Accessories and bags for a vintage mixte?
 

As mentioned in another thread, I got this 1981 Fuji S12-S mixte from a local bike builder who built it up from a frame hanging in his barn. I don't intend it as a daily shopping/exercise/etc. bike, but more of a good weather/parade bike.

But still: I will want emergency supplies/tools and some water when I ride.

The frame doesn't have braze-ons in the front triangle, so I'm not sure where to hold a water bottle. I would consider a triathlon-style seat-post bottle cage, but the seat-post is probably the best bet for storage of tubes and patches and whatnot. I'd swap that for a handlebar bag, but between the cables and the safety levers (which I'm keeping, I know, I know), there isn't really room. Similarly, a stem-mounted bottle holder really won't work with the shifters.

Am I condemned to just wear a jersey and stick a bottle in a pocket? Or are their solutions I'm not considering? Happy to look into any recommendations, especially things that are Fuji/80s appropriate!

Thanks!

Handlebar water bottle mount might work,

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8d097ff5fc.jpg

Maybe a Blackburn rack on the back?

Oh wow - that would work pretty well - is that a standard-ish cage on a converter, or an all-in-one? I found some all-in-ones on eBay, but they were vintage and kinda pricey.

Velo Orange cage and Minoura handlebar mount

I think that’s ideal - it looks like they’ve stopped making the Minoura, but it’s still on Amazon. They say only for 22.2mm handlebars though, and I think my Nitto Olimpiade B115 is 25.4. That seems like a really small difference, but I’m not sure it’s fit. Will look for similar!

This thread may be of use to you: https://m.bikeforums.net/showthread....ing=1&t=227038

Just a few ideas, courtesy of mrs non-fixie.

A CatEye reflector mount used for a bottle cage. Not the most robust solution. This one broke on the Belgian cobble stones a year later:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...959a411abc.jpg

This frame has braze-ons, but simple (and classic) clamps will work just as well:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0e810aabeb.jpg

Zéfal makes nice large bottles that'll fit:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...eda2bcab8a.jpg

Good luck on the hunt! I bought two of the BH-60 mounts, one is on 22.2 bar, the other is on a 25.4 bar. I'm thinking I modified the U Bolts a bit for the bigger bars.

Once you sort out a water bottle, you could add a rear rack or saddle bag, big or small, a newer gravel bag doesn't not look the part but you could go with a Acorn, Swift, Carradice, etc.

I like to carry too much stuff and often need to carry more.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...046ba805ba.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d36024c99e.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4658ab725c.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d18f59df63.jpg

Loverly mixte, très kool, love it, I've always wanted a nice one in my size (me, 6 foot).
(please do not listen to me concerning the following statement. Stay away from the rabbit hole :innocent:)
It does look like the clearances are a little tight in its current setup but I always thought those bicycles looked extra cool with fenders.
It would add a certain "je ne sais quoi", as the kids are saying nowadays.
(not that it doesn't already have a cetain "je ne sais quoi")
Plus it helps keep you and the drive-train cleaner.
It looks like those might be 27 inch wheels and going to 700c will probably give you the room needed.

Still, very neat.
Love it just the way it is.
​Hello, my name is Larry, and I have a bicycle problem. :D

Hey, thanks to everyone for the suggestions! I’m going through them all and trying to see what will fit.

I like the idea of clamping something onto the down tube, but both the derailleur cables run down the sides and I haven’t seen anything thin enough to seem like it will work?

I’m seriously thinking about the BH-60, but I don’t have much hardware to try to fiddle with it.

Anyway:

A: Thanks! I love everything about how it looks - and rides! Just gotta sort out storage and get it back to being the 18-speed it was born to be, instead of the 10-speed it is now.

B: I’m also 6’ tall, and this 22.5" mixte fits me great! I do have shortish legs and very long arms, so I think I’m just lucky.

C: The first thing I started googling for after I agreed to buy it (and while it was still just a frame), was shiny fenders. My wife talked me down from hammered ones and suggested beveled ones… But the Dia-Compe center-pull brakes are close now and don’t seem to have any way to adjust their distance from the rims except maybe making an extension bracket thing? Right now the lovely CatEye reflector brackets are super close to the tire, and I wouldn’t want to lose those for the fenders? I think it might be possible, but I’m not enough of a mechanic to be sure. Will have to ask the folks at that co-op next time I’m there. But thanks for encouraging me!

