Test Ride - Pashley Princess Sovereign

The Pashley Princess Sovereign, let me count the ways....

A bike made in the heart of England, actually the same village a certain playwright hails from, and very poetic she is.

Coming in either dark green or black, the pashley is a quintessential step through bike, one that I have openly coveted (just ask my long suffering husband) since discovering the beauty of commuter cycling (circa. 2012).

Pashleys are a relatively rare find in New Zealand, two retailers I have found stock them - one being cycle trading company in christchurch and the other veloideale, also in christchurch.

These bikes are lugged, which generally, as a rule of thumb, indicates a higher standard of bike, when the bike is made of steel, such as the pashley.

On my scwhinn, the difference is illustrated, you can see the difference I the joins. Most cheaper bicycles only have the forks lugged, as is the case here. Poor Betsy does get a bad rep.

The pashley features multiple bits of kit, I will focus on some that were in my particular interest

1. Classic 5 speed hub Gears: Very important to me, well actually more the "hub gears bit". My Betsy has a 3 speed shimano nexus gear hub, and these little pieces of wonder are fantastic. I doubt I'll ever buy a bike with a grubby derailleur again. After my little test ride, however it became very apparent that 5 gears might be excessive for the flat canterbury plains. 3 gears are good. First gear for headwinds, second gear for normal cycling, third gear for super fast tailwind speeds!
2. Classic front lamp and rear LED light: Looooow maintainence! I cycle in the dark a lot (doing 12 hour shifts in winter limits my vitamin D intake) and it is very tiresome taking my lights on and off and also charging them. Enter in the dynamo! Not only saving on my carbon footprint by going car-less but also by not using (admittedly negligible) electricity for the lights. Alright, the dynamos are a childish indulgence.
3. Low maintenance hub brakes and gears: enclosed and sealed from rain and shine! More fail proof in worse weathers.
4. Traditional style mudguards: to protect my rear from the rain!
5. Versatile rear carrier: a bicycle like this is made to carry (more than me) and this is an essential part. This should also be painted and sealed, as lessons from Betsy saw that these were DIFFICULT to remove surface from.
6. Traditional Brooks B66s sprung leather saddle: One of the ways the buyer can rationalise the price tag. Brooks means quality. This is unnecessary for me, already owning my own plush brooks love (b18, lady), but beautiful all the same!
7. Convenient frame-fitted lock: ahhh th european o lock. Most bike thieves can look at these and it will fall off, but in NZ very few have ever seen one, let alone dealt with one.
   
   This axa defender is of better quality than the standard lock on a Pashley, and accommodates a chain or cable to be locked in further securing the frame.
8. Easy-to-park propstand: a double kick stand would have been superior, the pashley only has a one sided stand. A lot of pashley lovers will retrofit the double kick stand. These are more typical of dutch Omafiets.
   
   This double stand has the effect of lifting one wheel in the air. The hefty bike is generally very stable this way.
9. Fully-enclosed protective chaincase: another "all weather" feature.

The pashley princess sovereign is not a lightweight, not in weight or expense. Just short of NZ$2,000 and approx. 22kg, you do get a lot of bike for your dollar. 

She rides like a dream and feels very familiar, and this familiarity is what broke the Pashleys spell over me.

She felt just like Betsy the Scwhinn... But I had read in various blogs that dutch bikes were meant to feel different? Lighter on the front? It's true, the pashley isn't dutch, she's English. I didn't want a similar experience to my currant bike. And thus the spell broke.

During the same test drive I also tried a Achielle Craighton Oma. This is a bike made in Belgium. I will review this bike once she has arrived at my door. I traded my 2 year long pashley dream for a one time fling? The fling might work out just fine though! Stay tuned.

For further Pashley reviews, by two ladies who have actually owned them 

Letsgorideabike.com

And 

Lovelybike.blogspot.com