mechanicmatt

​​​​​​​It has a Columbus tubing sticker on there, so likely SL or SLX

dedhed

Yes, in general (in the US anyway) a wet paint job is more expensive than a powder coat job. For everyday riders, not "restorations", powder coat is the most cost effective way to go.

non-fixie 

Buying a nice used frame is what I would do. If it comes in the form of a complete bike with good parts that you can use or resell, even better. (As a matter of fact, it is what I did last summer. Story is here)

11 kg is well within reach with any decent frame, as it will depend largely on the choice of parts. Steel cranks, mudguards, sprung leather saddles, racks and baskets all add up. I've taken a full kg off once just by replacing the tires.

I am getting a little curious now. What are you aiming for?

bertinjim 

Don't sell Peugeot Mixtes short. They made the PR 65 which was a 531 main frame with good quality components and forged dropouts. The regular high tensile Peugeot mixtes are quite nice as well. I restored one for my wife and it was lightweight (about 23 pounds/11 kilos, with rack, fenders and lighting) and handled really well.

jeirvine 

Some nice offerings from Vintage Velo Berlin:

Bertin, 800 euros:
Andre Bertin Damenrennrad - Shimano 600 Arabesque L?Eroica Eroica - Vintage Velo Berlin vintageveloberlin - © Mathias Henfling


Simonato 1300 euros:
Oscar Simonato Special Donna Mixte ca. 1980 Campagnolo Nuovo Record Modolo - L?Eroica Eroica - Vintage Velo Berlin vintageveloberlin - © Mathias Henfling

JaccoW

Those are some nice bikes but holy hell, Berlin prices are still extremely inflated. It was already when I lived there. Bikes that would barely fetch €100 in the Netherlands were being sold there for prices of €400 and up.

dedhed

They have a Swiss distributor. https://www.somafab.com/distributors

Also having a 15% off everything sale right now. https://www.somafabshop.com/

merziac

Once again need to drop this in, many of these including the Bertin and Simonato are step through's not actually mixte's.

And stunning none the less.

babie_lato

Thank you for the image merziac! I was looking for a scheme like this for a long time because was curious how this type (like the ones jeirvine posted) was called. Now I know: ANGLAIS. They would definitely be an option too! The ones from the pictures are beautiful but I also have a feeling the price is high just because it’s Berlin...

52telecaster

Just so you know, most mixte frames are a little longer for their vertical measurements than regular frames. This means with a tall enough seatpost and stem you can make a 54 or 55 work well for you. I am 5, 11 and rode a 54cm puch mixte and it fit great.

merziac

You're welcome, yep, Berlin, Steel Vintage Bikes has done a number on the market there and in general so very few good deals to be had and these are that way to begin with so you will have to temper your wants, needs, expectations and reality accordingly to get there.

You are in the right place although "mixte's" and such present a unique challenge as you are finding out.

531 is especially challenging despite being used extensively in quality and custom builds they are still quite rare and will not be cheap even if you can find one.

I encourage you to raise your ask some and lower your expectations some to get you there. You should be able to find a Japanese version made with Tange and many of them are excellent quality and very, very well made as well as beautiful too.

One more thing to add, part of altering expectations will get you there sooner, too stringent and you may never get there.

Dig in, get something to start with and work through the process, you can have a very nice placeholder that will foster better thinking moving forward so you may be able to capitalize on something you may not have considered otherwise.

babie_lato

That’s so good to know, thank you! It definitely makes the search easier!

babie_lato

Does anyone know the Hercules Monte Carlo mixte? It says that the frame is CrMo4, it weights around 11.5kg and is available in 57cm! Sound's good to me, but was curious if anyone of you has experience / opinion about it?




It's a German brand and they seem to be relatively common in Europe.
I found one here on German eBay. It would be a bit expensive though (EUR 439,00 + EUR 70 shipping + custom fees).




I also found another one here on a Polish auction site, much cheaper (EUR 165). My parents live in Poland so I could potentially go there and pick it up. Are there any quality differences (apart from obviously colour) between the two?



I'm not in hurry, so I could also wait until I find one of them here locally since they don't seem to be rare, but for now was curious to know if you think it's a good one!

Doug Fattic 

I’m a custom bicycle frame builder and teacher in Michigan that has been interested in not only your quest to find a good Mixte type of frame for yourself but also the educational process you go through as your knowledge increases.

