Pashley Cycles

A Stratford-upon-Avon bicycle maker, founded in 1926, that hand-builds classic British bikes, tricycles and delivery cycles.

About Pashley Cycles

Pashley Cycles builds bicycles by hand in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. On its own website it calls itself the longest-established British bicycle manufacturer and says it is one of only three bicycle makers still producing in the UK. Bikes are built to order by experienced craftspeople, and the company says it puts quality ahead of volume. The range includes classic sit-up bikes such as the Roadster and the Princess loop-frame design, the Guv'nor (launched 2007 and modelled on a 1930s catalogue design), urban and trekking bikes, road and gravel bikes, the Briton electric bike, tricycles, and bikes made for businesses and bike-share schemes.

William Rathbone 'Rath' Pashley founded the company in Birmingham in 1926. It moved to Aston in 1936, made machine-gun mounts during the Second World War, and came to Stratford-upon-Avon in the 1960s. In 1994 control passed from the Pashley family to employees through a management buyout led by aeronautical engineer Adrian Williams. Pashley bikes became familiar as the Royal Mail's Mailstar postal bike from 2001, and UNICEF has used Pashley roadsters. The company's stated approach is "evolution rather than revolution": it aims to blend British heritage, hands-on craftsmanship and new ideas. Its tagline is "different by design... distinctive by nature".

Pashley's UK presence is simple: its factory is in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, and the company says it has not moved production overseas and works with almost 100 other British firms as suppliers and support partners. It lists a showroom and a store locator on its site. Wikipedia gives about 50 employees, but this is a general figure and we could not confirm a current number.

On people and culture, the company describes a close-knit team and strong loyalty from owners, whose feedback often leads to new products. A small, focused design team develops them. Because every bike is built to order, the work is hands-on and individual. The company has also worked with charities such as Re-Cycle, which sent refurbished Mailstar bikes to Africa. These descriptions come from the company and Wikipedia, so they show how Pashley presents itself rather than being independently verified.

The jobs here include frame builders and wheel builders, painters and finishers, assembly staff, design engineers, buyers who work with British suppliers, and sales, customer service and marketing staff. It is a small business, so people often see several parts of the operation. If you like traditional crafts, working with metal and seeing a product you made ride away, this is a very different workplace from a large retailer or corporation.

What they do

• {'desc': "Hand-built Roadster, Princess and Guv'nor bikes in a traditional British style.", 'title': 'Classic and heritage bicycles'}
• {'desc': 'Delivery and carrier tricycles and cargo cycles.', 'title': 'Tricycles and workbikes'}
• {'desc': 'Bikes for businesses and bike-share schemes, plus electric models such as the Briton.', 'title': 'Custom-branded bikes'}

Key facts

• Founded 1926 by William Rathbone Pashley; based in Stratford-upon-Avon since the 1960s
• Became employee-controlled in a 1994 management buyout led by Adrian Williams
• Builds to order by hand; says it works with almost 100 other British companies
• About 50 employees (Wikipedia; undated)

Website: www.pashley.co.uk