beicster 

Mixte and step through bikes have been catching my eye lately. I bought a Fuji Sagres mixte for my wife back in April and I have come to love it. Were there any companies that sold large mixte or step through bikes/frames in the US during the bike boom? There are some current frames but I am more interested in trying to get a vintage bike first. (I am not opposed to buying a frame from overseas and shipping it here but I'd like to avoid the expense if possible)

daverup 

Austro Daimler Vent Noir came in as a Mixte. I think a 23inch frame passed through the C&V classified section several months ago. Most mixte's are 19in that I have seen.
The tall ones are pretty rare, good luck.

BTinNYC

Classic mixte bike are beautiful IMO and the geometry (I've seen) works with tall seatposts, as the effective length of the (non-existent) top tube is very long. We have a 21" Pug mixte that I can ride comfortably with the saddle jacked up and I'm 6'3".

Mr. 66

Post boom Univega had some tall mixie in 27" wheels and later with 700c. I almost picked up a little one in pink, I'm still cursing myself on that one, it was in the Mrs. 66 size.

Boom type, I've been keeping an eye out for Motobecan, they had a few versions, including vitus and 531 tubing. There was a Motobecan few years ago on the local Craigslist of 531.

Bianchigirll 

Tall good quality Mixties are few and far between. I’ve been keeping an eye for one for years and lately been really kicking myself for not buying a Soma Buena Vista when they a kings ransom at $550+/- now they are almost 1k and not as nice.

juvela

-----

in the boom era Gitane offered the Gran Sport Deluxe model as a mixte measuring 59 or 60cm C-T-T


-----

OTS 

Glad you like the Fuji.
Keep your eyes out for a 531 Raleigh Super Course Mixte.
Found one on the CL list in Chicago and posted it on the "Are you looking for " thread.
After I posted it, it sat.
Resistance was futile.
I ended up buying it for myself after finding a facilitator.

dweenk 

Schwinn and others built "Sports" frames that had a single upper down tube that split into two tubes at the junction of the seat tube. Like this.

63rickert

I have a 23" ladies frame 1949 Hercules available. Needs lots of TLC but is complete and could be presentable. This is not a commercial advert. Donations accepted but mostly looking for a good home.

himespau 

I notice you're also in Kentucky. I have a 53 or 55 cm (depending on how you measure) 1980 Fuji Gran Tourer SE that I tried to give away on here a couple months back but couldn't find any local takers (and didn't feel it was valuable enough to be worth shipping). I've spread the rear triangle to 130 mm (and made sure the dropouts are aligned), but made the poor choice to just cover the original paint (in very poor condition) with gray primer rather than removing it. Then, I remembered how much I hated painting, and it's been sitting with that single coating over the original paint and decals ever since. If you happen to be up in the Louisville way in the near future and fancy taking on a project, drop me a PM, and you can see if it meets your needs.

wrk101

1984 Trek 420L, single year model, came in both 19 inch and 21 inch frame size.

T-Mar

Many of the mass volume manufacturers sold a token model or two in an extra tall frame size. This was typically an upper entry level model, as they were generally the most popular models. As previously noted, most mixtes came in a 19" or 20" frame size, so anything over that was consider tall. Miyata typically offered a 100 or 110 in a 22" mixte. Similarly, Fuji offered the S-12-S mixte in 22-1/2". For a couple of years in the very early 1980s, Centurion offered a LeMans Mixte in a 23" frame. The taller versions of the Nishiki mixtes typically topped out at 21". Maruishi had mixte models called Lady Ace, that were available in a tall 22" frame size. Most of the taller mixtes tend to be post boom models. from the late 1970s to mid-1980s.

