Pashley Wildfinder
Pashley Wildfinder: Find Your Own Wild!
Remember Pashley bikes? You know, those big old butchers bikes that are pretty much indestructible? Well, Pashley are still going, but if you think they only make ‘classic’ bikes you’d be wrong. Alongside their traditional designs you’ll find some more modern bikes. Bikes like the Pashley Wildfinder, a gravel/MTB bike that they call a ‘grountain’ bike!
The Wildfinder is the latest addition to the Pashley ‘Finder’ collection. The range previously consisted of the RoadFinder and PathFinder. These bikes feature Reynolds 853 steel tubing, 3D printed lugs and carbon fibre forks; no butcher’s bikes here! While these bikes are capable of handling lighter off-road duties, Pashley says the Wildfinder is a “true expression of a bike designed to facilitate the desire to ride way beyond the everyday. The rugged Wildfinder will take you around the world, into the wilderness or on your own out-of-bounds weekend adventure.“
Pashley’s Wildfinder frame uses Reynolds 853 DZB tubing with “geometry and contact points fine-tuned for efficiency, comfort and control over long distances and vertiginous terrain.” While Pashley have made their own Reynolds 853 bladed, rigid fork, there is an option to fit a RockShox SID SL suspension fork. Don’t worry about geometry issues as Pashley have designed the frame to work with a 100mm fork. This is where the bike crosses into the grountain bike arena.
What’s a grountain bike?
Mark Lloyd. Pashley’s Project Design Lead can explain; ““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. Even if you aren’t on an epic multi-day expedition, the bike is equally at home exploring the gnarlier end of gravel and even singletrack, inspiring the rider to go beyond the confines of a conventional gravel bike, follow that trail you didn’t think possible and find out where it leads…”
As well as the option of suspension, the Wildfinder has clearance for 29×2.4”/60mm tyres and up to 42T chainring. Add in a set of wide, flared handlebars, disc-brakes (up to 180mm on the rear) and the Wildfinder looks very much like the monster-cross bikes we were riding before gravel became a thing. Which is great as those were bikes were a hoot to ride! While they couldn’t hold their own against a road-bike on road or an MTB off road, they were happy in both arenas. Throw in the ability to add luggage and you had a bike that could cover so many roles. Hopefully the Wildfinder will be a similar ride.
Hand-made
While the Wildfinder is still made by hand in Pashley’s Stratford-Upon-Avon workshop, don’t think they haven’t moved with the times. You’ll find 3D printed parts like the seatstay-top tube junction, chainstay yoke, dropouts and cable stops alongside the hand-built tubing. There are also multiple mounting points for bags, cages, mudguards and racks; essential for fully-loaded mountain-touring.
The Wildfinder is available in five sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL) and three recommended builds. However, as all Pashley frames are made-to-order in their UK factory, you can choose your own build. Build your own bike with options like mechanical or electrical, Shimano or SRAM. Suspension or rigid, dropper-post or not. You can even have a flat-bar version; does that mean it’s really an MTB?
The Wildfinder is available in two colours, Ember or Tempest, there’s even a custom colour option. The frames are fully e-coated (that’s electrophoretic coating) before being powder coated, “befitting a bike with such wilderness taming capability.“
Wildfinder build options
Check out the Pashley Wildfinder:
Pashley Wildfinder SHIMANO GRX from £2,995 / €3,895 / $4,495 / AUD$6,895
Pashley Wildfinder SRAM Rival GX AXS from £3,995 / €5,095 / $5,995 / AUD$9,195
Pashley Wildfinder Flatbar Shimano SLX from £2,795 / €3,595 / $4,195 / AUD$6,495
Pashley Wildfinder Frameset: £1,695 / €2,195 / $2,595 / AUD$3,895
All models in the collection have the following upgrade options;
Rockshox SID SL 100mm suspension fork: £549 / €695 / $795 / AUD$1,249
Pro Koryak 120mm dropper seat-post with remote: £249 / €349 / $379 / AUD$579
Custom Colour from £75 / €100 / $125 / AUD$170
