Show us your mixte (mhendricks' new happy place)
#1451
Senior Member
Three of my French restorations. Wish I had been there to take a photo that shows all three better. My son sent me this recently. This must be an outing from him, his mother and a friend.
These are complete restorations. Strip the frame, clean and polish everything, rebuild. The Peugeot on the right was my first full restoration. It was pretty beat and took 35 hours (the only time I ever counted, and I'm certainly faster now). Brooks saddles all around. Nitto and Public bars.
Left: Motobecane
Center: Peugeot UO-18 single speed
Right: Peugeot UO-18
These are complete restorations. Strip the frame, clean and polish everything, rebuild. The Peugeot on the right was my first full restoration. It was pretty beat and took 35 hours (the only time I ever counted, and I'm certainly faster now). Brooks saddles all around. Nitto and Public bars.
Left: Motobecane
Center: Peugeot UO-18 single speed
Right: Peugeot UO-18

#1452
Newbie
Just finished up a 70s Motobecane mixte that I assembled from many pieces. I started with the frame and over a couple of months gathered pieces (mostly) old and new for a path racer inspired unisex bike.
The frame came off a scrap pile, missing pedals and the front wheel. It wasn't badly weathered and I started by stripping everything off, stripping down the frame, and painting it with Datsun Metallic Gray auto paint.
It had bent forks and frozen stem and a bent steel wheel with locked up gear cluster. I replaced the heavy steel bars, seat post and wheel in the build resulting in a much lighter bike.

Recycled SKS fenders and a new battery powered rear tail light complement the dark gray, as does the recycled alloy rack painted flat black. The seat and handlebars were adjusted properly for the new owner after the photo.

The crank and chain rings cleaned up nicely and I found a pair of alloy pedals on a local marketplace. I purchased a wheel set with alloy Araya rims on Craigs List and mounted Schwalbe gumwall tires on them. The Suntour V-GT rear derailleur was serviceable and cleaned up nicely. New cables and housing all work smoothly for derailleurs and brakes.

The brakes came off a bent Schwinn Tempo frame that I bought for parts. The front brake went with the Schwinn fork but the rear was too short. I fabricated a drop bolt for it and it provided the proper clearance for the brake and the fenders.

The front fork was twisted and I replaced it with the chrome moly Tange fork from the Schwinn. The original fork had apparently been bent when someone used a 2x4 between the blades to free the frozen stem.

The original stem had to be sawn through to free the fork. The new stem and handlebars came off a wrecked Linus mixte. I was going to use some old Suntour bar end shifters, but they didn't fit the Linus handlebar, so the old Motobecane stem shifters stayed.

I drilled out the rivets and removed the head badge before stripping and painting the frame, thinking I'd fill in the colors. I liked its patina against the dark gray, though, and epoxied it back in place. The Dia-Compe side pull brakes stayed with the replacement forks. The decals came from a set for a tandem bike, giving me enough for another bike to match this, although not a mixte.

The front derailleur had almost been ground through by the chain due to misalignment. The replacement came from eBay as well. It now shifts properly. The paint is a bit brittle, even with a clear coat, and scratches easily, unfortunately. I may try a powder coat on the next one. After six cans of automotive primer, paint, and clear coat, it comes out about the same.

The fork from the Schwinn had not been painted and was shiny like the crown. I taped off the crown and tips and painted it to match the old forks. The Tange headset was definitely better than the old one.

I had to source some new fender stays for the rear fender, and removed the reflector and replaced it with this battery-powered rear light. These should work well on wet streets. I dropped one of the rack bolts and nut and couldn't find it, but it showed up later and I have a matching set of four on the mounting brackets.

The used Brooks saddle came from eBay, with a scuff on one edge, but after cleaning it with saddle soap and applying ample Proofide it came back to life. A bit more tension on it and it is now quite comfortable. The inverted Linus bars and new Velo Orange basket weave grips are quite comfortable around town. The bike is now much lighter with the steel components removed and is very responsive on the road.
The frame came off a scrap pile, missing pedals and the front wheel. It wasn't badly weathered and I started by stripping everything off, stripping down the frame, and painting it with Datsun Metallic Gray auto paint.
It had bent forks and frozen stem and a bent steel wheel with locked up gear cluster. I replaced the heavy steel bars, seat post and wheel in the build resulting in a much lighter bike.

