Linus Roadster 8

Linus Roadster 8 and Linus Mixte 8. Credit: linusbikes.com

In that first post, that manifesto, I expressed a yearning for "bikes with function and style." Linus has answered the call.

Linus based its designs on French bicycles of the 1950's and 60's. They are simple and utilitarian, but what makes them stand out is that they are elegant.  Tom wrote about Linus in this 2010 post. He noted that the "sweetheart of the bunch is the mixte," which at the time was not available as an 8-speed. Now it is (I did an update on the Roadster 8 in 2011).

I should also point out that Linus does mixtes the right way, perhaps due to that French influence. The Linus mixte meets Sheldon Brown's definition of the term.

Honorable Mention: Public Bikes. Also striving for elegant and utilitarian.

#1 Rebecca's Stable

Here it is -- the first submission in response to our request to see your bikes!  (Although maybe Tom's posts on his Torker Cargo-T and his Handsome Devil should count as #1 and #2? )

Here's Rebecca with the scoop on her bikes:

I have three in my "stable" at the moment.

1. 1970s Motobecane; it is rideable, but needs work. I love mixte frames, though find them impractical in dressier clothes due to very short legs. Road bike option. 

2. 1990s Trek with Rock Shox. In fantastic shape, though there is a crack in the Shox. MTB option.

3. 2013 Linus Dutchi-3. This is my everyday "commuter". I am considering adding gears (3-speed) because my commute is hillier than anticipated and I often wish for additional gears.

My goal is to make each a commuting option (via back rack and fenders), but my attention is focused on getting the Linus into prime commuting shape by addressing gearing issues.

Soma Buena Vista

The Buena Vista built with fenders and rear rack. Credit: Somafab

Soma Fabrications sells its 2013 Buena Vista mixte frameset for $500 (the 2012 frameset is currently on sale for $470). This is a quality steel mixte frame made from Tange Infinity heat-treated Chromoly with rack and fender eyelets. 

It's available in four sizes: 42, 50, 54, and 58 cm. The 42 cm takes 26" wheels and accommodates a width of 1.5"; the larger sizes take 700c wheels with a maximum tire width of 28c. Available in Pearl White and Old Gold.

Buena Vista frame and fork in "Old Gold."

Here are some reviews: Lovely Bicycle (test riding a 650B version)

Paved Magazine

Kona Roundabout

The 2013 Kona Roundabout. Credit konaworld.com

The 2013 Kona Roundabout has an MSRP of $1,000.

Kona introduced the Roundabout in 2012.  This year's model has longer fenders and an integrated rear rack.  It's great to see Kona making such a nice-looking lugged steel bike.

Here are the specs:

Frame Material	Kona Cromoly Butted
Sizes	S, M, L
Rear Shock	N/A
Fork	Kona Retro Road
Crankarms	FSA Tempo City
Chainrings	Bash/39t/Bash
B/B	FSA 7420ST
Pedals	VP 198
Chain	KMC HG53
Freewheel	Shimano Acera 11-32t 9 spd
F/D	N/A
R/D	Shimano Alivio
Shifters	Shimano Acera
Brake Calipers	Hayes CX6
Front Brake Rotor	N/A
Rear Brake Rotor	N/A
Brake Levers	Tektro FL540
Headset	TH 848
Handlebar	Kona Handplant
Stem	Kona Commuter
Seatpost	Kona Double Clamp w/Offset
Seat Clamp	Integrated
Grips	Velo Ergo
Saddle	Kona Comfort
Front Hub	Formula
Rear Hub	Shimano M475
Spokes	Sandvik Stainless 15g fr /14g rr
Rims	Freedom by WTB Racine Elite
Front Tire	Continental UltraSport 700x28C
Rear Tire	Continental UltraSport 700x28C
Paint Color	Matt Silver w/Rust, White & Grey
Extras	Rear Rack, Fenders, Kona Bell

Norco City Glide 8

The Norco City Glide 8 has an MSRP of $890.

We talked about this bike 3 years ago, but Norco deserves another shoutout because their styling has improved.  This is particularly true of the "women's bike," which is now a mixte instead of the U-shaped step-through previously offered.  I also like that they've replaced the roller brakes with caliper brakes.

