In an already packed market, new arrivals need to offer something special to stand out from the crowd. Mekk Bicycles hope to do this by providing "technology which outperforms the competition on spec and price" – in short, giving more for less.
They produce one aluminium and two carbon fibre road framesets at their factory in Taiwan – the aluminium A1 Series, the carbon Poggio 2G Series (with alloy-steerer fork) and the all-carbon Potenza 3G Series. Each is offered with a choice of Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo mechanical groupsets; a 4G frameset, fitted with either of Shimano’s electronic groups, will be available from February next year.
The guys representing Mekk in the UK dropped by the office last week to show us a sample of what they do. This came in the form of the Mekk 2G Poggio P20, which costs £1,199 and is available from retailers including JE James and Tredz.
It's rare to find a carbon-framed bike at this price – even Boardman's Team Carbon now costs £100 more – and it looks to be a decent package for the money. The frame has a tapered head tube, internal rear brake cable routing and a choice of red or blue paintjobs. Shifters and front derailleur are Shimano Tiagra, and the rear mech is 105.
The ICE Compact 50/34-tooth crankset is paired with an 11-25T cassette – this looks to give a fairly high lowest gear, considering the novice/intermediate riders the bike is aimed at. The spec is finished off with ICE brake callipers and wheelset, and a Ritchey compact handlebar, stem and seatpost. For more information, visit the Mekk Bicycles website.
