This huge twin top tube Pashley may only be a mere 28 years old, but it was in a dire state when Dolan dropped it off at the workshop a few weeks ago. As well as being grubby, battered and rusty, the 26″ framed Prospero – almost certainly the largest bike I’ve ever worked on – had a collapsed front wheel, seized bottom bracket, poorly maintained Sturmey Archer AW hub and a front brake that simply refused to return to open position. Fast forward to the current heatwave and I’m really pleased to have this majestic 45lb heavyweight rolling again after a comprehensive rebuild. The only new parts are tyres, tubes, chain, BB and various fasteners, everything else is original and restored. I’d like to finish it off with a suitable chainguard in due course.
Only 28 years old? With rod brakes? Were Pashley still using those that recently?
On this model yes, I definitely prefer the drum brake models but this one is super retro