Biketest Photographs: Robert Spanring bikes are often used in period films and TV dramas; keep your eyes peeled and you’ll see some in the latest Mary Ride high Poppins film. If you don’t like attention, this is not Roadsters are comfortable and practical urban the bike for you. People stop you in the transport. Victoria Hazael tests a Pashley Princess street to talk to you about it and tell you their mother/aunty/granny used to ride Sovereign and Gazelle Chamonix C7 one like yours. A woman even waved me down in the street shouting: “What’s your bike’s name?”. (Hers is Demelza, after her favourite character in Poldark.) And I was invited to a Pashley picnic by a man on a oadster, sit-up-and-beg, or Dutch bike? Pashley Guv’nor at the traffic lights. There are various names for a bike The Gazelle Chamonix C7 is a more R designed for slower cycling in an upright modern looking bike, although it is position with a swept back handlebar, often a designed by Royal Dutch Gazelle, a step-through frame, a chainguard, a coat- or skirt- company that started in 1892. A few guard, and a basket or rack to carry a small load. people I met thought it was an e-bike and VICTORIA You don’t spot many in the UK, but roadsters are that I had a motor inside the boxy frame. HAZAEL a common sight on the streets of the Netherlands, I have no idea why, since I was cycling Website Editor Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, all places where very slowly. Victoria has there is a culture of everyday cycling. a bad back so The Pashley Princess Sovereign and the Gazelle Frame and fork needs to cycle Chamonix C7 enable you to glide through the The Pashley Princess Sovereign’s lugged sitting upright streets rather than race along in Lycra with your steel frame is brazed by hand and at the moment head down. That’s important to me at the moment painted at the Pashley factory. There’s a as I’ve injured my lower back and pelvis. Sitting up steel fork too, and fittings on the frame prevents strains, aches, and pains. for a rear rack and a pretty but not The Pashley Sovereign was designed in the 1930s very easy-to-use pump. The geometry and hasn’t changed all that much since. It is still is classically -ish, with relaxed handmade in the UK, in Stratford upon Avon. Pashley frame angles and a long wheelbase. It

66 cycle OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 ROADSTERS BIKE TEST First look Retro style combined with everyday function, but remarkably If you don’t heavy even for a roadster like attention, this is not the bike for you. People stop you in the street to talk to you about it

Tech Spec PASHLEY PRINCESS SOVEREIGN 8 SPEED

Price: £875 and hub. suits cruising around at front light is (un)matched Sizes: 17.5, 20, or Eight ratios, 31-94in. an easy pace rather than with a battery-powered LED 22in (17.5in tested) Braking: Shimano travelling in a hurry. rear light. The Gazelle also Weight: Nexus roller brakes. The Gazelle Chamonix has a battery rear light, and 22.4kg/49.3lb Steering & seating: C7 frame is TIG-welded, it’s an odd choice in both Frame & fork: Rubber grips, hydroformed aluminium, cases. While it’s true that Lugged & brazed hi- 560×25.4mm with a sportier geometry you can have a brighter ten steel frame with steel backswept and slightly lower step front lamp if you don’t fittings for rear rack handlebar, alloy & and pump. Chrome- steel quill , 1in through. Though nearly divert some of the power moly steel fork. threaded . 4kg lighter than the to the rear, the real reason Wheels: 37-590 Brooks B66s saddle, Pashley, it’s still a heavy may simply be production Schwalbe Marathon 25.6mm steel plain bike. The aluminium fork efficiencies as there’s no Plus tyres, 590×18 . has head/steerer tube (internal?) rear wiring alloy rims, 36×3 Equipment: steel suspension reminiscent of required. , Shimano mudguards, Cannondale’s Headshok The wheels on the Nexus dynamo front Pletscher alloy Top: Underneath the handy system, except that here wicker basket is a lovely Pashley are a traditional hub, Shimano Nexus rear rack, plastic it’s a simple steel spring dynamo lamp. Oddly, the rear size: 26×1 3/8in, otherwise 8-speed rear hub. chaincase, wicker lamp is battery powered offering only around 25mm known as 650A. The Transmission: basket, , Bottom: 8-speed gearing rubber-treaded flat skirt-guard, Axa of travel. I didn’t feel it was helps with the bike's heft, but rims are 590mm in pedals, chromed Solid frame lock, necessary as the upright a bigger to lower all diameter, 6mm bigger the gears would be helpful steel cranks, 44t pump, bell, B&M riding position means your than 650B/27.5in. It’s an chainring, square Lumotec front weight isn’t on your hands. uncommon size, mid- taper bottom dynamo lamp, way between 700C and 26in MTB size. bracket, 20t Herrmans rear Components Limited tyre choices aside, it’s actually sprocket. Shimano battery lamp. At first glance the Pashley Princess a decent option for a smaller size bike. Nexus 8-speed pashley.co.uk Sovereign looks like a bike from the The largest size Princess, meanwhile, 1930s and 1940s. On closer inspection, it has ISO 635 wheels (also uncommon!), Dimensions 560 in millimetres 510 has a mix of classic and contemporary just like the men’s Roadster Sovereign. and degrees components. The sprung leather saddle Puncture repairs don’t normally faze 67.5˚ n/a 73 430 might be a traditional Brooks but the me but the rear wheel on the Pashley 672 chaincase, for example, is plastic. made me worried I’d have to faff about 69 645 470 135 The beautiful, hub-dynamo-powered with my whole toolkit on the roadside to 590 67.5˚ 170 290 33 64 1120