Recycled SKS fenders and a new battery powered rear tail light complement the dark gray, as does the recycled alloy rack painted flat black. The seat and handlebars were adjusted properly for the new owner after the photo.

The crank and chain rings cleaned up nicely and I found a pair of alloy pedals on a local marketplace. I purchased a wheel set with alloy Araya rims on Craigs List and mounted Schwalbe gumwall tires on them. The Suntour V-GT rear derailleur was serviceable and cleaned up nicely. New cables and housing all work smoothly for derailleurs and brakes.

The brakes came off a bent Schwinn Tempo frame that I bought for parts. The front brake went with the Schwinn fork but the rear was too short. I fabricated a drop bolt for it and it provided the proper clearance for the brake and the fenders.

The front fork was twisted and I replaced it with the chrome moly Tange fork from the Schwinn. The original fork had apparently been bent when someone used a 2x4 between the blades to free the frozen stem.

The original stem had to be sawn through to free the fork. The new stem and handlebars came off a wrecked Linus mixte. I was going to use some old Suntour bar end shifters, but they didn't fit the Linus handlebar, so the old Motobecane stem shifters stayed.

I drilled out the rivets and removed the head badge before stripping and painting the frame, thinking I'd fill in the colors. I liked its patina against the dark gray, though, and epoxied it back in place. The Dia-Compe side pull brakes stayed with the replacement forks. The decals came from a set for a tandem bike, giving me enough for another bike to match this, although not a mixte.

The front derailleur had almost been ground through by the chain due to misalignment. The replacement came from eBay as well. It now shifts properly. The paint is a bit brittle, even with a clear coat, and scratches easily, unfortunately. I may try a powder coat on the next one. After six cans of automotive primer, paint, and clear coat, it comes out about the same.

The fork from the Schwinn had not been painted and was shiny like the crown. I taped off the crown and tips and painted it to match the old forks. The Tange headset was definitely better than the old one.

I had to source some new fender stays for the rear fender, and removed the reflector and replaced it with this battery-powered rear light. These should work well on wet streets. I dropped one of the rack bolts and nut and couldn't find it, but it showed up later and I have a matching set of four on the mounting brackets.

The used Brooks saddle came from eBay, with a scuff on one edge, but after cleaning it with saddle soap and applying ample Proofide it came back to life. A bit more tension on it and it is now quite comfortable. The inverted Linus bars and new Velo Orange basket weave grips are quite comfortable around town. The bike is now much lighter with the steel components removed and is very responsive on the road.
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#1453
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Location: Worcester, Massachusetts
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Bikes: Fuji Sportif 1.7C, Shogun Metro AT, Jamis Durango SX, Miyata Alumicross, Fuji Special Road Racer, Mongoose ATB, Fuji SST 1.0 Team, Gitane (?), Specialized Rockhopper SS, Univega Gran Turismo, Univega Supra Sport Mixte, Nishiki Tri-A, Diamondback Coil
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Nice job, sounds like it was a deep-dive but all that work is evident in the final product.
#1454
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Just completed this mid-80s Nishiki Bel Air. Digging the Suntour LePree 3 jockey wheel rear derailleur.





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#1455
Bikes are okay, I guess.
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Not a mixte but an unusually tall (22-23") stepthrough that someone might be searching for.
https://richmond.craigslist.org/bik/...500753208.html
https://richmond.craigslist.org/bik/...500753208.html

#1456
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
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jkrug I too am a fan of the VO basket weave grips. Nice bike.
__________________
I hope...that all mankind will at length have reason and sense enough to settle their differences without cutting throats. Ben Franklin
I hope...that all mankind will at length have reason and sense enough to settle their differences without cutting throats. Ben Franklin
#1457
Full Member

My wife's matching mixte GJ with the long cage Jubilee RD. This nervex lug Reynolds 531 frame is one of the neatest mixties out there. Very rare to find one.

