Pashley Trikes.

[Zoidburg]

Now I am not one to whinge but...I had a lady bring in a pashley trike to the workshop a month or so back. It was a Tri 1 with the cargo webbing platform on the back. This bike was used by her daughter as she had lost the use of an arm a while back. It was about 3 years old or so, the lady wanted to know if I could do anything about the wheels, both rear wheels had been built up on hubs that had recieved completely no anodizing or clear coating and from what I could see no heat treatment, both had simply turned into aluminium dust - resulting in broken flanges.

Now I rang Pashley and explained the problem - the previous dealer who had sold the trike had since gone bump and I was trying to source replacements under warranty as I didn't consider the hubs as ever having been fit for the purpose in the first place as they were doomed to perish into dust from day one.

Pashley held their hands up and said yes they had did indeed sold a run of trikes with shonky wheels about 3 years back, all I had to do was provide a frame number and a picture, which I did and lo and behold pashley sent me a spanky new set of rear wheels about a week later. This is all well and good but then I came to fit the things.

All on cartidge bearings so that's good, but I unscrew the drive wheel and pull the axle out, there are no flats on the axle and the screw on block means that as you unscrew the wheel you tighten the freehub, or vice versa.

I ring Pashley again and ask  "why no flat for for a spanner?"

Pashley - "Oh we just put them in a vice"

Me - "But thats going to mark it and leave raised edges"

Pashley - "It doesnt matter the customer won't see it"

At this point I was getting a bit lairy about the whole affair but I popped it in the big engineering vice, it needed enough welly that only metal on metal would give enough engagement to remove the wheel. So I then have to use a file and wet and dry to get the thing smooth enough to fit inside the cartridge bearings.

So then we come to the cartridge bearings, I popped them out just to check all was well expecting to find a machined out cup inside the flared end of the axle tube.

No - No machining only what I can describe as piece of scrap off cut from a steerer tube shove inside and a thin piece of toothed metal band to hold it all in, except there is no way of making it sit straight as there is no circumfrential machining for it to sit against, It wasnt sitting straight when I took it out and there was no way of making it sit straight when you refitted it. I got it done in the end but It left me feeling like I had carried out a bodge, which isnt a feeling I enjoy. The problem was it was a bodge from new and it has really made me reconsider what I think of Pashley and It's products. The service was good but the initial product has not lived up to expectations considering the original price.

Anyone with any similar experiences when it comes to the 3+ wheeled range from Pashley?

[ed_o_brain]

 

I'd been eyeing these up for a while as potential sprog transport.
Thanks for the headsup.

[Ian H]

Pashley have upped their game recently, but the old stuff was always gaspipe.

[resus1uk]

My old Picador is definitely "gas-pipe" engineering but still easy to fix. Good fun to use as a shopper.

Most of my local bike shops don't touch them.
Paint job & the way the drive train was made is poor.
Original Pashley spares are not available.

However I'm glad I didn't buy from new & pay the full price.

[Sigurd Mudtracker]

We have a Picador.  Apart from trying to ride the thing - which is next to impossible - it's pretty poor quality build.  The rear axle is a very simple affair, with I think one cartridge bearing supporting it near the hub.  Inboard, there is a palin metal loop supporting the axle near the final drive chain - no bearing whatsoever.  The rest of the bike is of the painted pressed steel variety, except the rear rack, which I could well believe is made of cast iron.

I'm not surprised that so many of these turn up on eBay.  I think they are bought as  a "good idea" then sold on after minimal use once people discover how unusable they are.  Coming with a few years trike experience, riding it is hard enough; a non-cyclist with only experience of two wheels must be immediately put off.

Of course, if you want to buy a low mileage, good condition Pashley Picador, let me know...

[Zoidburg]

Pashley have upped their game recently, but the old stuff was always gaspipe.

Old range? This is part of the current range and less than 3 years old with very little use, going on this year's range I do not see what has changed to be honest, a machined ally cup for the bearings would cost a few quid at most.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Pashley have always been like this.

Cycleworks used to sell their 'sit up' range (pashley princess, etc).  They stopped selling them as the paint flaked off within 2 years.

Gaspipe bendy frames, cheap, hacked together bits.

Cresswell Engineering introduced some good designs and upped the 'engineering' of the range, but have a history of bodging

[Ian H]

Pashley have upped their game recently, but the old stuff was always gaspipe.

Old range? This is part of the current range...

Yes, but the basic design goes back to the dark ages. I was actually thinking about new  models such as the Moulton design that's now 531 and apparently pretty good.