It's been about 13 months since I started riding my Royal H. mixte, so I thought it about time for a one year retrospective review. Together with my initial review and the earlier posts on the topic, this completes the story of my first experience with ordering a custom frame.
To summarise without repeating myself too much: This lugged steel mixte was built for me by Bryan Hollingsworth of Royal H. Cycles in -. I described how I wanted the bicycle to look and feel, and he came up with the geometry and chose the lugwork and tubing. When the frame was done, the Co-Habitant and I built it up with components that we selected. For my initial review of the bicycle, please see here. A year later, my overall impression of it has remained largely unchanged. While in some respects I've become more critical of the bike after a year of use, I've also come to appreciate aspects of it that I had not even noticed initially. I will try to provide details on both counts.
Use HistoryGiven that I ordered the mixte when my bicycle obsession was only starting to blossom and I knew next to nothing about frame geometry, this could have been a disaster. For example: While initially I wanted the bike for "touring" - which in September of I imagined myself doing in a skirt and on a semi-upright bicycle - by the time the summer of rolled around I had begun cycling with dropbars and my concept of "touring" had changed. Luckily, another thing that happened around this time, was that we gave up our car and suddenly I had the need for a long distance transportation bike. Unlike touring, I prefer an upright posture for transportation and I have to be able to ride in work-clothes, which usually involve a skirt. Thus, the mixte became a transportation bike - for which it turned out to be well suited.
I rode the bike throughout Autumn , then hung it up toward the end of December and mostly rode my IGH (internally geared hub) bikes over the winter months.
In April the mixte was retrieved again, and has been in regular use since. It is my go-to bike for transportation-oriented trips of over 10 miles, and increasingly I found myself using it for shorter trips around town as well. I never had a computer on this bike, so I cannot tell you how many miles are actually on it.
Typically I will ride the mixte with a pannier, and recently I have also attached a small front basket in which I will carry additional items. The mixte handles fine with a light load in the front (i.e. whatever will fit in the basket) and a medium load in the rear. 
Ride QualityWhen I first began riding this bicycle, I spoke a great deal about its unusual ride quality, which at the time seemed mysterious to me. While my impressions have remained unchanged, I now understand a little better what is causing them. Basically, the frame and fork are quite flexible - more so than any bike I had ridden before or since. I can feel the bicycle "give" when going over a bump and I can feel it rhythmically "move with me" when I pedal hard in a high gear. This, in combination with the 35mm tires, makes it very cushy over pothole-ridden roads and also reduces fatigue on long rides. At the same time, the frame has what I would describe as compact, aggressive roadbike geometry: steepish angles, shortish chainstays, short wheelbase, mid-high trail. This makes it an impressively maneuverable, precise and quick-responding bike. The combination of that and the flex is unusual, and not everyone's cup of tea. However, I like it - and the more I own the bike the more I've come to appreciate it. The maneuverability and responsiveness have proven useful in traffic situations, especially as my bike handling skills improve and I am increasingly able to take advantage of its roadish features. The flex is a great relief over city potholes and long-distance rides: I never feel tired or "beat up." The bike accelerates quickly and likes to be in a high gear when going long distance. It is also a very light, effortless climber and going uphill is no trouble at all. So essentially what I have here is a roadbike with upright handlebars and a mixte frame, made comfortable via a greater than usual degree of flex.
Likes and DislikesMost of all, I like the ride quality, the compactness, and the light weight (< 25lb) of this bicycle. It is not only a fun and comfortable ride, but easy to take in and out of the house and, when necessary, to carry. I like the bike's versatility: I can take it grocery shopping or I can ride it to a meeting 10 hilly miles away, and gun it if I am running late. I like the set-up Bryan used for routing the dynamo lighting: a couple of subtle braze-ons on the inside of the fork blade and voila: It's neat and invisible. I like the stainless steel kickstand touch-points in leu of a welded plate. In general, the builder did a great job with the placement of the braze-ons for racks, front derailleur and other things: Everything is in the right place; everything is clean and precise. I like the quality of the paintjob, done byCircle A: Not a single chip after a year of use, which has included droppng the bike into thorn bushes. As far as the build, I am happy with most of it - in particular the fenders, racks and LED dynamo lighting that make this a fully equipped bicycle, while also keeping it lightweight.
