pashley bikes

i must admit that i like them a lot especially after seeing a guv’nor bike at mud docks last year (it looked lovely).

am thinking about saving up for a guv’nor but just wondering what others thought about them (or pashley owners)?

ta in advance 👍

hope the image worked

Fairly crude and heavy, really not all that quality wise with some bizarely impractical design decisions, supposedly in the name of authenticity.

If you like the look and arent super bothered about performance, go for it, I fully recognise the appeal and if I had a short, flat commute Id be tempted by one as a cool runabout regardless of the irrationality

SWMBO has a Pashley Trike. 20″ wheels. She flies on it. I tried riding it and haven’t mastered cornering. Bike must be close to 30 years old and is just about bombproof.

http://www.theguvnorsassembly.com

Wife has a Pashley Poppy, right pain in the arse when it gets a puncture in the rear wheel

Undo wheel nuts, undo gear cable chain thingymajig, unbolt hub brake plate from frame, remove brake cable from brake hub plate, fix puncture then refit

Other issues Ive noticed is any chrome parts rust easily, brake levers are real cheap looking, comes with a basket mount and basket, load up basket, basket mount then hits head tube and damages the paint every time you turn the bars

Front wheel has pretty much snapped every spoke over the last 3 years, generally one every 2 months, rear use 12 gauge spokes and has been fine

Wont be buying one ever again

Just had a look at their site. It’s a Picador for that wifey rides. £825 for a new one. Strewth. We thought £100 for s/h was top side. Looks like we got a bargain.

Bought a Princess for Mrs RNP a few years ago. She loves it, had no problems it but it is a heavy plodder of a bike that we only use on flat trundles.

I like the Morgan collaboration but they are a bit pricey
https://www.pashley.co.uk/news/press-media/pashley-morgan-handcrafted-bicycles.php

They make proper bikes too

Seen someone plodding around town on a guv’nor and it looked very cumbersome and odd cycling position*

*maybe really comfy

Overpriced fashion over function. I don’t own one but have worked on plenty. The fit and Finnish varies from bike to bike.
But if you like the look and don’t mind the weight then why not

Surprised people see them as lacking in quality or overpriced. It’s a miracle they can make them in the UK for the price they do. No idea how they manage to make a profit.

£750 gets you a UK made frame assembled with reasonable quality parts including hubs gears and roller brakes, and with a dealer margin built into the price.

Yes the tubing is cheap and they’re heavy, but for a traditional utility bike that doesn’t really matter.

A UK manufacturer that should be applauded for what they do rather than comparing to Chinese imports.

I know a chap who audaxes on a Guvnor and did London-Edinburgh-London. Can’t be all bad.

A UK manufacturer that should be applauded for what they do rather than comparing to Chinese imports.

They should yes, but most people wouldn’t want to actually buy one with your their own money against better non UK made options would they which is the problem.

Wife has a Pashley Poppy, right pain in the arse when it gets a puncture in the rear wheel

Undo wheel nuts, undo gear cable chain thingymajig, unbolt hub brake plate from frame, remove brake cable from brake hub plate, fix puncture then refit

You know you don’t always have to remove the wheel to fix a puncture?

Just been looking at some of those Pashley trikes.
Think they might lead to a right adventure as a pub bike…

the trouble there @johnnystorm is that the sentence

I know a chap who audaxes on a

can be followed by literally any bike ever- the more impractical the better. Someone did PBP on a bickerton!

I’ve got a Guv. Great fun to ride, and rolls along surprisingly well.

Heavy? They are made of steel, their weight is appropriate to their construction.

The Clubman I posted is 531 steel. That’s good stuff. It’s potentially a 100 year bike if looked after. And its price is in real terms similar to the price you’d expect to pay for a similar bike in the era when lugged steel bikes were being built in this country.

So why haven’t I bought one? Because I own a comparable original British lugged steel bike that’s now 50 years old and still perfect mechanically and doesn’t need replacing.

Their competition isn’t imports, it’s the number of quality old UK bikes still surviving.

Hard to cite “fashion” when they are raiding their own back catalogue. Fine bikes built in the UK to serve a purpose. There will always be better value elsewhere. I live the guvnor. But I have other bikes that do the same. You’ll like it if you buy one. Watch for rusty bolts if you leave it in the rain

You know you don’t always have to remove the wheel to fix a puncture?

In 35+ years of fixing bikes id never of thought of that! lol

Have you tried removing the tyre and fixing a puncture on the rear wheel of a Pashley Poppy with the wheel still fitted?

The mud guard makes it a real pain, it covers half the wheel and sits very close to the tyre and it can bend out of shape quite easily

As much as i hate fixing punctures on it id rather remove the wheel so i don’t bend the mud guard out of shape, can easily check the tyre for any remnants of glass etc… and be able to easily submerge the tube to find out where the hole is!

They have their fans that will defend them to the death, like epicyclo, and the low maintenance is a benefit (see also Nexus/Alfine, roller brakes), but they are an oddity in the modern world. Such a shame SA CBA to get their 5s shifters accurate.

Hard to cite “fashion

No it’s not, they are pure hipster fodder.

they look great, but would be unsure now they actually ride compared to other more modern designs.

cynic-al
They have their fans that will defend them to the death, like epicyclo, and the low maintenance is a benefit (see also Nexus/Alfine, roller brakes), but they are an oddity in the modern world. Such a shame SA CBA to get their 5s shifters accurate.

I wouldn’t say I’d defend them to the death – after all I do not own one. However, I would buy one – which probably disqualifies them from the “hipster” status. 🙂

EDIT: BTW what’s wrong with the 5spd shifter. The one I have is ok, although not as nice as a Shimano thumb shift.

trumpton
they look great, but would be unsure now they actually ride compared to other more modern designs.

They are a British bike built to a good standard and of well proven designs, so they should ride just as well as their predecessors and be comfortable.

If you’re in the habit of riding at speeds where aerodynamics are important, then they’re the wrong bike. For everyone else, they’re worth a look, and they’ll still be a worthwhile bike in 20 years time.

My wife bought a recycled Pashley postie bike for hefting stuff about. Known as Elephant bikes, they fix up the postie one here which is sold to UK punters then donate a bike to Africa.

Elephant Bike – Royal Mail Postal Bike

It’s flipping heavy and built like a tank but they appear to have done a nice job fixing it up. I had to fiddle with something on it before it was road ready but can’t remember what…it was no hill of beans though.

I always fancied a Pashley 26Mhz or whatever they were as featured in MBUK and ridden by the Tongue brothers. Maybe one day…sigh

thanks for the replies everyone 👍

just thinking about the guv’nor as one option as i would like to get a road bike singlespeed (or hub geared bike) to be able to use year round inc canal towpath/gravel light offroad and the pashley bikes are definitely on my list of bikes for sure (also like the fact they are made in uk too). and like the retro styling i have to admit (am not a hipster though lol).

it will be some time until i have the cash for whatever bike so will be scouring the different bikes online to see what different models there are (i do like the genesis ss road bikes too).

thanks all 😀