ukdodger wrote: Often wondered where the name 'Mixte' comes from. Is it french?
originally yes, but in American English it is most often pronounced more like 'mix-tee' . In the UK I've heard it pronounced a hundred different ways... any votes for the conventional UK pronunciation?
It's for a rather large lady so all the tubes are non butted. I was surprised at how much that increased the weight.
if you ever have to build another one for that job it might be worth looking at what the French call the 'sport' variant. This still has three sets of stays to the rear dropouts, but instead of twin laterals between the head tube and the seat tube, there is a single tube instead. Such frames can be almost as stiff in the front as a diamond frame, and somewhat more stiff in the rear. You can build this design in rather light DB tubing and it will likely be stiffer than a PG mixte that is 1-2lbs heavier.
Unisex.. I did test ride this around the Surrey hills and collected some haw haws from some kids in Dorking.
Interesting that there are a few frames out now on urban bikes which are something like compact geometry but with twin laterals; or another way of looking at it is that they are a mixte design but where the twin laterals are no longer straight but humped upwards. These look less like girl's bikes... but if painted pink with a basket on the front...hmmmm
FWIW nearly all frame designs where there are twin laterals in place of a standard top tube will (vs a diamond frame)
a) lack torsional rigidity and
b) have a pretty soft front end.
The latter point normally makes them appreciably more comfortable than other frame designs; the sensation is often described as a 'slightly floaty front end' or similar.
cheers
) and an explanation of the four valve types here
