Building a Mixte
 

Since it's been a while since I built a frame and since my wife has been hinting about doing a little more riding I figured it's time to build her a new bike. It's my first shot at a mixte and it's
coming out pretty good.

Nova CroMo butted tubeset, Everest crankshell and LS lugs. (package deal for $127, not bad)
1/2 x .035 4130 for the twin top tubes. The intermediate stays are
14mm tapered seatstays joined to the 1/2" tubes abeam the seat tube.
Upper head lug and seatlug started out as normal diamond frame lugs, now with the TT sockets
cut away and steel plates brazed into the openings.

Next come bridges, cable stops, eyelets etc. Fork gets built next week.

Final setup will be 700C wheels, SA 3sp. hub, upright bars, a stainless rear rack and
a kick stand (another first).

A few pics to start;

https://vgy.me/3SNaLY.jpg

https://vgy.me/tU5hnJ.jpg

https://vgy.me/5SRHW7.jpg

https://vgy.me/rEGQEU.jpg

https://vgy.me/qH4Fco.jpg

https://vgy.me/1QToWF.jpg

Beautiful. How about an "aft" picture of the top head tube lug? I think the only things I would have changed would be a plate for the kickstand rather than the reinforcements, and full rack/water bottle mounts.

Nice work.

Pete

A beauty! Thanks for sharing.

Funny my *first* build (arrgh can't wait to start) will also be a woman's frame, although fillet-brazed (except BB) and with a slanted 1" TT.

What did you use to replace the cut off sockets of the upper head and seat lug? Love the sleeved joints for the middle stays, and the kickstand plate!

I'll take more pictures as I go along.
The kickstand plates are stainless. There are 3 3/16" stainless pins brazed through the chainstays with about 1/8" extended out the bottom. The kickstand itself contacts the pins, placing them in compression against the upper plates.
This isolates the stays from clamping forces, should work nicely.

Full bosses and eyelets are on the way, after the brake, seat stay and top tube bridges.

Beautiful....I see this and I really want to try building a frame....... I can see my wife rolling her eyes now :)

Build a bike for her. It's a win win.

do you have clearance at the rear on the mixte stays?

Not sure what you mean? Clearance for what?

the chain

Really nice build too. I wouldn't mind seeing what you did to the top head lug

the chain

Really nice build too. I wouldn't mind seeing what you did to the top head lug

Fitting with a 10 speed cassette on a Record hub, it's close but this bike is built for a SA S30 hub, plenty of chain clearance there.

That would get a double eye roll...... there is some history about a bike, in the rain, with bad brakes at UCSB that has her less than bike enamoured......I do get her out on the cruiser some times.

Goodness gracious! That`s a beauty, allright! I`d put on a skirt and throw a hairy leg over it any day. Seems to me somebod yhad a thread asking about mixte lugs a while back- wonder if he/she`s still looking?

Very nice! I like the plug you made to fill the top tube port on the seat lug.

no, he had a bike built. I think he really wanted a set of mixte lugs, didn't want bilaminate construction or modified lugs

Brazed the bridges, cablestops and bottle bosses.
Built up the rear wheel on the Sturmey hub, next is the fork.

https://vgy.me/BUAZTH.jpg

https://vgy.me/tTDIFP.jpg

https://vgy.me/CuyMH6.jpg

Awesome work! I've been thinking of building a similar frame for my wife with geometry optimized for 650B

Damn you people and your Gran Compe centerpulls! Why must you taunt me so?

Very nice job.

Looks great, Cassave. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Wow, very nice. There are a lot of great personal touches, your wife is a lucky woman.

They're pretty but honestly, they're a pain to set up and unless everything is perfect they sqeal pretty bad.

Update;

Frame is finished, all brazing and facing complete.
Started the fork yesterday, bent the blades, brazed the tips, brazed crown to steerer.
Tonight I'll trim the blades, fixture everything and braze them to the crown.

Then on to the rear rack, before paint......

Finished the last items on the frame, bosses for the rear rack and
built the fork last night. Tonight I'll start the rack itself.

https://vgy.me/cok3pg.jpg

https://vgy.me/JWXfgi.jpg

In the first set of photos (on my computer) the frame looks like it is a metallic teal color.
I think it looks really good and am going to suggest that as a color when you come to paint.

Well, you're not too far off. The current thinking is a very pale metallic blue with cream headtube, DT and ST panels and gold lug lining.

That green came from the camera auto white balanceing against the red tile background.

That's just beautiful!! Awesome work...

Make sure to share here...:)

Thanks Alice.

And good idea, I'll post to the Mixte Gallery when it's finished.

Just wondering, Cassave. How much input did your wife have in the design? Did she want to get in on any of the fabrication fun too, or mostly just sit it out? I `m really trying hard to constrain myself and not fill up yet another page with gibberish about what an absolutely beautiful frame that is, but...
Damn! It almost hurts to look at. Goes beyond lust.

Certainly a beauty! The Mid-stays, are they straight tubing in the forward section. Seems to be what you said, but shadows, or something, are making it hard for me to tell.

She had no direct input really. She doesn't like drops or riding in traffic or messing with gears so: Upright bars, 3 sp hub, easy geometry for bike path use.

Fabrication fun!!? No. The workshop is MINE I tell you, MINE!

She is looking forward to the first ride however.

I started a neat stainless tube rack last night.

The midstays forward of the seattube are 1/2" x .035 4130. Behind the seattube I used a set of single taper seatstays. The 1/2" tube just fit into the 14mm OD end of the stays making a nice fit.
That provides a nice taper back to the dropouts.