Raleigh Mixte
 

Hello,

I have a Raleigh Grand Prix Mixte and cannot decided what I want to do with it. I actually really like the ride and would love to clean it up and ride it as a commuter/grocery hauler. It is quite dirty, but in good shape. It looks like there is a cool bronze/gold color underneath the grime, so I want to keep the original paint. The components are Raleigh and not doing so hot, so part of me says put a SS freewheel for convenience. I like the downtube shifters, but if I turn it into a commuter/hauler, would like barends. I am pretty sure I am going to get some rims that are in better condition, but would not be against keeping them 27, with the wonderful high flange hubs.

Any thoughts? ideas?

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Lots of mixte ideas to be found here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ighlight=mixte

Sun CR18 rims are available in 27", nice and shiny.

I built my wife a mixte singlespeed. Rides very nicely.

I think Mixte's look better with commuter bars than drop bars.

You could soak the rims in an oxalic acid solution remove the rust but I am no fan of steel rims and agree that you should get new ones. I'd ditch the turkey levers on the brakes, too.

If it's going to be a hauler, I'd suggest Albatross or other upright bars that accept bar-end shifters. Or another option that I like for city bikes is to make it a 5- or 6-speed. I built a mixte for my wife from a Raleigh Marathon frame powdercoated purple: 700c wheels w/ 700 x 32mm Panaracer Pasela tires, stem shifter, Albatross bars, Planet Bike fenders, Wald front basket. She uses it for commuting.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_GmYBBzTzcVQ/Rx.../TABMixte2.jpg

Neal

meh, it's worthless. Better give it to me for proper testing. ;)

I have the same bike (well diamond framed) as your Grand Prix and deemed it handsome enough to get alloy wheels swapped on for the steel rimed ones and it is in line for a complete rebuild. I think the Raleigh cranks look really sharp and the Suntour ratcheting down tube shifters are nice.

If you go with upright/north road/cruiser bars, why not get a cheap set of friction thumb shifters rather than the 'pricey' bar end shifters? Clean up the drive train parts -- I bet there is a lot of life left in them.

[QUOTE=kalifornsky;8466808]Hello,

"I have a Raleigh Grand Prix Mixte and cannot decided what I want to do with it. I actually really like the ride and would love to clean it up and ride it as a commuter/grocery hauler. It is quite dirty, but in good shape. It looks like there is a cool bronze/gold color underneath the grime, so I want to keep the original paint. The components are Raleigh and not doing so hot, so part of me says put a SS freewheel for convenience. I like the downtube shifters, but if I turn it into a commuter/hauler, would like barends. I am pretty sure I am going to get some rims that are in better condition, but would not be against keeping them 27, with the wonderful high flange hubs.

Any thoughts? ideas?"

Being a fan of the Mixte frame that I am… I would definitely keep it and fix it up, if you like riding it. How far you go with restoring or customizing it is purely up to you. You may be able to get by with just some bar tape, some clean up, maybe a set of new cables, and drive train tune up.

If the rims on the wheels are straight; the main problems with steel rims is they are heavy, and get slick in the rain; which diminishes braking power quite a bit. If you decide to customize it… the sky, or your bank account is the limit. If you looked at all the Mixtes in the “Show us your Mixte” thread on this forum, then you should have some ideas what can be done with a Mixte frame.

By the way… I think you answered your own question in your first post….

haha, true, just thought I would open it up to the general mind of BF for fun. I have some extra, shiny 27 rims around that I will switch out. After I get her frame cleaned up, I will decide about the drivetrain. I am used to drop bars so I may keep those, but will remove the "turkey" ( or better known as suicide) levers.

thanks!

Here's a Supercourse I cleaned up this past summer.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...g?t=1236200596

you should show her off! :)

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...g?t=1236556559

Is this the color of your bike?Its a good everyday commuter.Have fun with it and put whatever you want on it.Real men ride mixte's.What area of northern Indiana are you at.I'm in n/w Indiana.

that looks pretty close, though mine looks a smidge darker. still have to clean it though!

im up the nw too, south bend. you?

Maybe it's an Indiana thing...I'm a man, and really enjoy riding my Fuji Mixte. I'm from East Central Indiana, Grant Co. area, in between the two main cities there.

Crown Point,about 90 miles west of you.Nice to see a few other Hoosiers on the forum.

Allright, upon closer inspection of the frame, I realized it was damaged! The downtube is bent, looks like from a head on collision. Ugh. It was abandoned for a reason (no, it was not stolen: I work for my campus bike garage, we pick up abandoned bikes and hold onto them for x amount of days, then we get to salvage them. Great job!).

Anyhoo, since I still liked the color, and have a little sister going to college next semester, I decided to build up some wheels for it. Had some aluminum 27 rims around, threw a single speed coaster on the rear, cleaned and regreased everything, and tossed a saddle on it. Total cost: $0.00. Except my time of course ;-) With that, I have no attachments if the bike gets stolen on her campus (she is still deciding). Simple and functional. Also, I think I have some bright green fenders in my basement I might throw on; tacky, but noticible. Meh, we'll see.


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Shame. Check the lugs at the head tube for tiny cracks. Also make sure the fork turns smoothly. Might want to take a real close look at it head-on to see if it's misaligned. The good news is, if it's not cracked, and is just a little off, it can be pulled back into alignment by someone with the proper tools and a bit of knowledge.

Damned shame. No cracks on the lugs. There are minimal ripples in the downtube, no paintchipping either. Turns smoothly, the front wheel is just a little close. Honestly, I donot care enough about the frame to take the time to fix it. I know, I am horrible!

Well, as long as it isn't a danger to ride, and it handles reasonably well, there's no serious need to do anything. If it handles poorly, look around for a bike shop with an alignment table or jig. Should only cost $20.00 or $30.00 to put it right - and that's not bad if it's all it costs to make an old bike usable.

It handles well, lists some while trying handless, but other than that nothing noticeable.