General Cycling Discussion - Elegant Step-Through Frame for Trail Riding?

My girlfriend has taken up cycling in a big way since I restored an old 1976 Schwinn road bike for her to ride around town on. We're looking at doing some trail riding, and so I've started looking at buying/building another bike for her. However, she has certain requirements of her bike: 1. It must have a step-through frame so she can mount and dismount like a true lady and 2. It must be elegant enough for a true lady (she thinks the standard ladies mountain bikes are ugly). She likes the way the road bike feels, and so I was hoping that maybe I could find a touring or cyclocross bike with a step-through frame, but no luck. Basically what I'm looking for is a step-through that has clearance for knobby-ish tires (and preferably accepts cantilever brakes). Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

I would look at the trek 7000 series bikes, The 7100 to 7300 have suspension forks. The lady's bikes have some pretty cool paint jobs

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cyclingspokenhere.com/images/library/large/trk_7200_eggplant12_09_z.jpg&imgrefurl=http://cyclingspokenhere.com/product/trek-womens-7200-47536-1.htm&usg=__nFsmdCaONVTsesn0FrE1NXSh6z0=&h=235&w=360&sz=21&hl=en&start=57&sig2=PH0YC0pWCzBTQm6W_kwUgQ&um=1&tbnid=lkMsjWx_xjERgM:&tbnh=79&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3DTrek%2B7200%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26start%3D42%26um%3D1&ei=RzeESsrwM6HbmQfhmK3SBg

Get her a Mixte! :love:

Use a Mixte! That would be the coolest! Slightly steptrough but strong, retro, super cool! Go for cyclo wheels, some 650b wheels if you want, or a MTB mixte.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=9441668#post9441668

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=561391

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=227038

http://www.velo-orange.com/vomamifr.html

http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/bicycle_models

http://www.somafab.com/bvista.html

Coolest bikes, and I think just right for a lady!

edit: http://www.flickr.com/groups/mixte/pool/ More brainwash.

Get her a Mixte! :love:

Use a Mixte! That would be the coolest! Slightly steptrough but strong, retro, super cool! Go for cyclo wheels, some 650b wheels if you want, or a MTB mixte.



I agree. I like the idea of building up a mixte. My problem is that mixte frames are nearly always (from what I've seen anyway) designed to accept road wheels/tires. I'm going to need to put tires with some tread that will handle trail riding easily on it, and I'm worried about clearance. The Soma BV is super cool, but it's obviously a road frame and doesn't have posts for cantilever brakes. Could is still be converted into a touring (sort of) bike that could handle the trails?

I also agree that the Treks are pretty sweet. I'll definitely keep those in mind.

Get her a Mixte! :love:

Use a Mixte! That would be the coolest! Slightly steptrough but strong, retro, super cool! Go for cyclo wheels, some 650b wheels if you want, or a MTB mixte.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=9441668#post9441668

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=561391

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=227038

http://www.velo-orange.com/vomamifr.html

http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/bicycle_models

http://www.somafab.com/bvista.html

Coolest bikes, and I think just right for a lady!

edit: http://www.flickr.com/groups/mixte/pool/ More brainwash.

Badmother~ Do you have those links somewhere on your computer so you can just copy and paste?:D:D

Badmother~ Do you have those links somewhere on your computer so you can just copy and paste?:D:D

I do now! :rolleyes::D

I do now! :rolleyes::D



You are SO awesome!! BTW I think I solved my Xtracycle issue..I dont know if its considered a Mixte but I think I may go with a Townie:) I saw some cool ones on the Xtracycle Gallery.

I agree. I like the idea of building up a mixte. My problem is that mixte frames are nearly always (from what I've seen anyway) designed to accept road wheels/tires. I'm going to need to put tires with some tread that will handle trail riding easily on it, and I'm worried about clearance. The Soma BV is super cool, but it's obviously a road frame and doesn't have posts for cantilever brakes. Could is still be converted into a touring (sort of) bike that could handle the trails?

I also agree that the Treks are pretty sweet. I'll definitely keep those in mind.

No, no no. Take some time and look trough the links. Some of them (also the new ones from velo orange and rivendell) is sold with 650B (the new 26"). Also my 78 Gitane mixte i could put at least 622x40, probably 622x47 if I want. The frames not th problem. Mie has centerpulllong race brakes but for sure you can have canti studs brazed on. Take some time and look at the bikes in the BF threads and also read about the mixte in the velo orange page.

Edit: http://www.velo-orange.com/vomamifr.html

And then there is a flikr group for mixte`s..
http://www.flickr.com/groups/mixte/

You are SO awesome!! BTW I think I solved my Xtracycle issue..I dont know if its considered a Mixte but I think I may go with a Townie:) I saw some cool ones on the Xtracycle Gallery.

Link? :)

Link? :)


http://www.xtracyclegallery.com/search/label/Electra

http://www.xtracyclegallery.com/search/label/Electra

Cute!

Cute!

I thought so too..of course I have to most likely wait until next summer to get the one I want in the states as the LBS here doesn't carry the model I'm interested in:)

I ride a 15" frame Monocog 29er and have had people ask me why I ride a girl's bike. :o Maybe pick up a used one and set it up to fit.

IMHO when one is shopping for a bike, one shouldn't be buying a frame based on how "elegantly" you can mount/dismount it - the bike should be in motion most of the time, with dismounting/mounting being a small fraction of the ride experience.

I thought that such quaint notions went out along with side-saddles for horses. Is she going to be bashing through the woods in a skirt?

IMHO when one is shopping for a bike, one shouldn't be buying a frame based on how "elegantly" you can mount/dismount it - the bike should be in motion most of the time, with dismounting/mounting being a small fraction of the ride experience.

No matter how logical that sounds and how much it makes sense, the woman is always right.

Electra Townies, Trek Pure, & the ladies Schwinn Sierra seem to be what she is aiming for.