Here are the 2013 specs for the mixte:

Frameset

Frame: City Glide Mixte Alloy

Fork: Chromoly

Wheels

Rims: Double wall alloy - Silver

Tires: Schwalbe Delta Cruiser 700x35c - Cream

Tubes: A/V tube

Front Hub: Formula alloy hub - Silver

Rear Hub: Shimano SG-8R31-VS 8speed IGH 32hole

Spokes/Nipples: Stainless w/brass nipples

Drivetrain

Shifter Rear: Shimano Revoshift SL-8S20

Shifter Casing: Shift housing - Silver

Cassette: Nexus 20T

Crankset: Alloy 42T - Silver

Bottom Bracket: Cartridge BB

Pedals: Classic City - Silver

Chain: KMC Z610H

Components

Seat Post: Alloy - Silver

Seat Post Clamp: Alloy - Silver

Saddle: Selle Royal Ondina - Black

Headset: FSA TH-848 Sealed Cups / Semi-Cartridge

Headset Spacer: 3x10mm alloy - Silver

Top Cap: Alloy - Silver w/Norco Shield logo

Stem: Alloy - Silver

Handlebar: Alloy city bar -Silver

Grips: Cork grips - Black

Front Brake: Alloy Calipers - Silver

Rear Brake: Alloy Calipers - Silver

Brake Levers: Classic Forged Alloy - Silver

Brake Cable Casing: Brake housing - Silver

Rivendell Betty Foy

A complete Betty Foy. Credit: Rivendell Bicycle Works.

Rivendell sells its Betty Foy mixte frameset for $1,050.  A frameset includes the frame, fork, headset, and bottom bracket.   A complete bike, without saddle or pedals, is estimated to cost $2,200, depending on parts.

While we're on the subject of mixtes, it seemed like a good idea to include the Betty Foy.  As with other Rivendell frames, the Betty Foy is high quality steel, with investment lugs.  The frameset is currently available in three sizes: 50, 55, and 60 cm.

Here is what Rivendell, i.e., Grant Petersen, has to say about the Betty Foy:

Clearance is key to the Foy.  It has enough to fit tires up to 40 mm wide, so it's good on rough roads.  It has clearance to take fenders easily, even with 40 mm tires, so it's the ideal foul weather commuter.  What you can do on a bike, you can do on your Betty Foy.

The name "Betty Foy" comes from a character in the Wordsworth poem "Idiot Boy" (go ahead, read it!).  This is a nice touch, given that there is something poetic about mixtes.

Raleigh Clubman Mixte

2013 Raleigh Clubman Mixte. Credit: Raleigh USA

For 2013, Raleigh is offering its Clubman as a mixte.  At this point, the price is TBD (check with your local Raleigh dealer).

Back in 2008, when this site was just getting underway, Raleigh USA decided to recapture Raleigh's glory days by producing some steel models.  Every year since then, Raleigh has come out with a "new" steel model.  In 2010, it was the Clubman, a name that harkens back to the all-steel era of Raleigh.  (Peter Kohler has an article on the original Clubmans here.)

There are many vintage Raleigh Clubman mixtes still on the road, and in a quick internet search I found a few for sale.  The old Clubman mixtes were quality bikes, as demontrated by the fact that they're still around after 50 or 60 years.  Nevertheless, when Raleigh decided to reintroduce the Clubman, it did not offer it as a mixte.  That oversight will be corrected in 2013.

We talk a lot about step-through bikes, but the term "mixte" has a more technical meaning.  Here's how Sheldon Brown defined "mixte":

A style of lady's frame in which the "top tube" consists of a pair of small diameter tubes running more-or-less straight from the upper head lug, past the seat tube, and on to the rear fork ends. A mixte frame thus has 3 sets of rear stays, instead of the usual two. 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. A lady's type bike that lacks the middle pair of stays is not a mixte.

Mixte frames are stronger than conventional lady's frames, particularly in resisting the tendency of the seat tube to get pushed backward in the middle when ridden by a heavy rider.

In French, "mixte" is pronounced "MEExt", but normal U.S. bicycle industry pronunciation is "MIX-ty".

