Finally bought a smaller folder for conversion...

[morphix]

The Mezzo is here!!

The Mezzo D9 arrived this afternoon but I had to wait until I finished work to open it.. just opened it up and checked it over.. I'm really pleased with it. The condition is much better than I expected, looks hardly used thanks to the anodising..as an added bonus the seller included the £60 commuter bag so that saves me buying a new one!

I think I got a really good bargain at £250 considering these cost £800 new, assuming it's mechanically sound and rides ok...I will check it over, make all the necessary adjustments then take it for a spin tomorrow.

Initial observations...

the bike feels slightly heavier than I expected..but it's still light enough to pick up with just my left hand without straining..although I wouldn't fancy carrying it very far!

The fold has been described as complicated compared to the Brompton with more steps involved, but I found it very intuitive and natural. I had no problem figuring it out without even reading the instruction manual. The back wheel comes out first, then the front wheel comes from under the frame, slides into the front fork and a quick release catch locks it in place. Took literally 10 seconds.

Sitting on it is not at all what I expected.. I was expecting a huge difference after being used to a 26" MTB but it doesn't feel like a 16" wheel small bike at all...it feels quite high from the ground still and the riding position feels more like a full-size bike but just with a lower down tube and slightly narrower handlebar.

Here's some pix...

 

[morphix]

Oh and here's the commuter bag..it's huge!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

..... and the rear drop-out width is?

......and the forks look quite wide?

 

[morphix]

..... and the rear drop-out width is?

......and the forks look quite wide?

I've looked all through the manual and unusually there's no specifications or info on the widths, so I've got my tape measure out but I'm not sure exactly how to measure the rear drop out width.. I'm assuming you measure the complete inner space from one drop-out side to the other? If that's the case, then the space measures approx 140mm.

The rear wheel hub (the space up to the cassette, bearing in mind this is 9-speed) is approx 85mm.

As to the front fork.. I'm really not keen on doing a front hub motor unless a rear is out of the question.. also the front wheel on this bike actually swings out of the drop outs to fold. It folds under the frame...so that could cause a problem or challenge with fitting a motor there anyway eh. Here's a video (supplied on DVD with the bike) showing how the fold works:

[video=youtube;X_pmJ78wDf8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_pmJ78wDf8[/video]

 

[morphix]

I've checked over the bike and it seems to be mechanically sound.. I've inflated the tyres (which proved a challenge as I seem to have forgot how to use my foot pump!) which had some horrible green slime in them. I've put the chain on and given the bike a good clean and it looks as good as new!

Inside the commuter bag I discovered a set of decent quality lights (batteries and all!) which I've fitted, so that saves me buying some.. the commuter bag slides on and off the rear rack as if by magic..you just push it on and it "slots" in and feels very stable, removing it is also very quick so that's good because you obviously need to remove it to fold the bike.. The bike looks neat with the commuter bag fitted.

Here's some more pix:

 

[morphix]

What do you reckon then d8veh? Am I good to place an order for the Q100 or should I get a smaller Tongxin?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I'm happy with my Q100 on my Dahon. I've never tried a Tongxin, so I can't say which is the best. I'm much heavier than you, and I'd be sure to have slipping rollers with a Tongxin at the torque that I need, but you should be OK. The Q100 is pretty cheap, so, if you don't like it, you can always change to a Tongxin later. At least it comes ready built into a wheel, which saves a lot of messing about. It'll cost you £40+ for a rim and spokes for the Tongxin.

You should be able to fit the 8 speed free-wheel on your bike, so don't forget to order one from Cyclezee.

 

[shemozzle999]

I would check with them to see if the 16" wheel supplied would fit you bike first.
It is not compatible with a Brompton.

 

[morphix]

I'm happy with my Q100 on my Dahon. I've never tried a Tongxin, so I can't say which is the best. I'm much heavier than you, and I'd be sure to have slipping rollers with a Tongxin at the torque that I need, but you should be OK. The Q100 is pretty cheap, so, if you don't like it, you can always change to a Tongxin later. At least it comes ready built into a wheel, which saves a lot of messing about. It'll cost you £40+ for a rim and spokes for the Tongxin.

You should be able to fit the 8 speed free-wheel on your bike, so don't forget to order one from Cyclezee.

Thanks, I'm pretty much sold on the Q100 but just thought I'd check with someone more knowledgeable such as yourself about the suitability on these rear drop outs but it looks good to go then. The only other question I have is whether this rear drop outs will stand up to the torque from that motor, being an aluminium frame. I'm assuming it won't need any mods done or torque arms and what not? From what I've read on Endless Sphere aluminium frames are pretty tough.. usually it's the front hub forks you have to worry about with higher power motors 500W+? I'm only fitting 250W.

I will place my order with GBK tomorrow! I'm not sure about the gears situation. I think I need to ride the bike a bit and decide whether I want to ride it unpowered. If I don't plan to, then why bother with gears, just extra weight eh. In that case, I would rig it up with 2 gears, low and high or something, lose the derailleur+shift and just slip the chain down by hand if I ever lose power.

 

[morphix]

The only two potential weak points I can see on this bike looking at the design, are the fact the rack doubles as a stand and could get messed up if you folded outside.. and the strut on the front inner mudguard which secures the front wheel in fold position and keeps the fold together.

The chainset looks MASSIVE on this bike compared to my 26" folder...The Mezzo is 22cm and my 26" is 16cm.. I wonder how many teeth the Mezzo has..52? I've seen it reported there's an aftermarket 56T available for retrofitting.. that might be good for e-bike conversion?

