Midtown

this is a beautiful bike. I have never seen one before. Can you tell me a little about it?

boattail71

Ride a women's bike? Of course/why not! I'm secure in my masculinity to ride one - but it's gotta be old and have some cachet. And it's called a "women's" frame. When did this term "step-through" come out? It's always been "women's" or "girls'" frame ever since I can remember. "Step-through" sounds like a term coined by used bike dealers who are over stocked in women's bikes so he calls them "step-through" to sell to unsuspecting guys.

xuwol7

Of course, I have been looking for a Peugeot Mixte frame for a downtown/coffee shop bike.
I have an old rebuilt 26 x 1 3/8 coaster wheel set, 1950's vintage basket, rack, fenders, etc. all ready to go, just need the frame.
A nice Peugeot mixte frame is high on my list to add to my Peugeot collection.
A few years ago I built an early 1970's Raleigh mixte for my sister and she loves it and it rides very nice, it got her back into riding bikes after 25 years.

No fear guys, riding a mixte won't turn you gay or make you start craving show tunes...lol

Velocivixen

Men who ride mixtes are HOT.

oddjob2

.

Thank you.

I picked up the 1980's Shogun in NNJ at a very attractive price 2 years ago. It is a butted chromoly frame with perfect paint and looked like it had hardly been ridden. I have bought 3 Shoguns including this mixte, a men's identical model with same paint, and a Shogun 1000, with Shimano 600 Arabesque. All frames were nicely painted. The mixte components I believe are Shimano and Dia Compe, nothing special but easy to upgrade. I have recabled the bike, overhauled it and added whitewalls. 27" alloys.

I know a lot of old show tunes, since it was what we did as kids being only an hour from Times Square.

I buy almost every mixte I can find that is reasonably priced with decent paint, as I seem to find them easy to make appealing and command good resale value. I have over 10 awaiting bike stand time.

From Chicago via ebay, shown as purchased.

Ramona_W

Step-through bikes aren't just for women. They're also for men who've had a hip replaced or some other surgery that makes them less excited about standing on one leg and throwing the other over the top tube. Perhaps they're experiencing balance issues and are fine once on the bike but mounting it is difficult. They're also popular with men who will be getting on and off a bike multiple times in a trip. If you ever watch the film "Jiro Dreams of Sushi", the son does his fish shopping trips on a step-through bike made in India. I'm not seeing the conflict here especially in view of the part of the quote I bolded. Life is all about enjoying the ride. If you want it, go for it.

xuwol7

Thats it oddjob2,
Love that Peugeot Mixte, the Brooks sprung saddle, fenders with the dyno lights, classic cottered cranks and the chain guard really sets it off.
I would ride that bike with a big goofy smile on my face.

I saw an old PBS show recently, this old house show featuring a bike shop/bikes in New England/ Adirondacks was that your shop?
Love my Vintage Peugeots and PBS...lol
(15year old tv with rabbit ears and the only channel I really watch).

My early childhood was spent listening to my Moms old record of the Music Man...
It didn't turn me gay...lol
I am a former boxer 6'2" 190# and am secure with my sexuality and actually looking forward to riding a "woman-s-bike"...lol

SparkyBeacon 

I fixed up my daughter's girl's frame mountain bike for commuting. I used it for about three years. It was a mixte-style frame. When I wore out some drive-train components, I replaced them and made the bike all hers again (by taking off my rack, fenders, lights). I try to stick with function over form, but I cannot totally ignore how I may appear to others.

noglider 

I think mixtes look better with all-rounder or swept-back bars, but that's just a matter of taste.

If you can't swing your leg over the seat because cargo or a passenger is behind the seat, you might be able to swing your leg over the handlebars.

Velognome 

Would I ride a woman's bike? Guess that all depends on if she said "yes".....otherwise I'd have to say "no" because that would be rude.

Ramona_W

So the Super Sport can only be ridden by Jane Fonda in the movie "Klute" or possibly by Joan Jett?

icepick_trotsky 

And hopefully soon by me. I think I'm going for it.

Velocivixen

hey icepick_trotsky, I was going to suggest you just get the thing, clean it up, etc., ride it and if it doesn't work then give it to someone or sell it. It could be a fun project. You will​ post pictures. Right?

CV-6 

If it got me where I needed to go, hell yes.

John Hood

I have ridden women's bikes in the past and I'm sure I will again at some point in the future, but I don't particularly like them and were I to buy one it would probably be with the intention of stripping it for parts.

I just don't find them visually appealing at all and I am still limber enough to hike my foot up over the cross bar of a 58cm frame. Then there's also the issue of strength. The only two frames that I have ever broken were both women's frames.

Metacortex

The bike in the OP is a 1974 Super Sport Ladies' model with a 22" frame in Opaque Red: Vintage Schwinn Super Sport womens 10 spd

What is special about that is the Super Sport was technically discontinued in '73, however Schwinn actually continued to build them in '74 even though they were not listed in the catalog that year. Compared to the men's models the ladies' bikes have a much weaker frame (fashion/form over function), they were only available in small sizes (20" or 22" c-t that year) and in the case of the Super Sport they did not come with the desirable Brooks B15 saddle as seen on the men's models. Many Schwinn collectors look for the ladies' bikes because they are often a great source of pristine parts for restoring men's models. In this case the price is pretty high for a ladies' model but the condition is excellent and it appears to be missing only the original toe clips/straps.

rootboy 

There you go. See? They're chick magnets, guys!

OldsCOOL

Very few women ride womens bikes. Me? It's all about weight, handling and performance. It must have a top tube.

The Golden Boy 

I agree.

When I started riding, I took turns riding my High Sierra and my sister's old step through World Sport- and it wasn't as "solid" feeling as the High Sierra. Not just because it was not a mountain bike, but because of the top tube construction of the bike. Of course, it wasn't a mixte.

But I guess I'll be the "it's a girl's bike" guy as well. For as much fretting as EVERYONE on this forum does about the care, feeding and appearance of their bikes- looks matter. From the clothes you wear to everything you choose to be visible about yourself- it speaks of you. When I see a man riding a step through- my first thought is that it isn't his. My next thought is that he's got a specific reason that he's riding that bike (IE a disability that doesn't allow for stepping over a diamond frame). However, I don't so much see 'well to do' men riding step through or girl's, or kid's bikes- it's generally the "no driver's license" and "I stole this off someone's front lawn to get some Milwaukee's Beast" types.

I don't particularly care what people are riding (as long as the bike isn't stolen), but the point is they're out there riding. And if they're happy on their bike- all the better. If I am able to, I'm going to ride the bike that I like the look and feel of.

The Golden Boy 

To be fair, it took a number of readings (after reading your reply post) to understand that your first sentence is two distinct subjects:


And to couple it with this post which is (to my mind) pretty clearly defining a "mixte" as any step through bike:

I thought your intial post was confusing. There's assigned and assumed gender roles in every society. I see nothing misogynistic about Ex Pres' post.

cobrabyte

Like speedos, "step through" frames are more accepted in Europe.

gioscinelli 

Hi @Velocivixen 74 Peugeot UO8 mixtie (in Europe it's considered an unisex bike) was my first foray into cycling, now used by my wife.


2006 Litespeed Bella, now owned by another rider, since the color was not appealing and I felt unselfconscious when riding.

My current possession, 71 Peugeot PX 10 recently acquired, which would fit most women because of the size.

mobilemail

I would ride that woman's bike, but its too big for me! I can tell because the steering tube is more than one big lug! :-)

mobilemail

I bought this a few months ago and promptly named it "girl bike". What say you? (I'm going to keep riding it anyway)

noglider 

That's an extreme sloping top tube.