Buying a Vintage Mixte: What to Look For

I know that several of my readers are hunting for vintage mixtes at the moment - intending to use them as sportier alternatives to their main transport bikes. Early summer is a good time to buy a vintage mixte, as many are on the market. But before getting swept up in the romance of those twin lateral stays and buying the first attractive mixte you see, it could be helpful to know what to look for - lest you end up with a bicycle that is un-ridable at your skill level, or with a bicycle where you will have to replace so many parts that the purchase will not be worth it.



Let's start with geometry, and I will try not to make this too technical. It is tempting to look at a mixte and think of it as a cute, comfy "girly bike." But most mixtes from the 1970s and 1980s that you will find on the vintage market were designed as roadbikes. This means that they are not that comfy, and not that easy to ride. And this has nothing to do with whether the bike has drop bars vs swept-back handlebars, but rather with the bicycle's inherent geometry. Without measuring distances and angles, here are some ways to test whether a mixte was designed as a roadbike:



1. Steep Angles? Set the bicycle's saddle height to a level where your leg is extended fully or nearly fully on the downstroke. Are you at all able to touch the ground with one tip of a toe at this saddle height? If yes, or almost, then the bicycle was likely designed with comfortable angles. If not even close, then it was designed with steeper angles. While you can change the angle of the seat tube by moving the saddle backwards, a steep seat tube angle usually means that the bicycle is aggressive in other ways as well, which is what makes it an easy indicator of comfort. Steep angles tend to make a bicycleless comfortable - so take this into consideration.



2. Toe Overlap? Get on the bicycle and start slowly riding it. Now, turn the handlebars dramatically, either to the left or to the right. Does your toe hit the front wheel at all when you do this? If yes, this is called "toe overlap". Most small-sized road and track bikes have it. For road and track cyclists it is not a problem, as they typically cycle so fast that they do not turn the handlebars. However, a city bike will ideally not have toe overlap - as having your toe hit the front wheel can cause a crash. If you are an inexperienced cyclist and the mixte you are trying has toe overlap, think about whether you are prepared to deal with this before you buy the bike. This aspect of the bike's geometry cannot be altered.



3. Responsiveness/Squirrelliness? Start riding the bicycle again and pick up some speed; then make some gentle turns. Cycle around the block, where you have to turn the corner several times. Do you feel stable and in control when cornering, or do you feel as if the bicycle turns too sharply and faster than you expected? If the bicycle feels overly-responsive ("squirrelly") on turns, it was likely designed as a roadbike. For an experienced roadie, this is a good thing. For someone transitioning from a stable city bike, this can be scary and not fun at all. This aspect of the bike's geometry cannot really be changed either.



Once you find a mixte that seems comfortable, take a look at the bike's components and make some mental calculations about value. The main things to consider are the wheels and handlebars.



Older and lower-end mixte models will typically have wheels with steel rims, unless the previous owner replaced them. You can identify steel rims by their little pockmark-like indentations (click image above to enlarge). These are not good for braking, especially in the rain. On a vintage 3-speed steel rims are not so bad, as you are not cycling very fast anyway. But on a sporty mixte, poor braking power is not a good feature to have. I suggest choosing a mixte with alloy rims, or if there is something special about a steel-rimmed mixte that makes you want that specific bike, factor in the cost of replacing the wheels.



If the mixte you are considering is fitted with drop bars, and you are planning to replace them with swept-back bars, be aware that you will most likely also have to change the stem for reasons of compatibility. Together, a new stem and handlebars can be a costly upgrade. A mixte that already comes with swept-back bars could be a better deal.



There are, of course, also other important things to consider - like the state of the brakes, derailleur system, headset, hubs, etc. - not to mention whether the frame itself is structurally sound. For this, you will either have to bring a friend who is knowledgeable about bicycle repair, or trust the seller. You will also have to spend extra money on adding fenders, a rack and new tires for the bike. But these issues are common to all vintage bike purchases, so I will not go into them here.



What I wanted really was to give a sense of what to expect from a vintage mixte in terms of ride quality, and how to tell whether the basic geometry and set-up of a particular mixte is within your comfort zone. Hope this helps, and happy mixte hunting!

Going Big, Getting it Done

This past week has been a very busy time on the Mountain. Climbers have been coming out in droves, summiting via many, many routes, and skiing some very big and beautiful lines down the upper and lower mountain. Even though there have been some cloudy days in the lowlands, the weather on the upper mountain has been spectacular, with sunny skies light wind, and a little new snow just to keep things fresh. Last weekend saw a few hundred skiers come out to get spring turns on the snowfield, and with close to 200 inches of snow still on the ground at Paradise it can be assumed there will be many more great days of skiing this spring, and yes even this summer.

If you were one of the people who made it up to climb, ski, hike or just hang out above the clouds for a day or two you may have noticed some busy rangers running around doing all sorts of tasks, one of which was helping scientists put stakes in the glaciers by which they measure the melt rate of the winters snow, that then helps them determine overall mass balance of the glaciers. The past 14 months of cold and wet weather have had a pretty big impact on the mountain. This is the first ever year where glaciologists have found a positive mass balance in Rainier's glaciers, even though it was just barely on the positive side of things. We'll be waiting to see what kind of weather this summer will bring and how it will effect the large amounts of snow we currently have on the mountain.

