MEKK bikes - anyone got one?!
bompington
Posts: 7,674
Well, not a lot of replies then...
I'm bumping this as I've also been looking at one at my lbs, they're pushing them quite hard and were saying that the guys behind mekk were involved in Boardman bikes - I'm no expert on frame design but the poggio certainly looks similar to the Team Carbon in its top tube & bottom bracket; it's a 3k weave full carbon frame and the tiagra and 105 mix seems reasonable at the price. BR review seems reasonable too.
Anyone know anything useful about them?
I'm bumping this as I've also been looking at one at my lbs, they're pushing them quite hard and were saying that the guys behind mekk were involved in Boardman bikes - I'm no expert on frame design but the poggio certainly looks similar to the Team Carbon in its top tube & bottom bracket; it's a 3k weave full carbon frame and the tiagra and 105 mix seems reasonable at the price. BR review seems reasonable too.
Anyone know anything useful about them?
0
Posts
Can't offer any more info I'm afraid
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved
I am just a bit concerned that I've been hanging around here too long though, as I've never been remotely concerned about a bike's looks, but I found myself looking at the frame and thinking "looks good but the seat stays are a bit funny" and wondering which colour it would look best in ;-)
BR liked the frame & forks, grouppo is fine, shove some better wheels on it and you would have a dam nice bike.
P.S, I had a boardman, and given money, I would be swayed with the Mekk, even if its just on the looks!
I am under no illusion that my giant, the Mrs felt are from the same factory as some of these frames, with only the top 5% or so of carbon bikes built in Ita / USA / Fra etc....
I have fond memories of my PX & Boardman, and have alse been eyeing up the Boardman Air 9.8!
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... 0-12-45674
The full review was in Cycling Plus where they featured UK based brands if my memory serves.
Might be worth a punt based on those opinions but get your LBS to give you a proper test ride on one.
I currently have a Potenza 3G on order (essentially the same, but full 105 cranks and shifters, slightly racier, lighter frame for £200 more - plus I like the stealth black). However seem to be having trouble getting stock of it, currently 1 week delay after 2 weeks which isn't bad at present.
Also customer service is second to none, if they're quality of service can stay like this even as a growing company I think they'll be a force to be reckoned with; although common sense would say that as the company gets bigger customer service may go down.
No ones really had a frame long enough to evaluate quality control and longevity but they offer a 5 year warranty, 2 years more than the £9,000 Pinarello Dogma, so that's food for thought.
I do actually work at a bike shop stocking these (Dave Ferguson Cycles, Skipton North Yorkshire), but they ride very well, and if you're not convinced there's test rides dotted all over the country that can back up my opinion and when making my buying purchase I did have a choice between Orbea, Merida and Mekk (all of which are similarly priced) and the Mekks ride quality really is second to none in the price bracket.
Final thing to note, all the sizes are not the same - if you test ride a Poggio P2 in a 52cm don't assume the other models will also fit at a 52cm. The Potenza 3G I have on order is a 48cm for similar top tube lengths etc. to the Poggio P2, but all the geometry sheets can be found on their website.
I've got the poggio ordered for a test ride next week, just remains to be seen if I can a) get my employer moving on the C2W and b) clear the final stage of the domestic spending committee ;-)
I am a bit of a mamil - I started riding for the health benefits 2-3 years ago, currently do around 25miles sat/sun. So I'm not a great rider and have no intention of competing or doing any more than a few hours at weekends or evenings
In January I needed to change from my 15 year old 12 speed to something newer and my LBS (Severn Valley Cycles) offered the Mekk 2 for a trial (along with £3.5k Basso). First thing I noticed was how much the frame reduced the vibration from the road compared to the old bike - I also found it more stable at faster speeds. Its lightweight (though the basso was lighter) and a comfortable ride, perhaps more so than the more expensive bike which had a particularly uncomfortable saddle.
The things I did notice was that I struggled up the steep hills nearby (180m climb over about 2.5k). However to put this in perspective I couldn't get more than halfway up it my old bike, I am not a great climber.
My LBS fitted it with a 12-28 rear gear (free modification, benefit of using the LBS) and this made enough difference to reduce the pain to an acceptable level. Then I bought this over the Basso - the latter was a better bike but I could not justify the extra cost for my low level of ability.
After a few weeks I had some problems with the wheels - namely the rear wheels had a few broken spokes and the inner tube was punctured by the spoke. This was on the original wheels which had the coloured nipples. The LBS said that MEKK had some issues with these and since changed to the R500s that are now supplied as standard. My LBS changed the wheels to the new style at no cost - the service from them was excellent.
I have been very happy with it since then - I've only completed around 600miles but I certainly recommend it.
I know that this is a bit of a late post to this thread but may be of use to someone still looking.
I own a Mekk Poggio 2G and I absolutely love it!
I bought it in late May this year and have put about 1000 miles on it so far and it's been superb. I had a slight problem where the BB hadn't been tightened properly but other than that it's been great. Very quiet ride and the carbon makes a massive difference in shock absorption.
Mine has the Shimano R500 wheels which have been fine. It looks like a much more expensive bike than it is and I've had loads of people comment on it and they're amazed when I tell them the price! I agree that the front crank isn't as good as Shimano so will be replaced at some point and I've changed the tyres for Schwable Extremos which are fantastic and well worth the money.
The only issue I've had is that following a long drive from the Alps home in horrendous weather the paint on the front forks took a bit of a battering and has thinned a bit but I'm super OCD about those sort of things.
I'm definitely happy with the choice and vs my mates Giant TCR it performs really well. Good at climbing and feels stable on the descents although brakes could do with being a bit better but then I am carrying a bit of extra weight so I doubt that helps.
Anyway it's taken me from being a born again cyclist with pretty much zero fitness to doing my first 100k sportive this Sunday and I can now average 19.4 mph on a 10 miler. I would definitely reccomend this bike. It's also nice having something a bit different.
My next bike will likely be a £2k Pinarello, Wilier or Bianchi, but I'll still keep my Mekk and will still look forward to riding it so it can't be bad...
The 2.5G is not super light for a carbon bike - blame the forks, I think, which have an alloy steerer; I don't think I'll be able to get it below 8kg on Ksyriums, maybe 7.7 on the R-Sys.
Any Mekk poggio owners with some long term feedback on the frame, quality and overall satisfaction with their bikes?
Thanks
Still have mine. Its got a full 105 group now, fulcrum.wheels, new saddle, tape and tyres.
Rides really well. After over 12 months I got a smile.on my face last week descending down a local route.
New models have had a.frame and fork upgrade over the ones pictured earlier in this thread, they still get great reviews.
Brakeset and some budget cutting parts have been frowned upon on reviews etc, but they did the job.
Great bikes IMO, plus frames have 5 year cover.