Statement of Intent
Welcome to the Guvnor Owners’ Club.
Our motto is Verve, Dignity & Curiosity.
We are a global membership organisation for owners and riders of the Pashley Guvnor bicycle. Founded by James Davis as a blog in 2009 — then a full club in 2010 — membership is free and can be applied for here.
We have a friendly and polite discussion forum where most Guvnor-related questions can be answered, and a stream of articles, photographs and comments on the front page. Our international outposts are currently being set up across the continents.
Do join us.
***
Original text to which many comments below pertain:
The Guvnor Owners’ Club is about cycling in London on a Pashley Guvnor. It’s about riding to work at a civilised pace, the joyful discovery of backstreets, stopping to take a picture. It’s about ringing your bell and smiling on your way to the Heath. It’s about avoidance of almost all cycle–specific clothing, specialist equipment, organisations and rules. It’s about a single trouser leg tucked into a stripy sock. It’s about taking the long cut to see where it leads. And if enough interest emerges then — just maybe — an actual club of Guvnor owners will form. Drop me a line james [at] guvnorownersclub [dot] com
{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello,
I’m living in Bordeaux (France) I’m at this day the only Guv’nor owner in this town.Bought in Goussainville near Paris.Sixty years old !!!
I’m not very good in English but is it possible to be with you?
Thank you .
Hello Ian,
Thanks for your note, I’ve sent you an email.
The Guvnor Owners’ Club is not yet a members’ club for Guvnor owners, but if enough interest emerges it may well become one.
Do keep checking back,
James
Hello
I live in Versailles, France.
Such a wonderful bicycle. Bravo les Anglais !
I’d like to try it -and would love to buy it.
But do you think it is reasonable to have such a rare bicycle for a daily use outside England, as there are no sellers here ? Can I envisage “do-it-yourself” repairs ? Are thredings compatible ? If not, it could be crippling.
Do you have any informations about it ?
Thank you
C. B.
Hello Corentin,
A wonderful bicycle indeed!
It is most certainly reasonable to use it daily. Most parts can be maintained at home or by your local bike shop. Perhaps the Sturmey Archer hub brakes may need more expert attention, but then again they need far less frequent attention too.
Let us know what you choose to do,
James
Hello,
to Corentin “de la part de Ian de Bordeaux” but in English for our hosts.
I’ve bought myself to Mr Vielliard Centre Vélo “la grande roue” 119 Bld P.Vaillant Couturier 95120 Goussainville Tél 01/39/88/35/51.
A nice man really passionate.
I think that is the regular Pashley importer for France.
Daily use? Hummm,for cycling yes but after I don’t think that’s a good idea .It’s too beautiful and don’t let him in the street without survey.
Many thank’s for JMKD.
Hello James
Hello Ian
Thanks for replying and giving so many informations and advices.
I’ll visit M. Vieilliard’ shop in Goussainville.
Corentin
To James.
Are you interested by some photos of singular or tipical places or cycles shops in Bordeaux for exemple.
I’ve bought old bicycles shoes (new old stocks in Marseille) also and I have give to a dress maker a trouser to make a spécial knicker for riding ancient style.
Do you want photos off those things for illlustrate the Pashley “grain de folie” .
Sincerely your.
Ian,
A very kind offer, thank you! Have sent you an email with more details.
James
Well I’ve done it ! Deposit left for my Guv’nor at my local bike shop.
I’ll be picking it (him !!) up in a couple of weeks. I had every intention of leaving it until next Summer but I kept looking at it in the window and had to do it.
I feel like a small child at Christmas !!
Excellent news…it is a him that’s for sure, like a coachman and a brother!
Let us know when you take receipt, any snaps will be appreciated.
Well I’ve just picked him up. Currently nestled in the back of the car swathed in blankets !
Tonight he’ll be fettled and hung up. I do wish there was place for him on the wall of the lounge but I can only push my wife so far !!
The inaugural ride will be sometime at the weekend, I shall report back when he’s been christened.
Happy Days !!
I bought a Guv’nor five months ago in Bristol and I have been riding it around Cheltenham. I am totally enthusiastic, but in the current weather some mudguards would be useful. You mention Sogreni. Their UK stockists don’t seem to stock them anymore. Can you buy them direct from Sogreni? Long live the Guv’nor it is a rare combination of beauty and the finest craftsmanship!
Well I picked my Guv’nor up on Thursday and gave him a bit of a fettle on Thursday evening.
I’ve added an old fashioned mileometre (the one that clamps on the front wheel nut) but the constant ticking might be annoying – I’ll leave it for a while and see how I get on. I also changed the pedals for some chrome Shimanos, sacrilege I know but these are plain on one side and SPD on the other as the old boy may be doing some miles in the spring.
My first ride although brief (the weather is awful) was much better than I expected. The bike is fast, the gearchange is smooth and swift and the drum brakes are actually very effective.
The only ‘problem’ is how slippy the Brookes leather saddle is, twice I nearly slipped off the back of it !! Does anyone know how to make them less so ?
All in all, it is truly a thing of beauty and already I know that of my 5 bikes, the Guv’nor is the one I will never sell.