The 2013 Clubman MEExt has some nice retro stylings, such as a lugged fork, matching painted fenders, and a Brooks Swift saddle.  Given the retro-cool vibe I think Raleigh is going for, I'm a bit surprised that it comes with STI levers.  I would have gone with something more retro (what's wrong with downtube shifters?), but I'm sure that places me in the minority.  In any event, as I said before, you can still find vintage Clubman mixtes if that's what you're after.

Here are the full specs on the 2013 Clubman mixte:

Sizes: 50cm XS, 53cm SM, 55cm SM/MD, 57cm MD/LG , 59cm LG, 62cm XL 

Frame: Reynolds 520 Butted Chromoly Tubing 

Fork: 4130 Chromoly Lugged Road  

Cranks: Shimano Tiagra FC-4650 2pc 50/34t 

BB: Shimano Outboard Bearing 

F.Derail: Shimano Tiagra FD-4600 

R.Derail: Shimano Tiagra RD-4601 

Shifter: Shimano Tiagra ST-4600 10spd STI, Shimano SP41 Shift housing  

Br.Levers: Shimano Tiagra STI 

Brakes: Tektro R539 Dual Pivot Long Reach w/Cartridge Pads 

Gear: Shimano Tiagra CS-4600 10spd (12-30t)  

Rims: Weinmann TR18 Double Wall 

Tires: Vittoria Zaffiro 700x25c 

Pedals: Steel Clips w/Leather Straps 

Handlebar: Classic Aluminum Drop 26.0 

Stem: Alloy 3D Forged Ahead 26.0 

Seatpost: Alloy Micro Adjust 27.2x350mm 

Seat: Brooks Swift w/Chromoly Rails 

Headset: Ahead 1-1/8" w/Alloy Cup

Colors: Ivory

 

Chain: Shimano Tiagra CN-4601  

Hubset: (F) Shimano Tiagra HB-4600 QR 32h (R) Shimano Tiagra HB-4600 QR 32h Cassette   

Spokes: 14g Stainless MAC w/Alloy Nipples 

Grips: Gel Tape 

Extras: Fenders, Rack and Fender Mounts, Water Bottle Mounts, Cateye Reflector Set, Clear Coat, Owner's Manual  

Note: Specifications are Subject to Change

Public Bikes

The founder of Public Bikes says the idea for the company occurred during a trip to Amsterdam in 2002. If you can't visit Amsterdam, but nevertheless want to know what he would find so inspiring, take a virtual trip to Amsterdamize.

Public Bikes has a vision statement that corresponds nicely with our philosophy here at BRFOU:

Our bikes are designed to help make city life a little simpler and a little more fun. Our real mission is to help make our communities more enjoyable. So we see ourselves as a "more livable cities” company. And bikes are a perfect place to start. Bikes make our communities more personal, more vibrant, more civilized, more human and more PUBLIC. That's how we got our name.

Public Bikes offers two basic models: a mixte and a diamond frame.



The mixte, pictured above, is offered as an 8-speed for $1200 or a 3-speed for $900. A bit pricey, but it includes a Shimano Nexus IGH, fenders, chainguard, and rack braze-ons. Here are the specs for the 8-speed mixte:

Weight: 31.7 lbs

Frame: PUBLIC 4130 chromoly steel frame, with fender and rack braze-ons, integrated kickstand bracket

Fork: PUBLIC 4130 chromoly steel fork, with PUBLIC investment cast fork crown, with fender and rack braze-ons

Handlebar: Alloy commuting bar, 25 deg back sweep, 590mm wide, 25mm rise, 25.4mm clamp

Stem: Forged alloy quill stem, 25 degree rise, 25.4mm clamp

Headset: 1" threaded alloy

Grips: PUBLIC triangle grip, 125/90mm, closed end

Freewheel: Shimano 20 tooth cog

Crankset: Alloy crankset, 42 tooth chainring, square taper

Bottom bracket: Square taper BSA English threaded cartridge bottom bracket

Chain: KMC Z410, 1/2" x 1/8"

Pedals: PUBLIC Butterfly alloy platform pedal, with rubber pads, 9/16" axle, ball bearings

Front & rear brake: Alloy dual pivot caliper brake, super long reach (55-73mm), 1-pc pads