Nearly every Mezzo review I've read has been very positive and one thing that is mentioned a lot is that that unusual far forward handlebar stem arrangement makes the steering less "twitchy".. I will report back tomorrow on how it rides... looking forward to it should be a nice sunny day for it too.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The weight saving from not having gears isn't going to make a big difference. I use them quite a lot on my Dahon.

The anti-rotation washers I got on my last motors were useless - see the photos on my Rocky Mountain build. You can improve them by knocking the tabs to a right angle if you have a big hammer and a strong vice. Then you'll have to look how they sit in the drop-outs. You can deepen the drop-outs a bit to make it better if the drop-outs have enough metal arround them. If the tabs still don't look like they'll resist the torque, I don't think that you can't rely on the tightness of the nuts alone . I fitted torque plates on both sides of my Dahon because I run with 18 amps and 48v.

 

[morphix]

The weight saving from not having gears isn't going to make a big difference. I use them quite a lot on my Dahon.

The anti-rotation washers I got on my last motors were useless - see the photos on my Rocky Mountain build. You can improve them by knocking the tabs to a right angle if you have a big hammer and a strong vice. Then you'll have to look how they sit in the drop-outs. You can deepen the drop-outs a bit to make it better if the drop-outs have enough metal arround them. If the tabs still don't look like they'll resist the torque, I don't think that you can't rely on the tightness of the nuts alone . I fitted torque plates on both sides of my Dahon because I run with 18 amps and 48v.

Uh oh, that makes me nervous I'm not the engineer type...just about swapping the wheel out is my limit ;-) Well we'll see how it goes, there's always help here I guess and I'm up for learning new tricks..

My reason for wanting to lose the gears was not purely a weight saving exercise, but also because I hate the bloody derailleur and chain oiling up my trousers and it means I always have to wear old black trousers! Maybe with it being a smaller fold and lighter I will be able to carry it away from easier, we'll see. I just noticed the derailleur is bloody close to the floor on this bike..like 7-8cm away!

 

[jhruk]

Thanks, I'm pretty much sold on the Q100 but just thought I'd check with someone more knowledgeable such as yourself about the suitability on these rear drop outs but it looks good to go then. The only other question I have is whether this rear drop outs will stand up to the torque from that motor, being an aluminium frame. I'm assuming it won't need any mods done or torque arms and what not? From what I've read on Endless Sphere aluminium frames are pretty tough.. usually it's the front hub forks you have to worry about with higher power motors 500W+? I'm only fitting 250W.

I will place my order with GBK tomorrow! I'm not sure about the gears situation. I think I need to ride the bike a bit and decide whether I want to ride it unpowered. If I don't plan to, then why bother with gears, just extra weight eh. In that case, I would rig it up with 2 gears, low and high or something, lose the derailleur+shift and just slip the chain down by hand if I ever lose power.

As Shemozzle999 says make sure you check the wheel size if ordering a complete kit as I believe the Mezzo may use the same 349mm rim as the Brompton. If you order the Q100 with their normal 16” wheel it will probably be a 305mm, which would be too small.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Whatever you get, order one of these:
torque arm for electric bicycle front fork online store for electric bicycle components-GreenBikeKit.com

 

[morphix]

Whatever you get, order one of these:
torque arm for electric bicycle front fork online store for electric bicycle components-GreenBikeKit.com

That says it's for front fork, can it still be used for rear?

 

[morphix]

Reading the Folding Bike Society's 2008 Mezzo review, I think Shemozzle999 is right...the Mezzo has 349mm wheels... My bike was manufactured 2009/2010 so I doubt that's changed, but I will contact the manufacturer to confirm. If they are 349 that's a bit of a let down as it means Big Apple tyres won't fit. Even if you could get Big Apple in that size the review above suggests the spacing under mudguards is too tight for Big Apple.

What are my options now for a good pair of puncture resistant tyres at that rim size?

Will GBK still be able to provide a Q100 wheeled motor at the 349 size or will the motor have to be spoked up in the UK as a custom job?

Some user reviews and even folding bike society suggest the Mezzo is under geared at the top end...This makes me think I will have trouble keeping up with my motor going full pelt.. I guess the only way is to try it and see...but what are my options to improve gearing there, would switching to a 56T chainset help?

 

[morphix]

Mezzo weighing

Mezzo Commuter Bag = 1.98kg

Mezzo Bike 12.2kg!!

(between 1kg and 400g bike weight difference, depending on which review you look at, they quote between 11kg / 11.8kg)... either my scale is wrong or there is some manufacturing changes happened to add more weight..there's nothing added to the bike except a bell heh, it looks all original components.

I *knew* the bike felt heavier than 11kg.. I'm used to carrying 10kg bags of salt for my business so I know exactly how much 10kg weighs

Incidentally, the wheel rim definitely does not look 349mm to me, looks more like 309mm holding a tape measure over the tyre, so that's possibly some good news... but without callipers or short of removing a tyre.. I can't be sure..

 

[Old_Dave]

Hi morphix

Guessing or even contacting peeps is not the best way

Measuring the rim / tyre would be better

 

[morphix]

Hi morphix

Guessing or even contacting peeps is not the best way

Measuring the rim / tyre would be better

You're right, is there a proper way to do that? I have no callipers.. is it just a case of removing a tyre and measuring the actual wheel rim rather than trying to measure over the tyre?

Here's a pic...

 

[Old_Dave]

is it just a case of removing a tyre and measuring the actual wheel rim rather than trying to measure over the tyre?

You know it's true