Vintage Schwinn

Schwinn had both a ten speed and fifteen speed STEP THROUGH ***PARAMOUNT*** in 1973 and 1974,
SEE the waterford site link that covers all the 1971-1980 Schwinn Catalogs.........just GOOGLE: 1971-1980 Schwinn Catalogs , and then click on to the waterford site link to those. Then proceed ahead to the 1973 & 1974 catalogs in the Ladies PARAMOUNT section. Be forewarned that those ten years of catalogs compiled there in order probably are some four hundred or so pages, but it should only take you twenty seconds or so to click and fast forward ahead.
*****You will not find a nicer, extremely high quality, and really lightweight STEP THROUGH than the Ladies PARAMOUNT......it weighed about 28 pounds, factory equipped.
Finding one today will not be easy, as they were SUPER EXPENSIVE in 1973 & 1974, so it won't be easy to find today because although millions of Varsities, Collegiates, Breezes, and hundreds of thousands of Super Sports, Continentals, and Suburbans were sold. The step through PARAMOUNT numbers are very very small. Its like trying to find a Rolls-Royce H.J. Mulliner, Park Ward Silver Shadow Convertible or a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow LWB (long wheel base) Saloon.


SCHWINN had a lot of large STEP THROUGH FRAMES, particularly during the BIKE BOOM YEARS '72, '73, '74.....
Though you could get the SUPER SPORT and the SUBURBAN in large 21 inch size by 1970-1971.
Perhaps that was the case for the Varsity and the Collegiate too, if not certainly by 1971-1972.
The Breeze was likely still topping out at 19" as the Sixties era VARSITY, TRAVELER, CO-ED, BREEZE and COLLEGIATES.
Now the SUPER SPORT is not an electroforged frame, and its frame geometry is a little more sporting in nature, less stable than the varsity, but quicker to maneuver....
I don't think that the ladies CONTINENTAL was offered until maybe '73 or so..............you'd have to check to see if that is accurate or not,
The CONTINENTAL is just a SUBURBAN/varsity.........anyway............Suburban with center pull brakes & rat traps & racing bars.........Varsity with Tubular front fork & center pull brakes. ****You see the SUBURBAN has the TUBULAR FRONT FORK OF THE CONTINENTAL BUT WITH THE BRAKES OF THE VARSITY****


The 21 inch Schwinn ELECTROFORGED STEP THROUGH FRAME of the SEVENTIES is LARGER than many competitor's frames THEN or NOW.
The Wheelbase is LONGER. The effective TOP TUBE area Length is LONGER.
***THESE ARE FANTASTIC FRAMES FOR MATURE MALE ADULTS UP TO ABOUT 6 FOOT - 2 INCHES in HEIGHT****
As with all these boat anchor heavy "LIGHTWEIGHT" Schwinn Electroforged Frames, they provide a glorious Rolls-Royce like ride when in UPRIGHT TOURIST CONFIGURATION WITH A SPRING SADDLE SEAT, the 7881 SCHWINN HANDLEBARS & THE black Schwinn COMFORT GRIP handlebar grips that were standard on the '71 and later SUBURBANS.

****See the Waterford link to the 1971-1980 Schwinn catalogs, that I spoke about previously. You can flip through year by year and SEE the Colors and Sizes offered.

Heck it would be super easy, to build up a more than acceptable rider with an old 21" step-through Schwinn frame, and then lightweight aluminum wheels, lightweight seat, etc...... Do it how you wanna do it. The cost to build something from scratch using an old Schwinn frame as the basis, would be very reasonable. It would be simple. Those old electroforged Schwinn frames are well built and nearly indestructible. The cost to obtain said donor bike or frame would be very low, as so many were made. Heck, you could remove the headbadge, remove the kickstand if you wanted to, and grind away some of the metal where the kickstand attaches, you could repaint (suggest Rustoleum 2X in 12oz spray cans for a backyard rattle can do-it-yourself paint job), or powder coat it. Go with lightweight 3 piece if you want to, but the Ashtabula 1 piece is unbreakable and you will never have any significant problems on the road from an Ashtabula 1 piece crank. Heck, build the bike as you want, paint and badge it however you like, ---its your build, so Have it Your Way, just like the old Burger King slogan from 1974...
You won't find a better built step through steel frame, only perhaps one that does weigh less.