Shifter: Shimano Nexus Inter-8 Revoshift twist shifter

Brake levers: Alloy 4 finger caliper brake lever

Saddle: PUBLIC seat, 165mm wide, steel polished rails

Seat post: Alloy 1 bolt, 27.2mm

Seat post clamp: Alloy 1 bolt

Tires: Kenda Kwest, 700x35c, 60TPI, with reflective stripe

Inner tubes: Presta valve

Rims: Alloy deep section, 36 hole, 700c, machined brake surface

Front hub: Alloy, nutted bolt-on axle

Rear hub: Shimano Nexus Inter-8, 8 speed internal geared hub

Spokes: Stainless steel 14G

Chainguard: Alloy chainguard

Kickstand: Alloy center mount

Fenders: Alloy full fender




The diamond frame, pictured above, is available as an 8-speed for $1150, a 3-speed for $850, or a single speed for $600. I like the looks of this orange 3-speed.

Velo Orange Mixte Frameset

Velo Orange now has Mixte frames in stock. These are lugged chrome-molly frames made for VO in Taiwan. You can get the frame in 3 sizes and I suspect only one color at this point. The introductory price is $499, but listed as $700 on the website.

The Mixte is a step-through frame that is ideal for a city bike where you need to dismount quickly or often. The frame is unisex, not a "ladies bike." Read more about the debate over at EcoVelo.

As with other Velo Orange products, expect high quality and the proper braze-ons for fenders, racks and the like. The frame accepts 700c wheels and tires up to 38mm. The horizontal dropouts would work well with internally-geared hubs if you decide to build your bike up that way. VO usually has a discount on their fantastic components if you purchase them at the same time as the frame.

Linus Bikes

Linus makes simple city bikes with 1950s-60s French styling cues. The "bikes as transportation" message on their website makes me smile.

"In most urban cultures bicycles are viewed as legitimate transportation and not merely recreation, but sadly this idea never really caught on in the US. We take numerous little journeys, under 5 miles, as part of our everyday life…. to the store, the pub, to work, etc. Besides the obvious joy of riding a bicycle, these small bicycle trips reduce carbon emissions, congestion, noise pollution, and make for a happier, city experience."

The Linus model line-up includes three steel-framed styles in limited sizes that provide an upright riding position. You'll find a mix of 1-speed and three speeds on the Roadster and Dutchi (step through) models. The three speed models come with a rear rack (not shown on photos) and color-matched fenders. The sweetheart of the bunch is the Mixte, which comes only in a 3-speed. I would have liked to see a full chainguard, but the ring-type guard looks pretty sharp (the Dutchi comes with a partial P-shaped guard).

At less than $600 these bikes have a great look for the price, complete with a stem-mounted bell. With some models at sub-$400 I'm sure you're sacrificing some quality somewhere (bottom bracket, brakes, cranks, stem, perhaps?). If I get a chance to visit their shop in Venice I'll post some more about it. If anyone has seen these in the wild we'd like to hear from you.

You can find Linus Bicycles at limited dealers in the US or at their home location in Venice, CA.

Roadster Classic (1-speed):

Roaster Sport (3-speed):
Duchi (3-speed shown):
Mixte (3-speed):


Photo Credit: Mixte photo at top via Calhoun Cycle on Flickr

Electra Ticino

These have been mentioned here before, but I saw them in person for the first time last week, and I can't not mention them again...

Every bike in the Ticino series, by Electra Bicycle Company, is lovely and practical and elegant. I really can't say anything about them without sounding like a 13-year-old girl at the opening night of Twilight, but Edward Cullen's got nuthin' on this.

The Electra Bicycle Company
Electra Bicycle Company on Facebook

Peugeot Mixte from Velo Cult

Velo Cult is a shop in San Diego that restores vintage lugged steel bikes. The Peugeot pictured above was stripped and powder coated and accessorized with an embossed Brooks saddle, Honjo fenders, Velo Orange racks and cork grips. "This is the ultimate vintage Mixte." And I'm guessing that the price is a bit steep (you can find out how much by emailing them at info@velocult.com) -- which is just more proof that used lugged steel bikes retain their value.



By the way, Peugeot still makes mixtes -- using lightweight aluminum -- and sells them in Europe. It comes with a chainguard, rear rack, fenders, and lights.



The specs for this new Peugeot can be found here.

Given a choice, which Peugeot mixte would you want to own?


UPDATE: Bike Club of Falls Church, Va also has a vintage Peugeot Mixte for sale: