Fuso Mixte: One of a Kind

Following my last post about rare track bikes another singular bike has just surfaced; a Fuso Mixte. Built in 1984, the year the Fuso was introduced; it is the only one of its kind. It was built for a business associate.

While operating my frameshop in San Marcos, which is in San Diego County, California, I used the services of a printing company in neighboring Escondido. They printed the Fuso decals, and they produced some brochures for me.

The owner of the print shop expressed an interest in having a pair of bicycles made for him and his wife in exchange for the work they were doing for me.

The 18 inch mixte frame was custom built for the wife and co-owner of the print business. The other bike was a standard Fuso frame, although it did have a non-standard paint job. Finished in a matching light and dark green metallic that you see here.

The mixte was finished as a Fuso rather than a custom ‘dave moulton’ so the two bikes would be a matching pair.

I never built another like it or even considered it as viable production model; there was not really a market for a high-end women’s bike. When females get into the sport enough to desire a frame of the Fuso caliber they usually prefer to ride a standard frame.

Somewhere along the way the matching pair of bikes got separated but the mixte has now shown up in Florida. My thanks go the current owner Mike Volpe for contacting me and sending the pictures.