Pashley Reviews 20

Firstly, no problem with the people at Pashley. They are polite and very helpful. I would give 5 stars for the people.
Issue is the bike. I bought a custom build Pathfinder E (so an electric bike) and the Mahle motor is really poor. My wife has a Trek FX+2 which on paper has the same spec motor and bike weight and is a similar price etc as the Pashley but the Trek (with a Hyena motor) is way better than the Pashley. So much so that it's laughable. I sent the bike back because I was convinced there must be something wrong with it but Pashley checked it out and said it was set up correctly.
So, in summary, I recommend the staff at Pashley but definitely not the Pathfinder E (until they change the motor).

Purchased parts for my 20 year old Pashley. All parts arrived promptly, were easy to fit, great quality and reasonable priced.

Items were in stock & description ensured I knew both products would fit my Sovereign Princess bike. I was really taken by the shape of the basket that sits on the rear rack. Makes a nice change from the usual bag. It was very easy to install and will be very useful. Both my purchases arrived very quickly and Customer Service when my 10% discount code wouldn’t work was exceptional as it was out of office hours and I didn’t expect such a speedy response on a Sunday.

What an experience! A design classic and wonderful service.

I dealt directly Pashley so no such problems experienced by some buyers with delivery and equiptment set-up issues. All in all the service has been 1st class, ordered on-line and delivered in 1 week. In fact the delivery was carried out by one of Pashleys employees - Dave, a very helpful and accomodating gentelman.
As this is a Christmas present for my wife he kindly allowed me to divert delivery to my son's house so it can be surprise on the 25th Dec.

Whilst I cannot yet vouch for the reliabilty of the Princess Sovereign bicycle, going by the high standard of construction and finish I doubt there is anything to worry about. Love the front hub arrangement which doubles up as the front brakes and generator for the driving lamp. Worth paying the little bit extra to have the factory set the bicycle up - ready to go!

I’ve just bought a gents Pashley Classic 3 speed in black. I thought I’d add a review because I do check Trustpilot before making big purchases. I ordered mine online (new) through Bikeshed not direct from Pashley. It was delivered in a big box via courier. Bikeshed have been really good to deal with btw 👍. So I had to attach front wheel & mudguard, pedals, seat and set up the handlebars etc. As a bare minimum you need 4,5 & 6 mm Allen keys and a 15mm spanner (not provided). It’s not a difficult job but if you are not confident have a bike shop assemble it for you. Rudimentary set up instructions are provided but I think Pashley should provide an owners booklet or get yourself onto YouTube and educate yourself there. I did.

Ok, so to the bike. Overall, really pleased with it. It looks quality and hand built/somewhat special. The frame looks beautifully welded and painted. All the fittings equally so, bars, wheels, seat and 99% of the rest of it. Bell is fabulous and chimes like a Grandfather clock. Having read the reviews I was aware and conscious of stripping threads when assembling it but despite that the coach bolt that holds the seat in place stripped. I have plenty of bolts here at home so found a replacement but it was annoying. That bolt is not stainless its chromed and obviously softer. It’s not going to take abuse like a modern alloy ‘lean it against a wall’ mountain bike and will need more looking after because it’s all steel, glossy paint, exposed alloy and chrome. There’s plenty of modern anti corrosion sprays available to keep it nice. No excuses.

To the ride. Regal. You sit high and it rides high. Seat squishes about under your bum as you pedal which feels very weird but you soon don’t notice that. Very very comfortable. Mine is the 3 speeder. Gearing is tall. 1st for hills, 2nd for the flat, 3rd for downhill. It’s not a quick bike but you can get a decent lick on. You get lots of attention on it, people love it.

Oh and btw the integral stand is fabulous. All bikes should have one of these it’s sooooo much easier to park up.

To conclude. If you know you want one, you just know and will make allowances for the obvious compromises riding a 1950’s style bike in 2023. I also think you have to be honest with yourself about your ability and desire to ‘tinker’ with it to keep it running well, like a classic car needs constant attention.

