To purchase myself a Pashley?

[AtYourCervix]

But wjich one?

A Princess?

A Penny?

A Britannia?

A Tubey Something?

I Must Have One but can't decode!

Pashleys aren't at all heavy to ride (quite the opposite). They are heavy if you need to lift them. Mine has five gears, which is plenty for most purposes.

Ooh, get the Britannia, it's gorgeous. I'm now coveting one myself, but in my case it would be a hige waste of money, as, er, I can't cycle . I must be the target market for the tricycles , which are quite lovely too.

Here's some cheaper, less lovely alternatives:

www.ctc.org.uk/sites/default/files/file_public/201307064-reviews-tale-of-two-city-bikes.pdf

They are quite sensible pootling bikes really. The likes of the Vita is going to require more maintenance.

If you got the Btwin you could pretty much just treat it like shit (just buy a floor pump to keep the tyres pumped up) and not have to worry about maintenance really.

OP, I can highly recommend Decathlon bikes. They are so much cheaper and just because they are not a Pashley, your theft levels go way down but they absolutely do the job.

Oh no I want one now.

Would I manage a 26 mile each way commute on one do you think.

Sigh.

They are a bit for elderly people I think. No I prefer a good old mountain bike with gears

Aeroflotgirl there are a fair few Pashley riders where I live (big cycling area) and the age range is roughly teens up to forties- no elderly people that I've seen!

They are pretty much the opposite of a mountain bike, though many models do have gears (5 on mine). I suspect that most mountain bike owners don't really need 18-odd gears anyway, unless they are doing some serious competition.

The Pashley's are lovely but pretty heavy, no? Have you had a look at Bobbins? Lovely too. I have the Kingfisher and love it!

www.bobbinbikes.co.uk/

I prefer the Electra Gypsy. It has a really lovely basket and bell. I know nothing else about bikes
www.electrabike.com/bikes/cruiser/gypsy-3i

The Dawes Duchess bike is lovely, cheaper and not as heavy as the Pashley bikes.

I have a Dawes Duchess; similar in style to a Pashley but much cheaper. I've used it regularly for the past 3 years and it has been fine. It's also reasonably light to carry up stairs. Have heard about the Pashleys being a bit on the heavy side.

I have just gone back to my own bike (specialized vita) after Boris biking.

The difference is amazing. I do 2 miles each way to work in really heavy traffic.

I have a gorgeous powder blue retro bike but its only got 3 gears and is a killer to ride further than the end of my road

£500 quid for a bike?! more money than sense

I like my Pendleton bike

I haave hankered after a Picodor, with a big basket on the back. My cycle shop said I would be laughed at

Beth that's quite rude. Personally I use my bike every day for the school run and to get to work. My gazelle has been 100% reliable and still looks like new. I've had it nearly 6 years. You can spend £150 or so on a piece of crap from Halfords but you are buying a piece of crap.......

Oldraver Don't see why - extremely practical, I would have thought.

There's an episode of Midsomer Murders with Prunella Scales playing one of those decisive ladies that no one ever messes with IYKWIM. She had a Pashley Picador - you just need a bit of panache to carry it off.

For 500 you could get a very light weight practical bike, not sure why you'd choose these.

Bikes are hardly a fashion statement.

Nobody has laughed at me while I'm riding my picador trike.

It's actually quite difficult to ride at first as you can't lean into corners and have to steer round them.

Very green though

MuttonCadet - I used to have a very good Canondale hybrid but it just wasn't comfy, for me, to bend forward on to the handlebars. The Pendleton I have now is much cheaper and certainly doesn't feel as good a machine as the Canondale but it is so much comfier for me to sit upright and I love having a basket to put my shopping in.

I used to have a Globe bike a bit like this a while ago. It looked absolutely gorgeous, but fuck me it was slow and heavy. Fine when going downhill, shit when you have to go even slightly up an incline.

I got sick of arriving at work in a sweaty mess despite pootling along at a snails pace, so I bought a Specialized Vita. Lovely bike, get it maintained by the cheap as chips people by the climbing centre, but am learning to do it myself as it's not too hard. 5 years I've had it now and I love it to bits still.

I like those and would like to know from those who have them, are they easier on the lower back than the more common 10 speed type of bike with low handlebars?

I have a Pashley trike. I've ridden it once in 2 years and have to work out a way to get it from my friends's house 100 miles away to mine.

It cost an obscene amount of money.

See my reply above MusicalEndorphins. I didn't know what to do with all those gears! Yes certainly easier on the back and shoulders and neck.