Dear Christopher,
Great news to find another owner and rider, I’m sure your Guvnor is most amenable to Cheltenham’s Regency quarters and beyond.
A shame about the Sögreni stockists in the UK, but compared to most mudguard manufacturers his is an artisanal operation, and often made to order. I’ll drop him a note and establish what the official line is.
Dear Andrew,
Fantastic to hear of your first positive ride. Would love to see pictures of the mileometer, have sent you a separate email. Let’s skip the pedals and move straight on to the saddle!
I had the reverse issue to you, that is slipping off the front. But the slipperiness of the saddle pays dividends on longer rides, and in the gradual, perfect moulding process. If you have tried adjusting the seat angle very slightly, how about some trial and error with the handlebars to influence your posture? I only suggest this obvious strategy because I was perfectly comfortable on near-to-factory setup for many weeks, then I had a play with some angles and found nirvana!
James
Hi James
Pics are with you now
Andrew
Longing for summer so I can take to the road on the Guv’nor once more. I rode 2,600 miles on it this year, including a couple of time trials (!) and loved every minute of it. No one here needs telling that the Guv’nor is a very special machine; much as I love my Cervelo and Trek road bikes, they’re not His Nibs.
What a brilliant bike, the lack of mudguards render it a fairweather bike but otherwise it is a beauty.
Being a year-round-rider I must – for a balanced view – promote the notion of getting very wet and very happy on the Guvnor, despite any advice to the contrary…
Well this morning’s country was simply fabulous ! The lcoal cycling club (come 30 of them) all stopped for a look and a chat and the Guv received nothing but complimentary comments. I’m not used to not cycling flat out, its a new and highly enjoyable activity. My carbon fibre racers want to be pushed hard, with the timing all important.
On this morning’s ride, I didn’t even have a watch !!
This gets better with every ride
Simply brilliant, a great report Andrew! I love your revelation of not even having a watch. Time in the saddle is a precious thing, and not to be reduced but extended…
Check out what these guys are going to attempt for a good cause on 3-Speed Pashley Guv’nors.
http://www.angelride.org.uk/
AB
Many thanks for the link Ambrose, an excellent venture in the planning…
Dear James, I’ve just received my 20.5 single speed gov’nor! A beautiful bicycle because of it’s simplistic form! I got a chuckle from a recent blogger who complained that he has never seen another gov’nor on the streets of London! I live in upstate New York where no one (not even the professionals at my local bike shop) has even heard of the Pashley Bicycle Company! however, once they see the gov’nor it’s love at first sight! (until they hear the price! some people just don’t get it.) Cheers, Jim
Dear Jim,
Great news! I remember my first day very well indeed, beaming from ear to ear. Am surprised at the gap in the knowledge of your local bike shop, I can’t think that anyone anywhere who is truly interested in bicycles would not have encountered Pashley.
And can you tell us who the blogger was?
James
Evening Jim,
I was in New York last may and the Five Boro Tour started outside our hotel, I said to my wife it would be great to do it on a Guv and a Princess.
I’ve been lucky enough to get my Guv a week before Christmas, unfortunately the weather has stopped play at the moment.
Cheers,
Adam
Hi, found your site today. Very nice.
I have a pre production Guvnor. Beautiful machine.
I live in the Costwolds so rides have to be planned as there are some pretty ferocious hills around! Single speed and all that.
Noticed the two links to shops in Cirencester. Brilliant! Local businesses always need all the promotion they can get.
Happy New Year and safe riding in the capitol.
Regards, Mark Fairhurst
Welcome Adam, great that you found us so soon! The Guvnor and the Princess make a perfect couple I absolutely agree, are you planning the Five Boro tour this May? This is indeed a cruel time to take receipt of such a fine bicycle, but things look more promising for some joyous mileage soon…
Welcome Mark! And thank you.
I rode my single speed from London to Cirencester the summer before last, a wonderful trip. Both the Chilterns and the Cotswolds were thus conquered, although thankfully both offered steep rather than lengthy escarpments.
Hope you get to enjoy the occasional pub lunch by the river, surely what the Guvnor was meant for!
James
Greetings to you fellow Guv’nor riders out there. I thought you may be interested in the ‘Lezyne Classic Floor Drive Pump’, I have acquired one from – http://www.tredz.co.uk – 15% discount and free delivery a the moment. It’s a well made retro design fit for purpose pump with screw valve connection, aluminium foot and pressure gauge, steel piston and barrel topped off with a nice wood handle just the job for keeping those Schwalbe Delta Cruisers in fine fettle.
James – I sense a bit of momentum here…… best get this club formalised !!
Geoff, a great find, truly. Thank you, it’s now on my shopping list!
Andrew, I feel it too! It’s on the way, still scheduled for March, will let you have a date when I know everything will be in place…
Good Morning James,
Like the other riders here I love my Guv’nor 3-speed and after having owned it for six months now, have made some changes to personalise it a bit – a Pletscher twin-legged kick stand, MKS touring pedals, a 1cm-shorter Nitto stem and a Brooks ‘Swift’ saddle in honey to better matches the grip’s colour and the riding position.
