And I've decided I'm going with "mixtie" as my term of choice for this beautiful style of bicycle. Every time I pronounce "mixte" as "meext," I get one of two looks from the listener: 1) "What the hell did you just say?; and 2) "Ah, another jerk who took high school French and wants me to know about it." So, these bikes are now mixties. Deal with it.
The Mixtie Family, front to back:
Blaise, a 1970s Mercier that was my first vintage bike purchase and is probably my most-commented on bicycle. The addition of a honey B67 and a slight adjustment to the north road bars make this a sporty, nimble ride.
Binshou, a 1970s Nishiki bought for $40 in Davis from a guy who was trying to sell it back to the store he bought it from 35 years earlier. Original drop bars, surprisingly comfortable vinyl saddle and matching brown cable housing.
Still unnamed, a late 70s or maybe 80s Nishiki bought for $15 at a neighborhood yard sale. Purchased strictly because it was $15. I used it as my guinea pig bicycle in the recently-completed-but-never-blogged-about bicycle repair class I took through Davis Adult Education. After a complete overhaul of the drive train and all bearings, it is the smoothest, quietest bike in the fleet. Panaracer Paselas that didn't fit under the fenders of my Corsaro also give it the nicest contact with the road of any of my bikes. The idea was to sell it to fund other purchases, but after all that work and such good results, I'm not ready to part with it yet.
Here's one of just the new guy:
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I think calling them "mixties" is a great idea for a N American spelling. The French word really does seem to cause some confusion, and I have even heard "mixte" being pronounced as "mix-TAY" - presumably based on the misconception that in French there is an accent aigu on the "e"...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Velouria! If I'm ever corrected on my pronunciation, I plan to boast of having the LB stamp of approval.
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