TedS

Please help! I think I have everything I need for a great city bike that I plan to use for short errands and neighborhood riding. But for ease of mounting and dismounting when the rack is loaded, I would prefer to build it on a Mixte frame. The characteristics I am looking for are:

-Steel frame, lugged preferred
-Horizontal dropouts to accommodate a Shimano Nexus 8-speed internally-geared hub
-135mm spacing for same
-Eyelets for mounting a rear rack
-Designed for 700C wheels
-Enough clearance to run 32C tires with fenders, or 38C without
-Threaded headset for quill stem

My first choice would be a lugged steel frame but I'm open to other suggestions. I'm not looking to pop curbs on this, but I want it to be sturdy enough to ride on gravel or packed dirt trails.
I'm a small rider, but I will be using swept-back "Albatross" bars. Based on my current diamond-frame bikes, I'm guessing that I will need an effective top tube length of 550-570mm. This will probably translate to a seat tube length of 51-52 cm. (One beauty of the Mixte is that you can go with a larger frame size without having to worry about stand-over clearance.)

I have researched offerings from Rivendell, Soma, Velo Orange, and Masi
- Rivendell: The Yves Gomez is out. It has vertical dropouts, and it's designed for 650B wheels.
- Soma: The Buena Vista is beautiful. But every picture I have seen shows it with a threadless headset. I've had problems with numbness, and I'm NOT willing to sacrifice the ability to adjust handlebar height. I'm aware of the threadless NVO Components adjustable height system that Jamis and REI use. But I have searched and it doesn't seem to be available for separate sale. I also happen to have all of the parts for a 1 1/8 THREADED headset (which are fairly rare.) But I'm not a mechanic, and I'm not sure if these can be installed into the Soma frame.
- Velo Orange: Although there are some pages that can still be found by searching, it appears that Velo Orange stopped offering their mixte frame in 2010.
- Masi: Masi makes the Bellissima SoulVille 7 Mixte. But it also uses a threadless headset. Also this frame does not appear to be offered for separate sale.

The two options left are to buy a vintage bike and spread ("cold set") the rear triangle to accommodate the 135mm hub. Has anyone here actually done this? I could also buy one of the new Linus models, but it seems a shame to spend more than $500 for a whole new bike, when I already have most of the components.

Has anyone done a build-up like this? I want it to be beautiful and classic-looking, as well as functional. What are your thoughts?
Thanks,
Ted S.

buffalo_cody

I'm pretty sure as long as you have a 1 1/8 quill stem, & threaded fork it'll work the Soma, or any other 1 1/8 head tube.

buffalo_cody

Also, Origin 8 has a mixte.

himespau 

Wow, I've been wanting to build up a mixte for my wife for a while now, but it's always seemed so expensive. That Origin 8 frame might make it affordable.

TedS

Thanks buffalo_cody! I do have the stem and I could probably salvage the headset bearings from the existing head tube. But I don't really want to reuse the fork, its the wrong color, wrong geometry, etc.

Personally I *hate* threadless headsets, I wish they were never invented. They're ugly and offer no height adjustment. Is there any way to convert a threadless headset and fork to threaded? The threadless headset is the main reason I wouldn't consider Soma. And it appears that Origin 8 also uses one. There has got to be a better way.

If I get stuck with threadless, does anyone here have leads on purchasing the NVO Components adjustable height system (as used by Jamis, etc.) That's about the best-looking, most functional system I have seen for threadless.
Thanks,
Ted

JAG410 

Soma sells a "quill-n-nator" or something like that which allows for a threaded quill in a threadless headset. Its not cheap, but it works and its shiny

Chris Pringle

+1 Never seen this mixte frame before but for less than $200 (frame + fork), it seems like the way to go. Not a threaded headset, but nice!

