Quote Originally Posted by nuliajuk View Post
A mixte (preferable) or step-through should not be more than 1 pound heavier than it's diamond frame equivalent. If it is, that usually means the manufacturer went cheap on the materials and swapped out straight gauge tubing for butted, or hi-tensile for chrome-moly. Braking shouldn't be any different, if it is that means a poor design.
Nowadays a lot of compact frames are almost as sloped in the top tube as mixtes. I can get my leg over the top tube of my commuting bike if I stand on a curb next to it. Someone much younger and more agile might even be able to do it without the curb.
Ok, I guess I was thinking of poor quality step-throughs. I wasn't thinking of a angled top-tube, more of a low, downswept one. And on those that I have tried the braking has always been really mushy since the brake cable is longer and changes direction more.