The Trifecta - Today It's a Mixte!

[Biciclista]

I noticed you didn't offer the Bianchi. not that i blame you. quick, one of your Facebook friends doesn't know what a Bianchi is.

[reddDesign]

Ummm I may be mistaken but I don't think that's a mixte? I think that's just a 'women's' bike.

I thought a mixte was when the top tube goes all the way from the head to the rear drops...

[ZenSojourner]

From SheldonBrown.com:

A style of lady's frame in which the "top tube" consists of a pair of small diameter tubes running more-or-less straight from the upper head lug, past the seat tube, and on to the rear fork ends. A mixte frame thus has 3 sets of rear stays, instead of the usual two. A variant on the mixte uses a single, full sized top tube running from the upper head tube to the seat tube, but retains the middle set of stays. A lady's type bike that lacks the middle pair of stays is not a mixte.

Mixte frames are stronger than conventional lady's frames, particularly in resisting the tendency of the seat tube to get pushed backward in the middle when ridden by a heavy rider

In French, "mixte" would be pronounced "MEExt", but normal U.S. bicycle industry pronunciation is "MIX-ty".

So the pictured bike is not a mixte, it's a step-through frame.

It's still a cool free find. Those mini-Schwinn's weren't half bad little bikes. I had a friend who had two of them for his daughters, the dérailleurs and all were at least adjustable and worked pretty well. They weren't step-throughs, nice little bikes. I'd have liked one for myself, if I'd hung around long enough for them to outgrow them, LOL!

Sojourner

[Tri Girl]

I think you should just keep all the bikes and open up a recycled bike store.
You are indeed a bike magnet. I'm quite envious...


psst: keep looking for bikes and give them to loving homes.

[IvonaDestroi]

[

Ummm I may be mistaken but I don't think that's a mixte? I think that's just a 'women's' bike.

I thought a mixte was when the top tube goes all the way from the head to the rear drops...

I've always been confused about the difference between step-through and mixte, obviously dual top tubes are a mixte frame, but apparently there is another kind of mixte too, One like this except it has an extra set of seat stays in the back.

I believe this one in particular is just a regular step-through or ladies' frame. ,

although, my idea of step-through is the 70's old school style where you can actually step through it! I wish they still made the super low curvy step through frames, nowadays they're always some highly placed cheesy imitation. Structurally unsound my butt!

[ZenSojourner]

although, my idea of step-through is the 70's old school style where you can actually step through it! I wish they still made the super low curvy step through frames, nowadays they're always some highly placed cheesy imitation. Structurally unsound my butt!

70's? Maybe. But my Huffy curvy step-through was made in the 50's.

Like that, only blue and white. With a white basket and white handle bar grips. The huffy logo was painted on the thing they chromed in the picture above, which also housed a horn.

It was left to rust by the original owner (my older sister) after my older brother waylaid her one day by throwing a broom handle through the spokes, and yes, that was every bit as disastrous as it sounds.

I got a book from the library about bike repair and fixed it up, including replacing bent and broken spokes and re-truing the wheels, something I cannot do to my own bike now.

I cleaned the rust out of the innards where the horn mechanism lay and got the horn working again.

Replaced handlebar grips, sanded and undercoated and painted

Then when I had it fixed up, I was told I wasn't allowed to ride it.

Which I blithely ignored.

No matter what I did, the chain would leap out and grab my pants legs. Hmmm, an early version of the vampire clipless pedals perhaps?

At any rate, I wish I still had that bike. Apparently after I was kicked out, my younger sister wrecked it and it was eventually thrown away. Which is a great shame since it's apparently worth about 3k now. . .

[uforgot]

[



I've always been confused about the difference between step-through and mixte, obviously dual top tubes are a mixte frame, but apparently there is another kind of mixte too, One like this except it has an extra set of seat stays in the back.

I believe this one in particular is just a regular step-through or ladies' frame. ,

although, my idea of step-through is the 70's old school style where you can actually step through it! I wish they still made the super low curvy step through frames, nowadays they're always some highly placed cheesy imitation. Structurally unsound my butt!

The third set of seat stays is what makes it a mixte. There are some that have a single tube and then they divide at the seat tube. I see them rarely, but they are out there. You're right. This one is not a mixte, but a cool find!

[Aggie_Ama]

We don't have spring cleaning but someone did leave a washer that my neighbors now have in thir driveway. I am sure the HOA will be sending a letter soon.

[mtbdarby]

Thanks guys. I've often wondered what the true definition of a mixte was. My preferenc would also be on a curved tube but I haven't found one yet