CYCLINGUK.ORG cycle 67 ROADSTERS BIKE TEST Go online Read Cycling UK's top ten tips for cycling in traffic: cyclinguk.org/top-ten-tips-for- cycling-in-traffic First look A Dutch roadster with modern styling. The Switch stem is great, the suspension post and fork less so

Tech Spec GAZELLE CHAMONIX C7

Price: £799 ratios, 36-89in. mend one. Thankfully, tried a long skirt and wide Sizes: 49, 53, 57, Braking: Shimano I didn’t have to take the culotte style trousers to 61cm (53 tested) Nexus Inter M roller wheel off: the Schwalbe confirm they were effective. Weight: 18.7kg/41.4lb brakes, Sturmey Marathon Plus tyres are It’s quite liberating to be Frame & fork: Archer levers. almost impregnable. The able to ride in anything Aluminium frame Steering & seating: price to pay for the lack of you fancy. Plus your chain with fittings for 620×25.4mm alloy punctures is that they’re should last longer as it’s mudguard, rear handlebar, 110mm not exactly easy rolling. more protected. rack, frame lock. Gazelle Switch Aluminium fork with adjustable stem, The Gazelle has ‘normal’ The mudguards on the ~25mm steel spring 1 1/8in threadless size (700C) wheels with Pashley are steel so won’t suspension. headset. Selle Royal easier rolling but less fold up behind the fork if Wheels: 37-622 Ruvola saddle, tough tyres. If you do get a stick gets caught. Both Schwalbe City Lite 27.2mm Post a puncture, vertical rear bikes have frame locks; the tyres, 622×19 Mach Moderne seatpost dropouts make rear wheel one on the Gazelle is more 1 ER10 rims, 36×3 (~20mm travel). removal and refitting more Top: Another battery- secure as it's bolted to the spokes, Shimano Equipment: straightforward. There’s a powered rear lamp! frame. But don’t rely on Nexus dynamo front chromoplastic Bottom: There's a steel spring hub & Nexus 7 rear. mudguards, alloy chain tensioner hidden in in there offering around 25mm either for anything more Transmission: rear rack, skirt- the chaincase to stop the of suspension travel. Given than just-popping-into-a- 170mm Gazelle guard, kickstand, chain going slack. the upright riding position, it's shop security. largely superfluous alloy chainset, 38t Axa Defender Both bikes have modern With a rear rack and, in chainring, square frame lock, plastic hub gears and roller the case of the Pashley, a taper bb, chain chaincase, Axa brakes. Pashley switched sturdy front basket, both tensioner, 18t Blueline 300 dynamo over from rod brakes in the late 1990s, as bikes are suitable for commuting or sprocket. Shimano front lamp, Gazelle roller brakes are much more effective at shopping. Either would accommodate Nexus 7-speed battery LED rear. stopping the bike in the rain. They don’t a childseat, although adding a 10-15kg shifter & hub. Seven gazellebikes.com offer the instant bite of disc or V-brakes, toddler to an already heavy bike would however, so you need to think ahead require quite a lot of strength to ride. Dimensions variable in millimetres 540 and leave more time to brake, especially The bikes’ came in handy, and degrees going downhill. and the Gazelle’s is particularly sturdy. 71.5˚ n/a 57 530 Both bikes are fully equipped. With I missed mounts, which 694 a chaincase and skirt-guard, you can neither bike has, as I tested the bikes in a 52 645 450 135 rider either bike in whatever you want; I heatwave. 622 70.5˚ 170 300 33 68 1095 CYCLINGUK.ORG cycle 69 BIKE TEST ROADSTERS