As far as buying a used frame and spreading the rear triangle, it's pretty much a non-issue as long as it's steel frame with 130mm spacing. At 126mm or less, you will be putting too much stress on the frame and will have to realign dropouts, etc. Most mixtes from the 70s and 80s fall in the 120-126mm category. Mixtes are "in" and are commanding high prices even for frames. Personally, for your application, I would just spring for one of the new frames proposed here.

fietsbob

Type: Steel , single round top-tube, to seat tube,
then a pair of struts from the seat tube to the rear dropout.

better rigidity against head tube torquing, as you ride effecting steering,
than the 2 thin tubes on top, running all the way back.

buffalo_cody

Neither of those frames comes with a headset. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if you have the quill stem, and the 1 1/8 threaded headset (+ races) all you need to worry about is purchasing a 1 1/8 threaded fork to replace the threadless one the frames come with.

sjt78

Can you get the fork on the Soma threaded? If that is possible then the answer is easy.

monsterpile

They probably won't be big enough I guess, but if you think they would buying one of these from bikesdirect would be pretty great and you would get matching fenders. =) You would have left over parts and they are just $230 for the complete bike shipped to your door.

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/essex.htm

himespau 

I don't know why bd can't make those "ladies" bikes in bigger sizes. I'd be all over getting one of those for my wife and modding it to make it more appropriate if it were 56 or 58 cm.

clasher

If you want to adjust your bar height would you consider using an adjustable stem on an 1 1/8 and using a few more spacers than common? I think that would be the easiest thing to do, my LBS had one for 20 or 30$ that seems solid and I reckon you find some reviews here too. There seems to be many for sale and it would let you use the Origin8 frameset without any hassle of threading a fork or using hacks... easiest option if you ask me.

Something akin to this kind of stem and just leave a fist-full or so of steer-tube and spacers on... super-easy to adjust the height with just the stem, and since you'd leave a lot of steerer tube exposed you'd be able to do big height adjustments as well. Unless you're dead-set on using your threaded headset, I'd just pay 30$ for an adjustable stem and use the origin8 frame... seems the most frugal option that gives you the adjustability you want.

himespau 

I think this is what I was referring to:

tarwheel 

If you don't mind ordering from England and waiting a while, either Mercian or Bob Jackson could build you a mixte frame. Here's a link to the Mercian mixte:

https://www.merciancycles.co.uk/frames/23/miss-mercian

Personally, I would probably order one of the Soma mixtes, assuming the geometry is right for you. I understand your consternation about threadless stems/forks, and prefer the old-school threaded stems myself, but you can build a threadless bike in such a way that it has options for making adjustments. Just make sure that you don't cut the steerer tube too short and leave plenty of room for spacers; using stems with different rises can also make fitting easier. It won't be as easy as with a threaded stem, but very doable -- particularly if you buy from a bike shop that will let you try different stems.

TedS

JAG, the Soma Quill-Innator looks interesting, thank you so much for pointing it out! It seems like a brand-new offering (and one that is desperately needed IMO.) Couldn't find too many pictures of it installed. Yes it is expensive! Compared to a threaded setup, it seems to limit how low you can set the bars (looks like you would need at least 2" of stem protruding from the head tube.)

buffalo and sjt: I am going to check with Soma and Origin 8, to see if they offer a 1 1/8 threaded fork that matches the geometry of the Buena Vista frame.

fietsbob, are you saying a traditional "girl's bike" configuration is stronger than a Mixte? I always thought otherwise, but I'm not an engineer. My beach bike is a girl's bike, and I haven't broken it yet. (But it's a hand-me-down that I got for free, and it only gets ridden a couple of weeks a year!)

Monsterpile, thank you for pointing me to Bikes Direct! Never heard of them before. I like their Mixte and the effective top tube length is listed as 570mm. But I would probably spend $299 for the 3-speed model to get the brazed-on cable stays and caliper brakes, in case the ones I have don't fit that frame. I may well end up going this route. Does anyone have firsthand experience with BD? How is the quality of their steel frames?

