Founded in 1926, Pashley Cycles is a brand most associated with traditional style bikes that look straight out of a TV murder mystery set in the 1950s. But alongside its retro collection, it’s steadily adding more modern styles, including the Pathfinder flat bar gravel bike in pedal-only and electric versions.
The latest addition to its range is the Roadfinder, which is available in four configurations: the road-oriented Roadfinder, the gravel spec Roadfinder X and electric versions of both.
Pashley CEO Andy Smallwood, formerly of Ribble, says that the Roadfinder is designed to be the Swiss Army Knife of bicycles.
"The Roadfinder collection also perfectly showcases and builds on our heritage of artisan frame-building, appealing to all riders who appreciate true versatility, performance and the unique ride experience you only get from a high-end steel frame, built by hand using the very best materials,” he affirms.
Versatile frame design
Pashley says that the Roadfinder range is designed to offer an endurance-focussed geometry, but still with a performance edge.
The Roadfinder and Roadfinder X are both based on the same Reynolds 853 steel frameset, which is hand-welded in Pashley’s Stratford-Upon-Avon factory and electrocoated to prevent corrosion.
As well as the classic mitred steel tubes and aluminium head tube badge, the Roadfinder has a 3D printed seat tube-top tube junction and a removable 3D printed front derailleur hanger. The frame has a UDH derailleur interface, as well as a form of internal cable routing that avoids the headset bearings for easier servicing.
It’s also adorned with a wide range of mounts: three for bottle cages and a top tube bag mount, alongside mudguard and rear rack mounts. There are yet more mounting points on the legs of the Columbus Futura Cross+ carbon fork, so you can load up for off-road or on-road bikepacking or touring.
The electric Roadfinder E and Roadfinder X E are fabricated from a mix of Reynolds 725, 631 and 525 tubing. They’re powered by a Mahle X20 motor system with a rear hub motor with 55Nm of torque and a 250Wh internal downtube battery. The motor control panel is recessed into the top tube, so you lose the top tube bag mounts.
Wide range of spec options
Pashley is offering the Roadfinder in a wide range of specs. The road-going Roadfinder and Roadfinder X are available with a choice of mechanical Shimano 105 or electronic 105 Di2 and Ultegra Di2 groupsets.
The two higher specs include Parcours Alta carbon wheels and all specs are fitted with Panaracer Gravelking Semi-Slick 35mm tyres. These have a smooth central tread but include a lugged shoulder, offering the Roadfinder and Roadfinder X all-road capability.
Other finishing kit includes Zipp Service Course bars, stem and seatpost and a Brooks Cambium C15 saddle and bar tape. You can choose to add colour-matched mudguards or to swap out the finishing kit for silver Zipp components and a Brooks B17 tan leather saddle.
Pashley quotes a weight from 9.5kg for the pedal-only bike and 13.2kg for the electric version.
Opt for the Roadfinder X or Roadfinder X E and there’s a choice of 1x groupsets: Shimano GRX 610 12-speed, Sram Rival XPLR AXS 12-speed or Campagnolo Ekar 13-speed.
There are the same Parcours Alta carbon wheels on the two higher specs. Tyres are swapped out for 45mm Panaracer Gravelking X1. Again, you can choose the Classic silver/tan finishing kit, although the wider tyres preclude fitting mudguards. Quoted weights are from 9.8kg for pedal-only, 13.5kg for the e-bike.
The price ranges for both the road and gravel specs are the same. Pedal-only prices range from £2,795 to £4,595 in the UK ($3,995 to $6,595 in the US; €3,695 to €5,995 in Europe; AU$6,195 to AU$9,995 in Australia).
E-bike prices are from £3,995 to £5,995 in the UK ($5,795 to $8,595 in the US; €5,295 to €7,995 in Europe; AU$8,795 to AU$13,195 in Australia).
There's also a frameset-only option, priced at £1,595 ($2,295 in the US; $1,595 in Europe; AU$3,495 in Australia)