It’s a Time Machine and I love it.

I bought two Pashley bikes in total. I will make my comment on the first bike here first. The parabike was purcahsed from Pashley's Danish distributor -- Falkon cykler. The service provided by the distributor is very bad. For instance, even though the bike is under one-year warranty, they charged me a service fee for adjusting the brake tension when I brought the bike back on the 3rd month. The tension was too tight due to an inappropriate initial setup . The service resulted from some chips off from my bike since they carelessly hang the bike on a pair of metal hooks. And they don't seem to know the aged brook saddle doesn't need proofide treatment and add proofide on the saddle as an "extra service". And that as resulted a ruined aged saddle as the excessive proofide treatment turned my saddle into a normal brook saddle. In response, they told me that it's because the saddle needs treatment. The advantage of an aged saddle is that it doesn't require any treatment before a few years of wear but they have ruined that. Later one, saddle became asymmetric and they told me it can't be fixed as any attempt to change the tension will break the saddle. Afterwards, I was able to self identify the off-set of the positing of the cap under the saddle and fix asymmetry myself. Furthermore, they also left out tying the lace on the saddle which are used to keep the shape and tension of the saddle. It appears to me that they don't understand the bike better an amateur user. And I was heart broken when my 3-month new bike got the paints chipped off from their "service" and tried to avoid getting service from the shop even though they shall cover repairs under the 1-year warranty.
The review of the second bike will come soon.
I'd like to hear how Pashley will respond to this on this forum.

My Pashley Roadster Sovereign (bought in early 2018 for £790, now retailing at £945) is a bane of my life.

Within the first month of purchase, it took me three visits to the retailer (Rutland Cycling Grand Arcade, Cambridge) to have the gears adjusted properly, as only the 3-4 lower gears would be available for me to use. The front wheel was also rather wobbly, and the luggage rack misaligned. OK, I thought this could have been just the retailer's fault, not the manufacturer's. But then the bottom bracket broke after only 9 months from purchase, and had to be replaced on warranty.

After two and a half years from purchase, the rear hub wheel started loosing spokes. At 4 spokes broken, the retailer recommended to rebuild the wheel completely. (At least, the wheel itself appeared to be straight.) It took over a month for a full set of new spokes (36) to be received from Pashley, during which I had to use my 10 old bicycle. I paid £76 for the repair.

Less than 9 months after the repair, the spokes began to crumble again. Disappointed by the retailer's work, I brought it to a reliable Dutch bike shop which had been repairing our other bikes for 7 years. Alas, even them replacing two spokes did not last for more than a month because the "original Pashley" spokes would keep breaking...

My Pashley now has very light usage (1 week per month) and very high repair costs (£30-60 per month).

Over the 3 years, I estimate I easily paid double its price in repair costs and my personal time. I would have sold it for quarter of the original price, but I would not be able to look into that man's eyes!

Two bikes arrived today via Ridelow. Bikes are impressive and better than we expected. Yes we had to wait, but we were aware of the lead times when ordering so no problem. I would recommend people visit their store in Stratford Upon Avon (post COVID) and have a look at what they do. A real Made in Britain feeling. All we need now is the weather to improve so that we can get out and about. Well done and thank you

I have purchased Pashley Brittania at nearly £800! The bike's gears have never worked. At the sign of a slightes hill, the gears drop down. I have had them tightened several times but was told it is a common fault. All chrome components have gone rusty within a year despite the bike being stored in the house or shed. It also so very heavy that one feels like riding with square wheels.

