# would you take a pashley princess off road?



## dutchunter (26 Oct 2008)

Hi all.. this is my first post so..bear with me 

I'm about to purchase my first bike...and will also be learning to ride for the first time as well (..i'm 28 and never rode a bike before yikes)

When I started looking I was considering a bike mainly for commuting..to school/work and back neither of which are more than 3 or 4 miles away.
So I sort of narrowed it down to the batavus old dutch and the pashley princess.

I love the sitting position on these bikes, and I don't think I need much more than 3 gears.. there aren't any hills where I live, it's a pretty straightforward route.
I had a look at the two of them in person yesterday and I must say the batavus is huge.. so i'm more drawn to the pashley right now.

I always thought that I would want to take the bike off road every now and again- by offroad I mean a footpath, or dirt roads through a park etc... but somehow I didn't consider that too much while I was having a look at bikes.

So to cut this story short..my question..

Do you think I will have any problems taking the pashley princess off road for the occasional (sunday) ride...i'm not sure what distances i'm taking about.. But lets just say long rides to be safe..(I did ask at the bike shop, but the guy was pretty clueless)

or

Should I instead be considering another type of bike. I would really like to get this one..i'm completely in love.. but if it's going to limit (severely) how much I can get out of it..then I suppose I would be open to consider others.

Thanks guys!


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## mickle (26 Oct 2008)

Any bike will cope with a bit of 'off-road' as you describe. The term is a bit confusing, to a mountain biker 'off-road' means mud, tree roots and other challenging terrain which requires big fat knobbly tyres, lots of gears and possibly suspension. Your definition is somewhat less extreme.


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## dutchunter (26 Oct 2008)

Thanks Mickle...yes much less extreme I think.
There are quite a few lovely paths (parks, horse riding, country-like lanes) along here and I have good access to grand union canal paths..so something along those lines..easy rides on unpaved roads is more of what I mean.

So..you think I could stick with the pashley.


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## mickle (26 Oct 2008)

Yup, no problem. As long as you accept the limitations of the Princesses tyres and don't start riding down flights of stairs and the like she'll be fine. Make sure your tyres are always fully inflated though. Under inflated tyres are more likely to suffer from flats.


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## dutchunter (26 Oct 2008)

haha limitations atm would be more related to me not being able to balance 
I decided to test a random dutch cycle while at a shop yesterday..took it out on the street..let me tell ya.. not pretty
I thought I was alright before then..been fooling around on a friend's bike and had been whizzing around ok, got a little confident, thought, hey..I might actually get this riding thing down...but after yesterday..and me walking that bike instead of riding it..lol.. I dunno


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## got-to-get-fit (26 Oct 2008)

The pashley would be fine for what you describe but dont be surprised if after learning to ride properly that you become more confident and want to travel further and further and over more challenging terraine. So i wouldnt rule out the possibility that in a few month you are going to want something a bit more sporty or rugged.


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## Andy in Sig (26 Oct 2008)

You'll be able to cope with towpaths, parks and woodland tracks with no problems although you might wish you had more gears. If you hit sand or serious mud, you will have difficulties as you would on any bike except for a real purpose built off roader.


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## Sittingduck (26 Oct 2008)

dutchunter said:


> I would really like to get this one..i'm completely in love..



If it's a love ting - surely the decision is already made!


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## RedBike (26 Oct 2008)

When I read pashley princess and off-road in the same topic title I thought this must be a wind up. However, I had a somewhat different definition of off-road. For the sort of riding you're doing the princess will be fine. 

The only thing to watch out for is the mud-guards. They're perfect for keeping you and the bike clean as you splash through muddy puddles but you're likely to get leaves, mud etc trapped between the guards and the wheels.


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## jimboalee (26 Oct 2008)

The Pashley is built near me, so I'm urging you to buy British.

If its the Princess Classic, its got a Sturmey 3 speed. Ask the shop to re-gear it ( exchange rear sprocket - 22 tooth ) so No. 2 gear is close to 52 inches. It will prob have a 46 tooth front ring, so a 22 ( the biggest available ) will give you 54 inches.

No. 1 gear will then be 41 inches, and No. 3 gear will be 72 inches.

A 72 inch gear on this bike for a beginner is still a tad high, but 23 sprockets are like gold dust (RHS).

The 54 inch No. 2 gear will feel right on tow paths and tracks. The 41 inch gear will get you up quite steep gradients.

Happy riding.