As far as dislikes, I really have only one: toe overlap, which this bike has a bit of. I don't think I mentioned it in my initial review, because I didn't notice it until I began using the bike frequently for transportation. I go through stages where I think that maybe it's okay or not even there, but then occasionally I experience it and it bothers me. We switched the cranks from 170mm to 165mm and that helped, but not entirely. We talked of the possibilities of a 650B conversion or a fork re-rake, but upon more careful examination that won't work. To eradicate the toe overlap entirely, I would need a new fork - which would then need to be painted to match the frame and the whole thing would be a hassle. Not sure what to do yet; maybe a winter project. 
There are other things that at some point I questioned, but have since decided are good. For example, while my initial impression was that the chainstays were too short (to carry standard sized panniers without heel strike), I have since found a number of panniers that work (see: Philosophy, Po Campo, Cristobal), so this no longer bothers me. The short chainstays contribute to the bike's compactness and spirited handling, so as long as they allow me to carry stuff I am happy. 
Another thing - and this has nothing to do with the frame - is that I am rethinking the handlebar setup, just because I feel like a change. Not sure what I'll do yet, but in Spring you might see something different in place of the Porteur bars and inverse levers.
If I were doing this all over...If I were ordering this mixte now instead of two years ago (wow has it really been two years?..), I would want to design it from scratch: specify the geometry, pick out the tubing, choose the lugset - basically what I did for the Randonneuring bike, only for myself. I would go one of two routes: Either keep the geometry exactly as it is on my current mixte, except ask for a longer virtual top tube, or I would make it a 650B low-trail bike, based on a pre-1950s porteur mixte design (I have a specific bicycle in mind whose measurements I want to replicate). Of course ideally, I would ask Bryan to make one of each and then test and compare them here - but for that I would need a lavish "Lovely Bicycle scientific studies" budget!
My motivation behind ordering a custom frame was atypical, in that it wasn't just for the sake of having a bicycle. From the very beginning I looked upon it as a learning experience in bicycle design. I wanted to understand how these things were done. Talking to Bryan about his process and being allowed to watch him work gave me my first inside look into the world of framebuilding. Two years later, my interest in it is only growing stronger. I am excited about bicycle design and looking forward to trying out more ideas. Thank you for following along!
After months of deliberation and procrastination, we've finally done it: Traveled by train with our bikes. For a while now we have wanted to cycle around Cape Ann, which is a beautiful area about 40 miles North of Boston - accessible by the MBTA Commuter Rail via the Rockport line. A number of people we know have taken this trip with their bikes, so it seemed doable. Also, I was delighted to spot the following notice on the MBTA website: "Commuter Rail re-introduces The Bike Coach on the Rockport line for the summer season." Bike coach! No other information was provided, so I did some research. Turns out they have commuter trains with special cars dedicated entirely to bikes - with bike racks as far as the eye can see, like this.But I could not find any information regarding its schedule, and it seemed that only some weekend trains were Bike Coach trains. A call to the MBTA was fruitless, so we decided to just show up and hope for the best.
The commuter train to Cape Ann leaves from North Station, a 3.25 mile bike ride from our house through some of the busiest parts of Boston.I don't like cycling through the city on a roadbike, but on a Saturday morning the traffic wasn't bad. We arrived early, which was good as there was a line at the ticket machines. There were plenty of other people with bicycles. When our train arrived, the conductor came out and announced that all those with bikes must proceed to the first car of the train. Only those with bikes were allowed in that car. Only those without bikes were allowed in the other cars. The segregation gave us hope that this was the fabled Bike Coach, and we happily headed for the front car along with the procession of other cyclists.
What happened next was rather stunning. The car we were ushered into had no accommodations for bikes what so ever - just a small corner of space at one end where a couple of handicapped seats had been removed. This was definitely not the Bike Coach. Nonetheless, everybody proceeded to drag their bikes on the train - more and more of them, until not only this corner, but the entire aisle was filled with bikes. When even that space ran out, new passengers began to pile their bikes on top of other bikes. Loud clunking noises filled the train as tubes smashed against derailleurs.
Not wanting our bikes damaged in the velo moshpit that ensued, we found a seat near the exit and sort of held our bikes on our laps the entire time. As you might imagine, it was uncomfortable to sit that way for an hour. But the alternative was to accept that a dozen 50lb mountain bikes would be thrown on top of our bicycles - which was not a viable option. So we tried to have a sense of humour about the whole thing and looked forward to reaching our destination while seriously discussing the possibility of Bromptons in the future.
But no sooner had we reached Rockport than the train trauma was forgotten, as we were greeted with perfect weather and glorious coastal views.
