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OUR MAN IN ENGLAND: PASHLEY: ENGLISH BIKES BUILT IN ENGLAND!
Austin Curwen
June 24, 2009
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This past fall at the London Bike Show at Earl’s Court, among the acres of polished aluminum and the miles of carbon fiber, there were a few standouts as I was in search of the quintessential British bike. Devoted readers may recall my visit to the iconic Brooks factory makers of the renowned Brooks saddles. Alas the other components in the Brooks troika (Sturmey- Archer and Raleigh) have long since moved most or all of their manufacturing overseas. One of the booths that really caught my eye was Pashley. There was a group of people standing at their booth discretely ogling their latest model, the well-executed Guv’nor. After a quick chat with the Pashley folks who assured me that all bikes were made in England, I made a mental note to get up to Stratford on Avon (also known for their blooms) to check out their facility.
Arriving to the factory, I was greeted by Dave Hawkeswood, my contact on the inside. Sitting down with Dave, we discussed who would buy Pashleys and why. Dave explained that the typical Pashley buyer was someone who was enthusiastic enough about cycling so they would be seeking a quality product, not looking for a bargain that would be ridden a handful of times then relegated to a dusty corner. Also Dave suspected that Pashley buyers were also looking for an honest-to-goodness ‘made in England’ bike, of which there are very few today. Despite the occasional rumor that secretly Pashleys are made overseas and then assembled in the UK, in fact, their bikes start life in Stratford as a pile of steel tubes, and emerge many worker-hours later as well built bicycles.
Walking into the factory, I was greeted by all of the various components that one sees going into a bike, but in bulk- a Costco of bits and pieces if you will.
True to its British roots, Pashley is still a big user of Sturmey-Archer hubs. Here are dozens of wheels that have been laced locally; I’ve been assured, waiting for a build. Moving into the main portion of the factory was stacks and shelves covered with tubing of a variety of diameters.
On one side of the factory there were shrouded workstations surrounded by heavy fireproof mats. We would peek into a few of these and see various parts of the frame being fabricated.
Here we see one of Pashley’s longest serving employees bending the struts for the ubiquitous TSR frame. Once the tubing had been properly bent and formed, it was time to braze the frame together. Observe this bottom bracket getting the heat treatment moments before brazing.
As the frames went through various parts of assembly, they were stored on shelves in different spots in the factory. These are TRS frames that have been brazed and are waiting for the next step.
One of the interesting niches Pashley occupies is as the supplier of mail bikes for the Royal Mail. These sturdy red bikes are not an uncommon sight along English roads with a big bin up front for the mail. They get a real workout and are expected to last for 7 years.
As the different parts were made, they were sandblasted and then powder coated for a durable and long lasting finish. I saw these fenders as they just had their final detail, the thin gold pin stripe running the length of them.
Once all of the parts were finished, they were passed to the folks who would then assemble the bikes. In this case, you are seeing a TSR that has its drivetrain installed and is getting the cables strung.
From there, the bikes are prepared for shipping. In the case of UK deliveries, the bikes are shipped in full sized boxes. All the retailer needs to do is unwrap the frame, install the pedals and turn the handlebars.
Pashley’s largest market segment is town style upright bikes. They do these very well, and if a buyer wants an English made bike that will last for years, they need look no further. However, Pashley also has several other lines that caught my eye for very different reasons. They have created the Guv’nor as a retro path bike. The sort of thing a young lad (or lass) looking for a speedy jaunt might have used 75 years ago, blazing up and down the towpath of the Kennet & Avon Canal perhaps.
These originally came as single or three speeds, but as lately, Pashley has also created a limited edition (only 50 will be made) ‘Plus Four’ (i.e. a four speed). This includes an old-school two-speed kickback hub mated with a two-speed bottom bracket. Every aspect of the Gov’nor is well done. The Brooks saddle, comfortable geometry, classic 531 tubing, and elemental simplicity have created quite a buzz with quite a few sold.
The other surprise to me was tricycles. I have read a number of articles recently about tricycles and how these had allowed people with various disabilities and challenges opportunities for fitness and mobility. Admittedly, I don’t keep my eye to close to this segment of the market, but Pashley did a steady business selling (you guessed it) well-made trikes.
Most of the ones I saw there followed Pashley’s well trod ethos of sturdy utilitarian cycles that were meant to be used and last a long time. However in a corner of an upstairs room I did bump into the Uber-tricycle, something I never would have imagined would have existed (but I bet would sell like hot cakes in Egypt)! I give you the FreightMate.
It was nice to spend some time talking to people who took real pride in what they did, and recognized the quality of their product. The overall output of Pashley is small compared to Trek or any other ‘major’ brand with production being 40-50 bikes a day. However, each Pashley is truly made to order. They are the masters of inventory control, and they will not build any particular bike until the order has come in from their network of dealers. In the winter, customers can expect their bike in about 4 weeks. With summer just around the corner, and more and more people riding in the UK, the wait these days is more like six weeks. Many thanks to all Dave and the rest of the people at Pashley for their time and dedication to well built bikes, built in England.
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