Aw aw, I've fallen in love....
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Style over substance?
(36 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
-
"S o S"
That depends...
Hub brakes, 5 hub gears.
Distinctive 'town' bike.
Not cheap, but there are plenty of much more expensive bikes that are SoS!
Posted 11 years ago # -
AND it comes with mudguards.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Me too!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Hmmm, nice, but it should have the folding frame and be available in matt green!
Posted 11 years ago # -
It would have to be the matt green one for my money too.
They have the blue one in stock in Halfrauds at Straiton of all places, along with a bunch of other Pashleys. Halfrauds seem to be going in all sorts of strange directions at the minute?
Anyway, had a wee go in the shop (probably not meant to do that), almost fell off, hard to keep in a straight line. Hopefully if I bought one (OK when) that would be a temporary state of affairs...
Posted 11 years ago # -
It's quite reasonably priced considering the good quality components and presumably UK built.
I was tempted to get one of these a while back but I have enough bikes already...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Oh, would a chain guard like that be enough to keep the oil off, or would it be easy enough to put a full one on?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Previous discussion http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=8209#post-87596
Posted 11 years ago # -
Even previouser ;-) :
http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=8472#post-85027
Posted 11 years ago # -
We have one of those at work that can be taken out, if booked, we had a Brompton too but it has vanished. Maybe someone took it out and didn't take it back?
For a long time there was a little cap as well but the owner might have reclaimed it.
Appears also to have a Dynamo at front like several other pashleys. But not cited as being made of Reynolds steel.
Both stylish and substantial. Think I might struggle with it going up the hill. Some feeling that sturmey archer five speed is more temperamental than the three speed? Photo looked like Schwalbe marathon, similar to other pashleys.
Nice bike, hopefully dependable.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Sturmey archer gears - are they what they used to have on Grifters - with the little metal necklace thing that goes inside the hub (or somewhere near the hub)?
Be very careful if so.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Grifters were 5 spd sturmey archer is my recollection. Heavy bike the grifter and very easy to fall off the back.
That recollection turns out to be wrong, some choppers had 5 speed but all the grifters had 3 speed gears. Main diff in the various models would appear to be the size of the rear mudguard. Some versions more collectible than others it would appear.
The sturmey archer three speed has necklace/ cable tensioner but it is less problematic than the five, seven or eight speed versions. Not sure what the fixed three speed is like?
Posted 11 years ago # -
My experience of Pashleys is limited to maintaining(and therefore intermittently test riding) my ex-girlfriend's Poppy, and one test ride of a Roadster Sovereign, which as I said on Twitter didn't ride as nicely as the 1976 Raleigh Esquire I snagged for £50 in the Omni car boot sale.
I was impressed by their frame's oldschool engineering sensibility, by which I mean when they are in any doubt they add more metal until it's definitely going to be robust.
The fittings on the Roadster let it down badly, in my Humbledore. Plasticky feel to the chaincase, handlebars, skirtguard and shifter, although I concede the latter point is because it has a 5-speed, not the 3, which keeps the nice oldschool metal box.
A few forumites and myself are of the opinion that Sturmey-Archer got three things very right, but the rest is mince. The AW3 hub is rightly a legend; their dynomo and/or drumbrake hubs are dependable Sergeants to your chain of command.
Since the Para is essentially a Poppy with a differently shaped frame, I would be very surprised it if wasn't a very fine pootler.
Posted 11 years ago # -
For everyday use, I reckon 5 gears is enough. Hub gears usually have a useful range. My dependable six speed block on the Raleigh does just fine (though with a triple up front I technically have a profligate 18 gears, though very rarely out of the big ring up front.
Cars usually have five gears (not counting reverse). I do recall old Renaults and Citroêns back in the 1970s that only had four gears. also some cars had a sixth gear, or 'overdrive' for motorway/autobahn cruising.
Posted 11 years ago # -
This will be very much a 'pootling'/shopping bike. Attempt no2 at getting Mrs Baldcyclist cycling. Attempt no1 involved MTBs and 'sport' clothing etc, she hated it. Sold the MTBBs earlier in the year after their gathering dust.
She likes the Pendleton bikes in Halfrauds, so this time we'll try the normal clothes approach, going to shops, train and cycle in Kirkcaldy etc. Unfortunately though we have no paths in Burntisland like we had in Livi, so I am a bit worried about her road confidence.
Anyway, I have no bikes which will allow pootling in normal clothes/shoes, hence the reason I am allowed the extravagance of the Pashley.
Now I just have to work out how to get it on Cyclescheme when it will probably only ever make the commute occasionally on my short commute day from Barnton on sunny days.
There's also the Vanmoof Noir that I like mind you, can't have everything though...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Fifth gears in cars was quite a novelty in my youth but then I am old and my dad drove some bangers - hill man avenger, British leyland marina, ford cortina mk 2. He did have a Granada for a while which without googling I will give five gears no problem and a front seat the same as a back seat, we could all sit in the front.
