At nearly 77 with a long list of orthopedic issues, I know well the indignities of aging. Thanks to a 30 year old artificial hip that’s wearing out and a knee that’s bone on bone, mounting and safely dismounting my vintage classics is “challenging”. In 2021 I bought 3 used step-through Treks, just to get the frames. I pulled the much nicer components from 3 of my newer bikes and put them on these frames.
After 2 knee replacements, my 76 y/o wife has trouble mounting and dismounting the Reynolds 531 mixte frame I built her 43 years ago. So I bought her 2 aluminum bikes with the fat downtubes and a short "top tube" just above the cranks, just to get the frames & forks. I up[graded nearly all the components, including a Copenhagen Wheel on one. Now I think I'll start riding her mixte.
[img]https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/581x403/mixteside2_604241fd34dfc0f1fea47142ce38d694391bb630.jpg
Her back is so bad that a sprung Brooks B67 + a ThudBuster + 2" tires at 30 PSI is not overkill. But she's still riding!!!!!
Mark Stonich; BikeSmith Design & Fabrication
5349 Elliot Ave S. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417 USA
Ph. (612) 710-9593
BikeSmith Design and Fabrication
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikesmith/ (Mostly Wildlife)