Beautiful Bicycles: Sweetpea JJ Fantastic Mixte

Posted by Dottie at 22:40 bike reviews, featuring . . . Add comments
Jun 212009

JJ sure looks happy, with good reason! She is the proud owner of the first Sweetpea Mixte, which has taken its place in Sweetpea’s Love Line as the JJ Fantastic. What a gorgeous bicycle! And how fabulous to have a badass bike like this handmade in Portland by a woman! Natalie Ramsland, the builder, and her husband Austin operate Sweetpea Bicycles to “build bikes for women” with the idea that “Every woman is different. Every bike should be too.” By the look of their finished products, that line easily could be “Every woman is beautiful. Every bike should be too.” Check out JJ’s mixte and then check out Sweetpea Bicycles if you are considering a custom bike and have been squirreling away the cash for a long while.

JJ and Her Sweetpea!

jj saddle jj rack

jj fender jj stem

jj handbuilt

jj grips jj fender

Ze Sweetpea Mixte

• 50/34 170mm Shimano Ultegra crank
• 11×34 IRC Elite cassette
• Shimano XT M771 long cage rear derailleur
• Shimano 105 10-Speed front derailleur
• Velocity Synergy 650B wheels
• Nitto B603 handlebar, Velo Orange stem, Rivendell Woodies
• Dura Ace bar end shifters + Paul Thumbies
• Chris King bottom bracket and headseat
• Tektro 556 long-reach brakes
• Brooks B68s saddle
• Velo Orange touring pedals
• Honjo fenders

jj panda

“This is the bike that will love you back.” Indeed. Thanks so much to JJ for sharing her pictures with us again!

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  • One Lung Beat

    Sweetpea’s look way too good. The best looking rigs out there…next to Riv’s.

  • http://www.cyclingisgoodforyou.blogspot.com anna

    The bike looks great, but it’s just a pity that it doesn’t have a built-in light (not even talking about hub dynamos). I find it so annoying to have no light on my bike too, as the extra one is not as good, requires batteries and always has to be taken off. Maybe it’s possible to get at least a bottle dynamo for it… Somehow I don’t understand at all why such beautiful bikes are even sold without lights. Do they want people to only ride around in fair weather during the day?

  • http://2wwhls3spds.blogspot.com 2whls3spds

    anna,
    I know where you are coming from! I end up having to add lights to all of my bikes. I have only two that came with lights, one is a 1972 Raleigh Superbe the other a 1989 Giant Excursion. I suspect that if you asked the Sweet Pea folks they would put lights on it…for a price. I know that A.N.T offers lights on his bikes as an option.

    Aaron

  • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

    Sweet! Cream colour + wooden handles is such a pretty combination.

    Lights are just not a priority for American manufacturers; it confuses me as well that such crucial things are thought of as add-ons rather than a matter of course.

  • http://lansingphoto.blogspot.com Erich

    When it comes time to buy a new bike for my wife, I will be definitely going with Sweetpea. It’s the perfect combination of modern upgrades and comfort with classic styling.

    Another line of bikes designed by a woman is the new line of Globe bikes by Specialized – you should check them out. The Live model especially is intriguing.

  • http://www.myhyggelig.blogspot.com/ Sigrid

    So…this doesn’t happen to me everyday. I clicked on your blog and I KNOW JJ! JJ, awesome…I totally missed you were featured previously. Link to me and send me a note off-line – we worked together during your stint in SF. Your new bike absolutely rocks! Congrats!

  • jj

    *grin* I do love me my Sweetpea. I’m glad to see others think she’s just as lovely as I do. I need to get some pictures now that I’ve got the Bobike kid seat and the FollowMe Tandme hooked up for maximum kid hauling. And my new Brooks Hoxton basket that I found on ebay!

    Anna, I definitely considered a dynamo hub for lights, but honestly, at this point in my life, I really don’t get out much after dark (I have two small boys so my social life post-bedtime is pretty much nil) The added cost for something that wouldn’t get used much right now made me go with battery operated lights for the time being. It’s something that I can add later easily enough by building up a new wheel if I ever find myself biking in the dark more frequently. And sure I could add a bottle dynamo, but when I have it all set up to haul the boys (~100 lbs of boy + accessories), I don’t want *any* added resistance – I know bottle dynamos are heaps better than they used to be, but still….For now, a Planet Bike blinkie in the front and my permanently mounted rear light are just fine.

