John’s mixte commuter

This winter in Rhode Island has been particularly brutal. Living close to Narragansett Bay is especially painful with freezing humid air slapping me in the face. I shouldn’t complain as my commute to the shop is a mere 20 feet and the wood stove keeps my small space toasty. As one of several large ongoing projects, this yellow mixte has been making this dark winter a little brighter. It was designed for a man with limited mobility in one of his legs who was looking for a more upright bicycle. You’ll notice that the drive side TA crank arm is shorter than the non-drive side by 20mm. There is also a drop pedal attachment that will be installed to the shorter arm. This is to reduce the bending in his right knee.

This bike is full of details in both the construction and finish as can be seen in the full slideshow. The old stamped lug set needed to be heavily modified. There were no points on them and all of the flourishes were dull and unshapely. The upper head lug needed the angle modified by 15° and the seat lug needed its binder filled with brass and shaped as well. The tubing mix of Columbus and True Temper make this bike durable for John as a commuter and keeps the weight down. Custom front and rear fillet brazed chromoly racks with integrated light mount and fender mounts are ready for bags. The front light is a Schmidt Edelux while the rear is a vintage Radios with an LED stand light bulb. There’s a small pump on the seat tube, modified MAFAC Racer brakes, and stitched on brown elkhide grips darkened to match his already broken in Brooks Professional saddle. The drivetrain is a vintage Huret Jubilee which just about handles the full gear range. The cream head tube has a silver lining to match the downtube logo colors. Also, the pin striping on the fenders is cream to match the headtube. The timing of this bike’s delivery is perfect and should get to John just in time for the snow to melt and for some serious springtime commuting!