The Cape Ann peninsula consists of Rockport, Annisquam Village and Gloucester - each of them with beautiful scenery. Severed from the mainland by the windingAnnisquam River, water views are everywhere.This was our first time in the area and we decided to do an exploratory loop along the coastline instead of a long-distance trip. The Cape Ann loop is about 20 miles, with mild but constant rolling hills, alternating between open water views and tree lined country roads. Especially considering the 4th of July weekend, the area was not crowded. Drivers were courteous everywhere except for the traffic circle in Gloucester, but even that was not too bad. Roads were good on the eastern side of the cape, but terrible on the western side. Navigation was intuitive - just follow the coastline!
My Rivendell is in the midst of a small (but exciting) make-over, so I took the loaner Seven on this trip. Overall it was pretty good, though a burlier bike might have been a better choice on the pothole-ridden roads.We also ventured off road a bit, which was "interesting" on 23mm racing tires!
Cape Ann is even quieter and less commercially developed than we expected, a pleasant surprise. Lots of parks, meadows and nature reserves. Not too many parking lots. And "motel sprawl" is virtually non-existant - at least compared to places like Cape Cod, the NH Seacoast, and much of coastal Maine.
Also, there are apparently sailboat races happening in Rockport - wonderful!
All in all, we loved the area andare now considering staying there for longer, instead of venturing further from home on vacation later this summer. After all - just load up our bikes on the commuter rail, it's so easy!Of course we'd forgotten about our train experience earlier that day. Or at least, we thought, there would surely not be as many bikes on the return trip. Or maybe we would finally get the mythical Bike Coach?
Nope, no such luck. On the return trip, passengers were once again segregated into those with bikes and those without, and this time the "bike car" had a car rack attached in the handicapped seating area. It accommodated 4-5 bikes, tightly squeezed, and was filled as soon as the train began to board.
Minutes later, that pathetic little bike rack was surrounded by dozens of other bikes, stacked and thrown against one another haphazardly.
Exits were blocked, aisles were blocked - no one seemed to care. When passengers with bikes needed to get on or off, they would simply throw the other bikes out of the way and the whole thing was like one huge pile of scrap metal.So we held our bikes on our laps again - hugging them ever closer to our bodies as other passengers kept trying to pile their bikes on top of ours (yes, even while we were holding our bikes on our laps!). It was a madhouse and probably violated all sorts of safety regulations. The MBTA clearly needs to have these alleged Bike Coach cars run with more frequency and on a predictable schedule. As we now understand it, the schedule is random and there is no way to time your trip to ensure that you will get a Bike Coach. Sounds improbable, but that's how it is!
Late in the evening, we rode home from the station along mostly empty city streets, recuperating from the train but also satiated from a day of exploring such a beautiful new place by bicycle. We only cycled 30 miles over all, and the point of the trip was mainly to hang out and get to know the area. Next time we will plan for a longer route.The North Shore is a great starting point for long distance touring: While there is no pleasant bicycle route North out of Boston, from Cape Ann we could just continue to cycle along the coast to Maine. Definitely something to consider, despite the less than ideal commuter rail experience.
Check out this 2x6 style of crevasse crossing. The image was snapped over the weekend (thankfully the board didn't)... The lumber has since been pulled, so now climbers must find another way around the crevasse. Here's 
The second morning at Rio Grande Village I awoke to see the sky ablaze with color - the dawn's early light. Taken from just outside the van at my campsite.
The sun was already up and casting it's rays on the mountainside by the time I reached the top of “my” hill. Soon the entire valley would be filled with bright light. This was the view looking away from the sunrise, Rio Grande Village is off to the right. The glow lasted only a few seconds. I had never seen anything like it before.
This morning I decided to follow the trail all the way to the river. Unusual for this time of year, the Rio Grande was higher than normal. Even at this “high” level the water was only a couple of feet deep. I had been told by several people that on previous visits the river was just inches deep and you could easily walk across it. I was amazed by how rapidly the water was moving along. Quite fast.
At some time this area was flooded, now it is dry and the ground is crackling.
The tenacity of living things is incredible to me. The little “trees” in this “forest” were anywhere from 1 to 18 inches tall. Barely clinging to life in the dry, parched soil. However, there were bits of green here and there.
New growth coming on. Their roots must run deep. There is no surface water here.
Just a short distance from the river, these tiny flowers were growing along the path, a trail trampled daily by many feet. Makes you wonder if everyone tries not to step on them. And why does it have two different colors of blossoms?
These were growing amongst stones where there was barely any dirt. How do they get enough sustenance to survive? The plant is wiry and spindly, almost ugly, but the tiny blossoms are gorgeous.
Later that day I drove over to Boquillas Canyon and walked the short trail along the river and spotted these three canoes.
Distances are deceiving. Everything is much farther away than you think it is.