Traditional

Wooden bar end plugs now available….

| marklordphoto

Wooden Bar Ends-IMG_8778_003

I’ve been doing a little fettling over the Winter on the Guvnor and wanted to change the bar end plugs from the Brooks ones to something more native to the UK. The Brooks ones look great but are a bit flimsy and apparently not made in the UK. I met a wood turner at a fair some time ago and we have kept in touch, last year he moved to Warwickshire and is not a million miles for the home of Pashley. I gave him an old bar end plug as a template and asked him if he could make me something using native wood that would compliment the bicycle. Yesterday I received two pairs of bar end plugs, one pair in a burr elm (from a tree chopped down in Warwickshire!) and the other pair made of spalted beech. I like the contrast of the cream and dark brown and think they look most stylish on the Guvnor. 
The gentleman who made them is happy to make bar end plugs for other bicycle lovers so if you are interested please email me marklord75@gmail.com and I will forward your details to him and he will liaise with you direct.

 

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Pashley Picnic Ride 2015 – Stratford Upon Avon, The Birthplace of William Shakespeare!

| marklordphoto

Yesterday Mrs Lord and I attended our first Pashley Picnic. I am lucky enough to own a Pashley Guvnor and Mrs Lord is unlucky enough to own a mountain bike. So I hired a ladies Pashley from The Traditional Cycle Shop for my lady to ride. on trying out the stead – a lovely Princess, it was clear the frame was a little too large for my good but petite lady to ride safely. Pashley Picnic 2015-DSCF8263_003   Nick at The Traditional Cycle Shop kindly offered their display model 17.5″ Britannia to my wife. The frame size was perfect and Mrs L was ready for the ride! All riders received a fantastic Pashley goody bag with treats from Belvoir & Tyrells to sustain us for the ride and ground coffee from Monsoon Estates which I am enjoying now!! After a coffee & a glass of prosecco we headed off with the other riders into the nearby countryside towards Charlcote Park where we stopped for a break which was more drinks from Belvoir, Saddle Black beers from a brewery called Purity & delcious cupcakes. Pashley Picnic 2015-DSCF8331_042   Along the way I stopped off and grabbed a few snaps with the small camera I packed for the day. It was nice to enjoy the ride for what it was and not be the photographer for the day as I am at many events. Pashley Picnic 2015-DSCF8298_022 On our way back to the picnic we made a detour through Stratford upon Avon to William Shakespeare’s house. We caused quite a stir, all ringing our bells! Pashley Picnic 2015-DSCF8466_096   Please feel free to save the images for your own personal use or for those suppliers involved please share on your own Facebook pages or Twiter feed. Pashley Picnic 2015-DSCF8539_126 We look forward to the next Pashley Picnic ride and maybe Mrs Lord will have her own Britannia by then!!! Thank you everyone for what was a jolly good day! Mark

New Shoes! British Craftsmanship at it’s best…..

| marklordphoto

Bicycle and Shoes-IMG_0431_010

In preparation for the Pashley Picnic this weekend and several lovely rides planned for this summer and beyond I have purchased myself a proper pair of British made cycling shoes! My Converse don’t quite look the part so it was time I looked online for a nice pair of shoes. I found a few articles about William Lennon; a company based in the Peak District, established in 1899 to make working boots for those that worked in the lead mines and local quarries.

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I appreciate anything handmade in this green and pleasant land and just like my Pashley, these fine shoes are also made by hand in the traditional method. More can found out about William Lennon & Co on their website by clicking here

After deciding I needed a pair of these lovely shoes I called them and spoke to a lady by the name of Libs who was very helpful and took my order for a pair of Arturo in a size 10. She assured me they were UK sizes and I can assure you the sizes are accurate with my new shoes fitting like a glove…… well, shoe.

William Lennon are a great company, the shoes are a fraction of the price of their competition and fantastic quality at just under £70 inc postage. I am breaking them in today around the house but already they feel very supple and comfortable. I cannot wait to get these on my MKS pedal this weekend and be proud on my riding my British engineered Pashley with my British crafted shoes.

Rather over indulgently I took my shoes and bike out last night for a few pictures….

Spotted the deliberate mistake? They are now re-laced and my shoes are 100% streamlined!

A trip around the Pashley factory, England

| marklordphoto

Pashley are England’s longest established and in my opinion finest manufacture of tradional bicycles. Based in Stratford-upon-Avon their small and highly skilled team have been producing handcrafted frames and components since 1926.  Here is a short video showing their traditional methods of manufacturing their hand built British bicycles.

To find out more about Pashley Cycles and their rather splendid bicycles please click here

This video has been produced by Ralph Lauren for the launch of a handbuilt Pashley bicycle for the Tweed Run.

 

New Bicycle Ordered! #Pashley #Guvnor

| marklordphoto

Firstly please excuse the basic blog for now but hopefully it will be well worth the follow soon!

Today I drove to Stratford Upon Avon and ordered myself a brand new Pashley Guvnor bicycle. I test rode the 22″ bicycle on show at the Traditional Cycle Shop and surprisingly it fitted well. I thought with my stumpy legs a 20.5″ would fit better, however the 22″ fitted well! I rode the bicycle around the car park near the shop by the canal, I’m not sure how many laps I did but I got a few funny looks by the tenth lap 😉

 pashley guvnor

I now begin the long wait whilst my ‘handmade’ bicycle is ………. well handmade. Hopefully it will be here within a fortnight and ready for the 2014 Pashley Picnic!

Keep in touch and happy riding in this glorious sunshine!