.  But you will find that gear ratio frustrating for the first few weeks…..It leaves you feeling that you are permanently in the wrong gear , your feet peddle at a rate just marginally faster than you feel is ‘right’. In my case it took a couple of months to feel normal on the bike and at times I felt like getting off and giving it a good kick ( which should help to explain the bad review I initially gave it ).  It’s quite a fast bike for a folder and of course the fact that your not  knackered going up hills etc  means that you still have plenty of energy left when everyone else is beginning to wilt……so you can go further and keep going further…….

  It’s a nice looking bike and you’ll get lots of compliments and envious glances so buy a good , a very good lock if you want to keep it. As I’ve said , it’s  over – engineered and removing the front wheel requires a degree in engineering 0r at least the patience to read the manual (neither of which I have) -but how often do we actually need to remove the wheels from our bikes ? . The tyres are not the best ( I’ve had 5 punctures in 10 months) so you may have to spend some money on a good pair and of course you’ll want a Brooks saddle so that another 70 euros or so. But the Mezzo is almost 700 euros cheaper than an entry level Birdy and is probably a better bike and is a much better bike to ride than the Brompton. You will not find many Brompton owners challenging you to a marathon run….. For a more detailed review of the D10 try this …….