While we are still in hibernation season, I wanted to write a retrospective review of the
Pashley Princess I used to own. My existing review of this bike was written after only a month of ownership and leaves a great deal out. I hope to make this review more representative of my overall experience, while providing the sort of information that might be helpful to those shopping for a new bike.
I owned a
Pashley Princess Sovereign from June until August . A lugged steel bicycle made in England, the Princess is a thing of beauty and quality. It was my first "nice" adult bicycle, and the first bicycle I've ever ridden for transportation. As such, it saw me through a period of almost continuous transformation as a cyclist - defined by changes in skill level, confidence, knowledgeability, and preferences. For that reason, I will arrange this review chronologically - from the start of ownership to the end.
The Decision to PurchaseMy
Pashley was not an impulse buy. I did a lot of research, test rode a number of bikes, and took my time deciding. Among the other bicycles I test rode at the timewere
Gazelle,
Batavus and
Velorbis. During those test rides, I remember that I did not feel comfortable with my ability to control the Dutch bikes (
Gazelle and
Batavus) in comparison to the
Pashley. I did not understand why at the time, but now I think I do: Dutch bikes have a light front end, which can take some getting used to. The
Pashley's handling felt natural from the start. As for
Velorbis, I remember thinking that it was similar to the
Pashley, but not quite as nice, and so it was out of the running. I also admit that my deep attachment to England - where I spent a good part of my twenties - influenced me as well. I liked the idea of having an English bicycle.
First ImpressionsI purchased the
Pashley Princess Sovereign in June from
Harris Cyclery (not a sponsor at that time), together with my husband's
Pashley Roadster Sovereign. I chose the 20" (medium) bike in "regency green," and immediately made a number of modifications to it, including the installation of a 7-speed coaster brake hub, netted dress guards and
Brooks leather washer grips, as well as extra lights to supplement
Pashley's lighting system. All lady's
Pashleys have 26" wheels. Detailed specs can be found in my earlier review.
The bicycle's saddle height traveled steadily upward over the course of my ownership. When I first began cycling as an adult, I was extremely nervous about it and felt that I needed to be able to have my feet almost flat on the ground while remaining in the saddle. Over time this nervousness went away as I began to pick up bicycle handling skills. The 20" frame accommodated me throughout this process.
As far as ride quality, initially I was quite pleased with it. What I liked the most about the
Pashley Princess was its stability and feeling of "solidness." It made me feel very, very safe - which in turn "empowered" me to try vehicular cycling. Pretty soon, I - a clumsy novice - was cycling for transportation daily in Boston traffic. What I didn't like so much about the ride almost from the start, but could not immediately express, was how much I struggled to pick up speed and go up hills on this bike. But at the time I thought that this was normal for classic upright transportation bicycles, and did not see it as a problem.
One thing that caused some frustration in the beginning, but was entirely my fault and not the bike's, was the question of how to transport my laptop. I did not trust the idea of clip-on panniers, and the front basket did not feel entirely stable with a huge bag in it. So, for the first few months of owning this bike, I carried a messenger bag. But eventually I stabilised the front basket by securing it with a myriad of zip ties and began to transport my laptop bag inside it - which was fine. However, had I just bought a clip-on pannier, such as the FastriderI now own, it would have been even better.
Discovery of LimitationsThe first inkling that my
Pashley may not be the right bike for me, came after I acquired and refurbished a vintage
Raleigh Roadster. Despite being larger and clunkier, the old
Raleigh DL-1 was considerably faster to accelerate and easier to ride up hill than the new
Pashley. I was stunned by the discovery of these differences, and my interest in frame geometry and ride quality was launched largely as a result.
With the arrival of Winter -, my qualms about the
Pashley's handling were temporarily forgotten, because as a winter bike it was truly fantastic. Since I ride slower in the winter anyhow and stick to shorter distances, acceleration and climbing long hills no longer played an important role in day to day transportation cycling, and I was once again happy with the bike. But as soon as the snow began to subside, the frustration began anew.
The more skilled and confident I became as a cyclist, the farther I started to travel, and the more torn I began to feel about the
Pashley Princess. It was such a sweet, well-made, picturesque and iconic bicycle - How could I even think of giving it up? But beyond gentle trails and neighborhood streets, I felt limited on it.
Experimentation and ModificationsIn Spring , I began to experiment with the
Pashley's positioning and components in order to address my complaints: I lowered the handlebars, raised the saddle, replaced the sluggish
Marathon Plus tires with the faster
Delta Cruisers, and even removed the front wicker basket in hopes of reducing wind resistance. Each of these changes indeed made a difference, and to my delight the bike now handled similarly to the vintage
Raleigh.
I alsoinstalled a set of
Wald rear folding baskets, which improved my quality of life immensely.