Have to agree with most of these reviews. I wish I had of read them before buying. Been waiting over 5 months and still waiting due to a lack of parts. It really is a poor show. It’s a very small company which is sadly not explained by the bike shops selling their bikes. I would have appreciated the bike shop (velorution) to have warned me that this company is notoriously slow but they were too eager to take my money and then never get in touch with me again. Be warned

Zero customer service, absolutely appalling excuses and no solutions. We are "just a small company" and do not have repair parts in stock. A huge difference to the bile they promote online ~ ‘Pashley has provided spare parts for its products for 80 years,’ Managing Director Adrian Williams tells me, ‘and will continue to do so for another 80 years.’ ~ Customer service representative gleefully said they don't have hubs for their bikes that are five years old, never mind ones that are fifteen years old. What a shame a company with such a strong brand story is so pitiful in their after sales service.

Comfortable rides, if a tad pricey for the level of equipment, but well thought out geometry and solid hand built frames. What lets them down badly is an utterly non-existent customer care/aftercare service; I have written to them 3 times this year and received not a single reply. Lovely though the bike is, my new one will definitely not be a Pashley.

Lead times on Pashley website for their Britannia model is 12- 14 weeks. I have now been waiting 18 weeks and still nothing. Tried to be patient due to pandemic but now starting to wish I hadn't bothered with what I thought would be a reputable company.
I tried to ask them when their lead time started due to the pandemic so I would at least have an idea when the bike may arrive but they wouldn't tell me as I didn't order direct from them and couldn't discuss other suppliers, which I can understand if I was asking about their supplier and not their own lead times . Not good customer service if they wanted to keep the business.

Solid, well made with delightful detailing. I have 3 of them. The Parabike and tube rider ( similar cycle - painted in different colours) are wonderful leisure machines with well spaced ratios in the 5 speed enclosed hubs. Really good fun to ride and real headturners. I also have a Roadster Sovereign which is an old fashioned styled "sit up and beg" type machine. Its wonderful to look at - the finish is sublime and its very comfortable to ride. Its solid build quality means its a bit heavy but that doesn't detract from what is a fantastic machine. Pashley cycles are not run of the mill cheapo imports from the far east - I'm really pleased and proud to own a Pashley.

Ordered a bike in May 2020, mid Pandemic, with a lead time of 2-5 weeks due to this.

I called in June 2020 for an update and was told my bike was scheduled for painting the following week and would be dispatched not long after. Great!

20 days later NO bike so called for a further update. I received an email the following day stating my bike was scheduled for painting in the next week or two?

Feeling slightly fobbed off and almost being spun a line to pacify me I decided to suggest a refund and to my surprise I had a text message within a matter of minutes saying a refund had been processed. Great work Pashley, no issue with getting a refund but absolutely NO attempt to assist, discuss or try and retain me as a customer.

Having looked at other reviews I can now see that customer service is not their Forte and neither is quality (as lead to believe) so all in all it seems I'm better off with my money back in my pocket and free to purchase elsewhere!

Germany 5 - England 0 ( after 10 minutes)
Time to bring on the stars off the subs bench and make Britain GREAT again.
This company has great potential, but.........oh dear.

There is no customer service in existence... the excuse is we are a small team. Even when you give them solutions they just say it is what it is. You are better off buying a cheaper bike from a company that cares about the people paying for the bike and riding it.

Pashley are a very rude company with no customer care whatsoever.....you can write them a letter which they choose to ignore ......if you do get a problem with one of there bikes then don't bother trying to get assistance from them .....they do not want to know.....i believe I would get better customer care from a clearance charity shop .......so think twice before you give them your money.....i was lucky I got a refund and some poor unsuspecting soul will finish up with the poorly built bike I once owned .....amen

I recently bought a Pashley Soverign Roadster after doing some research and I was immediately disappointed.
I knew the bike was going to be heavy but it weighs an absolute ton, makes any sort of hill a chore. The front lamp was inexplicably supplied with no bulb and the gears appear to be made out of chocolate. They grind in use I am constantly having to readjust them.
The stand cannot be used without stripping paint from the frame and the lock is woefully inadequate.
This company prides itself on the quality of it's cycles however all they are selling is an ideal rather than a practical piece of kit.