Check out the new route updates and photos for the DC, Gib ledges, Liberty Ridge, Camp Muir and the Muir Snowfield.

The Avalon Theater Today

Death Valley :: Desert Flowers #1

Flowers for Susan

These tiny flowers, about ¾ of an inch in diameter, some pink and some white, grow on several bushes planted in flower beds around the house. (I have no idea what kind they are.) I doubt that they were blooming in June when Susan was last here, so I thought I'd send her a virtual bouquet to say “Thank You” for her hospitality and friendship (thanks also to Don).

Chicks!

I piddled around and waited too long to order chicks. Sold out!

I should have realized, after hearing stories about seeds flying off the shelves in this poor economy, that the same would apply to small livestock.

But we found mystery chicks from the Cullman Tractor Supply store.



I think we have Leghorns, a Rhode Island Red, and Dominiques. Maybe.



They are cute, at any rate, although I suspect that a high percentage may be cockerels.



Fuzzy.



Wuzzy.

We put them in a pen outside one sunny day, to soak in sun and eat bugs and scratch around, but mostly they acted like it was just another ploy to try to kill them.



The female Muscovy was verrrry interested. Poor thing wants to be a mama so bad, but is too dumb to figure out how to sit on eggs correctly. Maybe we should have brought her some ducklings.

This is how much they grew in just a week:



That one on the far left and one other black chick have tails already, which says "male" to me, but I pray I'm wrong.



Look Ma, real feathers!

To buy the chicks, we had to sign a paper: name, address, phone, driver's license number! I considered yelling "No NAIS!" and running out the door, but I didn't. I hadn't felt Big Brother peering over my shoulder like that since we tried to drive up to view the local dam, and had our plates and license numbers recorded.

Lord knows what sort of watch list I'll be put on for buying chicks, visiting a dam, and buying Sudafed.



"I'll be watching you."

Fixed Gear Mercian, Freed and Re-Tyred

I've had a Mercian Vincitore since last Fall, riding it as a fixed gear fitted with 28mm Panaracer Pasela tires. Those tires are not known for their raciness, but honestly that suited me just fine, since my fixed gear riding style is best described as "pottering about." Still, eventually I got curious what this machine was capable of if fitted with faster road tires. I also wanted to feel what the bike was like to ride non-fixed. Now the Mercian sports 26mm Grand Bois Cerf tires and has temporarily been turned into a freewheel single speed.






The bike rides better than ever. The tires have a lighter feel to them and the ride quality - which I didn't think needed improving at all - is nonetheless improved. I should note that right now I have an old cheap flip-flop hub wheelset installed and not the nice Phil Wood wheelset we originally built it up with. This does not seem to make any difference. The bike feels as if I am riding on narrow balloon tires, with the speed and maneuverability of a fast roadbike.






"Freeing" the drivetrain changed the feel of the bike in several ways. It made me more aware of how responsive it is to pedaling efforts.It made me want to alter my positioning - namely to move the saddle back a bit and lower the handlebars. It also made me wish the bike had gears! I didn't miss them at all in fixed gear mode, but now the bike seems to "want" them. It's probably just because I have never ridden a non-fixed single speed roadbike before. It will be interesting to experience it this way for a bit. After that I will change it back to fixed.






I will also be making some component changes in the coming year. The gearing has been lowered twice already and it's clear that it needs to be even lower to suit my pedaling style. The Campagnolo crankset makes that impossible, since the smallest available ring is 49t. I will replace the drivetrain with something that will afford a categorically lower gear. Also, now that the bike is no longer fixed, I realise that the (Veloce) brake calipers aren't just "a bit weak" as I thought before, but simply do not work here; I must have been compensating with my feet more than I realised. We will try replacing the brake pads, but I doubt that will make enough of a difference. A better solution seems to get a set of plain ol' Tektro medium reach calipers. The initial build was based on the parts that were available to me at the time more than anything, but I like to spin fast and I like brakes that work well, so the components will have to change.






I've enjoyed riding this bike tremendously over the past year and think it was the right choice for me for a fixed gear bike. I like the versatility and can see myself putting fenders and a rack on it in some distant future. In the nearer future, I am curious how a radically lowered gearing will affect my experience of the bike, in particular when I use it for recovery rides. I think it's the right way to go.

Beal Unicore

The new "Gully" from Beal is a 7.3 rated double and twin rope with Unicore construction @ 36g/m




available Jan/Feb 2014
















http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwtbKe4Vfag&list=PLEB14971E3A7B76D4

The snow aftermath in the French Alps

Snow continued to fall the whole day and until into the evening on our last day in the French Alps. We survived the almost 3 hours torment under freezing temperatures of fitting the snow chains on the car’s tires. Halellujahs in order!

