Utility Cycling - What to do with Pashley Mailstars?

Hi. I have up to four or five Pashley Mailstar frames. They're the same as the "Pronto":

http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/mailstar.html
http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/pronto.html

None have wheels, gears, brakes, decent BB's, seatposts/saddles, handlebars, or anything else.

I do have their baskets and rear racks, though. And some mudguards.

Now, they're really heavy frames, which puts me off using one as the basis of a cargo bike for myself (a longtail of some sort). But on the other hand, they're going to be pretty solid, and the step-through frame would perhaps be an advantage when large loads are at the back.

They have a interesting rear "triangle" components, which perhaps might be useful to cut off and use as the back of a longtail, using a different bike as the main frame? Or even using one mailstar as the main frame and the back of another as the new back part.

Or do you reckon they're heavy and not really worth the trouble?

My main concerns are:
> They're nowhere near "ready to ride" condition, and I'd need to rig up all the gears, changers, brakes, etc. - and I'm not even sure if the frames can accomodate "normal" gear equipment and brakes?
> They're extremely heavy.
> I don't much like the appearance of step-through frames.

I would be using the result of these bikes (if any) in my courier company, by the way. I do want to make a longtail of some sort.

Any comments or ideas? By the way if anyone else wants one of these frames and they can get around to Norfolk, England, then just PM me or something and I can put them aside for you.

Thanks

Here in the US, I think you could sell them as utility bikes, though without the complete bike, you couldn't get much money for them. I'd look into using used wheels and cranks off other old bikes on them, myself, try to get them in running condition at minimal cost.

How heavy is "heavy"? The rear triangel is a bit like on the mixte, I think that is good for a longtail. Personaly I like the steptrough frame of my Dogbike2 better than the MTB frame of the Dogbike1. But then the alu oversized MTB frame of Dogbike1 is lighter and feels faster (could be the gearing).

I know some peopel like to have a top tube to lean against one of your legs when using a longtail. I do not.

Not sure if I would use the rear triangel as the last part of a longtail, but it all depends. If you can weld and you do not mind some extra work it could be ok. I`d look for a rear triangel from a "full suspension" MTB

How heavy is "heavy"?

I don't know, sorry :/



The rear triangel is a bit like on the mixte, I think that is good for a longtail. Personaly I like the steptrough frame of my Dogbike2 better than the MTB frame of the Dogbike1. But then the alu oversized MTB frame of Dogbike1 is lighter and feels faster (could be the gearing).

I know some peopel like to have a top tube to lean against one of your legs when using a longtail. I do not.

Not sure if I would use the rear triangel as the last part of a longtail, but it all depends. If you can weld and you do not mind some extra work it could be ok. I`d look for a rear triangel from a "full suspension" MTB

Yea, I do have the rear triangle from a full-suspension bike, but it's in awful condition and the bottom bracket it stuck in there and all mangled. I might just cut it out, since when I put in an "axle"/bolt to be bolted into the dropouts of the main bike frame, I can just weld that onto the rear triangle, kind of in/on the bottom bracket. It's still hard to get the BB out, though.
I'll see what bikes are for sale with my local random-second-hand-bikes man.

Thanks!