The Decision to SellAt this point, I was once again happy with the
Pashley Princess and had decided to keep it after all. I rode it for most of the summer without complaints.But then, something unexpected happened.By some bizarre stroke of luck I came across a 1990s
Gazelle, which I was able to acquire for less than the cost of a
Brooks saddle. The second-hand
Gazelle handled similarly to my vintage
Raleigh, but it was newer and I felt more comfortable using it for transportation. Once I had the
Gazelle and found myself riding it all the time, I could not financially justify keeping the
Pashley. I decided to sell it and did so swiftly to avoid further agonising over the decision. It was a beautiful bicycle, and I basically learned transportation cycling while riding it. But I do not regret my choice.
In ConclusionI would describe the
Pashley Princess as an elegant and well-made bicycle that is perhaps best suited for those who prefer to cycle slowly and do not live in a hilly area. But ride quality is highly subjective, and so I would recommend reading as many reviews of this bicycle as you can to get a sense of how others feel about it. After all, Katie Doncaster toured across Europe on hers and found it to be well suited for the trip. It is also worth noting, that the Princess model should not be compared to the men's Roadster model, as the latter has 28" wheels and possibly different frame geometry (it looked like it, but we didn't measure when we had both bicycles). While I decided to sell my Princess, my husband continues to ride his Roadster [
edited to add: and has now posted a 2-year review].
I walked through the Flohmarkt this Saturday on my way to lunch with a friend, and spotted two interesting Austrian bicycles. The first is a very old Steyr.
I am thinking this can't be later than 1920's, because of the "spoon brake" - that single rod brake with just a pad to stop the wheel from spinning. Any opinions?
On the headbadge is a woman with a shepherd's staff. She looks either sleepy or grumpy, which I thought was funny. I have seen Steyr bicycles in Vienna before, but none quite this old.
The second bike was this all-green Bergkönig ("Mountian King").
Could this be the original mountain bike? Hmm...
The handlebars are flat-ish and with a short reach, once again suggesting a mountain bike design. The grips are real rubber and are partly melted. Dynamo powered lighting; side-pull caliper brakes.
The sprung leather saddle is unmarked. Very neat that even the springs and the seat post are painted green. Not sure what that metal wrap is on the top tube - any ideas?
As I was leaving the market, the sun finally came out, so I snapped some shots from the U-Bahn platform.
Here is another. I have been to this flea market many times, but this was the first time I've noticed vintage bikes. Despite the rust, I think they are pretty good finds for someone local who has the room for them. I would love to find out more about their history, so if you have any information please share.
John Wise Brubaker was born prematurely on February 16, 1901. He survived eight days, passing away on February 24th. John was the first child born to Charles Romain Brubaker and his wife, Maud Catherine Wise. It's possible that little John was named for his great grandfather.
Maurice Wise Burns was born on July 31, 1912 and died on October 2, 1912. He was the son of Harlo Asher Burns and Hazlette Ann Wise (Maud's younger sister), and was their first child. The Columbia City Post of October 5, 1912 published this sad notice of his death: "Maurice Wise Burns, the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Harlow Burns, of Troy township, died at 3 o'clock Thursday morning. The little babe was born July 31, and has never been very well, but the parents and friends hoped that its constitution might become stronger and its life be spared, but their fond hopes were blighted when the spark of life became extinct at the hour stated. The funeral will be held Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock from the house. Rev. E. E. Wright, of Larwill, officiating, and the interment will be in the Scott cemetery." Little Maurice was named after his uncle, Maurice James Wise.
Copyright © .. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman
since it isn't good photo weather outside I decided to try some still life of some nice looking veggies I had. Of course there was a black cat to help.
When I was first shopping for an upright bicycle with an internally geared hub, I made the natural assumption that the more gears on the hub, the better. But to my surprise, over time I changed my mind and developed a strong preference for the simple 3-speed. No more, no less: Three gears feel just right.I have been trying to make sense of why I prefer 3-speed hubs to the seemingly more advantageous 7-speeds and 8-speeds, and have a couple of ideas.
Internally geared hubs allow for a narrower range of gearing in comparison to derailleurs. And the overall range of the hub does not increase in direct proportion to the number of speeds.
My choice of transportation bicycles plays a huge role in the usefulness of the hubs as well. In my experience, bicycles that are heavy and put the cyclist in a bolt-upright position are simply not the best choice for trips with prolonged hills, regardless of how many gears are on the hub. If I max out a 3-speed hub going uphill on a heavy upright bike, chances are that I will also max out a 7 or 8 speed hub - in which case there is no real benefit to having those additional gears. If a route is too tough for a 3-speed, then what I prefer is a lighter and more sporty bike, ideally with derailleur gearing. A bigger hub on the same heavy upright bike does not do me much good.
While modern bicycles are commonly available with 7 and 8 speed hubs, for me the simpler 3-speed just seems to be a better solution. Your experience may differ - but before you choose a hub with many gears, try a 3-speed and compare for yourself. You might be as surprised as I was to discover which you prefer.
What a mess he made. I hope he had fun doing it.
