gna

+1. Pulled a muscle in my back trying to get my leg over the top bar without kicking my kid. That's why I'd like a mixte. Can't find a 23" one, though.

ScottCarney

Well, that includes a couple of bikes that are pretty much hers and have been accumulated over a coupe of decades. And I have only ever let two bikes that were once mine go to other homes. And I do a lot of housework as penance.

Rhodabike

The Soma mixte comes in sizes up to 58cm/22.83".
https://www.somafab.com/geometry03.html

doglhunt

I used an old women's frame middleweight cruiser as a paper route bike.It was easy just to lay it down and put the paper where the customer wanted it them just step over it,grab it and go.Alot easier than a"boy's" bike when you had to repeat the drill 30 times a day.Beat it hard and never had a problem.sold it to the kid who took over the route.I think he rode it for a few more years.

grolby

Did you read the part that I said that the inherent loss of stiffness in a step-through frame was unimportant? I've said three separate times in this thread that there's nothing wrong with step-through bikes and that I think that riding them is a fantastic idea. But, while the ability to mount a bike without kicking your child in the head makes a step-through the best choice for most people carry children in child seats, you are fooling yourself if you think it's not going to have a greater negative effect on the handling than it would on a similarly built full-diamond frame. What I said you were wrong about was the claim that step-through frames are not inherently less stiff than full-diamond frames. They absolutely are. And stiffer bikes handle better with heavy loads (and yes, children count as "heavy loads"), full stop. The question is whether you should care. The answer, under most circumstances is "probably not." This is a matter that can be compensated with by overbuilding anyway, so chances are that your ladies' bike is comparable in stiffness to similarly-designed mens' bikes.

fuzz2050

how is this thread still going with such vitriol? For a given stiffness, a step through frame will be slightly heavier. That's it.

The main thing I dislike about mixtes (only mixtes, other step throughs don't have this problem) is you have two choices of brakes (if you want to do it right) you can either mount a pair of Mafac centerpulls, or spring for a pair of Pauls. A mixte doesn't look right without the rear brake cable coming down between the two top tubes, attached to the straddle wire of a nice centerpull brake mounted on the middle stay. V-O almost has it

gna

The new V-O Mixte is supposed to come in larger size, too.

What I meant to say is I can't find a 23" mixte on my local Craigslist (I'm on a budget).

anon29836425

I entered this thread looking for the answer to this. No one seems to have mentioned it. Step-throughs put massively more weight on the back wheel, its not even close. Its like 3 to 1. I kept breaking spokes on my back wheel but never my front so I got curious and weighed each wheel with me sitting on the bike. I tried posting a picture of each wheel but I guess this forum wont let me unless I make 10 posts. Its 183 pounds on the back wheel and 65 pounds on the front.

I did not measure a triangular frame but I would assume that front bar would help it spread out more evenly. As such, a triangular frame would likely have better weight distribution and reliability as far as spoke breakage goes.

noglider 

This is the result of high handlebars with a short reach (distance between saddle and handlebar), not the ladies' style frame.

Day6

Exactly. I skipped a couple of pages on this thread cause of its age, so this may have been mentioned...the measurements on a mixte or "woman's" bicycle are slightly different. The seat tube angle is different to accommodate women's pelvic bone structure, and, for any given height, women tend to have longer legs and shorter torsos proportionately than men. So the distance between the seat and the stem is shorter on a woman's bike, while the seat height tends to be a little higher on average.
I'm a guy. I like my saddle high for good leg extension, and I sit more upright for comfort. I usually have to buy aftermarket seat posts for my men's bikes, and the handlebars are good. On the few women's bikes I've had, the stock seat post raised high enough but I had to change handlebars cause the stock ones felt like they were in my lap, even rotated forward.

Day6

Oh, and all the comments in here about women's frames being inherently cheaper and of poorer quality than men's bikes is patently nonsense .The one I have now is a Trek hybrid, and it is a SWEET ride.
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wphamilton

No, but the longer distance to the head tube (on the men's frame) would put more weight to the front. It's also a matter of how much you're leaning, maybe more so than just the difference in "effective top tube".

Darth Lefty 

A lot of Trek FX models are available as step-through, up through the FX 3. The women's diamond models are distinctly different geometry than the men's but the step-through are the same as the men's. Or at least they were a few years ago when I was shopping for a tug and kid seat rig.

Joe Bikerider

Darth Lefty 

kassit215

I've only found them to be more comfortable and easier to ride. I always usta end up with men's bikes for some reason and since I switched I could never go back!

Happy Feet

I have to say that's the first I've ever heard someone say that. Secret hint-you can swing your leg over a step thru too

This is my daily summer/winter commuter. 91 or 92 Trek Multi Track. Hi-Ten but surprisingly light. The low geared triple is great for hills and there's wheel clearance for fat gravel grinding tires if wanted. Shown are 38's. Also cheap enough not to worry unduly in regards to theft, sand or salt.

Harhir

I have an 80s Women's Gazelle. This bike has a 60 cm frame which works great for my size. I like the step through when running grocery trips with loaded baskets at the back or when pulling a trailer hauling groceries. This way I don't have to swing my legs over and don't have to watch my feet/legs hitting any of the groceries sticking out at the top. But when fully loaded the step through bikes flex a lot more than bikes with a top tube frame.
But last year I moved to an upright recumbent which has become my daily commuting bike.

jamesdak 

So funny reading some of these comments from 10 years ago.....entertaining. Found this thread while googling Azor and figured why not bring it back from the dead?

For years I "got by" with an old english three speed but it was always a compromise. Not to mention too small. Used mainly to run errands around town.



Then I graduated to this crazy Trekking bike that once again was a compromise. Heck I ride road bikes every day and getting on this is a pain in the butt. Swinging the leg over the basket is not very easy nor stepping over the top tube. Even when you can tilt it. The add a load into the basket and it's even more of a chore not to spill stuff out when you try to get on.



So I figured it was time to get smart. Did a ton of research and settled on the custom build of an Azor bike with a step through frame. Once this baby is built and delivered I'll honestly post my thoughts on modern step through frames.

This is what I should have my hands on in a couple of months at most.

noglider 

@jamesdak, another option is swinging your leg over the handlebars. It's not necessarily easier.

jamesdak 

Oh I know, but that's a good way for this old geezer to blow a groin muscle trying to get over and around those wide trekking bars. A step through is the real answer. Anything else is just silly when the right solution is available.

JPprivate

Very nice!! Now ten years later/older with a trailer in tow I am starting look at step-thrus again...

Darth Lefty 

But then you need to sit on the handlebars and ride backward and that's a trick I never had the courage to try

CityCountry

Have you done this measurement on a different bicycle?

Ciufalon

There are many videos on Youtube that talk about the benefits of step-through bikes for every day travel. Here are a couple and Noticed that all bike share bikes I've ever seen are step-through.