Okay, so we can close out this one.

I bought the Creme. I realized, after looking at all the other options, that they just didn't please me as much as the Creme does, at least in terms of looks and options. Yes, the Linus is easier to get, but I'd have to pay $1000 to get one with a Brooks and lights. I know the vintage mixtes are pretty, but I own a vintage bike and I know what that can entail (actually, I own three right now!), and the big bucks that can be shelled out there without premeditation, especially by someone who can't wrench.

I think the Creme is Classic, and has great components for the money. Given what I want it for, it will probably work fine. If I don't like it, for whatever reason, I can sell it. I think at $800, shipped to my door, I'm getting a bit of a bargain, actually. Think about it: the new Brooks alone is worth $130. The tires are $70. The hub would run me over $100. That's $300 right there, nevermind the frame, rack, lighting, grips... I feel good about this, so far.

Once it's built up, I'll tell you all about it. It will be a while before it gets here, as it's coming from the UK. I got a screaming deal on it compared to the price of the bike if I bought it from a dealer, where they run about $1200. So we'll see...

I think you made a good decision. I can't wait to see it. Let's hope the shipping is not going to take the 6 weeks it took me to get something I ordered in January.

To quote the royal mail, "Since Tuesday 29th March, all items, including personal and business letters and packets, should now be delivered to the US as per the usual timescales for the chosen service. The only mail that may still experience a delay of a couple of extra days is the very low volume of mail that is unable to be sorted by our machines: these are typically round, rolled shaped or cubed items that require additional manual sorting. We are continuing to explore alternative solutions for these items, to return them to normal transit times as soon as possible."

I hear ya! My wife wanted a vintage mixte, but none were big enough (she's 5'8" and most of that is legs). She rides a 58cm frame, so that ruled out 99% of the vintage mixtes out there... another reason we went with a new Soma.

Yike! But I figure I'll get the Raleigh back around the same time I get this bike, because that would sort of be the stupid way life works :). More likely I'll see it in 3 or more weeks. No shipping info yet, obviously, as I just clicked the "buy" button like half an hour ago.

I ordered my Bagman and Carradice Barley from Wiggle UK in October. They were out of stock until February. So I've been down this road before.

Once I've got it, we'll ride!

Sounds like you got a really good deal on it Snarky. its a cool ride fer sure. What color did you get?

Thanks, Zaphod. I feel so new and like I've betrayed my vintage soul! And yet, I'm super excited :).

I got pink. Because that model only comes in pink. The lower-end models come in more colors, and the dyno hub-fitted model comes in purple. The men's models come in more colors, actually. I see by their site that they have a bunch more colors in consideration for next year. But that said, I like pink well enough. I'm not pink-crazy, but I don't dislike it either. And it's a dusty-pink, not a hot pink, so that's good.

Can't wait to see it! Tell me more about the optional cell phone charger...???

i'd be amped about it too! cool bikes is cool bikes.

and if its well made it'll be "the old bike that Grandma rides everywhere" someday.

Congrats on your purchase! It looks really nice. You must have gotten one of the last 55cm ones, they are now out of stock in that size. Can't wait to hear how you like it. Be sure to post lots of pictures when you get it.

Congrats!
That is a cool looking bike - it should bring you years of riding pleasure!

Ride pics are a requirement, now...... ;)

We're a Trek dealer at the shop I work at, and I must say I have to second southpaw's opinion on the Belleville. It looks cool at first... but it's seriously heavy. I'd guess it weighs close to 40 lbs. Because of the considerable heft, the cheap kickstand bends under the weight of the bike when parked- they really should have gone with a double legged kickstand. The seat and grips are cheap-looking and uncomfortable. There's no load stabilizer spring for the front rack either, which would be nice considering the type of loads that rack should be designed to carry. Half of the ones we've gotten in have had various problems with the generator lights as well. All that said, it does actually ride pretty nicely and faster than I would have guessed. But if I were choosing between that and the Creme- I'd pick the Creme.

Whoops, should've finished the rest of this thread! Good choice on the Creme- update when you've got it up and running!

Thanks all!

I just looked at the site I ordered from, ChainReaction Cycles, and it doesn't just say it's Out of Stock in the 55cm... it says it's "discontinued." No worries on my order, as it's already gone through (I think). But I wonder if they had a few they were clearing out at that price, and will eventually offer them again at the far more expensive "normal" price? There's still some 51cm ones, and the men's models. Interesting... their Facebook page is up to date, so I wonder if it's just this distributor?

Okay, I'm having a moment of panic and blind-buyer's fear. I ride the 21" Sports and have a 30.5in inseam. I bought the 55cm bike, as it was a bit bigger than the Sports (53.3cm for 21") rather than the 51cm. Did I make a mistake? I'm sure I could still switch the order.

Okay... My point of view:

Financially speaking, it could be done.

But finances are not all there is to it. The real question is, will you enjoy riding it?

The thing is, that you do not know how any given bicycle/frame will feel until you build it up and ride it... at which point the money is already spent. It can be the most beautiful mixte on Earth in pictures, but you may not like its handling.

For that reason I would argue that it is impossible for me, or anybody else here to advise you in a way that would actually be useful to you in the long run, as opposed to merely reassuring. Sorry : (

Ah, I am late to this thread as well.
Congratulations on the purchase - let us know how it rides!

