Soma Buena Vista mixte, by Tim Kinney - Zoobird2024-03-28T22:06:28Zhttps://www.zoobird.com/forum/topics/soma-buena-vista-mixte-by-tim-kinney?groupUrl=bikezoo&feed=yes&xn_auth=noWow, now that is a beautiful…tag:www.zoobird.com,2012-11-18:2129360:Comment:510372012-11-18T11:32:40.460ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p>Wow, now that is a beautiful bike, Tim. The mixte is a vastly underappreciated frame style, in my opinion. According to <a href="http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/f-gomez.htm" target="_blank">Rivendell</a>,</p>
<p>"<span>The benefits to this style frame:<br></br><br></br>1. You don't have to swing a leg high over it to get on.<br></br>2. It's also if you have a child or big load of groceries on the back. Same if you have a bad hip; it's a low step-over.</span></p>
<p><span>3. It's even easier to fit it…</span></p>
<p>Wow, now that is a beautiful bike, Tim. The mixte is a vastly underappreciated frame style, in my opinion. According to <a href="http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/f-gomez.htm" target="_blank">Rivendell</a>,</p>
<p>"<span>The benefits to this style frame:<br/><br/>1. You don't have to swing a leg high over it to get on.<br/>2. It's also if you have a child or big load of groceries on the back. Same if you have a bad hip; it's a low step-over.</span></p>
<p><span>3. It's even easier to fit it since the height of the top tube is never going to be a problem on the Go."</span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span><br/></span>I was walking out of Books, Inc here in Gainesville one day and saw a beautiful example. Fortunately, the owner enjoyed the idea of it becoming bike of the day. While I look for the photos and hang on to this meandering train of thought, here's another mixte I saw, this one a Motobecane at the Univ of Oregon campus in Eugene:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikelevin/7625706616/" title="Motobecane mixte by mlevin77, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8022/7625706616_cd9bb1458c.jpg" alt="Motobecane mixte" height="500" width="500"/></a></p>
<p>The bars had a pure leather wrap that was so new and supple I smelled it before I noticed the wrap itself.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikelevin/4330838363/" title="Leopard by mlevin77, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2718/4330838363_93a5569806.jpg" alt="Leopard" height="375" width="500"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikelevin/4330817251/" title="Leopard by mlevin77, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4039/4330817251_3049120681.jpg" alt="Leopard" height="375" width="500"/></a></p>
<p>This is the bike I originally referred to: a Leopard. It's got such nice features, like the well-worn Ideale saddle. In fact, I posted the photo of the Ideale saddle and someone contacted me because he was an Ideale aficionado and started a special interest group about them!</p>
<p></p>
<p>You can click on the photo and go to a set I took that day.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2474804155?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2474804155?profile=original" width="491"/></a></p>
<p>This is the Yves Gomes, a current model. Photo from the Rivbike.com website.</p>