Dawes Cambridge Mixte - errand bike

[SkipdiverJohn]

The pedals are old-school rubber block types and are what you would expect to find on a 3-speed roadster. They are entirely appropriate for a town bike and I would definitely not change them.
As regards the tyres, again they are traditional 3-speed roadster size, 26" x 1 3/8". I like them myself as they give a comfortable ride, and save a couple of inches on bike length compared to 27" or 700c metric wheels. I run some Schwalbe Delta Cruisers and Schwalbe Marathon greenguards in 26" x 1 3/8". Not much between them in terms of grip, you probably aren't ever going to be cornering fast and hard on a town bike anyway. When tyres are new they have a manufacturing residue which is a mould release agent. This does not do any favours for grip, but as the tyres clock up some miles and get exposed to the elements the release agent gets worn off and they generally hold the road better. I don't really see much need to mess around with that Dawes apart from routine maintenance and giving it a wipe down. It's built to do a certain job and it will do it well just as it is. A fake basket will deal with getting damp better than a natural one. As a bloke, they aren't my thing, but if it's useful to you I would leave it as it is. It doesn't look out of place on a bike like that.

 

[Hebe]

Thank you @SkipdiverJohn that’s really helpful, especially about the residue on the tyres. I think it’s baskets on the whole that I’m unsure about, I don’t mind metal ones though. It‘s interesting to learn more about the choices that were made, including the pedals. Lots to think about.

 

[Hebe]

Hi, just updating this as you were all so helpful. I think I may have had the lockdown blues colouring my judgement... when the sun came back out and I got back on the bike it just seemed perfect again and I have really enjoyed riding. The only things I would change now would be the tyres, for something with a bit more puncture resistance, the chain guard for aesthetics and possibly the mudguards for the hammered velo orange ones. But none of that actually feels necessary for me to enjoy the bike. Here it is on a click and collect run into town.

What all this did show me is that I really want to learn more about how bikes are put together. I am working my way through some books accompanied by looking hard at my bikes to understand them a bit more, and wondering about the possibility of a very basic project at some point. So thank you again for your honest and helpful comments.

 

[DCBassman]

Here's mine as I am currently riding it:

 

[Hebe]

I do like that! There’s something about a mixte frame, that combination of lines and circles and touch points , that just makes me want to understand everything about them.

 

[DCBassman]

Goes really well. Doesn't stop too easily though...

 

[DCBassman]

I do like that! There’s something about a mixte frame, that combination of lines and circles and touch points , that just makes me want to understand everything about them.

They are such good-looking frames!

 

[Hebe]

Goes really well. Doesn't stop too easily though...

That’s not a feature of mixtes in general, is it? The rear brake on mine is quite leisurely compared to the front, but is much better than it was. It’s only 7 speed though and not exactly built for speed so hasn’t really been an issue so far.

 

[DCBassman]

That’s not a feature of mixtes in general, is it? The rear brake on mine is quite leisurely compared to the front, but is much better than it was. It’s only 7 speed though and not exactly built for speed so hasn’t really been an issue so far.

To an extent, yes, although you have V-brakes, so I wouldn't have thought your braking would be anything but good. My problem is down to poor calipers which are difficult to upgrade. Workin' on it...

 

[sheddy]

Will it be getting a rear rack ?

 

[Drago]

An unlugged, tig welded mixte. Unusual. I like mixte bikes, and its sad that in the English speaking countries there's this culture of them being "girls" bikes, when theyre supposed to be unisex machines.

 

[DCBassman]

An unlugged, tig welded mixte. Unusual. I like mixte bikes, and its sad that in the English speaking countries there's this culture of them being "girls" bikes, when theyre supposed to be unisex machines.

Glad to see I'm not alone in this, it makes my teeth itch...
Mine was almost certainly sold by Madison as a girl's drop-bar roadie...

 

[Hebe]

Will it be getting a rear rack ?

I don’t think so, my Vita has a rack so I tend to use that if I’m carrying more than will fit in the basket.

 

[Hebe]

An unlugged, tig welded mixte. Unusual. I like mixte bikes, and its sad that in the English speaking countries there's this culture of them being "girls" bikes, when theyre supposed to be unisex machines.

Glad to see I'm not alone in this, it makes my teeth itch...
Mine was almost certainly sold by Madison as a girl's drop-bar roadie...

Is this gendering of mixtes a modern thing? I’d love to know more about the history of the Mixte. I was under the impression that the frame style had been around for some time.

 

[DCBassman]

Is this gendering of mixtes a modern thing? I’d love to know more about the history of the Mixte. I was under the impression that the frame style had been around for some time.

It's an old French design for a general town bike, and now and again it makes a come-back in that exact genre, as it were. Here's an article:
Mixte