Veloria, stop being the voice of reason! I just want to be reassured! And loved, loved! :)

In the end, I think mostly I already knew what I was going to do. I just needed other people to say that it wasn't totally stupid. And to be fair, often I won't notice things that someone more experienced with bikes will notice. Those things might be make/break, once pointed out to me. Fortunately, nothing here seems that way about the Creme. I may hate it, but it's probably not a piece of total junk. So yeah, it's a crap-shoot. But at least it's a reasonably well-informed crap-shoot.

Also, I just got out my calculator and figured out that 55cm is 21.7 inches. I think I can handle that. It may not be a great bike, but it should theoretically fit. I forgot, I guess, that centimeters are tiny and that the different between 53.3cm and 55cm, on a city bike, is not really all that much: .7 inches.

Just eyeballing your seat post on your Raleigh, you have a few cm to play with, so it might be buried almost completely in the 55cm Creme. Am I wrong? Would that be a bad thing? My uneducated guess is probably not-- it could make for a more upright riding experience, no?

I ride a 22" (55 cm or so) DL-1, which has a very slack seat tube (not sure how much this factors in), and I can do it fine, though I have 0 seat post exposed, and ride a shallow saddle. I have a slightly smaller inseam than you-- probably around 29-30". Depends how invasively you measure.

I love this quote. I have measured quite invasively, a la Rivendell, and not so invasively. Using Riv's instructions, I'm actually a 31". But when I stand over the Shogun, which has a 30.5 standover, I'm almost uncomfy. So I would say 30.5 is probably more accurate.

I do have a lot of seatpost on the Raleigh. In fact, when it had the B17 on it, I used to think it was borderline too small. Then, like a bozo, I finally mentioned this at the Dutch Bike Co. and their mechanic kindly, you know, raised the seat for me. I felt like a total bonehead. Since I had to roll the bars up at the same time, I'm pretty sure I could lose that .7 inches, keep the bars a bit rolled down, and be comfortable, assuming the rest of the bike fits.

I'm not sure I'll keep the B17 anyway. I may CL it right away and put on a B67, assuming that doesn't put me up too high. Love those big ol' springs.

Edit: Funny thing is, I would have SWORN my Raleigh was a 19" bike, given how small it feels, but before I decided to buy the Creme, I had the mechanic who has the Raleigh right now measure it for me: 21". My race bike is a 53cm, which given my height (almost 5'6, but not quite), should be a bit tall. Long legs, I guess.

Well done Snarky!
I personally think $800 is a lot to spend on this type of bike but i have a different viewpoint to you as i'm in a country where mixte bikes are very cheap.
But saying that, with postage costs from france to you and then the alterations you were thinking of , you would of pushed the bike up to your budget anyway.
Anyway you have a very nice looking bike on it's way to you now and i hope you will be happy with it!

Now stop flapping and worrying whether you will like it or not ;-)

You could also try a B72-- not sure if you had one before on your Sports. My first Brooks saddle was a Flyer S, which frankly I found my too heavily sprung for me (Mostly it did not budge, but then I felt like I was being thrown from the bike on some of the larger root bumps on the burke gilman), so I decided to try the B72 on my Motobecane. I think it is super comfy and as a bonus, it sits low, so would work on a bike that is on the bigger side.

But you should stop worrying. The size you got should be just fine. Also, the creme will not be POS. And hopefully it will ride like a dream.

Thanks alr and Daveyates. I've calmed down since last night and become philosophical again. I bought the Raleigh off Ebay, paying too much, never have ridden or even seen one in person. I didn't know what size to buy. I just bought the one I bought. And it's fine. So there you go.

I'm puzzled by the B17s as is everyone else, and will almost certainly replace it. If it's packaged in the box from Brooks, I can probably get one of my lbs guys to switch it out for me. If it's not in the box, I'll sell it on CL and get the B67 instead, losing ten bucks. <shrug>

I agree with alr on two points:

The measure of the seat tube alone does not determine whether you'll be able to mount the bike. Seat tube angle, bottom bracket height, wheel size and even tire size play a huge role. I am the kind of person who needs to be able to touch the ground with a tip of a toe when seated, so bike size is very important to me. And yet I ride a 57cm Gazelle, a 54cm Bella Ciao, a 53cm mixte, and a 56cm Raleigh DL-1 - all of which fit me similarly.

Also, I would recommend the B72 instead of the B67 on a mixte. The former is a very versatile saddle that has just enough spring and works well for both upright and leaned over positions. The latter is a heavy, massively sprung saddle that works best on roadsters and Dutch bikes.

Thanks, Veloria. I know I'll just have to see how the bike fits. I think ordering one that would be a good inch smaller than my Raleigh would have been more of an issue than one that is less than an inch taller. Since the Raleigh is a tad small for me anyway, it should be as okay as any bike I haven't ridden yet can be. :).

I had a B72 on the Sports, but it was old and dying and I hated it. I'll have to see how I feel about it once the bike is here. The Raleigh is great with springs, but of course they may not suit this bike.

The good news is the company I bought it from says I'l have it here in 4-6 days, once it ships. Assuming it ships in the next 24 hours, that's a week! Looking at the other distributors, the price on this bike is listed as closer to $1300, which would make more sense. After all, the Linus 8-speed doesn't come with a Brooks, or a chainguard, or lights, and is only partly-lugged, and it's nearly $900. I suspect that's why it's now listing as "discontinued" on the site I bought from. They probably have a limited stock at this price. Oddly, it lists the color of the bike as "cream," but CremeCycles calls it "pearl pink." It's showing the same bike, so either it's a mistake, or I'm getting a cream colored bike that they don't make anymore. I'm okay either way, as long as it has the components. I'll be happy with cream or pink. But I may have to email them to clarify the color.

Yes!!! :)