Hey all,
So a little background about myself. I'm a grad school student -28 y/o living out of philadelphia-originally from brooklyn NY. My experience with cycling goes back to as a child like many of you. I was into the whole vert bike scene a little bit as a kid-never did any tricks or anything though hah. Anyway, growing up, I bought a trek road bike, which I would not consider a city bike. It was a diamond frame if I remember correctly. So that bike has been in storage for about 6 years now and I have not rode a bike except at the shore since then.
So now I want to get back into biking and want a bike made for the city. I don't want something for training or exercise, but something trendy and for simply getting around. In my research I came upon the company "Public." I found their D8 style bike to be real nice, but then saw these pictures:
It's from their Rivoli bike, but modified without the front basket, but with a rear dock:
http://publicbikes.com/p/PUBLIC-M8-L...Bamboo-Fenders
So I was thinking this looks like a great bike-deff my style although pricey. Now, I started to research the style of bike and found out that it's a "mixte." Having been separated from biking culture, I don't know much about male/female styles except that the traditional step throughs are generally favored by women. I know that older adults tend to like these due to them being easier to get into. I personally am not as concerned about getting in and out and more about the style of the bike (I know I know-prob many rolling their heads at this). Now, I know many will say ride what you like, don't worry about this and that. However, i'm a little self-conscious to be honest, and was wondering how a younger male driving a mixte would be perceived in city life. I know these are silly questions, but this is a lot of money, and hey it's a forum. Any advice would be appreciated-especially from men who ride these style bikes. My girlfriend rolled her eyes, and said that such a bike does not look feminine and she would not see it as such-however she wants her next bike to be purple .
Hah, thx in advance
JP