Originally Posted by
CuttersRidge
This green Astra Mixte has been on the New Hampshire/Vermont Craig's List for a bit; I think it is nice looking. That Mixte style is not though, in the style of Motobecane Mixtes I have seen. I'm not an expert but in that, it is different.
Definitely, this is a good deal and not moving.
So, maybe if this general style of Mixte is different than the Motobecanes, is it possible it could have been contracted out?
Since my previous post, I have been doing a bit more investigation. While not seen in the USA, the bent mid stay mixte was used in the French market. The design apparently goes quite far back. I found a 1960 catalogue with a similar, though not identical, mixte style. Also, one from 1977 that is very close but doesn't have the bend in the mid-stays near the dropout. The French market also used the mixte style seen in the USA. I haven't found enough evidence to make a definitive statement but the bent mid-stay may have been used primarily on the lower end models.
I'm also beginning to question the belief than Astra was a Lawlee brand, as enough turn up in the UK market to suggest that may have been distributed there. To the best of my knowledge, Lawee did not distribute outside the USA.