If the world of folding bicycles has been, until recently, dominated by one or two brands, then that’s fine. Times are changing and here we look at a new bike from an up and coming player in the folding market. The Mezzo D10 is a small-wheeled folding commuter bike from ATB, who are perhaps better known as the makers of Whyte mountain bikes and UK distributors for Willier and Marin.
ATB usually ‘duke it out’ in the hugely-competitive and technology-driven, high performance-end of the road and mountain bike market where a thousand quid buys you an astonishing amount of engineering, design and technology. So appalled (or possibly excited) were they, it seems, at the thought of obliging British commuters handing over upwards of £500 for bits of bent scaffolding on wheels, [Steady – ed.] that they set about turning this same technology to the service of the collapsible cycle.
Highly-regarded full-suss mtb design pioneer Jon Whyte, founder of Whyte Bikes and something to do with the clever bits of F1 racing, was recruited to design a small-wheeled, easy-folding, commuter bike that rode like a regular big-wheeled bike. His solution was the original Mezzo and the D10 is the latest iteration of his innovative design.
Fundamentally different
The Mezzo is fundamentally different to the Brompton and others because it lacks a frame hinge, instead folding at the back and front. This allows the nicely made 6061 aluminium frame to remain hinge – and hence weight and potential movement - free. Nice thinking, Mr Whyte!
For a bike with only 16 inch wheels, you get an impressive spread of gears: 32 inch all the way up to a mighty 82 inches courtesy of a serious looking 56T custom chain ring and a 28/12 sprocket. And because it’s stiff and reasonably light (11.3 kgs) you can tackle hills like the 20%-er outside this tester’s home and crank along on the flat at a respectable pace as if on a normal bike. And that’s the point. This bike is designed to ride like a normal bike.
When you want to push hard on the pedals, that 82 inch gear keeps you honest and because the Mezzo D10 is stiff in most of the right places, more of your effort arrives safely at the back wheel. These are the sort of basic issues that keep manufacturers of performance bikes awake at night and why should it be different for a folding bike? You’ll probably be riding it more than your road bike and might be spending up to a 1,000 on it so it’s nice to see at least Mezzo taking these things seriously.
A folding bike has to fold somewhere
There is one place where things are not quite like a normal bike. Jump out of the saddle to climb or sprint and that hinged front end, with the stem just above the wheel, may have you wobbling. To be fair, a folding bike has to fold somewhere and you’re not likely to spend too much time out of the saddle on a regular short commute.
A lot of thought has gone into geometry. The handling is fast and direct, if a little twitchy at low speeds. The riding position is upright offering good visibility. The seat and bars can be adjusted easily so the bike can be made comfortable regardless of your build and Mezzo’s own narrow, slightly padded seat is comfortable over commuting distances.
With the Mezzo D10 in particular, the braking is sharp enough and consistent. With the old D9 it was just consistent. How they get the back brake to work with its metres of cable routing is a mystery to us, but with the D10 they manage it.
The build quality is very good and the whole bike has a well-made feel to it thanks in part to neat welds and the tough anodised finish. This reviewer’s over-used and under-serviced old Mezzo D9 has breezed 2,000 miles of service with little complaint and there’s no reason why D10 shouldn’t be equally stoic.
Clunks together reassuringly
Folding isn’t entirely intuitive but Mezzo’s thorough manual and excellent video will show you the ropes. Once you get the hang of it, it is very quick – like 15 seconds up or down-quick - and it all clunks together reassuringly to make a neat, secure and eminently portable package. Folded, it’s not quite as small as the Brompton but it’s certainly small enough for busy trains and the tiny wheels cleverly mounted on the rack make it easy to roll into nooks and, in particular, through ticket barriers.
For all its innovation, the Mezzo mostly uses off-the-shelf components like the 16 inch wheels and Shimano drive train, so you should be able to find spares easily. After all, this is your daily work horse so you wouldn’t want to be waiting around for esoteric spares to arrive on special order.
So how does it compare to the competition and should you buy one? Yes. Look at what you can get elsewhere. It’s over a kilo lighter than the best selling Brompton M6R and the same weight but nearly 300 quid cheaper than the Brompton P6R- X titanium.
Admittedly it’s a tad heavier than Dahon’s Curve SL but that doesn’t have a rack. And we can safely say, it’s stiffer and offers a more ‘normal’ ride than any small-wheeled folder we’ve ridden. There are cheaper folding bikes but if you intend to use it regularly and can afford it, the Mezzo will deliver you to work more quickly and in a better mood. And more importantly, deliver you home more quickly and in a better mood, too.
Verdict
10-speed, small wheeled folding bike to challenge Brompton’s dominance
