how strong are mixte frames?

[Black Sheep]

Been looking at getting black ewe a vintage frame, just how strong are mixte frames, obviously the dropped cross-bar is a slight compromise on strength, but I presume this is more than made up for in the mixte style of continuing the cross bar through to the rear drop-outs?

She does a couple of triathlons so would be 'racing' on it - I intend to get round to one on my '68 Carlton one day

I also keep seeing frames from the likes of Falcon, Apollo & Viking who are all makes I recognise as generic bike shaped objects from my keen interest in mountain bikes back in the 90's - were these just the tail end of a fall from grace for once well renowned brands and an older frame from these is still well regarded?

 

[Cycleops]

I don’t know the engineering calculations which may give the definable answer but as to to your question it’s strong enough. They could have fallen from grace as result of taking longer to make?

 

[midlife]

They were called "twin lats" BITD and don't recall any mechanical issues. Why not have a look for a Carlton Courette to compliment your own Carlton.

 

[AndyRM]

I've seen plenty of mixte frames with drop bars; no reason I can think of for not using one for a tri. Position might look a bit 'interesting'.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I don’t know the engineering calculations which may give the definable answer but as to to your question it’s strong enough. They could have fallen from grace as result of taking longer to make?

They were made so women riding in skirts could get on and off in a dignified fashion. Women now dress the same as men when cycling so there is no market for them.

 

[winjim]

I am utterly in love with the Soma Buena Vista frameset. I reckon you could build it up to do pretty much anything. They describe the geometry as 'sporty' so I think you could race it.

https://www.somafab.com/archives/product/buena-vista-disc-frame-set

 

[rogerzilla]

It's more a problem of stiffness than strength. For undemanding use they are fine but you would get more tyre scrub and brake/gear gremlins if you were a strong rider climbing a big hill.

 

[Specialeyes]

Mrs Spesh has a lovely vintage Nigel Dean which she's ridden on a couple of bumpy Eroicas without any issue whatsoever. Occasionally I will plonk my 80kg on it and take it for a ride, again without issue.

As I've said before, I absolutely love mixte frames and really hope that one of these days one of their anticiptated comebacks will actually happen!

 

[Black Sheep]

I don’t know the engineering calculations which may give the definable answer but as to to your question it’s strong enough. They could have fallen from grace as result of taking longer to make?

I meant the brand falling from grace and becoming a cheap BSO manufacturer rather than the style of frame

I've seen plenty of mixte frames with drop bars; no reason I can think of for not using one for a tri. Position might look a bit 'interesting'.

I'd be looking to get a road / touring frame so that it does lend itself to being used for triathlon, she's currently using an 80's or 90's Trek road bike with flat bars as the reach is a little long for her with drops due to a back/shoulder/wrist injury a few years back.

 

[AndyRM]

I'd be looking to get a road / touring frame so that it does lend itself to being used for triathlon, she's currently using an 80's or 90's Trek road bike with flat bars as the reach is a little long for her with drops due to a back/shoulder/wrist injury a few years back.

Go for it I reckon. If nothing else it would be a fun experiment.

 

[DRM]

All I know is I acquired 2x old bikes as kid from a friend of my dads who wanted rid of them, one was a man's bike with straight handlebars, the other was a ladies, or mixte, again with straight bars, these were thrashed mercilessly off road, to the point that the mixte frame was the preferred one for scrambling, as we referred to what would now be mountain biking, as the design of the frame meant the Crown Jewels were at less chance of a bruising encounter with the top tube, it did jumps, drop offs etc and it was impossible to break the thing, sadly they would both have been prime restoration candidates now.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Mixte frames are a good piece of engineering design, superior to a conventional women's frame. The thing to remember is most women are smaller, lighter, and less strong than most men and they generally ride smaller size bikes because of their stature. Smaller frames are stronger than large ones made with the same sort of tubing, so even though a mixte is not going to be structurally as stiff as a mens frame size for size, when you factor in the womens frame typically being a couple of inches smaller and having a shorter reach, there isn't going to be a lot in it overall.

 

[oldkit]

I am just about to get my Claud Butler Majestique back in working order again, because it was such a joy to ride until the rear mech ate the back wheel.
I found it much lighter than I expected even with a steel rack and full mudguards.

I can't vouch for the strength of the frame but it seemed quite lively and I didn't find the return to Five speed downtube friction shifters any problem at all, in some ways it was more pleasing without the hassle of shifting all the time.
With only five speeds on the block it encouraged you to hold on to each one and sometimes putting a bit more effort in going uphill or spinning a bit more at certain speeds on the flat.
How you like it would depend on it's intended useage.
I used mine a lot for local running about, shopping and wet weather riding.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

A step-through frame is certainly at an advantage when carrying anything on top of a rear rack. I've got a small greengrocers plastic produce crate which I cable tie to the rack of an old Puch 3-speed for carrying shopping, and sometimes I do clumsily catch the crate when swinging my leg over the rear of the bike. A mixte or ladies frame would actually be a significant advantage for this particular sort of usage, and I have considered building up a ladies frame shopping hack, although I haven't done it because the amount it would get used probably doesn't justify the space an extra bike would take up.

 

[DCBassman]

I want to pull mine out from 120 to 126 so I can actually find some alloy wheels to fit! But not sure if the mixte design would tolerate that sort of thing...