There are plenty of bikes in between the extremes of Pashley and race bike, and most of them weigh a lot less than 45 pounds. Stability in a bike is more a function of frame design, especially the trail in the forks, than of weight.
Perhaps it's because I learned to ride on a similar bike (a 1940s CCM delivery bike), but I don't see the appeal of paying that much money for very out of date technology. Even the Dutch don't ride bikes like that much any more - most people in Holland go for newer and lighter versions of their transport bikes. (Similar to the Breezer Uptown 8.) If you see fashionable young people in photos on the old steel Pashley type bikes, it's because it's the local version of the cheap steel clunker that you won't miss if the junkies steal it.

Heavy bikes have their utility in flat countries. Much of the UK and all of Holland is flat and the extra weight isn't really a factor. And if there's wind, you're going to go slow anyway so you might as well enjoy the ride.

The reason is low end tubing.

lol,
+1

You can get a decent dual suspension mountain bike that weighs 30 lbs for that price. Even with all the fenders and chainguards in the world that bike shouldn't weigh that much.

Holland is as flat as a pancake. But the UK has no end of places that are far from flat. If you ever talk to cyclists who live in the hilly parts, you will find that they are anxious to shave off every extra gram off their bikes...

Oh great! Thanks to me reading Veloria's blog, now I want a Pashley!:p There's a small shop in town that actually has a few of them. I'll ride the Meteor Puch over tomorrow to look at them.
Ernest

If you ride anywhere with hills, that bike would be like dragging a boat anchor. Do yourself a favor and find a good custom builder who could make you a bike that looks just as nice and weighs half as much, probably for less money. If you live in England, Mercian or Bob Jackson could build you a custom frame that would be every bit as stylish as the Pashly, weigh only 20 lbs. built up, and painted as nice as anyone.

Hills? Too heavy, gearing too steep, position all wrong.

Live on the second floor? Have to park up a flight of stairs? Too heavy.

Wind? You're sitting upright like a giant sail... the weight is not the issue.

The bicycle is great, once you take into account those imperfections.

I was riding through one of the windier places in Netherlands this summer and almost all the riders (and everyone rides) had aerobars on their upright bikes.
Typical Dutch bikes these days are aluminium 3-8 speed with front dyno-hub. You see the old steel bikes more commonly in cities.

Pashley bikes ride very well, they have have a quality of ride which is best described as Regal. The queen doesn't drive very fast but she does own all the road. That's how you feel.

Agreed. Riding a Pashley is akin to driving a Cadillac. You forget the weight when you experience the luxuriousness of the ride. That more than makes up for the weight.

Weight weenies who obsess over every gram have never ridden a Pashley!

it's absurd and pointless. then again, so is racing in twill. if you're up for one, you're probably up for the other, and the pashley. I kvetch that my bike is a fatty at almost 22lb because I don't want to huff it and my bag up and down the inevitable stairs in my commute.

Minus the 400 HP engine... The Cadillac doesn't stall going up hill...

Again there are mountain bikes you can ride up and down stairs that weigh about 20 lbs less...

I have tons of extra weight on my bike: rack, fenders, hub gearing, generator hub, chainguard, clip-on aero bars... But I don't want extra useless weight.

If I wanted a smoother ride I would get a bike with suspension, not carry 10-20 lbs of extra steel...

Why not lose that 20lb spare tire you store around your waist first ;)

I weigh 145 lbs down from 198 last year :)

But sure I'll lose another 20 lbs and become underweight to ride a cool looking bike :P

Seriously though, I'm usually more than ready to compromise on weight. And I'm always quick to point out how little difference it makes. But when I read the initial post and saw it said the bike was 45-50 lbs I thought it had to be a typo since I knew the bike was well over $1000...

With a bike weighing 50 lbs! - Its not going to get any "heavier" when you start piling stuff on it. But a city bike is designed to be ridden comfortably under load.

There is a difference between them and cheap knockoff gaspipe bicycles that becomes apparent from the very first ride!

It's not going to get heavier? I'm going to be a jerk and do the math.

