Deb’s mixte basket bike

The basket has been a fixture in the bike world for as long as people needed to carry anything on a bike. The pros of the basket far outweigh the cons on a city bike like this mixte for Deb. It gives her easy access to what she’s carrying while allowing her to monitor it as well.

Making a lugged bike with a level top tube would not have been possible without going with small wheels and inevitably a very tall stem. In this case, the step through frame is an ideal solution giving Deb the handlebar height and standover clearance she needed. This is on the smaller side of all the mixtes I’ve made in the past but I was still able to build the frame and fork around 650b wheels. The 42mm Grand Bois tires with flat protection make the old bumpy roads of Providence virtually disappear.

The bike is fully integrated with pump, fenders, and generator lights in addition to the basket making it an all-weather/day-or-night bike. The headlight is the Schmidt Edelux with daylight sensor and the rear is a vintage Miller that was cleaned up and retrofitted with an LED bulb. The drivetrain is a minimal 1×9 with Shimano 105 rear derailleur and Velo-Orange crankset with custom machined chain guard.

The Caribbean Coral was a great choice by Deb for the paint. It’s hard for me not to smile every time I see this bike. I love everything about it and I hope it brightens Deb’s days as much as it does mine.

See the full slideshow of the build.