Sadly,the ski holiday is coming to an end. Our last night at the chalet hotel was actually very nice. We had drinks at the bar followed with some soup with our new found acquaintances, then we moved to our tables and a 3-course dinner was served. The whole evening was spiced up with lively conversations and laughs. All in all it was a great closing of the holiday with great company. Meanwhile, snow kept falling outside and we were a bit worried about the aftermath, mainly because the next day is our departure day back to the Netherlands.

After breakfast in the morning we packed up and when we went outside... oh dear, look at what we have found: the car totally snowed in! lol

Thus, shovelling ensued! I thought it was fun. But before we started shovelling the snow, Dutchman and I took pictures of the snow aftermath, of our surroundings in Le Crey.

Ah, Le Crey and its surroundings was a lovely sight that morning. So pure, so immaculate, so pristine. It was just so beautiful. I did not want to leave right away!

Here are the pictures we took, starting with the scenes at the back of the chalet hotel early in the morning:

The chalet hotel:

Ploughing the snow:

Views from the chalet hotel:

Fall Turns

There's been some great skiing on the Muir Snowfield this fall so far. Between storms, and those 'tweens have been small, there have been some good snow conditions for skiing. I last went up to Camp Muir on Friday November 2nd. All those gargantuan suncups have been filled in. Ski penetration has been pretty nice at less than 5 cm in most places so skinning up was fast.









I've taken the webcam down for the season. Although we did get it working again, it's just too much to maintain in the winter, so we'll save it for next season.




Public shelter is open, but it may be snowed in when you get there. Expect to shovel out the entrance. Could take a long time and you may be exposed to the wind while you're digging (and tired and cold)...




A toilet is open near the public shellter, which may need to be dug out, too.




Remember a few things this winter:

 -Get a forcast from the NWAC before you go.

-If overnighting, remember a permit, a pass and to park in the overnight area at Paradise.

-Pack for contingencies, such as getting stuck out for an unplanned overnight.

Dead Trees

Here is a shot of two of the cottonwood trees that were killed by the fire but haven't been carved into figures yet. The sandhill crane on it's tree trunk can be seen in front. If you look close you can see Coors Blvd behind the park with the housing develpment that is to the west of Coors Blvd. The parking lot for the park can also be seen along with a distant view of the eagle.

Happy New Year; keeping the tradition alive.

Nothing like 45 and raining for New Years Day ice climbing...

Happy everyone. Its been a tradition of mine to climb on New Years day for 15 years now. It started on January 1, 1997 with original ice climbing partners, Matt Johns and Scott Richards. It was the beginning of our 2nd year of ice climbing. We decided to "start the year off right" by climbing. We set our ambitions high and decided to try for the first ascent of a 2 pitch route in a local active quarry. The day went great despite a few "minor" incidents. I led the first pitch and Scott led the 2nd. It went successful and we ended up naming the route New Years Revolution WI4+. It was quite an accomplishment for us at the time. We used by today's standards archaic tools and gear. No speed cranks on screws, Snargs, original Footfangs, Black Prophets, North Face lobster mitts, etc. Little did I know that day was the start of a tradition that I still uphold. A year or so later, Matt moved from PA to KY. He's found great climbing life at the mega popular Red River Gorge. He and I remain great friends to the day. We don't get to climb together as much as we'd like, but that makes the time that we share on the rope that much better. He occasionally visits to climb ice in the winter and boulder in the warmer months. Scott moved across country to Wenatchee, Washington to pursue an outdoor lifestyle there. Tragically he died in a kayaking accident on Icicle Creek shortly after his move there. I had no idea we'd never climb together again. Life is different from the old days, but still the tradition continues and each New Years Day I think back to how it all began and am thankful for how much fun I have and all the great friends I've made climbing here in PA.

Starting up the first ascent of NYR 4+ first pitch 1997

Scott Richards on Pitch 2

Enjoying New Years 1997

Today was no exception. It almost didn't happen. Despite an incredible start to the /11 ice season, New Years Day and several days leading up to it, were warmer than normal. When Laura and I left the house the first time, it was 50 degrees and raining. Still we were determined to climb. We drove to Ohiopyle to climb only to have some serious downpour happening at the parking lot. We turned tail and drove home deciding not to climb in the rains. We went home and hung out for a few hours and as luck would have it, the rains stopped and we decided to pack back up and make the return drive to the cliffs. It was raining a lot less, but still raining. We decided to "climb" anyhow. Laura got some new boots to try and was itching to put them to use.

L's new kicks, Lowa Mountain Expert GTX

We rigged the main flow and Season Finale on top rope. We each ran a few laps with some older CF Cobras that Fred from Exkursion lent to Laura to mess with. It was the most fun we've had on 25' of seriously wet ice. What a fun day, no ground breaking accomplishments, just a lot of fun climbing with my incredible partner, Laura. Here's a few pictures from the day.

Fred's tools and a tool happy to be outside for the new year

The warm temps sent the start to my project down.

It about crushed our heads. Get it L!

Happy ! from "US"

Laura bringing in the new year on the deteriorating ice

Tomorrow the temps are supposed to drop below freezing and the 10 day is looking very promising. Next weekend we should be out at it again with vastly improved conditions. Hope everyone had as much fun this New Years day as we did!