Soody

Keep an eye out for 90s German Trekking step throughs with the higher spec mtb groups and cromo frames. I've overhauled a couple of them recently and they're really nice bikes. They weren't sold here, people bought them over, so they're probably in the US too.

thumpism

Peugeot and Gitane sold 23" mixte bikes during the boom. Frames were hi-ten and not as nice as some others but there were quite a few made and they turn up occasionally, usually for reasonable prices. I'd probably grab one for myself if it came along. I already have a ladies' 23" Raleigh Sports 3-speed stashed for the time when I can no longer swing a leg over a diamond frame.

squirtdad

Rivendell has similar models some sold out but if some one ones quality and large place to look

rosco platypus (have 60s) https://www.rivbike.com/products/ros...a-early-august

playtypus https://www.rivbike.com/products/frame-platypus-2021

clem https://www.rivbike.com/products/frame-clem-l-2020

63rickert

Yes. All of that.

In lighter than electroforged there were a fair number of much older Superiors and New Worlds and SuperSports in step through frames over the years. I'm in Chicago and used to spend time at Wastyn's and am pretty sure there were non-catalog ladies Paramounts before 1973. Would not have been many. Even a basic Breeze is a good starting point. The basic design is stable and versatile. Frank Schwinn was God.

Even a Schwinn Hollywood would be a good starting point. Made to use hard and made to modify.

beicster 

I appreciate all the responses. I will be looking into some of the suggestions. For clarity, I am 6'2" so anything under 23" is in the too small range.

reroll

Getting involved with vintage bikes could involve searching for vintage components with varying degrees of success, including some manufacturers having used components which were not, and are not, interchangeable with internationally more common components, although by the later 1970s that became less of an issue.

As has been said here, bike manufacturers could make a few or several different sizes of diamond-frame bikes but often only one size of mixte, if they made any at all.

Here is a late model mixte which came in three sizes; https://99spokes.com/bikes/raleigh/2018/carlton-mixte-8 When new it was sold with a 1x8 gear train but came with frame provisions for an owner-supplied 2x or 3x front derailleur and crankset. Unfortunately, this mixte was introduced in 2017 but was discontinued in 2019. Edit: For sizing, note Stack and Reach dimensions.

beicster 

I grew up in PRP but I live about two hours from there now. That is a bit smaller than I was thinking but I’ll look at some other frames
I have to compare. Thanks.

thumpism

Here's an '80s LeTour for cheap ($45!) that looks like a 22" frame. Decent start for somebody needing a taller stepthrough. This one's in PA.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...60970262655696

reroll

I have two mixte bikes, 1982 and 2018.

The history of the mixte bike frame design traces back to a sketch drawing in a German publication of the year 1901 including several dozen sketches of only potential bicycle frames, many inspired by the 19th century Age of Iron such as of trestle train bridges crossing rivers, etc., the design then developed and made by German, Dutch and English bike makers before the French made them and added the mixte name.

More than a dozen year ago, Velouria presented Lovely Bicycle; https://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2010...ifference.html

Trakhak

Adding info to this recently resuscitated thread:

One aspect of mixtes that is often overlooked is the head tube length, which us usually greater than what would be expected for the nominal frame size (i.e., center of bottom bracket to top of seat tube).

Also, as noted earlier in the thread, the "top tube" (i.e., the horizontal span from the seat cluster to the top of the head tube) is sometimes fairly long.

So taller riders might find that a 21" mixte, for instance, fits much like a 23" diamond frame bike with a horizontal top tube.

reroll

This looks like a very worthwhile mixte, very clean! It has about all of the authentic mixte details in apparently fine condition, lugged steel frame and even has its original front and rear reflectors. The only slight deviation is in its having a singular top tube, not a pair of lateral top tubes, so would be classified as a "sport" mixte. However, this is the sort of deal worth jumping on, at a bargain price. Go for it! A 56cm seat tube could easily work for 6 foot riders.

Edit: It has a Sugino crankset and so likely also has Suntour derailleurs.

romperrr 

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet, there was Paramount (!) mixte on the Craiglist thread last last week. It think it was a 22 or 23" and only about $400. Worth a look