Five gears plenty if the range is wide enough
Advising colleague at work to go for EBC courier as simple 8 gear bike of some simplicity with big discount at moment from EBC to all and further 15 per cent to council to show they are better than the council for giving the bike to work to Evans
Posted 11 years ago # -
@baldycyclist
Main purpose of bike on bike to work scheme must be to get you to work. It is OK for it to be used for other purposes but its main purpose sold be to get you to work. So if you can figure out how to make tht work, you are in
Posted 11 years ago # -
It wouldn't never by my main 'commuter', I have my CX bike for that. Depends on what main purpose means. It will probably do more miles in a year taking me to work, but more journeys will be to the shops.
Or to put it another way, it will be my main commuting bike on a Wednesday (which is my short commute rest day), when it is dry.
You are allowed more than one bike on the Cyclescheme though. When I paid for the 3 years extra lease on my commuter the conformation letter did state you could take out another agreement.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Oh yes,you can have more bikes on the scheme, the main purpose of each bike must be your commute.
One way is to acquire some holy water and annoint each bike saying, The main purpose of your existence is my commute, I annoint thee with this water and may god protect you from punctures.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I'm pretty certain the comparison with motor vehicles is misleading. Engines have a much wider efficient range of revolutions than people - we tend to be comfortable in a fairly narrow range, 60-80rpm (higher for sprinting and perhaps if a "proper" cyclist).
That's tiny compared to even a modern diesel (smaller rev range than petrol) - I can get away with ~1000-5000rpm from my Volvo diesel.
Robert
Posted 11 years ago # -
I'll be getting the Pashley out soon. I have been using the cycle to work Brompton since August so it's probably seen more work miles than most. It was round bits of east London last week and across Tower Bridge twice. North Lanarkshire will be gritting soon and I'll leave the shiny folder in the garage unless I need its foldy goodness.
Anywho, yes, I find the 5 speed is a bit more footery than the three.
Modern SA 3 speeds don't have the neutral position. They also don't suffer from the sudden skipping at high input torque because Sun Race improved the design of the clutch. The old version was a cross which engaged with the planet pinions. These moved out of line slightly at high torque and the clutch slipped off them which was followed by your gentleman's area contacting the top tube (assuming long term possession of a gentleman's area). This was so well known it was even immortalised in song by no less a person than Morrisey.
I crashed down on the crossbar.
And the pain was enough. To make a shy, bald Buddhist reflect.
And plan a mass murder.The current clutch engages with wedges on the planet cage which means that it pulls in tighter at higher torque.
The 5 speed has to have a neutral spot between 1-2 and 4-5 because it's changing the sun. It can't have both suns engaged. It's also a bit more picky about adjustment. I've got a bit of an issue with the sliding keys. Most of the time it's OK but I live up a hill and the torque required to get up the hill seems to be above what the key can deal with. They last a year or so if I'm careful. They aren't hard to replace, it's a 30 minute job at most.
I'd prefer a full chain case over the one in the picture. It keeps water and grit off the chain. That was one of the main reasons I got a Pashley as I was fed up replacing Brompton chains in the winter.
I've not had to do anything with the brakes and this will be its 4th winter. The front one used to squeal a bit which can be mended with a file but I didn't bother and it has sorted itself. The generator isn't quite as lovely as the Schmidt but it works fine.
It's not fast and it rattles a lot but it's tough and reliable.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Morrissey gives cycling a mention in Autobiography on a couple of occasions so far (at page 127 now).
His father bringing home special bikes that are too big for Morrissey but he likes them and a bizarre story about young Morrissey appearing on his bike in an episode of coronation street with a punctured bicycle on a hillside....
Posted 11 years ago # -
There's always a "real" military bicycle, for added cool points. Swedish Army m/42
Posted 11 years ago # -
@kappers, they make them for civvies too:
http://www.kronan.com/sv/cykelOne for sale last year rund these parts:
http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9096Posted 11 years ago # -
I agree on the full chain case. The half hockey stick will stop your trousers being eaten by a chain, but offer your chain no protection from salt and road sludge. (as I found out last year.)
I say go for it.
And look, if you really hate it I'll offer you £20 for it this time next year. (If your wife decides to go for a Pashley Britannia or The Pashley Pintail and also hates it, I'll give you £50 the pair)Posted 11 years ago # -
The half hockey stick will stop your trousers being eaten by a chain, but offer your chain no protection from salt and road sludge
So long as it stops oily trousers. Salt / road sludge won't be such an issue as this will only really be a weekend shopping bike. :)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Cyclepedia says it's based on a BSA Paratrooper bicycle. 60,000 were produced for the British Army. The parachute attached to the wheels so it fell upside down. The handlebars and saddle were designed to push into the frame on impact as a sort of crude shock-absorber. And those ones folded.
Trussardi made a super expensive version in the 1980's.
Posted 11 years ago # -
If you want to avoid getting dirty trousers, how about a penny farthing. No chain and higher above the road.
Posted 11 years ago #
Reply »
You must log in to post.
posts
