In Search Of: Curvy Sexy Fixie Mixte
Hello, my name is Gemma, and this is my first post!
I haven't really ridden in a long time, but I would like to put together a new bike (or ten!). In any case, when I was younger, I used to work as a mechanic in a small LBS, so I have an appreciation for fine cycles, but my funds are quite limited at this point in my life.
The last bike I had was a Specialized Hard Rock Comp that I loved, but was sadly stolen out of my garage while I was in Italy (and they didn't steal anything else?). At the moment, I have a Surly 1x1 frame and fork set that I got years ago on eBay, but never built. Lately, though, I've been thinking that I would like to find a nice mixte, either a complete bike or a frameset, but it's a bit difficult wading through the Internet to find one.
My plan is to build a fixie/free city bike (or bikes) with flat bars, and I would like some suggestions, if anyone has any.
What I'm looking for:
1. I'm 6' 1" (185cm) tall, with a 34" inseam in bare feet, so it has to be available in a large-ish size.
2. I definitely want a mixte and not a garden-variety step-through. I like skirts.
3. I want it made out of CroMo steel, with nice welds.
4. I would prefer curved tubing, like the Masi Soulville Mixte (geometry very laid back, hub gearing yuck, only comes in 16" or 18" sizes, although 18" might work OK, because I do tend to prefer a slightly smaller frame than "normal") or the Retrotec ($$$$$$$, way out of my price range). For some reason, I find straight tubing on mixte frames ugly. I also kind of like the Masi Speciale Chixed frame.
5. I would really like geometry that is more on the "road bike" side rather than like the "cruiser" or Dutch-type bikes.
6. I want it with fixed-gear type dropouts/frame ends.
In the end, I'm probably going to look a a Chixed and a Soulville Mixte, if I can deal with 53 cm and 18" max sizes, and do some mods. The Soulville I guess would make a decent grocery bike, with the more laid-back geometry, and the Chixed better for a liitle more excitement, but if anyone knows of anything they think might work for me, I'd appreciate a link!