Two changes however may be of interest to your other readers, one is the addition of a Soma ‘silver bullet’ rear light and the other is the mounting of a campagnolo friction shifter to the down-tube to replace the standard S-A shifter mounted on the handlebars. The Campy shifter works perfectly well with the Sturmey hub and to my mind enhances the clean lines of the bike. Please let me know if you’d like me to send photos through.
Cheers,
Ian
Ian, welcome, thanks for dropping by.
Sounds like you’ve made some intriguing customisations. These are early days in the life of the Guvnor and I’m sure between us we can establish some pretty useful tweaks and additions, learning together as we go.
Have dropped you an email, am sure we’d all love to see some photos…
James
Hi James, Long time no speak.
Love you interest in the beautiful guvnor. I have been looking out for a decent secondhand example in Stockholm for a while now but they are rather rare here.
A shop in Gamla Stan sells new ones; they are quite the spend.
My girlfriend bought me a rather nice Flying Pigeon PA-06 which I am looking forward to cruising around on once the better weather arrives.
Tim.
Tim, fantastic you could drop by, great to hear from you.
Shame you’re without a Guvnor as yet, you could be the club’s Stockholm Bureau Chief…
But I admit you’ve got yourself one of the most classic bicycles ever made, I would guess tens of millions sold?
We will need to see some pictures once you are out and about.
James
Hi fellow Guvnor riders
What a great site dedicated to the Guvnor. I’ve had mine for several months and just love the converstion it promotes from fellow cyclist and non cyclists alike. Everone loves it. Great site, keep up the good work
Ross
Ross,
Welcome, glad you love your bike as much as the rest of us. And many thanks for your kind comments. Lots more to come on the site, a forum opened today, a club launch next month, a ride in the Spring…
James
No idea how many they made, but its probably the second most popular, as the single top-tube Pa-02 is produced in much larger numbers.
I will take some pictures as soon as the weather gets good enough to enjoy riding!
Tim
Guys, check out these nice old bikes…
http://bishopscycles.blogspot.com/
cheers, Al
Great find Al, some fantastic path racers there…quite an inspiration.
Tim, some super links for you:
http://www.flyingpigeonproject.org/2010/01/la-flying-pigeon-customs.html
http://www.flyingpigeonproject.org/2009/10/california-custom.html
Thanks Mark for the heads up!
GET REAL – Personally to me, Flying Pigeon, [hate that name] is just a «faux cycle», you’ve got to get the real thing, work for it dude!! Cheers
Thanks James.
Flying Pigeon (translation error of Dove by the way), is interesting in its own right. If you think its trying to be a Guv’nor then it is sincerely not, but then again a Guv’nor isn’t really a 1930′s path racer. What is interesting is that the modifications that those guys made on their FPs is probably close to the spirit of the day – take what you could find and had in the workshop, force it together into something that approached what you wanted.
Its all about the enjoyment at the end of the day, something which too many people forget.
Here, here!
It’s all too easy to get too rapped up in the sterile “number cruncher” led world we live in today!
You should see what some of the inhabitants of Havana build and ride on.
They are indeed very happy with something that was built on the roadside!!
When i was a kid, we used to “hop up” our bikes, any old bike would do, Italian and Brits where around, we would tinker and discard of the fenders [or cut them up], gear case, one set of brakes and anything that would weight, and build ourselfs a “road racing” machine, aka, path racer maybe?, no matter what, we really enjoyed our self made transformations!
Hi there,
Can you tell me if the Guv’nor has a sealed bottom bracket?
cheers,
Luke
Adelaide, Australia
Hi Luke, yes it does. The manual specification is as follows:
Sealed bottom bracket axle unit, British Cycle Thread (BSC)
Are you a prospective purchaser? Let us know how it goes if so…
Thanks for letting me know. I’m definately a prospective owner, however there is only one distributer for Pashley’s here in Oz, so opportunities to sit on a Guvnor are a little limited (I have to catch a plane to get to them).
I’ll be happy to exchange stories once I have one though.
Hello Gentlemen,
My name is Gary. Bravo on this site! I’ve been a Guv’nor owner since June, 2008, at least that’s when I paid for it. The bike proper arrived from Canada to the US in October, 2008–a long story but well worth the wait! Living in Santa Cruz, California, it was supposed to be my weekend cruiser along West Cliff Drive, for you surfers, that’s where Steamer’s Lane is, home of the Cold Water Classic. You can view some of the photos on the Pashley website.
Nonetheless, the notion of it being simply a weekender was dispensed with quickly, as the 3-speed really does glide most effortlessly. Without exception, its aesthetic is appreciated by all who see it, both young and old. The Guv’nor stimulates more conversations with people than I think most puppies do! The only thing I will not do is leave it alone–locked or not!
I look for to corresponding, even though I’m eight hours off GMT.
Take care,
Gary
Hello Gary,
Welcome! Once again, the Guvnor proves reliable in converting a whimsical notion into an everyday essential…
Here’s a link to those shots on the Pashley website:
http://www.pashley.co.uk/gallery/classic-bicycles/5/135.html