Red w/black panel Grand Jubilee '75
Here's my wife's '75 Motobecane Grand Jubile with Nervex-lugged Reynolds 531 frame and Huret Jubilee derailleurs, long cage RD

swapped out the Jubilee RD for another Huret model, the Duopar. Currently running a Stronglite crank in place of the old TA 3-arm.
Last edited by motogeek; 07-15-22 at 03:10 PM. Reason: add picture
#1458
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Not exactly a mixte, but certainly french
This was until today a stalled project, just got it out and started dusting it off.
Decals are next.
It's a Mercier built from a frame and a few bits I found being thrown away.
The frame and fork were bent, and it had been stripped and then painted (badly) black and white.
It did have one set of Mafac brakes and that little roller for the rear cable.
It's a bit unusual, was built for 650B wheels, shifter braze-on (just one) on the right-side centre-stay, has a dynamo tab and little brazeons to run the wiring through, tabs for a rear rack, tabs for the chainguard, and a flat chainstay bridge (hence the propstand).
Almost everything else was out of the bins or bought to fit - Velocity rims and the spokes are new, hubs are Atom, Huret mechs and a Simplex shifter, Pivo stem and Guidon Phillipe bars.

Mixte and berceau frames vary a lot in how they do this joint - this is one of the fancier versions:

That's a Nervar three-pin with a 42 hiding under the chainguard:

Stainless fender stays - got a dozen feet of the stuff locally and the mounting bits from VO:

I did the derailleur tab:

This saddle is interesting - I think it's rubber, with a fabric skin bonded top and bottom:

This was bent when I got it:

So were the forks:

Mercier head-lugs; dead giveaway:
Decals are next.
It's a Mercier built from a frame and a few bits I found being thrown away.
The frame and fork were bent, and it had been stripped and then painted (badly) black and white.
It did have one set of Mafac brakes and that little roller for the rear cable.
It's a bit unusual, was built for 650B wheels, shifter braze-on (just one) on the right-side centre-stay, has a dynamo tab and little brazeons to run the wiring through, tabs for a rear rack, tabs for the chainguard, and a flat chainstay bridge (hence the propstand).
Almost everything else was out of the bins or bought to fit - Velocity rims and the spokes are new, hubs are Atom, Huret mechs and a Simplex shifter, Pivo stem and Guidon Phillipe bars.

Mixte and berceau frames vary a lot in how they do this joint - this is one of the fancier versions:

That's a Nervar three-pin with a 42 hiding under the chainguard:

Stainless fender stays - got a dozen feet of the stuff locally and the mounting bits from VO:

I did the derailleur tab:

This saddle is interesting - I think it's rubber, with a fabric skin bonded top and bottom:

This was bent when I got it:

So were the forks:

Mercier head-lugs; dead giveaway:

Last edited by oneclick; 07-26-22 at 11:11 AM.
#1459
Newbie
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Bikes: Custom 2020 MaHall bikeworks gravel machine, 2021 Tumbleweed Prospector, 2019 Niner Air9 RDO, 2017 Norco Tactic, 1969 Raleigh Sports, 2020 Surly Troll
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I just finished up restoring this '79 Raleigh Record Ace 10-speed, sans bar tape. It's got re-greased/re-packed hub and headset bearings, new inner tubes, cleaned out the seatpost, outfitted with the VO quill stem adapter and Nouveau Randonneur Handlebars at 44cm, new brake/shift cables and housings. I removed the stem shifters as they don't work well with the VO quill stem adapter and replaced them with a set of Suntour downtube shifters which worked out quite nicely.







#1460
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My 1980 Raleigh Record Ace that I acquired recently. New tires, tubes, rim tapes and serviced front wheel bearings so far. Crank bearings and rear wheel bearings soon.




Took it out for its first ride last Sunday.




Took it out for its first ride last Sunday.

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#1461
Senior Member
A more modern mixte, Soma Buena Vista cafe racer style. It's become my favorite fair weather commuter.

#1462
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Made in Canada Peugeot
Donated by a friend this Peugeot U08 marked made in Canada has just arrived at One Browns Lane. I believe she has had the bike since new, but it has not been ridden for many years. It seems to be complete and in decent condition and it will be a future project. I have done many mixtes and always intended to keep one for myself but someone always seems to want one. I had a CCM, two Raleighs, a Sekine and currently have another CCM Elite in storage.











__________________
We are what we reflect. We are the changes that we bring to this world. Ride often. -Geo.-
We are what we reflect. We are the changes that we bring to this world. Ride often. -Geo.-
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#1463
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You may find those stamped rear dropouts trouble, to get the wheel in and out; there can be precious little clearance between the small sprocket and the stays. Deflating the tyre may help.
#1464
Junior Member
#1465
Newbie
My latest mixte--a Univega that I picked up sans front wheel. Took off the drop bars and used a Velo Orange Porteur bar with generic brake levers. Wrapped the grips with some left-over black tape. Added a pair of Planet Bike fenders and new gumwall tires. The older Brooks saddle was dried out but restored nicely with a cleaning and liberal applications of Proofide. Like the looks of this setup and it is smooth to ride. A great town bike.