Me 150 lbs + my bike (35 lbs) = 185 lbs
Me 150 lbs + pashley (50 lbs) = 200 lbs

Oh wait I want to carry 20 lbs of stuff. My bike will weigh 205 lbs, but the Pashley won't get any heavier... So I guess that's a win for the Pashley :P

The difference is a $1000 hole in the wallet. I guess that makes you lighter :)

Not everyone likes the way a typical Cadillac rides. The word "Boat" comes to mind. ;)

Some folks do though and they may well be the type that enjoys a Pashley but I doubt riding one would make me want to give up my road bike.

I weigh the same as you. No one is forcing you to buy a Pashley. Which costs about the same as many entry level CF bikes that also lighten one's wallet! Like I say, it does superbly what's it designed to do.

That's the difference between the Cadillac and a Ferrari. Some people on here like fast bikes.

No one is being asked to give up their road bike. But a Pashley is an entirely different bike for those who appreciate it.

Fair enough.

The pashley gives you a bike with internal gear hub (5 speed), generator lights (front and back) with hub generator, hub brakes, chain guard, fenders, coat guard, rack and cool looking stand.

I find all of those highly desirable except for for the coat guard (of questionable value to me) and the hub brakes (if they require backpedaling, since I like repositioning my pedals), and I have all of the others on my bike (except for the hub brakes, and I have an 8-speed hub, and a much brighter LED headlight).

Besides that the only thing special about the bike is that it looks vintage...

Thinking about it again, I mean it's very convenient to get all those thing pre-installed when getting the bike, and it isn't a bad value. It's just 10 lbs heavy (at least)... It could have everything it's got and lose that 10 lbs, and be just as awesome, but then I guess the price would go up...

The coat guard is meant to protect a lady's dress or a men's coat from getting dirtied while riding - hence the name.

Drum brakes don't require backpedaling. You just apply the brakes and stop. Works same as drum brakes on a car.

There is the vintage look and then there is there the versatility. Millions of Europeans still ride a roadster to work, school, shopping trips and outings in the country and they can't all be wrong.

And the Pashley is made by one of the few genuine bike companies that actually builds its own frames. So you're buying history when you buy one.

Perhaps all that weight loss has made you weak? I ride a bike that tips the scales at 45lbs fully dressed, it allows slower, more feeble riders to keep up with me. I was out riding the MUP on Sunday, some lycra clad fool on a LeMond tried to keep pace and failed, the lycra made him look like a freaking bratwurst....

45lbs, 5 speed SA drum brakes, dyno hubed, hand brazed love machine:

http://images2e.snapfish.com/2323232...28832%3Anu0mrj

Nice bike! I'll have to post a picture of mine when I get home (or at lunch time). It's missing the basket, but it has a chainguard and clip-on aero bars. Haven't weighed it with all the extra stuff. You know it might well turn out that my bike is heavier than all of these and then I'll have to swallow my hat...

I also have a road bike I don't ride as much. I don't know how strong a rider I am, but I go faster on the road bike. And the slow lycra clad cyclist is rare around here, especially this time of year. But I guess it's different in other places. The funniest was this summer when I was cycling on vacation and I passed an entire group of cyclists riding in a pace line (on a Sunday), while riding a heavy mountain bike...

I might be weaker, but not because of the weight loss. I stopped cycling regularly maybe 3 or 4 years ago, only started again at the end of last year, and only started riding seriously this year.

Rack, basket, fenders, kickstand, tools/spares/pump are ~12lbs. Cool hand brazed frame, 5 speed IGH, drum brakes and dynohub (and sexy 1 piece crank) make the bike ~32lbs stripped. A bike without the extra isn't of much use to me. My roadie weighs 27lbs....

The Pashley gives a similar ride, all set to go for a very reasonable price. People drop $10K on a wristwatch and $1K on dinner, for those folks a Pasley is cheap. I'd rather have a Pasley than some hidious 20lb CF urbanized Trek.

Hand-built classics are rare. And did I mentioned the Pashley is fully lugged?

You'd need to go custom to get a lugged bike today.

At $1,000 its a bargain.

$1000 is a great price. Though I found it selling in Canada for more, I guess you can't help the cost of importing them:
Pashley in Canada

Not to be a spoil sport, but except for the vintage look a lugged frame is not really an advantage. TIG welding, fillet brazing, and lugged construction are all strong enough if done properly.