mixte

[fastrog]

hope someone can help. i've got mild balance issues and some arthritis. it is getting harder to get my leg over the bar of the surly. i have to lean on a wall or a post to get the job done. i'm wondering about a mixte frame, like the soma. would it flex so much as to be squirrely? any other ideas? thanks.

[John Nelson]

Can you mount the bike by laying it flat on the ground, stepping over it and pulling the bike up?

[fastrog]

i have tried that, but that is where the balance issue comes in. still have to stand on one leg and put the other across the frame, and it is a long stretch for me. would be a shorter stretch to go across a mixte. btw: someone may suggest i need a smaller surly, but it is a 54 and i am 6 feet, so thoretically is about right.

[danny dea]

You might look at Bike Friday.  They make a range of bikes from touring to tandems and are very well made.  Easy to mount and nice to travel with.

[Old Guy New Hobby]

There are plenty of bikes with step-through frames. They tend to be more popular with women. Many have a more upright seating. They tend to be a little heavier, with a little extra steel to compensate for not having the top bar. But they're fine bikes. Check out the REI Townie.

[canalligators]

The classic mixte frame, like on the Soma, is a very rigid frame.  Guarantee it flexes less than most diamond frame bikes.

[fastrog]

thanks. nice to know. i thought the classic diamond was king of stiffness, assuming frame materials and construction, etc., were equal.