Originally Posted by
icemilkcoffee
The mixte frame looks nice:
But it's sold out and not in stock
Also- it uses long reach caliper brakes instead of canti or mini-V brakes which would be much better for this application.
I had no particular interest in mixte bikes but several years ago there was a revival of interest in them and I spent some armchair time learning about them. It seems most of them were road bikes having quick handling but were not particularly comfortable for all-day riding, yet a smaller number of them had slack touring geometry, which got my attention, and although I have a couple of other bikes with serious front and rear cargo racks, I wanted to see if there would be any advantages to more easily getting on and off a loaded mixte bike while more easily keeping it standing vertically. I eventually got two of them, a 1982 Puch Odyssey mixte and a 2018 Raleigh Carlton Mixte 8.
Several years ago the Velo Orange Mixte frameset became discontinued and I just missed out on getting one but it is attractive so I put my name on its wait/want list should it ever return to production and then a couple of years later put my name on that same wish list again to let VO know I am serious about getting one, but unfortunately the VO Mixte was designed for what are now considered old-world technologies and components so I am not holding my breath while waiting for its return.
The joys of vintage bikes need no introduction here on the C&V forum but to anybody interested in mixte bikes there were the short-lived Raleigh Carlton Mixte 8 bikes which were introduced in mid-2017 and discontinued in mid-2019 when the Raleigh business got transferred, again, had ordinary TIG-welded chromoly forks and frames and were made in small, medium and large sizes with 700c wheels. They came with a light-duty front rack and mounts for a full-sized rear rack and with the exception of its road bike seat tube angle its fork and frame have touring geometry making for relaxed handling and a comfortable ride. What makes this relatively inexpensive bike interesting is that although they were made and sold as having a 1x8 gear train, they were designed and equipped with provisions for an optional, owner-provided front derailleur and mine now has a 3x8 gear train with ~19 gear inch low gear, ~105 gear inch high gear and an evenly-stepped range of gearing between high and low. This became a really nice bike.