Cougrrcj

Bah! My kid sister is only 5'0" and rides a 19" frame 27"-wheeled bike quite easily! She rode TOSRV with me when she was still in high school on her 19" Fuji Gran Tourer

fietsbob

Up turned housing , pink Miyata .. they fill with water . rust to a standstill .

rhm

I believe you! But I don't believe the bike fits her.

Salamandrine 

The best vintage mixte frame bicycles you will find are the French ones from the 70s, both stylistically and functionally. IMHO if you want something roughly comparable to your PX10 but in a 'ladies' frame, you must go French. If you look hard enough, you will find some ultra trick ladies bicycles with TA or stronglight cranks, Jubilee derailleurs, campy hubs, Reynolds or Vitus frames, etc.

While there certainly were some nice mixte bikes made by Japanese manufacturers, they tended to be in the lower end of the product range. That's fine, but the smaller a person is, the more important it becomes to have a lighter bike, and it sounds like your GF is small.

650c is a great choice for ladies touring bike, but unless you are willing to buy off ebay france, or buy a new bike, you have a near zero chance of finding one. It only recently caught on in NA, due to the influence of certain hipster cyclists.

As a brief sidenote: Mixte was originally intended to be a gender neutral frame design, hence the name mixte. It didn't really catch on...

hansmanos

I think I've talked her out of looking only for a mixte, so that should open up some options. Thanks for the advice!

rootboy 

Hold out for a blue 70s Peugeot so you guys will look great riding together.

hansmanos

How small of a frame does the PX-10 come in?

Standalone 

She may like something modern -- lots of good deals on modern women's bikes in Seattle at the moment...

Schwinn 46cm. Gs le tour.

or, not touring, but...
Cannondale R600 Women's Roadbike

Purple Univega
Nuovo sport Univega road bike 50cm frame

Green old Nishiki, nice touring Geo... $60
Vintage Nishiki Olympic

This red Sekai mixte is kind of like what I originally recommended...
Sekai 410 Series Mixte 45 cm

$50 Univega Mixte
Univega nuovo bicycle

And again with the excellent deals on more modern women's bikes that I'm seeing in Seattle CL...
Novara Carema 6061 Bike - 47cm/18.5in - Yellow and White.

Good luck and enjoy! I found the most beautiful mixte ever out on the Olympic Peninsula for my wife. An SR with Arabesque. They're out there!

KenNC

How about a Terry Despatch, or one of the other bikes in the Terry line with a 24" front wheel, and a 700 rear? Would be a 1980s bike, not 1970s, but still lugged steel frame, and they were designed for petite women.

jefnvk

My 5'4"ish girlfriend had a hard time fitting a men's geometry bike that fit her well, where the mixte worked amazing. Everyone's mileage will vary, but the fit just wasn't there.

I learned long ago to ignore what others say fits you, especially if you are comfortably riding it. Fit is incredibly subjective, I've had more than a few tell me my bikes don't fit me, despite them working just fine.

fietsbob

FWIW Mixtes Measure the STA they often steepen them to shorten the reach so as to keep 27/700c wheels

Terry Bikes let go of the big front wheel to get the reach comfortable and still not have TCO.

Salamandrine 

Terry bikes got some things right and some things wrong, but fortunately probably more of the former, and they gradually improved over time. The main thing is they realized that you must go with a smaller wheel on a smaller frame. Remarkably obvious in hindsight, but for years bike companies would do stupid stuff to get small frame sizes to work with 27 or 700c wheels.

At any rate, I prefer a bit more style. google "velo ancien dame" for lots of cool rando mixtes.

Lapebie Velo Luxe Ancien Dame Annees 50 Vintage Deluxe Lady Bicycle 650B 1950'S | eBay

And then there's the Japanese high end stuff. A couple from Jitensha:




And lots not forget SOMA sells a couple mixte frames. The better one is Prestige in the main frame, doesn't say what the rest of it is.


Soma Buena Vista Mixte Frame Set - Tiburon Blue

jade408

I have a soma mixte frame! It has all sorts of braze ons. Mine is an upright one. I am riding 54cm. Also 5'4". If I set it up as a road bike 50cm would likely be better.

fietsbob

Now with 11t cassettes Terry can Use 2 small wheels .. she uses top frame shops.

BTW a Moulton is Both classic, a step thru and dual suspension

Stadjer

If have only very general advice: Especially with step-throughs but also with mixtes you might consider a bike that is build heavier to make it more rigid. They can get quite wobbly and therefore not ride light at all, and not handle or feel nice either. Even uphill a heavier bike might take less energy uphill than a bike that is too light and wobbly.

If I buy vintage I always buy high end or quite high end. If it's build cheaply it's probably not build to last into the next century. I've owned a 70's Motobécane and it was gorgeous with it's metallic cardinal red paint, art deco chain guard and nice little details, but it turned out be more high end on the fancy side than on the durable side. It got less georgeous very quickly with parts falling off and bending. I admit it was the wrong choice for the purpose anyway, but it was a flimsy bike. For me personally, that lack of durabilty is not solved by working on it yourself. On the contrary, it makes working on a bike annoying.

Standalone 

I also have a solid Peugot Mixte frame + crankset+ Pedals+ handlebars/stem for you for cost of shipping. Rattlecan it, throw some cheap 27"s on it and go.

Salamandrine 

21"

Salamandrine 

How do you like it? IME better mixtes ride at least as well as diamond frames. The extra stiffness from the 3rd set of stays can make them quite responsive if all else is equal - which unfortunately is not typically the case. I still miss the Stella I used to have, though it found a good home.

hansmanos

Great stuff everyone! We're going to throw her on a few bikes and see what sticks. I do really like the idea of finding something French and tiny. Haven't ruled out anything yet, but that's where we're leaning. Thanks so much for all the input!

missmixte

I see there's a blue Peugeot mixte on Seattle CL.
vintage Peugeot Bike

hansmanos

That was gone in about 10 minutes!

So these Nishiki mixtes- no good?

Women's Nishiki Bike - Nice

missmixte

Throwing these out there. Good luck on your search!


Motobecane 49CM Small Ladies Road Bike For Riders: 5'1"-5'4"


Vintage Raleigh of England Bicycle Women's Ladies 10 speed Bike

ApolloSoyuz1975

I spy stem shifters and a "claw" derailleur hanger - pass. I found a rather nice mixte listed on SE Michigan's CL, but that wouldn't do you much good…

crank_addict

THIS >

(Replace the stem and saddle to her preference. Possible the same for the Bio-pace rings.)



Schwinn super sport 52 cm - $300 (Seattle)
I am selling road bike Schwinn super sport. 52 cm road bike
This bike is all original Shimano 600 and titanium saddle.. very low miles. Excellent condition
If you are interested please leave phone number. Thanks.

Schwinn super sport 52 cm

Cougrrcj

So... I have to ask... any luck on the Miyatas???