Mixte Resurgence

There is a big resurgence of Mixtes in this area (Bay Area). Most new
ones are internally geared. They are priced as boutique items. Linus
charges $619 for the 3 speed and $829 for the 8 speed. Public Bikes
charges $599 for the 7 speed (on sale from $699). Trek now has two
externally geared Mixte city bikes, neither of which is equipped with
low gearing (single front chain ring). The BTW, Trek web site is really
awful. Demand is high and they can't keep them in stock. Companies are
buying large quantities to use as campus bikes, i.e. Apple.

A large number of older Mixtes are being bought up by dealers, fixed up,
and resold at fairly high prices (though these are better deals than
buying one that needs a lot of repairs then bringing it to a shop for
repair).

The Soma Buena Vista is the only one you can buy, at a shop. with full
gearing (front and rear derailleurs). If you never venture out of the
valley floor then the Linus, Public, or Trek Mixtes are just fine for
riding around town. If you want to ride a little further, you will
encounter terrain that requires wider gearing.

While I never thought I'd be in favor of aluminum frames, I think there
is some advantage on a Mixte where you have so much more metal than on a
traditional frame, but most of the new Mixte models are steel.

Bikedirect is almost sold out of the one true Mixte that they sell
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/miragesport_xi.htm. And
the best part about the one they are selling is this: “every Mirage
Sport is built one by one with care by Motobecane's skilled craftspeople
just like other high end bikes.� I was initially concerned that the bike
was being mass produced in an automated contract factory in China, like
nearly every mass-produced bicycle on the market from every company. It
was a big relief to learn that Motobecane is different, and they are
using their own skilled craftspeople and building them one by one. I
think that Bikesdirect must have hired Drew Kaplan from DAK to write
their copy.

On Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 4:21:42 PM UTC-4, sms wrote:
There is a big resurgence of Mixtes in this area (Bay Area). Most new
ones are internally geared. They are priced as boutique items. Linus
charges $619 for the 3 speed and $829 for the 8 speed. Public Bikes
charges $599 for the 7 speed (on sale from $699). Trek now has two
externally geared Mixte city bikes, neither of which is equipped with
low gearing (single front chain ring). The BTW, Trek web site is really
awful. Demand is high and they can't keep them in stock. Companies are
buying large quantities to use as campus bikes, i.e. Apple.

A large number of older Mixtes are being bought up by dealers, fixed up,
and resold at fairly high prices (though these are better deals than
buying one that needs a lot of repairs then bringing it to a shop for
repair).

The Soma Buena Vista is the only one you can buy, at a shop. with full
gearing (front and rear derailleurs). If you never venture out of the
valley floor then the Linus, Public, or Trek Mixtes are just fine for
riding around town. If you want to ride a little further, you will
encounter terrain that requires wider gearing.

While I never thought I'd be in favor of aluminum frames, I think there
is some advantage on a Mixte where you have so much more metal than on a
traditional frame, but most of the new Mixte models are steel.

Bikedirect is almost sold out of the one true Mixte that they sell
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/miragesport_xi.htm. And
the best part about the one they are selling is this: “every Mirage
Sport is built one by one with care by Motobecane's skilled craftspeople
just like other high end bikes.� I was initially concerned that the bike
was being mass produced in an automated contract factory in China, like
nearly every mass-produced bicycle on the market from every company. It
was a big relief to learn that Motobecane is different, and they are
using their own skilled craftspeople and building them one by one. I
think that Bikesdirect must have hired Drew Kaplan from DAK to write
their copy.

.....................

this has something to do with Jenner right ?

......"Mixte" (pronounced [mikst]) is a direct appropriation of the French word meaning "mixed" or "unisex". The usual North American bicycle industry pronunciation of this loan word is /ˈmɪksti�/.[9]

A variant on the mixte uses a single, full sized top tube running from the upper head tube to the seat tube, but retains the middle set of stays.[10] The FNCRM (Fédération Nationale du Commerce et de la Réparation du Cycle et du Motocycle) calls this style a "Sport." [11]

Other named French styles of step-through frames, in addition to Mixte and Sport, include Berceau, Anglais, Jumele, Col de Cygne, and Double Col de Cygne.


- wiki