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Pashley is tucked away in a corner of one of the many halls at the Eurobike show currently being staged in southern Germany. The show may be wall-to-wall carbon bikes but Pashley has a steel bike that’s one of the standout bicycles at the show.
Noted for its timeless roadsters, Pashley has been making bicycles since 1926. But this is the first time the company has exhibited at Eurobike. It’s at the show to launch new products, such as the £6000 Sprinter, a lugged-frame road bike made from Columbus XCr tubing.
The bike has a solid silver head-badge but for many old timers, the most important features on the bike are the aluminium handlebar and the stainless steel stem. These are both engraved with GB, a classic English bike parts brand which faded away in the early 1980s when cheaper imports grabbed market share.
Made from Reynolds 931 tubing, the stem is a throwback to the glory days of British bicycle manufacturing.
Pashley has formed a new company to market GB products, a joint venture with Jeremy Burgess, son of the late Gerry Burgess (from whence came the initials GB). Pashley won’t be selling any GB components to brands which don’t manufacture in the UK.
“GB is for Pashley and Moulton only, possibly Brompton, too,” said Williams.
Pashley’s traditional bikes sell well abroad, especially in markets where ‘Made in England’ still carries weight.
Williams added: “Our exports are increasing dramatically, but our distributors think they will be able to sell even more if we broadened the product range.”
Pashley has also been expanding its staff. The Sprinter project was carried through by Paul Vincent, ex technical editor at Cycling Plus; and Jeff Beach, ex of Weldtite.
Pashley will be showing the Sprinter, and possibly another high-end bike, at Interbike.
Pix of the Sprinter at Eurobike can be viewed on Flickr.
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A version of this story first appeared in the Eurobike Show Daily.