Back in the classic and vintage era most bicycle frames were made out of steel. In order to meet various price points the quality of the steel in frames varied a lot. Most posters on C&V already know this but I’ll tell you anyway. Usually bike store frames had stickers on the seat tube to let buyers know what the frames were made out of. The cheapest bicycle frames were made out of low quality steel (with low carbon content) that had to have increased wall thickness to stand up to everyday use and abuse. These were the types of bicycles sold in department or discount stores. Somewhere I read that the average expected distance ridden on one of these bicycles during its whole life was around 75 miles. Just above them are frames made out of “Hi-ten” (what was said on the sticker) which means high tensile steel (with more carbon added). This is usually the lowest quality of steel used in bicycles sold in bike stores. Because it is a stronger steel, the tubing did not need to be as thick. It isn’t just a weight issue but is also reflected in the ride quality. The next step up is “chrome/moly”. This is short for steel that contains chromium and molybdenum alloys. Some tubing manufacturers used other alloys but that isn’t important to understanding basic tube qualities. Its greater strength makes it stronger and therefore less of it is needed. And finally, at the top end are “double butted” tubes. This means that during its manufacturer, the middle part of the tube is made thinner than the ends although the outside diameter remains the same. Reynolds 531 and Columbus SL are examples of double butted tubing. This is done for several reasons but the reason you might care the most is that frames made out of double butted tubing have a better ride quality. Your goal is to find a mixte made out of double butted tubing if possible. Most likely because they are at the top of the food chain they were also made with greater care and finer details.

There are variations on the steel used in bicycle frames to save weight.For example, some frames were made out of Reynolds 531 straight gauge tubing.The decals usually but not always indicated if the tubing was straight or double butted.Sometimes better tubing was used in the main front triangle and cheaper steel in the fork and back end.In order for a company to be price competitive they mixed higher and lower quality tubes to keep the price as low as possible because that is what the buyer was basing their decision on more than what the frame was made out of that they didn’t understand anyway.

squirtdad

the hercules does not appear to be high end, probably perfectly usable, but not special. Also if you parents are in poland and you had in interest in the Creme Bike, I am pretty sure the are made in Poland, don't know if there are any local deals, but may be worth checking

Bianchigirll 

Welcome to the forums! I'll have to skim through the threads but I am sure it has been brought up that tall high quality Mixte frames are few and far between. I've been tempted several times to buy the Soma Buena Vista. It is a bit pricey at $599 USD but for a Tange Prestige with with plenty of tire clearance and 58cm frame it is likely the best thing going. https://www.somafabshop.com/shop/pro...8?category=990

52telecaster

of those two the german one seems to have a superior crank, but i cant tell much else.

dweenk

USAZorro

Raleigh made a number of models that were mixtes during the 60's - 80's. Some were better than others, but they were relatively common, and quite possibly easier to find for reasonable prices than most other vintage frames. Perhaps the best by reputation was the Grand Sports.

52telecaster

i must have done something egregious.. do tell.

babie_lato

Today I'm going to test-ride this pretty Ycenna mixte.
Unfortunately it's quite for sure too small for me, but still I think it's a good idea to start seeing bikes in real life to get more feeling for how a good frame should look and feel like... And the seller seems to have good bikes regularly, so it will be good to get to know him. Even if this one doesn't fit, he may have something for me in the future.

This Ycenna has Super Vitus 971 double butted tubes so from the knowledge I gained here so far it's not a bad one, is it?

babie_lato

Yes, you're totally right, I initially based my opinion on what many on this forum wrote about Peugeots but after bit of searching found out the quality varies a lot within this one brand.

I quite fell in love with this Peugeot PR65 with Reynolds 531 tubes on German eBay. I would totally buy it but unfortunately the seller is not responding my messages and calls...

non-fixie 

Nice bikes, both of them. The Peugeot is better equipped with aluminum rims, lights and is better sized. Love the color of the Ycenna and the Stronglight 99bis crankset.

Doug Fattic 

One thing you need to know when buying your mixte is your saddle height. I measure from the center of the bottom bracket (the center of the crank) to the top of the saddle along the center of the seat tube. For a lady of your height this distance will probably be around 75cm give or take a couple of centimeters. Once you set your saddle height on the bike you are going to test ride, your next problem is your handlebar height. It is going to want to be at least as high as your saddle - and depending on how aggressive you ride maybe a centimeter or 2 higher. Being able to get your handlebars up to this height is related to your frame size. If your frame size can will not allow the handlebars to get up that far then your frame is too small and you need to find a larger size. Having the handlebars in the wrong position is a common reason a rider is not comfortable and as a result does not enjoy cycling.

You will notice that there are 3 general shapes of handlebars with many small variations within those categories. Your last 2 pictures show 2 of the 3 types. The top picture of the Ycenna shows a straight bar similar to what Americans use on mountain bikes. The Peugeot bicycle on the other hand has bars that sweep back in an M shape. For upright more casual riding I prefer that shape over a straight bar because it takes some pressure off of my hands. The 3rd category is traditional drop bars like the Hetchins or others in some of the 1st set of pictures. These are the kind of handlebars used for longer and faster rides.

The Dutch often have transportation bicycles with M shaped bars because they use them to ride to work at a fairly slow speed (like the effort used in walking) so they don't arrive all sweaty. If on the other hand you are going to use this bike for exercise and longer recreational rides you will probably prefer drop bars which put you in a more powerful aerodynamic position. So the question you need to answer and I am curious is what kind of riding do you want to do with a mixte bicycle?

lubloi

Is it just me or does the first Hercules (the one from German ebay) have a bent fork?