In French the term *mixte *means unisex, hence you see quite regularly hairdressers shops called "coiffeur mixte" -gents and ladies hair-dressers. It is not unknown to have schools that are called mixed..ie instead of being single-sex.
It is a very common occurence to see men, although it has to be said, very few under 35, riding mixte bikes, simply because they are very easy to mount and dismount...they provide a convenient mode of transport
If you study French bicycle manufacturers' catalogues you will see that ladies' bikes are often designed with twin curving down tubes - these down tubes passing the seat tube much lower down than the twin laterals on a mixte do. Such designs are often caled *berceau, *meaning cradle, or *col de cygne* meanong swan neck, or *torpille *meaning torpedo. I can see the relevance of th first two names but the third escapes me.
The use of the word* mixte *should not be thought to describe in any way to the two lateral tubes, but just to describe a unisex bike that happens to have twin lateral tubes.
I have accumulated quite a stable of these bikes in France, ranging in age from around 1936 through to the 70a, including such brands as Automoto, Alcyon Helyett, early Gitane, Speciale CNC, Motobecane, Mercier. Several of them really are excellent high-end products with excellent equipment, clearly designed for serious sportif use. The nearest restaurant, bar, cafe, post-office, and baker's shop to my house is 2 kms away..so I do most of my shopping errands on board a mixte...mounting and dismounting saves all that "cocking on and off"..as we say up in Yorkshire.
Norris Lockley
Settle-sur- Ribble,
Royaume Uni.