Dura Ace Lotus Mixte Build
01-30-16, 03:25 PM
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Dura Ace Lotus Mixte Build
Just finished up this build for a customer, and am really excited how it turned out! I've been wanting to build a high end mixte for some time now, so glad i finally got to it. Got the frame from @oddjob2 and a lot of the components came from a Univega i got from @Gartenmeister, so a lot of forum help on this one.
Frame/Fork: Lotus Mixte
Headset: Dura Ace 7400
Bottom Bracket: Dura Ace 7400
Crankset: Dura Ace AX
Pedals: Refurbished Dura Ace AX
Stem: Dura Ace AX
Handlebars: Origin8 Tiki
Brake Levers: Dura Ace 7400
Brakes: Dura Ace 7400 w/homemade drop bolts
Front Der: Dura Ace 7400
Rear Der: Dura Ace 7400
Shifters: Dura Ace Friction Bar Con
Seatpost: Kalloy
Saddle: Velo Orange Mod 3
Bar Tape: Brooks Leather
Hoods: Cane Creek
Cables/Housing: Jagwire Ripcord
Chain: Sram
Wheels: Dura Ace 7400
Tires: CST Sensamo Ground Control 700x35c (Conti tour plus in some photos)
Pedals were pretty botched/missing pieces. Came out alright.
I know, I know, big chainring.
With the continentals.
Homemade Brake Bolts:
Frame/Fork: Lotus Mixte
Headset: Dura Ace 7400
Bottom Bracket: Dura Ace 7400
Crankset: Dura Ace AX
Pedals: Refurbished Dura Ace AX
Stem: Dura Ace AX
Handlebars: Origin8 Tiki
Brake Levers: Dura Ace 7400
Brakes: Dura Ace 7400 w/homemade drop bolts
Front Der: Dura Ace 7400
Rear Der: Dura Ace 7400
Shifters: Dura Ace Friction Bar Con
Seatpost: Kalloy
Saddle: Velo Orange Mod 3
Bar Tape: Brooks Leather
Hoods: Cane Creek
Cables/Housing: Jagwire Ripcord
Chain: Sram
Wheels: Dura Ace 7400
Tires: CST Sensamo Ground Control 700x35c (Conti tour plus in some photos)
Pedals were pretty botched/missing pieces. Came out alright.
I know, I know, big chainring.
With the continentals.
Homemade Brake Bolts:
01-30-16, 04:00 PM
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What's not to like on this bike? Looks sweet.
01-30-16, 04:54 PM
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The only nit I can pick is the chainstay protector looks a little kludgy; I'd just live without it, or at the very least tidy up the finishing tape a bit.
The pedals wouldn't work at all for me, but maybe the intended rider loves 'em.
The pedals wouldn't work at all for me, but maybe the intended rider loves 'em.
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● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●
● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●
Last edited by Lascauxcaveman; 01-30-16 at 07:30 PM.
01-30-16, 06:57 PM
#7
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Fantastic build. Where did you get all the components? I know you had some from another bike, but it seems like everything is DA. I'm green with envy. 
01-30-16, 09:45 PM
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Thanks for all the compliments everybody! Still excited about how it turned out, nd th new owner is thrilled as well. Its a tallish seat tube for a mixte at 53/54 I forget off hand for certian.
The Dura Ace group came almost entirely from a Univega Super Strada, and yes 7200 EX, not 7400. Bar cons were eBay sourced, the Univega had dt shifters.
The chainstay protector is a bit clunky, and I dont usually run one, but after buffing and waxing, the paint turned ot so wonderfully that I felt thee need to protect it, used what I had around before giving it to the new owner.
Same with the pedals, rebuilt the proprietary set that came with the group. We know about the adapters, but the new owner is gonna see if there is a need to change the pedals, or if they suit her fine, before doing so. Her husband has a bike with the same crankset/pedal combo (The green libertas ive posted here before) and has no problem with them so were gonna try them out. I should probabrly get a few sets of those adapters anyway, as I always seem to run accross these cranks.
Thanks,
Kevin
The Dura Ace group came almost entirely from a Univega Super Strada, and yes 7200 EX, not 7400. Bar cons were eBay sourced, the Univega had dt shifters.
The chainstay protector is a bit clunky, and I dont usually run one, but after buffing and waxing, the paint turned ot so wonderfully that I felt thee need to protect it, used what I had around before giving it to the new owner.