Clasher I had one of those adjustable-angle stems on a MTB I owned. Adjusting it was tricky because as you go higher, the bars also come closer. I tried, but ultimately I couldn't find a comfortable position (and it was clunky-looking IMO.) Yes, I could leave the fork uncut and use a fistful of spacers, but I'm trying to avoid an outcome that looks like this:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/717988
(a highly functional bike, but most of the posters agreed that front end isn't going to win any beauty contests.)

Tarwheel, the Miss Mercian is beautiful, but probably too expensive for this project. Besides, how would those blokes in the U.K. get accurate measurements of me anatomy? At least they still use pounds, feet, and inches across the pond : - )

Thanks everyone for sharing your ideas. Please keep them coming. Meanwhile I will check with Soma about the threaded fork, and see what kind of deals I can get from Linus and Bikes Direct.

Someday if I actually build this thing (and assuming I can figure out how), I promise I will post a pic. Thank you, thank you, thankyou all!!!

monsterpile

I have purchased a bike fro Bikesdirect and I think it was a great biek for the price. It is a Windsor Shetland mini velo. Its an aluminum frame and th eoveraall quality exceeded my expectations although I thnk they were somewhat low. =)



I can't say for sure if the frames they produce are top quality, but compared to other budget frames and bikes they seem to look pretty good to me. I won't hesitate to buy another one. I bought a bunch of old cruiser fenders tonight from a guy that has a Motobecane Mirage Sport and it was a pretty nice bike as well and I kinda wished I had scooped it up when it was on Craigslist LOL. I just searched for the link to those bikes and didn't know that bike came in a Mixte frame, but it doesn't fit your criteria. You might want to look around and see what other bikes they have to see if they have any other options for you. I would check all the hybrid type bikes for sure.

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...gesport_xi.htm

Anyway long story short I would recommend BD they are solid and I found their customer service very good. Alot of people on Bike Forums have been very happy with various bikes they have purchased from them. Sure not everyone has been happy or had a perfect experience, but thats normal. I usually by cheap and wait for really good deals, but BD tempts me so often with the great deals they have on their new bikes. I am sure other people will chime in.

threecarjam

I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure I've read that you can remove/replace spacers on a Nexus hub to get the OLD down to around 130mm, maybe even smaller - once you're there, shouldn't be a problem to spread an 80's lugged mixte frame that's at 126mm to fit.

monsterpile

Here is a video of those BD city bikes that you might like to watch just to see what the bike look like besides just pics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERBfF..._order&list=UL

mixtemaniac

I'm building a Soma Buena Vista up right now and I definitely think they're worth the money. Even though the Origin8 mixte is cheaper, the paint, tubing and workmanship of the Soma frame is nicer. I have examined both close-up. I'm not aware of another traditional mixte frame-set on the market that hits these price points. The Velo Orange one is no longer available and was much more expensive than even the Soma one.

TedS, are you are aware that threadless steerers come uncut? You don't have to cut the steerer if you don't want to. You can just rearrange spacers to get the height you want. Also, there are adjustable threadless stems on the market in a variety of lengths and angles. If you need to jack the bars up so high that you require more steerer than is available uncut, you're buying the wrong size frame. At this height, stem strength becomes an issue and you'd want a threadless stem anyway as they are much stronger than a quill stem.

fuzz2050

I think a revision of your assumptions about theadless stems is in order. Unless you like to tweak stem height so it's different for every ride (it's possible), threadless is a better system. It's stronger, lighter weight and easier to adjust. Threaded looks prettier (to some), but that's about the only advantage.

Make sure you get an uncut fork, buy a stem with a lot of rise and you'll be better off for it. Especially when you have the handlebars jacked up high, flex in a quill stem can become very noticeable.

I'd give up on your hope of 1 1/8th threaded, that size is extinct. Not to mention, I don't think there were ever any high rise stems made for it.

himespau 

If you don't mind ugly, this looks like it'd allow you to adjust your bar height midride. Never used it, but got an ad for it and thought of this thread.

https://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup....erm=mc20110316