I know I'm late to the party but here's my 2 Rubles. You don't need a bag unless you're planning to carry something, then the bag only needs to carry what you absolutely need. I keep a small tool roll with had wipes and meds, that I put on a jersey pocket so, on my clincher wheel bikes I only need a small bag for tube and levers (and sometimes a CO2 charger. There are lots of options for a bottle and if it fits I recomend on the DT and running the pump along the ST or even the seat stay. A handle bar bag would be useful for both picking up the odd snack or something as well as an extra bottle for longer rides.

Not the best pic but the pump fits nicely in the old school along the seat stay arrangement. I'm not sure they make a smaller seat bag
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d415d5608c.jpg

This old Cannondale bag doesn't fit quite right with this Hybrid stype stem but it's very useful for errands
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3c1cee0f40.jpg

Velo Orange has a lot of useful things for old bikes, including these clamps that fit well under cables: https://velo-orange.com/collections/...tle-cage-clamp

Might I encourage you to rethink your admiration for those reflector brackets? Ils sont moches! Instead mount a rear reflector on the fender, and use a light for the front. A pulsing light in front grabs the attention of drivers better than a reflector.

Another vote for Minoura handlebar mounts for water bottles. Very appropriate for older bicycles, and avoids paint damage or displacement of pumps.(Initial post-repaint rebuild shown. Yes, I did shorten the brake cables. :)

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9a2540b0b0.jpg

Off topic, but your Capo is gorgeous, John.

Those Velo Orange are a very classic and oddly probably the best option. Most anything else seems pretty fat. which means a trial and error fit for cable rub.

This looks interesting https://spinwarriors.com/products/ri...e-adapter-gold

Nearly everyone has the derailleur cables running along the down tube, which is why decent bottle cage clamps are made of thin chromed steel or aluminum.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...28ee9725a5.jpg


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2dc575b382.jpg

https://velo-orange.com/products/hin...le-cage-clamps

These work for me. I may have had the occasional cable rub but the bikes shift beautifully.

Hey all - I’ve ordered those skinny clamps that Aubergine recommends (thanks!). Hilariously, they don’t work with any of the bottle cages that Velo Orange sells, but I think the very basic REI ones do. Also, I will be trying to find a saddle bag that I like. I’m leaning towards something brown, maybe leather? Handlebar bags won’t work with the brake arrangement, and I don’t need much more than a repair kit.

Velo Orange also sells fenders they say work with 27" wheels, so I may be investigating those in the future. 😀

This has been really helpful - thanks very much to you all!

It's a mixte! You need at least one basket with flowers:
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...pg?format=750w

I don’t disagree! But the bike has very narrow handlebars (38cm), safety levers (which I like), and a brake cable in the way. Unless and until I get a rack, I’m not sure where the basket would go.

Should you prefer a front bag, the Dia-Compe ENE front rack bolts straight onto your Dia-Compe or Weinmann brake caliper:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...89a535407f.jpg

And bags can be found that clip onto those small racks and won't interfere with your brake levers:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...79185a6cc5.jpg

Another option is a bag support such as this one:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1d2a3aceb7.jpg

Oh wow, that's really wild - looks like they're only sold in Europe and Tawian, but there are some on eBay. I worry that it's overloading the brakes, but given that they're made by the brake manufacturer, I guess not!

That is BEAUTIFUL. So much so that I immediately started reverse image searching to try to figure out where to get a bag like that... with no luck. That bag alone looks like it's worth getting the rack!

To be sure, front bags are not meant to be heavily loaded. If you want, Velo Orange and others make a Porte-paquet type rack that bolts to the eyelets at the bottom of the fork.

Look for randonneur bags. The one non-fixie showed looks like a Spécialités TA bag but there are many other similar brands such as Berthoud and Swift Industries.

So far, mine has held up well:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e20f04c9db.jpg

They do show up on Ebay France every now and then. I bought both of mine at the Anjou Vélo Vintage market in Saumur last year:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...79463f632a.jpg