Cap'n Jonny has a new featured bike, and it's a beautiful vintage model. Enjoy his profile of his latest project below.
I just finished restoring and customizing a Stella Mixte that was donated to BikeX.
The bike was in pretty good condition, but I had a set of wheels and tires just asking to be installed. Well, one thing led to another and before long I had repainted the frame, swapped in a Stronglight aluminum crank, upgraded the derailleurs to some nice Suntour parts, installed thumb shifters, installed reverse levers, and added a very comfortable Sunrace seat. I finished off the customization by polishing the stem and brake calipers. All the changes brought the weight down from 29.5 to 27.3lbs.
This bike is a real beauty and I think it is a rare bike. I have been looking everywhere I can for this bike and haven’t seen or read anything about another bike. Stella was founded in 1909 and was a well-respected brand, with winners of the Tour de France and other grand tour races riding Stellas to the finish.
An expert on French bikes tells me that this bike was made in 1973. The Stella factory burned down in 1975 and the company ceased production so this must be one of the last bikes manufactured. It might very well be the only one surviving, at least in the USA. Being rare doesn't necessarily make something valuable but I think it adds a lot to its appeal.
