Pashley v Electra?

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and looking for a fun bike that I can comfortably ride for shorter rides of 3-5 miles and longer rides of up to 20 miles. I like the electra ticino 8d, I test rode it and seems fairly quick and looks rather nice. I also really like the Pashley Princess, I don't mind that it's heavy. The Specialized Globe Daily 3 is nice too, but I have seen no actual reviews. The Pashley and Specialized I cannot test ride, which is part of what makes my decision so tough. The Pashley is definitely the highest quality, but if I am on a ride with friends on their Trek hybrids, I don't want to struggle to keep up, and I worry a little about it on hills since it has 5 gears. I don't know much about the Globe other than that it has 7/8 gears, looks comparable to Electra but I don't know enough about them.
Anyone have any advice?
Thanks in advance!

if a bike is built well, (like the electra) pick lightweight over heavy any day. If there's so much as the slightest incline, that heavy bike is going to bite you. Not to mention stairs, lifting the bike into your car, etc.

my advice is that you really have to ride the bikes first.

WELCOME to TE!

Just remember it has to fit into/on your car. DH has an Electra Townie and a Rat Fink. Neither will fit on a bike rack and the Rat Fink doesn't even fit in my SUV.

I can vouch for the Electra Company. Wonderful bikes of high quality. Even the 3i versions can climb hills.

I don't own a Pashley so can't really help except to say that they seem to be well built and my friends who ride them swear by them. However, they tend to use them for commuting on the flat.

By the way, have you seen this - it's the new Pashley Penny which I think is lovely: http://www.pashley.co.uk/news/2011/07/hello-penny/ ? I'm not sure if it's any lighter than the Princess. Happy hunting..

Wow, that Pashley is really nice-I wonder if they are available in the us? Great colors on it too. The thing with Electra is that I have heard some negative things about their quality and I thought the brakes were a little weird. I would love to get the Pashley if I knew it would be okay on leisurely rides with hybrids, but so far I haven't heard anything that confirms or denies this.

Wow..what lovely bikes from Pashley.

Pashley is available in USA in several states when I looked online. Nearest place for me is in Colorado.

My sister has an Electra and loves it. I haven't heard anything here on TE negative about that bike. Yes, that penny bike is really cute~!

I started my most riding (2006) with a Electra Townie 3 speed. It was alright on flats, but I couldn't go up even modest hills. I received an Electra Townie 24 speed thinking I could now go up hills since I had gears. NOT! The geometry is not made for hills. Then I bought a Trek FX 7.3 hybrid and I could finally ride - anywhere.
I can only say do NOT buy a bike by looks alone. If you think you will ever ride up any hill in the next year, consider lighter bikes. That is my .02 cents worth.
Good luck.

Hi, I was thinking about a Pashley and considering a Globe - thread is here. I'm probably going to go for something lighter and faster. I think you should get a test ride if at all possible.

I showed DH the Pashleys. He really liked them. I've put them on the list of bikes I would like to own. Talk about classic styling. I think I'd take one over the Electras anytime. I'm a sucker for British Racing Green which is hard to find in the USA.

There are lots of great hybrids out there. Check out some of those via your LBS and see if you like any of them.