British bicycle company Pashley is known for its classic bike designs, including the Guv‘Nor (a 1930s-style race bike), and the step-through Britannia (complete with a wicker basket).
Yet the historic brand has modernised its approach in recent years. Pashley has been growing its line-up of electric bikes and, in January, released the Roadfinder SL, which blends the company’s steel frame-building expertise with up-to-date tech such as electronic gears and a SRAM UDH dropout.
Now Pashley's latest bike, the Wildfinder, continues the brand’s change of direction and synthesis of old and new.
The bike is said to be an “all-terrain adventure machine” that is designed to “take a ride on the wild side”. And yes, we are still talking about the company that used to make bikes for the Royal Mail.
A ‘grountain’ bike
Pashley’s project design lead, Mark Lloyd, says: “We have designed the Wildfinder to be a drop-bar mountain bike, blurring the lines between gravel and mountain genres (I like to call it a ‘grountain’ bike) primarily designed to be a capable machine for long-distance, multi-day, off-road bikepacking expeditions.”
Lloyd adds that, even if you’re not on a bikepacking trip, the ‘grountain’ bike is equally at home exploring more challenging gravel terrain and singletrack.
Pashley has built the Wildfinder with this off-road capability and the more extreme end of gravel riding firmly in mind. It says the Wildfinder’s geometry has been suspension corrected, should you wish to run a gravel fork, and there is the option of a RockShox SID SL fork on all complete bikes and frameset options.
Elsewhere, the bike is UDH compliant, uses a BSA threaded bottom bracket and has external cable routing. Pashley says these features futureproof the bike and make maintenance easier when you’re out “in the wild”.
Cutting-edge manufacturing and craftsmanship
In keeping with the other gravel bikes in its ‘Finder’ collection, Pashley says the bike blends “cutting-edge manufacturing processes and technology with traditional craftsmanship”.
Pashley’s CEO Andy Smallwood says: “It’s the latest example of true British design and craftsmanship, incorporating the best use of Reynolds steel, all created from start to finish by our team of artisans in our Stratford-upon-Avon workshop right here in the UK.”
The frame is made using Reynolds 853 DZB tubing, which is coated for corrosion protection and has an "extra durable" powder finish, according to Pashley.
It features a 3D-printed junction between the seatstays and top tube, alongside a 3D-printed chainstay yoke, which provides clearance for 29x2.4in tyres and chainrings with up to 42 teeth. The 3D-printed dropouts accommodate a 180mm disc brake rotor, which Pashley says is “essential for fully loaded mountain touring.”
Mounting points across the frame mean you can fit the Wildfinder with frame bags, cages and racks.
The Wildfinder is available in five sizes (XS to XL) and in three recommended builds, with a choice of Shimano GRX, SRAM Rival and Shimano SLX groupsets, as well as flat or drop handlebars. Prices range from £2,795 / $4,195 to £3,995 / $5,995.