Cycle’s test promise At Cycle, we are proudly independent. There’s no pressure to please advertisers as we’re funded by your membership. Our product reviews aren’t press releases; they’re written by experienced cyclists after thorough testing.

Above: The Pashley's strap-on frame lock Near right: A front lamp that's ever ready! Top right: The Gazelle's hub is 7-speed not 8 Bottom right: Both bikes keep your clothes clean

The ride Other options aren’t considered ‘women’s bikes’. I rode the bikes on my commute, on 10-mile The high of the Gazelle rides, and when cycling with my children. is not helped by its suspension seatpost, Aside from the riding position, the most which moves up or down when you change obvious feature – common to many roadsters your position on the saddle and not just – is weight. They are both really heavy. The over bumps. I found it hard to get the saddle Pashley is 22.4kg, which is more than many height correct and would have a preferred a e-bikes! You can’t help but notice this if normal post, or even a dropper seatpost. you’re used to lighter bikes. However, I loved the adjustable Gazelle GENESIS Even with the help of the Shimano Nexus Switch stem. The Switch makes it easy to fine COLUMBIA RD 8-speed gears that Pashley introduced in £899.99 tune the riding position, and would make it 2017, hills are hard, especially if like me A steel roadster that easy to swap between different riders. It’s you’re not the lightest rider. I began to notice weighs less: this is under perfect for anyone with back or neck pain slight inclines on roads I cycle daily and that 15kg. It has 700C wheels, issues. To see the Gazelle switch in action, 8-speed hub gearing, I had always thought of as quite flat. Lower watch the video: cyclinguk.org/Gazelle. and mechanical discs. gears would help. I’d like a bigger sprocket The bottom bracket on the Pashley is also genesisbikes.co.uk for both bikes. quite high but that’s mitigated by the bike’s The Gazelle is easier to ride uphill despite slack seat angle; the saddle isn’t as high off its higher bottom gear, and it feels a bit the ground. nippier when turning. Its twist-shift gears should be more intuitive for returnee cyclists. Gear shifting, which can be done while stationary, is smooth on both bikes, and the steps between ratios feel nice and even. Verdict BOBBIN BIRDIE 7 Both these bikes offer a comfortable riding position The Gazelle’s bottom bracket is unusually £385 for shorter journeys, combined with a great view high for a town bike, making it harder to A pretty steel bike in of the road. The Gazelle Chamonix C7 is a modern put a foot down at the lights. At 5ft 6in, a range of colours, it’s take on the classic roadster, with an amazing stem I’m not particularly short but the Dutch 16kg and has 7-speed that lets you find the most appropriate riding are generally taller than us, which might gearing and sidepull calliper brakes. position quickly. The Pashley Princess Sovereign is a explain this design choice – and the fact that Budget components beautiful classic that’s made in Britain. Yet there’s no this bike comes in a huge 61cm size. In the reflect the budget price. escaping its weight, so even in this 8-speed version Netherlands, bikes with step-through frames bobbinbikes.com it’s better suited to flatter parts of the UK.

70 cycle OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019