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## Hilldodger (26 Oct 2008)

I've ridden off road on my penny - during their heyday the roads were just dirt tracks anyway - so having gears, brakes and those new pump up tyre thingies should make it easy


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## jimboalee (26 Oct 2008)

You see, having a 52 or 54 inch gear gives you the same as a 'penny'.
On the Pashley, you'll have a lower and a higher gear as well.


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## alecstilleyedye (26 Oct 2008)

pashleys are pretty well built machines and could probably be ridden around a bmx track, if a little more sedately than shanaze reid manages…


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## sloe (26 Oct 2008)

> Do you think you could have made it any more confusing to someone who cannot even ride a bike right now? I wonder why people thing cyclists can be a touch elitist now and again



Yes, but Dutchunter has kept his virginity all these years till he's found the right princess to get his leg over. Paying top price too.

He *is *the effing elite!


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## mickle (26 Oct 2008)

She.


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## sloe (26 Oct 2008)

Woops.


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## jimboalee (27 Oct 2008)

OK, I'll keep it simple.
OP, - The Pashley AND the Batavus would be bloody hard work on rough tracks. The gearing will be too high.

All others - A common fault ( but deliberate ) of OEM bike builders. 15 & 16 tooth Sturmey sprockets are cheaper than 22 tooth sprockets, AND, when you fit a 15 or 16 sprocket, you need less chain. As OEMs buy chain on the reel, less chain means less cost. Makes for less production expense thus more profit.

OP - There is the Raleigh Pioneer Elite. Shimano Nexus 7 speed hub. £430. 
But there is the Pashley Sonnet, which has a recent cult status amongst the ladies in town. 3 Speed Sturmey and HUB BRAKES, which means no black brake block mess in the wet.


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## byegad (31 Oct 2008)

Ridden as it's meant to be, regally? The Princess will take some light off roading in its stride. I agree about dropping the gearing on almost ANY Three speed equipped bike but I live in County Durham where a 30" bottom geat is an absolute maximum bottom gear if you want to ride most of the hills. 

SA are about to launch a new 3 speed with the direct drive as top gear and two lower gears. The late Sheldon Brown, among others pressed for this an they have responded.


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## Chrisc (25 Nov 2009)

Yes. My wife rides her Princess Sovereign on rough tracks no problem. Just take it easy.


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## StuartG (25 Nov 2009)

I wouldn't worry too much about gears. See if you can borrow a similar bike from the LBS and have a ride around it. If, and only if, you are finding it hard to push down the pedals ask the LBS to change them. My wife used to get up quite steep hills on her single speed Hercules so any gears are a great leap forward. Indeed she doesn't like too many even now (in her mid fifties).

Some people have a natural slow cadence, others a much faster one. So what is good for one person may feel uncomfortable for another. So just try and enjoy.


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## Campfire (25 Nov 2009)

I think all the new Pashleys have hub brakes now. There is also a Pashley Provence, which is I think classed as a hybrid, that is pretty. Velorbis now do a Studine which is a cheaper version of the Scrap, (that's its name), which is also pretty cool. I'm sure you'd manage & I'm thinking of getting a ladylike bike for gentle pootling & I've got MTB, folders & a recumbent.

If you find you want to do more, get another & keep the first one for gentle rides in the park etc!

Most of all, ENJOY it when you ride, whatever bike you ride!


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## Chrisc (28 Nov 2009)

They do have hub brakes, very nice ones as well. Better than my rollerbrakes...


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## chris667 (28 Nov 2009)

It's a fine machine and will work perfectly. People go around the world on less.


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## upsidedown (28 Nov 2009)

That posh ginger haired woman from Gardener's World used to get on the same train as me every morning with a Princess. Usually had all sorts of stuff strapped to it and a dog in the basket. Looked a pretty sturdy old thing (the bike). It'll be fine.


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## funkyontwowheels (1 Dec 2009)

There’s also the Studine Balloon by Velorbis? http://velorbis.co.uk/classic-vinta...ycle/velorbis-studine-classic-balloon-bicycle I think it’s only recently come out. It could be good for you as a starter. It’s a simplified version of the Scrap Deluxe bike which I have. The chunky tyres are extra sturdy and look cool. Good luck with your cycling adventures.


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## Wheeledweenie (1 Dec 2009)

I don't know if it helps but a friend has a Pashley Poppy that she uses successfully on canal towpaths as well as road. She loves it.


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