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28 May, 2011

My dilemma

I'm not sure how I happened upon Dottie and Trisha's bicycle blog, Let's Go Ride A Bike, but it is a place that I am always more than happy to visit. I've cycled, mainly for fun, for a lot of my life but it was here that I realised that cycling is more than just a sport and a bicycle is more than just a piece of equipment. Bikes can be used to get to and from work, carry your groceries home from the shops and cycling can be another mode of transport aside from the car or bus. It sounds silly but I never thought about using my bike for this everyday stuff as I more or less used the car to do these things.

It was only when I started reading bicycle blogs that I realised I too wanted to use my bicycle for more than a bike ride every now and again. I'm nowhere near the stage where I'll be car free, although sometimes I wish we were, but for shopping trips and getting to work (except for those 'orrible night shifts) I do want to use the car less.

Now, my poor bike is really feeling his age - I've been using him a lot lately and he's developing a different squeak every day. I think the road to (semi) retirement is getting closer for my dear Marin and a new bicycle to keep him company in the garage is just what he needs. Well, to be honest I've been after a new bike for ages and now seems to be the right time to do it.

When I first started looking for a new bicycle, I immediately fell in love with the Pashley Princess. Handbuilt in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1926, she's quintessentially English (a very odd thing for a Welsh girl to want!) and extremely elegant. Miss Sarah at Girls and Bicycles, another great bike blog, has put together some fab information about her experiences with her Pashley in her posts, Pashley 101, Pashley 201 and Pashley 202.



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  The Pashley really is a beautiful bike... Miss Sarah sells it well.

But! The more I read about Dottie's Workcycles Azor Oma, I'm in love!




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She seems more solidly built than Pashley, if you know what I mean, but just as pretty! Dottie has a thorough review and lots of beautiful pictures of Oma, so you can see why she's on my wish list.

Then I discovered the Velorbis Dannebrog through another review by Dottie (she's a busy girl)



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Isn't she's pretty in red? I want to try her out too.

My head hurts. There's too much choice - what is a girl to do? Truth be told, I think I've fallen for the Pashley. My first crush is hard to beat so I need to get me a sweet test ride from one of my local bike shops and take it from there!

Which one would you go for?!


5 comments:

  1. Hmm, tough decision. :) I considered the same three bikes when deciding which to buy. Obviously, I decided on the Workcycles Oma. Her racks carry more weight than the others, she's more solid, and her wheels are bigger than the Pashley. But the Pashley is a wonderful bike and everyone has their own tastes and preferences. I definitely recommend that you try to go for a test ride. Good luck!

    p.s. Thanks for the kind words. :)

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  2. If you're going to depend on the bike for trips to the grocery store, the Oma can carry a greater load more easily. Note that the Oma's front basket is mounted to the frame, and doesn't move back and forth with the handlebars like the other bikes.
    Also, the Velorbis lacks a chaincase to keep your chain clean and keep you from having to clean and oil it all of the time. Chaincases are accessories that are difficult to add later. You've narrowed it down to some really nice bikes, though. To see more transportation bikes, check out http://www.bikesfortherestofus.com/

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  3. Having ridden the Velorbis men's scrap for going on two years, I can only talk about my experience, but it's a terrific bike. Velorbis bikes are solid, well built, and while there is no chaincase, given that all of the bikes you're considering have internal hubs, have a chain guard gives you some protection and makes getting the back tire off for flat replacements a lot easier. All of the bikes you're considering are heavy and commuter style, and all high quality. The way the light is attached to the Velorbis does make it difficult to use a fully-functioning basket without moving the light to the wheel, but the racks can take a lot of wait, certainly enough for shopping and even some light luggage. In the end, the Velorbis -- to me at least -- is just better looking. A good enough reason to go with that, all other things being equal!

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  4. Well I'm biased towards the Pashley. I was also faced with the decision awhile back between Pashley and Oma, and chose the Pashley since it's smaller (and yet feels HUGE to me. But I'm only 5 ft tall), it's a little bit lighter weight, can easily carry what I need to carry and I can get it up hills. But it was a tough decision, and like you the Pashley was my first love. If I lived in a city, and someplace flatter, I might have gone for the Oma, or maybe not. :)

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  5. Belated thank you for all your advice on your bicycles, and I am pleased to announce that my new bicycle is in fact a vintage Gazelle Impala! I'm very happy with her, but I still have my eye on all those beautiful bicycles! Greedy, greedy, greedy!

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