    Natalie will definitely build lights into the bike if that’s what you want though – that’s the beauty of a custom bike. It has all the things YOU want and nothing you don’t.

    And Sigrid! I will definitely be contacting you :) How awesome to be back in touch!

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com dottie

      I did not get a built-in light on my Rivendell because of money. At some point, I had to make compromises. How neat that you and Sigrid know each other!

  • http://cheekytartknits.blogspot.com Kyong

    goodness, that’s a beautiful bike.

  • http://bikesovercars.blogspot.com/ Zweiradler

    Congratulations on this beauty, JJ!
    I think my bike has become a custom one, too, because it isn’t produced anymore and I have modified it quite a bit during eight years of use.
    But that doesn’t mean that I don’t need another shiny bike like the one pictured above. :D

    Nico

  • http://www.fullhandsx3.blogspot.com sara

    LOVE the Rivendell Woodies.

  • http://cyclemumbreeze.blogspot.com cyclemumbreeze

    That is a gorgeous bike! I had seen it on the Sweetpea blog, but it’s great to see who it was made for. I can tell this is a bike made by someone who also builds road bikes. City bikes usually tend to have long stems, but I think roadies don’t like that so much, so this frame has a very long head tube and a stem that goes directly from the headset to the bars. I bet this bike can haul ass if you wanted. A mixte bike with a 10 speed cassette!

  • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

    So exciting that Sweetpea is building mixtes. She’s beautiful, JJ, and I definitely want to see your new setup!

  • http://votewithyourfeetchicago.blogspot.com John Greenfield

    An interview with Natalie Ramsland’s sister-in-law Kate Ramsland, who recently created the “1000 Ghost Bikes” monument at Lill Street Arts Center in Chicago, is up at: http:/votewithyourfeetchicago.blogspot.com.

    Cheers,

    John Greenfield

  • Lynn

    Beautiful bike. I have never seen a rear carrier like that. Who is the manufacturer or is it custom made?

  • jj

    Lynn, it’s a Racktime AddIt – http://www.racktime.com – Natalie ordered it for me from Ortlieb USA. The lower rails were key because it means I can use (small) panniers even when I’ve got the Bobike kid seat on there. A pair of Ortlieb Front Rollers *just* fits behind the seat footrests and all the way back on the rack. And the BindIt straps hold my u-lock nicely in place on top of the rack under the Bobike.

    And cyclemumbreeze, yes, this bike is very zippy. When I’m not fully loaded down with both boys that is.

  • melissa miller

    I am curious to know if JJ waited 3 years for her bike? I see that is the standard lead time on a Sweetpea bike.

    thanks!! Melissa

  • jj

    Melissa, I got in line “early” so my wait was “only” 1-1/2 years from time of deposit to rolling out the door my bike. I tried to be patient while I had fun obsessing over all the little details and parts, and it was certainly well worth the wait.

    It did make me a bit jealous when my husband put his deposit down for a bike from Signal Cycles in February, and they told him it’d be 4 months. For a brief time, I thought he was going to get his before I got mine! I tease him that he can’t possibly ever love his bike as much as I do mine since he didn’t have to wait as long.

  • melissa miller

    poop, I was afraid you’d say that jj. beautiful bike! i have one kid in a bobike on my oma and would love a 2nd bike for my own personal pleasure but at the age of 42 i really don’t want to wait 3 years. bummer!
    enjoy your beautiful bike!

  • http://www.insureyourbicycle.co.uk Bicycle insurance

    this bicycle looks just amazing its so comfortable , nice to ride near river thames

  • kristin

    so cool!

    here in SF we have Rock Lobster, but knowing that there’s a woman-owned place, if i ever get the money i’ll be spending it at Sweetpea.

  • http://www.darraslaw.com/freeconsult.html Bad Faith Lawyers

    Lights are just not a priority for American manufacturers; it confuses me as well that such crucial things are thought of as add-ons rather than a matter of course.

  • TL

    Nice bike!
    Does anyone know where to buy similar touring pedals? Wide platform – sealed bearings – silver polished – reflectors. Searched a lot a websites, of course including http://www.velo-orange.com, but no luck so far.

    • jjfantastic

      TL, the pedals pictured on the Sweetpea are the Velo Orange Touring Pedals – http://www.velo-orange.com/votopesebe23.html

      But I’ve since switched them out for dual-sided SPD/platform Shimanos since at times I like to clip in and go fast :)

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