Pashley - Princess Sovereign: Anyone have experience with these bikes?
I am seriously considering purchasing a Pashley Princess Sovereign for my wife.
I am told they are the absolute finest handmade City Bikes anywhere.
However it is impossible for me to find one to test ride.
I have only found one authorized dealer in the USA in North Carolina and he happens to have some in stock. I am a bit hesitant about buying a bike without test riding or seeing it first.
Does anybody know anyhting about these bikes or have experience riding them?
Here are the specs and a photo:
Princess Sovereign
Traditional looks combined with modern components create a high quality, stylish town and country bicycle.
FRAME Traditionally lugged and brazed hand built frame.
FORK Roadster crown, hand brazed.
GEARS 5 speed alloy hub gears.
WHEELS 26 x 1 3/8" Schwalbe reflective tyres with puncture protection on Alesa polished alloy rims. Stainless spokes.
HANDLEBAR ITM alloy bend fitted to alloy and stainless steel stem.
BRAKES All weather, low maintenance, alloy hub brakes front and rear.
PEDALS Non-slip.
SADDLE Brooks natural leather with twin coil springs. Honey Colour.
FEATURES Full chaincase, hand-lined enamelled mudguards, ding-dong bell, tyre driven dynamo lighting, enamelled tubular alloy rear carrier, propstand and frame fitting lock. The Princess also features a wicker basket and skirtguards.
COLOUR Regency Green.
SIZE Roadster (Gents) 20" or 22" High Head diamond frame. Princess (Ladies) 18" and 20" Loop frames. (Special order - gents 24" parallel diamond frame, ladies 22" loop frame.) Inside leg length - add 10-14" to frame size.
I think I've ridden one of those while in England. Good, solid (yep, solid), day-to-day riding in an upright position. Yep, millions do use those every day.
I've looked at the Batavus bikes and don't know what they cost in DutchLand but most of the people I know there, didn't want a bike of that price for daily riding as theft is so prevalent.
I found it fun to ride these bikes. A welcome change to the more aggressive geometries of the typical high end mtn bike. In Holland, you can take a train to a nearby town and rent a bike at a train station that is similar to the bike pictured above for a very modest fee. You can do your shopping, return the bike to the train station and take the train back home. Rather civilized I say.
i have a customer with a princess w/rod brakes. its not my favorite bike to work on
Great thing is that the new ones don't have rod brakes any more. Personally I've worked on loads of them (used to wrench in a UK cycle shop that sold huge numbers of them) and found them to be solid, well crafted bikes. Go for it, you won't be disappointed!
And if you like traditional British bikes, check this one out - one of the coolest bikes out there (beats those 'orrible Eurotrackfixies any day)
Great thing is that the new ones don't have rod brakes any more. Personally I've worked on loads of them (used to wrench in a UK cycle shop that sold huge numbers of them) and found them to be solid, well crafted bikes. Go for it, you won't be disappointed!
And if you like traditional British bikes, check this one out - one of the coolest bikes out there (beats those 'orrible Eurotrackfixies any day)
I see you wrote about purchasing a Pashley Soveriegn bike in December and I wonder if you succeeded? I am writing from the UK as a private individual. I have a Pashley Soveriegn 17" (inside leg 31>32"). It is brand new, still in its box with the wixker basket and bell and wheel lock and leather etc exactly as advertised. I need another home for it as I ordered the wrong size for myself. In the UK they retail at about £550. I would be willing to sell it for £500 and explore a USA postage delivery if you are interested. Please let me know. Thank you
We used to carry them in a shop I worked in in Seattle years ago and they are really nice. They are a bit of a pain to work on if you're not used to them, but once you learn their little quirks it's not that bad. There are a bunch of other omafiets (Dutch Grandma bike) available, but the Pashley is better made than any others others I've seen. Oh make sure to buy the drum-brake version not the rod-brake.
Pashley would say its a heresy to convert the Guvnor but it is a Roadster frame... just a
high end one. The drum brakes are more reliable than the old rod brakes ever were and
mine is being outfitted with a dynohub. It has a front rack and and a B-73 saddle like those standard on the Raleigh Tourist DL-1. Its well made and you can get it in any color as long as its black!
Pashley would say its a heresy to convert the Guvnor but it is a Roadster frame... just a high end one. The drum brakes are more reliable than the old rod brakes ever were and
mine is being outfitted with a dynohub. It has a front rack and and a B-73 saddle like those standard on the Raleigh Tourist DL-1. Its well made and you can get it in any color as long as its black!
Hi Norman!
Yes, any drum brake will out power the rod brakes of the DL, ask me how I know especially when wet.
His Guv'nor is going to be a terror around this valley.
Originally Posted by mikesee
Better suited to non-aggressive 125# gals named Russell.
I wouldn't go so far as so say that... yet! What makes me mad is I cannot seem to get ahold of a traditional fold down rack from Steco, an enclosed Excellente chainguard and 28" coast guard from Hesling - its almost impossible to get traditional roadster parts shipped here from the Netherlands via credit card So I'm just going to have to live with an inspiration in progress!
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Originally Posted by hollister
especially when wet. 
Originally Posted by mikesee
What makes me mad is I cannot seem to get ahold of a traditional fold down rack from Steco, an enclosed Excellente chainguard and 28" coast guard from Hesling - its almost impossible to get traditional roadster parts shipped here from the Netherlands via credit card 
So I'm just going to have to live with an inspiration in progress! 
