I built a Breeze up for my Mom. Really just swapped out the rear SA cog for a 22T one as it's geared REALLY low. Great bike!
On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 8:03 AM, JoelMatthews <[email protected]> wrote: > > > They are a step up from the World Tourist (made by Giant in Taiwan, I > believe), and certainly > > lighter than the old Varsity bike, which may have still been cranked out > in > > Chicago back then. Was that the one you were thinking of? > > Seems Schwinn made them under a variety of names. But they all looked > basically like this one for sale on eBay: > > > http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-1973-SCHWINN-BREEZE-3-SPEED-26-LADIES-BICYCLE_W0QQitemZ190330929423QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c509b810f&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 > > These are decent bikes for the money all things considered. But they > are not as attractive (at least to me, and presumably the rest of us > lugged steel fans) nor as readibly open to the 'Riv-treatment' as your > daughter's Le Tour. > > > And even though it will fit my son by then, he probably won't want what > he calls a "girls bike". > > Yes. Unfortunately the women's bike designation is so ingrained in > the thinking here in the U.S. that it would be hard for a young man to > want to break the mold. Kids can be awfully mean to one another about > those things. > > Mixtes were originally intended as delivery and errand bikes where the > rider, male or female, had to mount and dismount frequently. That is > still how people see them in many other nations around the globe. > Somewhere along the line in the U.S. Mixtes became ladies bikes. > > Let's hope you can find some nice young woman deserving of the bike > once your daughter gets too tall. > > On Sep 1, 9:35 pm, John Aydelotte <[email protected]> wrote: > > It rides very well -- with the sprung saddle she get's a very smooth > ride, > > even on rough city streets. > > > > Yes, the Le Tour series are quite nice, and this one was (from what I > could > > glean online) made by Panasonic. There are still lots of them out there > in > > garages and they pop up on Craigslist pretty frequently. They are a step > up > > from the World Tourist (made by Giant in Taiwan, I believe), and > certainly > > lighter than the old Varsity bike, which may have still been cranked out > in > > Chicago back then. Was that the one you were thinking of? > > > > The original catalog page for the Le Tour Touriste can be seen > > here.<http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1980_1990/1981_10.html> > > The Mixte isn't prominent, but the lower left photo shows one. > > > > My only regret is that she will be too tall for it in another year or two > > and will need something else. And even though it will fit my son by > then, > > he probably won't want what he calls a "girls bike". > > > > > > > > On Tue, Sep 1, 2009 at 4:28 PM, JoelMatthews <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > 1981 Schwinn Le Tour Mixte< > > >http://www.flickr.com/photos/aydelotte/2577031655/> > > > > > > ...which had a nice Japanese lugged frame, but otherwise rusty and/or > > > broken > > > > components, and turned it into this: > > > > > Thanks John. That really turned out well. > > > > > When I warned against Schwinn earlier, I was thinking of the old > > > Chicago cruiser models with the one piece crank, and old north > > > american standard stem and seat post sizing. The Le Tour - I believe > > > there was another as well, conform more readily to modern parts. > > > > > And it has the nice center seat tube join design. I bet it rides > > > pretty well. > > > > > On Sep 1, 5:07 pm, John Aydelotte <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Another vote for the Schwinn idea -- I took this Craigslist special: > > > > > > 1981 Schwinn Le Tour Mixte< > > >http://www.flickr.com/photos/aydelotte/2577031655/> > > > > > > ...which had a nice Japanese lugged frame, but otherwise rusty and/or > > > broken > > > > components, and turned it into this: > > > > > > Birthday Mixte <http://www.flickr.com/photos/aydelotte/2577051527/> > > > > > > ...for my daughter. I wouldn't call it "Riv'd Up" so much as "Velo > > > Oranged > > > > Up" but I think the outcomes might be similar. The frame was > stripped & > > > > powder-coated locally, and my total cost was less than $400 plus some > > > parts > > > > (saddle, pedals, brake levers) I had around the garage. > > > > > > I didn't want to spend a ton as she's gonna outgrow it in another > year or > > > > two, but she loves the bike and gets more compliments on it than I do > on > > > my > > > > Atlantis. > > > > > > Good luck! > > > > > > On Tue, Sep 1, 2009 at 3:19 PM, JoelMatthews <[email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Its a middle ground between a Betty and a Beater but have you > > > > > > considered Soma's Buena vista? > > > > > > > Certainly good looking bike, and I really like the fork. For > whatever > > > > > reason, Soma went with the double skinny tube design with only a > brace > > > > > attaching to the seat tube. > > > > > > > If the rider is not a tiny little thing or carries any sort of > loads - > > > > > and a mixte is meant to be an errand bike - the ride will be less > than > > > > > ideal. > > > > > > > I have seen a lot of people on these bikes. But with all my 165 > lbs > > > > > to carry around, those I have ridden just did not feel right at > all. > > > > > Maybe I am fussy. > > > > > > > On Sep 1, 3:29 pm, RoadieRyan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Its a middle ground between a Betty and a Beater but have you > > > > > > considered Soma's Buena vista? A quick google search shows them > > > > > > between $375 and 475 for the Frameset. I don't have personal > > > > > > experience with them but it seems like a sweet frame and good > bang > > > for > > > > > > the buck. > > > > > > > > I am actually building up a Mixte for my wife right now from a > older > > > > > > CroMo Schwinn that I actually found for free at the side of the > road. > > > > > > After taking it all apart its going to need some lovin' but I > can't > > > > > > argue with the price of the bike. In Seattle I frequently see > > > "Ladies > > > > > > 3 speeds" for decent prices on Craigslist an older english ladies > > > bike > > > > > > will be plenty strong (IMO) but not light. > > > > > > > > R > > > > > > > > On Sep 1, 12:41 pm, JoelMatthews <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > - Rene Herse > > > > > > > > - Alex Singer > > > > > > > > - Jack Taylor > > > > > > > > > Well, yeah, I'll concede those three ;) > > > > > > > > > But the chances of finding a Herse or Singer on Craigslist or > on > > > eBay > > > > > > > with a starting bid less than $1k are virtually nill. Jack > Taylor > > > > > > > does not have quite the cachet in the U.S. as its French > > > counterparts > > > > > > > (though indeed, it ought to), so you might get lucky. More > once in > > > a > > > > > > > blue moon type of thing. > > > > > > > > > There are any number of bike boom French mixtes, Japanese came > at > > > the > > > > > > > tail end of the boom. Some good and some not so good. Schwinn > > > made > > > > > > > some nice middle weight mixtes. I would hesitate to recommend > them > > > > > > > here, as the proprietary sizing will make squeezing in Riv > parts > > > more > > > > > > > of chore than with the French and Japanese. > > > > > > > > > On Sep 1, 1:16 pm, Steve Palincsar <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, 2009-09-01 at 09:57 -0600, PATRICK MOORE wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, Sep 1, 2009 at 7:45 AM, JoelMatthews < > > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Off hand, I cannot think of one brand better than > > > another. > > > > > > > > > > OK, here are three: > > > > > > > > > > - Rene Herse > > > > > > > > - Alex Singer > > > > > > > > - Jack Taylor- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text - > > > -- Cheers, David Redlands, CA "Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym." ~Bill Nye, scientist guy --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
