Show us your mixte!

[sandra]

I saw that one the other day. Very interesting, but I'd be scared of it because of the French threading.

[HillSlugger]

I saw that one the other day. Very interesting, but I'd be scared of it because of the French threading.

It caught my eye because it's not the classic mixte design, but I don't really like its lines. I love the classic mixte lines!

[Stronglight99]

Lisa DH, mixte fit deserves some discussion. I'm an old fossil that got my first mixte touring bike over 30 years ago, so I have a few opinions! Any mixte will fit you if you're a little too big for the bike (slide the seat back, use a different stem). However, short folks can be fit-challenged on mixtes. In particular, many old european mixtes are just plain dangerous for most women...they were made with long equivalent top-tubes, long-reach stems and long-reach drop bars. "Suicide levers" were added to brake on the tops because women could not reach the brake levers on the drop bars. Owners of these bikes should replace the stem, bars and brake levers with woman-sized parts as a safety improvement.

I have *very* long legs for my height (5'2", 32" of leg) so I have a significant fit problem. Back in the mid-70s, I bought a Japanese 19" mixte with a 20.5" equivalent top tube, and a very long head-tube. The bike shop installed a 5mm reach SR stem. With this setup I can barely reach the drops, but it fit me well enough for twenty years of happy bike touring. About ten years ago the bike died of old age, and I had a long search to find its replacement. I learned a lot about mixte bike fit in the process. I abandoned drop bars, and instead use a nitto B-601 or porteur bars and it solves the reach problem. I still need a long headtube to get the handlebars high enough to match the long legs. I use a men's B-17 and a long seat-stem for the long legs.
Women shouldn't worry about toe-clip overlap on a mixte. That was a big deal in the old days when guys used large-size toe clips over clown shoes, and 27" wheels with fenders.

By the way, use centerpull or cantilever brakes on these bikes, never use sidepulls unless you have a death wish. On a mixte, the rear centerpull is properly placed underneath the mixte stays behind the seat-tube, and the cable routes between the mixte stays. If you can afford it, put cantis on the front. This together with replacement of the original drops/stems/levers will make a radical improvement in most old mixtes.

[ol'Gimpy]

Wow, OK, this is pretty cool........

Tomorrow I am going to trade a couple of road bikes(Bridgestone and Miyata) and some parts for a real nice Centurion Mixte that has been single speedified. So I was Googlin' to see if I could find what other people have been doing with Mixte frames. I came across an entire thread of actual women interested in actual cool old bikes!!!! Wow!!! I am impressed. Here where I live it's rare to find anyone interested in cool old bikes, much less smart cool women buying and fixing up old mixte bikes!

Very cool. Now if ladies like you only lived in my town...... Houston Tx is a lonely place for a cyclist who doesn't do spandex, and is not impressed by robot welded, aluminum framed, new fangled Star Trek Taiwan junkers at the shops.

I have an old lugged steel, Japan built Peugeot ATB in a smaller size and tomorrow I will have the Centurion mixte in the hopes of meeting a lady who will ride them, and uh, put up with me at least long enough for the ride......haha.....

Anyway, considering the status quo here in H-Town, it is quite refreshing to find this post. Keep it up ladies!! You are definitely the exception!

[Zen]

actual women interested in actual cool old bikes!!!! Wow!!! I am impressed. Here where I live it's rare to find anyone interested in cool old bikes, much less smart cool women buying and fixing up old mixte bikes!

actual women.
imagine that.

[mimitabby]

teehee

[Trek420]

teehee

As opposed to fake women? Real Women ride mixtes

[sandra]

I'm busted.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'm busted.

And your arms are long, too.

[ol'Gimpy]

I got it. The bike is really nice. Very nicely handbuilt Japanese frameset. This frame must be one of the nicest mixte frames ever available. It is fairly well appointed as is, but I will be making some changes to get it where I want it. It's getting a quick realease seatpost bolt so that I can ride it most of the time, and then lower the seat for visitors.

I'll post a pic or two pretty soon.

I'm thinking that I will set it up as follows:

rear rack with nice pretty wicker basket from the thrift store, nice matching wicker handlebar basket, springer seat, semi-flat bars with nice old cold forged dirt drop type stem(or Nitto Dove bars if I decide to spend more money on this bike), BMX platform pedals, leave it as a single speed.

Basically a very nice picnic or grocery bike. Either that or I could leave it as a totally stripped down single speed.

So what do you ladies think? Yes I will post a pic soon......

Oh yeah, that's exactly what I meant.....actual ladies as opposed to fake ladies. I live in the land of silicone and cadillacs...well Escalades anyway. Actual vs. fake is real here. There actually[U[/U] lots of cool people here, but still not many doing the old bike thing, and yes especially not ladies. AMybe I can change that one person/bike at a time. Been trying for years. I gave away two great old bikes last week.

[Trek420]

Hmmm, mustache bars, Nitto stem, BMX pedals, single speed .... like this?

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=19096

olGimpy, sounds like it'll be a great bike. We want pictures, and the ride report.

[ol'Gimpy]

Very similar idea. Believe it or not, I think this Centurion is even a little nicer frame that that nice Motobecane! I really like the way the moustache bars look on that bike, but I dont' think I will use them. I will probably go with a dirt drop stem and an oldschool semi-flat ATB bar, or even with a fully upright bar like the Nitto Dove. But yeah, that bike is very similar to what I will prolly do. I'm really happy about this one. Such an unusual bike. I rode it just a little today and it's real nice. The randoneur bars that are on it kinda make it a little sketchy though. Those come off this week. I'll prolly get it finished this week, with the exception of the rear rack and basket.

This must be my 100th build by now, but I think it will be one of the coolest.

[sandra]

Ok, well, let's see a picture of it already!

[Trek420]

Believe it or not, I think this Centurion is even a little nicer frame that that nice Motobecane!

Well. The Motobecane is not a terrific frame nor made of the best steel. But it's a sweet ride and a very puhrty bike.

Let's see the Centurion already

[ol'Gimpy]

Sorry no pic yet. I'm almost done with the bike, and bought a digicam online last night. The kid broke the other camera.

The bike is sweet. It is a permanent part of the stable.

What other cool old bikes have you ladies got? I have:

4 lugged Splined Triple Butted Miyata Forerunners, 1 built as a killer cyclocross, the other 3 frames in the closet waiting......

1 lugged STB Team Miyata road frame, was my uncle's prior to his passing
1 lugged STBTeam Miyata Mountain bike, ditto
1 lugged Peugeot Canyon Express ATB with all high end 1985 parts
1 lugged Peugeot City Express ATB in a small size, soon to be finished
1 fully tricked out BMX/ATB/Road rigged lugged TREK 870 from 1988. So rad that it's unreal. I'm so good!!! hahaha
1 Super sweet large Centurion Mixte single speed set up for grocery getting and cruising
1 Robinson Pro BMX 20" that my little boy rides
1 Specialized BMX that my older boy rides
1 more Robinson in the garage

I give away bikes alot to get people/friends riding, trade some, sell some on craigslist, donate some to our local bike co-op youth program. Bikes are beautiful. This is the whole list now, after closing down my home based side job bike shop after getting my stuff back together post divorce. I had up to 40 at one time when I needed a second income source. She and I get along OK, now,.... She didn't like bikes, skateboarding, concerts, art museums, good restaurants, my gourmet cooking, uh, or anything else about me...hehehe, oh well, I like me.