Univega mixte back on the road.

The old Brooks saddle was hard and dried out, but came back nicely with cleaning and Proofide.

The components on the bike work well and provide a good range for city riding.

Cleaned and lubricated all the bearings and moving parts.

The inverted Velo Orange porteur handlebars provide a comfortable riding position.


New gumwall tires and a new front rim.

The steel frame is light enough for casual riding.

Love these sprung Brooks saddles.

The Planet Bike fenders needed a bit of coaxing to adjust but look good on the frame.

Univega mixte back on the road.

The old Brooks saddle was hard and dried out, but came back nicely with cleaning and Proofide.

The components on the bike work well and provide a good range for city riding.

Cleaned and lubricated all the bearings and moving parts.

The inverted Velo Orange porteur handlebars provide a comfortable riding position.


New gumwall tires and a new front rim.

The steel frame is light enough for casual riding.

Love these sprung Brooks saddles.

The Planet Bike fenders needed a bit of coaxing to adjust but look good on the frame.
#1466
Full Member
Oh boy, what have I done? Picked up what I gather is a Motobecane Mirage mixte. I liked the photo, but not enough to buy. I complimented the seller for a nice looking bike, not expecting any response. Instead I got a "I'm willing to drop the price to $40. I know nothing about this bike, except that it rides, doesn't shift (cables stretched out; everything moves), brakes fine. I already have a Specialized hybrid for commuting, a Nashbar (Cavalo) road bike for fun, and one other that needs to be sold, because it's really too small (another Specialized, but a mountain bike)
If anyone happens to recognize what year it might be, or speed up my research by pointing me to some resources, I'd appreciate it. I intend to clean/tune it up, and ride it just for fun.
N+1.
If anyone happens to recognize what year it might be, or speed up my research by pointing me to some resources, I'd appreciate it. I intend to clean/tune it up, and ride it just for fun.
N+1.

#1467
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#1468
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https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Motobecane/78/
Last edited by daverup; 08-29-23 at 08:56 AM. Reason: Added catalog link
#1469
Senior Member
My latest mixte build. Daily commuter/cafe racer. It's great around town.

#1470
Full Member
Thanks; it does look a lot like it; the color is black, with red accents, much like the Super Mirage in that catalog. Only difference that I can spot is that the rear derailleur is the Suntour V-GT luxe, but it sounds like bolt-on components are not the most reliable way to put a date on a bike this old.
I spent some time browsing the catalogs. Found myself focusing on the people, the clothes, the settings they used to market the bikes over the years. For some reason, seemed like a reflection of a different era.
I spent some time browsing the catalogs. Found myself focusing on the people, the clothes, the settings they used to market the bikes over the years. For some reason, seemed like a reflection of a different era.

#1471
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Thanks; it does look a lot like it; the color is black, with red accents, much like the Super Mirage in that catalog. Only difference that I can spot is that the rear derailleur is the Suntour V-GT luxe, but it sounds like bolt-on components are not the most reliable way to put a date on a bike this old.
#1472
Bikes are okay, I guess.
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"If we say 'tubing' then most people wont know or care if it's only one tube that's CroMo."
"We need to be honest if we're only using one tube that's CroMo."
"I need to sell more bikes and I need that 'tubing' sticker."
Etc., etc. This happened more than once.
#1474
Senior Member
It's a Soma Buena Vista frame with Velocity built wheels. 1X9 drivetrain. VO seatpost. saddle and stem. The handlebars are Soma Laterwasser (sp?) The fenders are Soma brand as well. It's awesome to ride around town.
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#1475
The Wheezing Geezer
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Bella at Rio Grande
After hip replacements, I wanted a drop-bar, step-through road bike with modern tech at the contact points, but was on a budget, so I built up a Raleigh Super Record mixte frame. They didn't make any 25" mixte frames that I know of, but an extra-long Soma quill adapter made it possible with this 21-1/2" one. It was made with 126mm O.L.D., but fitted with a 5-speed rear wheel when stock. I had to do some grinding to get my 7-speed freewheels to fit, and just put in a shorter BB, so now all three chainrings work with all seven sprockets, click, click, click. Can't call me a Luddite now!

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