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My girlfriend would like to buy a bicycle, though, she's marveled about these old Peugout Mixte bicycles. These seem to be very hard to find. So, I am wondering if there can be found any modern bicycles that somehow match her taste. Which brands should I search for, given that we're living in Europe (Portugal)?

Edit: Finally, my girlfriend decided to get a Peugeut. She insisted that she wanted this and not any other bicycle. The reason for this choice was that the Peugeut is a city/road bike hybrid.

I wonder why aren't there manufacturers focusing on this mix anymore, specially for girls....

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  • First thing I'd do is ask her some questions about what exactly she likes in those bikes, to narrow things down.
    – freiheit
    Mar 27, 2011 at 16:56
  • Does she specifically want a mixte, or would another step-through design work? A "step-through" is generally any kind of bicycle design where the top is low. This makes the bike easier to get onto, especially easier to do in a dress/skirt without exposing undergarments. A "mixte" is a step-through where instead of a low top-tube there's a pair of stays (thin tubes) that run from the headset all the way to the rear hub, either in a straight line or with a bit of a curve. Mixtes are still made, but other step-through designs are more common now.
    – freiheit
    Mar 27, 2011 at 17:03
  • Does she want a road-bike (drop handlebars)? Or something with a more upright position?
    – freiheit
    Mar 27, 2011 at 17:04
  • Does she want a steel frame, or would another frame material be fine, too? A lot of the older steel bikes have thinner tubes than ones made from aluminum, so there's a different sort of look to them.
    – freiheit
    Mar 27, 2011 at 17:05
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    Don't discount the possibility of getting an old mixte and restoring it. The classic Peugeot frames are pretty solid and the only real hassle is likely to be the bottom bracket (it will be French, {spit}, but you can get French cartridge BBs). You might also be better off swapping the stem and handlebars because the French have their own, now rare, sizing for those too. Look up french bottom brackets to see why they are so awful.
    – Мסž
    Mar 27, 2011 at 22:58

1 Answer 1

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The first thing to do is find the local bike shops (preferably locally owned, not large multinational chains) and look around and ask around there. Try to check multiple shops, not just the first one you find, since they may specialize and you may find some easier to work with. Try chatting with the staff; if they don't carry what you're looking for they may know who does or be able to order it.

Since I don't speak Portuguese (or Spanish), it's difficult to see which bicycle companies distribute widely in your country. When I can figure out which ones have some kind of distribution into the general area, it doesn't necessarily mean that specific models make it into the country or into the local shop.

All the major bicycle manufacturers make "women's" bicycles with a step-through frame, fewer of them make ones that are a true "mixte", however.

But here's a few attempts at mixtes that may be available in Portugal:

  • Globe Live Mixte -- their website looks like they distribute in Portugal. Globe is a sub-brand of Specialized.
  • Giant Via 2 -- that's from the site for Spain, so likely also available in Portugal
  • Trek Belleville WSD -- Trek does seem to distribute into Portugal. This one's my personal favorite mixte of the big manufacturers that I found.

If you can afford it, another option would be to talk to a local framebuilder and have a custom bicycle made. I expect that almost any framebuilder could make a mixte (but they might have to special order some parts they don't keep stocked).

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  • These were all great answers. I now understand that this Mixte is a certain frame design that appears not only in old peugout bikes. The provided answers all look beautiful. The first one is awsome!
    – Pedro Rolo
    Mar 28, 2011 at 15:39
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    Kona also has a beautiful mixte coming in 2012. cog.konaworld.com/archives/7717
    – Soo Wei Tan
    Jun 28, 2011 at 18:13
  • Soma Buena Vista is another god option for a frameset. somafab.com/archives/product/buena-vista
    – Benzo
    Jan 31, 2013 at 19:29

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