Yves GomezIt
is the same mixte frame as the Betty Foy, but some guys wanted a more
manly name, and it's hard to get manlier than Yves Gomez'the
International Men's Mixte.
Other than its being a mixte, it's just like the Sam Hillborne. A Betty in Black and Gold.
What's it for?
-- any kind of road rides--solo, club rides, fitness rides, whatever
-- weekend touring
-- fully loaded touring
-- commuting
-- fire trails
-- bike camping
Some have even set it up as a 650b mixte mountain bike.
Clearance
is key to the Foy. It has enough to fit tires up to 40mm wide, so it's
good on rough roads. It has clearance to take fenders easily, even with
40mm tires, so it's the ideal foul weather commuter. What you can do on a
bike, you can do on your Betty Foy.
The benefits to this style frame:
1. You don't have to swing a leg high over it to get on.
2. It's also if you have a child or big load of groceries on the back. Same if you have a bad hip; it's a low step-over.
3. It's even easier to fit it since the height of the top tube is never going to be a problem on the Go.
Whether
you want one now or need one now, whether you carry babies or groceries
in back or don't, the chances are someday you will need a bike that's
easier to get on, and when you do, you'll be hard-put to beat the Yves
Gomez.
Frame Quirks & Details
The slightly upsloping
virtual top tube would have about a 2-degree slope to it, bringing the
head tube higher. That makes the Go better able to fit slightly taller
riders than, say, a normal mixte can. Just a little.
Every lug is
investment-cast, a rarity for girls frames, which historically have
been short-sheeted in the lug department. They're the best quality lugs
available in the world today, and were designed specifically for the
Yves and Betty. Same with the bottom bracket shell.
The fork
crown, also investment-cast, is the same one we use on our most
expensive custom frames. As fork crowns go, it is as good as they get,
with functional and structural details others plain don't got. It's wide
enough for 42mm tires; the brake hole is cast low, to maximize tire and
fender clearance; and the "wing" on top is visual art in a space that's
usually blank. On the Yves Gomez, the wing is painted gold, like most
of the lug windows.
The Yves is designed for long-reach
sidepulls, like the Silvers or Big-Mouth 73's. They're easy to set up,
powerful, easy to use, easy to maintain, and will never give you a lick
of a problem.
Simple Sizing If
you have a PBH between 70cm & 81cm and can ride a saddle height
(measured from the center of the crank to the top of the saddle) between
60cm and 72cm, get a Yves 52..
If
you have a PBH between 80 and 92 and can ride a saddle height between
70 and 82, get a 58. In April 2010 we'll have a 47, and a 62. But the 52
and 58 fit most of the riders who we think ought to be interested in a
fine mixte.Frameset only or complete Gomez
We've built up hundreds of mixtes over the years, and they all get pretty much the same kit, with minor variations.
The
Yves Gomez frame is designed to be used with Albatross bars, or some
other swept-back bar, but it works fine with drops if you use a DirtDrop
stem. Anyway you build it, within reason, it's a great-riding,
versatile, easy on/off bike. Someday your hips will demand it. Before
then, it's just a regular good-old bike.
Our No Warranty Frame Warranty
It may
seem odd for a company that makes such reliable frames to not have
a standard instant freebie replacement - warranty, but hold on. Just
because something that's defective is likely to break, doesn't mean
anything that breaks is defective. Even superbly designed, artfully
made steel bikes ridden according to design intent can break. We know
that, and go to great lengths to prevent it.
We're skilled,
experienced non-defective designers. We use top-notch, proven,
non-defective materials. Within the few but real constraints pricing
imposes, we're selective about who builds our frames. When it comes to
caring about weight and shooting for lightness, we're super
conservative. It's not far off the mark to say we don't care about
weight, and it's absolutely true that we never compromise a frame to
make it lighter. A good frame weighs what it ought to weigh.
After all
that, sometimes a frame breaks, and that's no more proof of a defect
than a broken window is proof of defective glass. It is impossible to
tell the history of the frame. It may be impossible for even its owner
to know it. Sometimes even good things break, and anybody, or any
company who doesn't acknowledge that is not being honest.
All
that said, broken frames are rare. Crash damage, and running into
garages with bikes on the roof rack are way, way more common. Tell us
your frame's story. We may fix it for nothing, but you pay the freight.
Or we may charge a fee for the fix. It is at our discretion, but we're
not your enemy, and you are our friend. We keep that in mind, always.
The
great thing about steel frames is they can be fixed. In many cases, the
fixed frame can be reinforced so that it's stronger than the original.
You want a fresh start, but a fresh start with a beefed up frame can be
even better. A thicker tube. An extra tube. Whatever it takes, we can do
it. In almost all cases, a fixed frame needs new paint. We'll work with
our local painter and get it to you at no profit. A repair may cost
nothing or nine hundred dollars. It all depends.
In
any case, we feel beholden to original owners only. No other warranty
(or non-warranty) is implied, so don't go inferring any. But no matter
how you came upon your frame, we are happy to advise you on how to get
your frame repaired at a reasonable cost. We want your bike back in
action, too. Fair enough?
good trail bike 