Same with the pedals, rebuilt the proprietary set that came with the group. We know about the adapters, but the new owner is gonna see if there is a need to change the pedals, or if they suit her fine, before doing so. Her husband has a bike with the same crankset/pedal combo (The green libertas ive posted here before) and has no problem with them so were gonna try them out. I should probabrly get a few sets of those adapters anyway, as I always seem to run accross these cranks.
Thanks,
Kevin
01-30-16, 11:24 PM
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Quite the tight fit of those calipers around the fat tires. Good job getting the brackets sufficiently precise!
Do you recall how those Shimano bar-end shifters worked?
Were they like a one-way friction clutch or did they have a directional spring assist? Did they say Unishift anywhere on them? Did they say Dura Ace on them?
Do you recall how those Shimano bar-end shifters worked?
Were they like a one-way friction clutch or did they have a directional spring assist? Did they say Unishift anywhere on them? Did they say Dura Ace on them?
01-31-16, 01:44 AM
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Quite the tight fit of those calipers around the fat tires. Good job getting the brackets sufficiently precise!
Do you recall how those Shimano bar-end shifters worked?
Were they like a one-way friction clutch or did they have a directional spring assist? Did they say Unishift anywhere on them? Did they say Dura Ace on them?
Do you recall how those Shimano bar-end shifters worked?
Were they like a one-way friction clutch or did they have a directional spring assist? Did they say Unishift anywhere on them? Did they say Dura Ace on them?
For the customer, I actually ended up using the Continental Tour Plus 700x32c instead of the CSTs at 700x35c. Large real world difference between the two even though on paper they should be similar. Miles of room compared to the old tires, although I prefer the look of the fatter rubber. The clearance was only about 2mm with the sensamos, and I would have ran them myself, but wanted to satisfy everyone.
The shifters were non ratcheting. Just regular old friction shifters. The did say Dura Ace on them, but nothing of uniglide if I recall.
01-31-16, 07:39 AM
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Looks awesome, the only thing I would change is mounting the brake to the mid-stay bridge since there is a hole there. I would have a hard time passing on a high end mixte like this!
01-31-16, 09:30 AM
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I'm a fan. High-end mixte YEAH! 
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A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera
01-31-16, 10:05 PM
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That is a sweet looking bike. I have never a fan a Mixte, don't even know the purpose but you have made a nice looking bike out of yours, kudos.
02-04-16, 01:36 PM
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Seems like it would fit with the leather and build aesthetic.
Mixtes are fun and you did a good job with yours.
Cheers!
02-04-16, 03:01 PM
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What kind of riding will the customer do on this?
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02-06-16, 12:27 PM
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See what kind of feedback you get. She may prefer the handlebars higher, and you could do that by flipping them. Casual riders don't always like handlebars that low, women even less so. But it sure looks great as it is.
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02-06-16, 02:31 PM
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Yup, we've already discussed that very thing in fact. We talked about installing them flipped from the beginning, but she wants to try them this way to start and see if she can get used to the more aggressive position over time. I do suspect that she will end up deciding to run them more upright though.
02-06-16, 03:33 PM
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I attended a talk by Georgena Terry who is not only a brilliant bike designer and entrepreneur but also is a mechanical engineer. She said she was mistaken about why women don't like to lean forward as much as men do. She thought it was because of the ratio of torso to leg length. It turns out to be instead muscle mass in the upper body. They are not as strong to support the leaning body.
There are exceptions, of course. Some get used to it eventually, and I'm sure the reasons vary, some physiological, some forbearance. There was a famous woman road cyclist in the UK in the 40s or 50s who did amazing feats and she always had her hands in the drops of her drop handlebars.
There are exceptions, of course. Some get used to it eventually, and I'm sure the reasons vary, some physiological, some forbearance. There was a famous woman road cyclist in the UK in the 40s or 50s who did amazing feats and she always had her hands in the drops of her drop handlebars.
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02-06-16, 05:09 PM
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Really nice build. I especially like your drop bolt hack. My only nit to pick is with the rear brake cable routing, but that's hard to avoid with mixte frames unless you can swap the cable stop and anchor on the brake itself (and thus route from the bottom rather than the top), but you can't do that with those DA brakes.