New Pashley bikes

[Emanresu]

If you remove the 'bike' bit and look at what the CEO says in terms of manufacturing skills / local sourcing, they have an opportunity to go further. The value in rapid prototyping is being able to launch new models every year or every 6 months as long as there is a demand for 'new'. So applying rapid prototyping to a heritage brand seems odd.

The second point made is the closeness to their suppliers which again allows for rapid model launch but the parts (Brooks/Reynolds) are again in the heritage bracket. Hope they have a sales plan to make use of the manufacturing advantages they have developed.

PS: About that sales plan. Just checked their stockists and find that there was a Pashley Premier stockist close by where I might view the bikes. But on further checking that LBS has closed and moved to London. The availability of independent LBS is going to be a problem.

 

[iandg]

Very nice, just need my lottery numbers to come up

 

[wafter]

An interesting development in that these seem quite a departure from what one might typically expect from the brand, plus a ballsy move taking such a route given the current state of the industry.

I like the concept they've evidently aimed for however I'm not sure they've pulled it off.

Aesthetically I love the red and green (coincidentally? very similar to the 2019 and 2020 Genesis Croix 30s..) and tan wall tyres, however IMO any serious retro-aspirations are killed stone dead by the sloping top tube and especially the somewhat hideous bulging placcy fork. While I understand the technical merits of each I don't really think they fit here; while I'll always maintain that a placcy fork has no place on a steel frame as presumably if they buyer liked composites they'd not have taken the trouble to get a frame made of something else..

I do like the fact they're evidently offering them out of the gate with decent-looking colour-coded mudguards.

I like the choice of 853 and love the retro Reynolds sticker, however I'm not sure what benefit the 3D-printed bits bring over a straight-TIG welded (or better yet if courting the neo-retro market) lugged frame.

Unfortunately I'm not sure the bike really sells itself well enough to stand out; especially in the current climate when stacked against maybe more complete / mature offerings from brands more established in this field.

Truth be told I've never paid too much attention to Pashley - I love the retro/modern concept of many of thier bikes although I think that often they come across as expensive / not great value and maybe seeking to trade too heavily off the pseudo-vintage aesthetic when the execution doesn't quite live up to this goal; while possibly also lacking in other areas.

They do seem to offer some interesting concepts though and a few models do appeal. As it happens I saw a Morgan 8 parked outside the shop earlier this week - had to look it up and the latest model looks really nice and pretty well thought-out as a characterful utility / city bike:

 

[grldtnr]

An interesting development in that these seem quite a departure from what one might typically expect from the brand, plus a ballsy move taking such a route given the current state of the industry.

I like the concept they've evidently aimed for however I'm not sure they've pulled it off.

Aesthetically I love the red and green (coincidentally? very similar to the 2019 and 2020 Genesis Croix 30s..) and tan wall tyres, however IMO any serious retro-aspirations are killed stone dead by the sloping top tube and especially the somewhat hideous bulging placcy fork. While I understand the technical merits of each I don't really think they fit here; while I'll always maintain that a placcy fork has no place on a steel frame as presumably if they buyer liked composites they'd not have taken the trouble to get a frame made of something else..

I do like the fact they're evidently offering them out of the gate with decent-looking colour-coded mudguards.

I like the choice of 853 and love the retro Reynolds sticker, however I'm not sure what benefit the 3D-printed bits bring over a straight-TIG welded (or better yet if courting the neo-retro market) lugged frame.

Unfortunately I'm not sure the bike really sells itself well enough to stand out; especially in the current climate when stacked against maybe more complete / mature offerings from brands more established in this field.

Truth be told I've never paid too much attention to Pashley - I love the retro/modern concept of many of thier bikes although I think that often they come across as expensive / not great value and maybe seeking to trade too heavily off the pseudo-vintage aesthetic when the execution doesn't quite live up to this goal; while possibly also lacking in other areas.

They do seem to offer some interesting concepts though and a few models do appeal. As it happens I saw a Morgan 8 parked outside the shop earlier this week - had to look it up and the latest model looks really nice and pretty well thought-out as a characterful utility / city bike:

View attachment 759861

That does look very stylish, and I think it's where Pashley are best suited, making 'retro' styled bikes, because that's their back story.
I think the latest 'gravel' genre isn't going to sell that well for them, others do it , and for a upmarket lifestyle choice do it better.

 

[wafter]

That does look very stylish, and I think it's where Pashley are best suited, making 'retro' styled bikes, because that's their back story.
I think the latest 'gravel' genre isn't going to sell that well for them, others do it , and for a upmarket lifestyle choice do it better.

Yes; that was the exact colour / model I saw and it was very impressive in the flesh; at least to look at.

I agree largely about going gravel - seems a bit outside their comfort zone (which I suppose has to be commended) and late to the party at a questionable time to release anything new.

Personally I think it would have fitted in much more with their brand image / ethos by targeting a similar use model but in the form of a properly-retro looking revisiting of the classic French randonneur format - lugged diamond frame with horizontal top tube, steel fork, 650b wheels, guards, rando bars, mounts everywhere but with hydro discs and through-axles.

Granted this is exactly what I'd love in a bike and it would be pretty niche; equally that's kind of what they've built their model on. While there are a smattering of retro-modern steel road bikes around, to the best of my knowledge nobody has really done this commercially with more multi-use / terrain platforms - classic rando bikes IMO being the ideal aesthetic base in this regard.


EDIT: Actually, to qualify there are already a few retro-styled steel "all road" bikes (from Surly, Crust and others); but these all tend to originate from outside the UK and hence be somewhat scarce over here; while nobody yet has exactly hit that sweet spot where I'd consider parting with money for one, for what that's worth.

 

[biggs682]

Talking of Pashleys I like this slightly older one

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3929839367339558/

Now sold but not to me