First and foremost, apologies for my lack of involvement in the club over the summer. Please glance at this photograph; you can tell this is a sorry tale from the off.
One sunny afternoon in early June, I was cycling home with the usual absence of despair that comes from riding the Guvnor. I’m sure you know the feeling too: heightened moments of appreciation, widened perspectives, issues solved. Yet upon a sturdy climb the handlebar set loose a little. A first, and only a minor inconvenience for sure? I was three minutes from a family homecoming so decided to keep calm and carry on.
Later that evening an investigation revealed the break you see above. A disaster, no doubt about it. A day or two was spent investigating online and by telephone the options available to me.
- Several high street bike shops: no stem available, try elsewhere.
- Bobbin Bicycles of Islington: we’re very sorry to hear about this and we’ll happily order a stem (they kindly did, and I foolishly told them I no longer needed it)
- Velorution of Fitzrovia: we can order a stem for you, but we strongly recommend you make a warranty claim. The handlebar stem is a dangerous item to break and the manufacturer ought to know about it.
As the warranty was just a couple of weeks shy of expiring, I followed Velorution’s advice to the letter, and took the injured machine to where I bought it, Cycle Surgery of Highbury.
On the shopfloor, numerous mechanics were rounded up for their opinion. The predominant message was thus: the claim is unlikely to be valid because there is a washer missing from the stem. It was made pretty clear that I would be better off simply ordering and paying for a new stem.
I strongly disagreed. It was at this moment I began to identify a hitherto unrecognised maxim of bicycle sales, doubtless unwritten but integrated into retail prioritisation:
A sale is about maximising profit, so a warranty claim is about minimising loss.
More on this later. I pressed the staff to process the claim despite the difference between their professional opinion and my amateur one, and left the shop, Guvnor-less but still optimistic, on Sunday June 13th.
What day do I write this? Ah, Monday August 9th. Where did July go? Oh, it came and went. Today I rode the Guvnor to work for the first time since then. What happened inbetween?
Weeks 1–2
Why am I even having to describe the timetable of a warranty claim in fortnightly intervals?! Anyway, a couple of follow up calls to Cycle Surgery per week, but no sign of progress. “waiting for Pashley to pick the bike up” was bandied about around week 2.
Weeks 3–4
“Haven’t heard from them as yet” was the unhelpful response from the shop. “Can you chase them up?” “To be honest it always takes ages, I wouldn’t expect the bike back for a while yet.” So I contacted Pashley myself by phone, essentially “You need to speak to the shop”. Hmmm. By this point the shop was not returning my calls as the ‘warranty guy’ was conveniently missing or on lunch or on holiday (clearly a busy and highly-skilled man).
Weeks 5–6
Hang on a minute, it takes 6 weeks to get a brand new Pashley Guvnor built and shipped to most of Europe. Why on earth is it taking this long for a single part to be replaced? Pashley again, this time in email. An apology, an explanation of a staff member unexpected time off, and a promise of an expedited order. Hope at last. Calls to the shop every other day, almost never returned, still no sign of the part.
No, I think you mean 8 weeks
Weeks 7–8
Endless calls unreturned, yet eventually I hit the jackpot of someone who knew what they are talking about on the very day they had something to talk about. The part has come in and will be fixed immediately, they’ll let me know. Next morning I call (have you noticed who is doing all the calling and emailing here?) to arrange pickup. Oh, a new problem, the old stem is seized. Okay, how long do you think it takes a professional bike shop to free a seizedhandlebar stem from a 2 year old bike? An afternoon, maybe a day of soaking? Think again.
7 days later (after more unreturned calls) I finally get the message that the part is replaced and the bike is ready. I pick it up the following day, 7 weeks and 6 days since I dropped it off for a minor repair.
Most of the summer lost, never to be ridden. Countless frustrating calls, repeatedly unreturned. A strong sense that the only reason it got fixed in as little as 8 weeks is because I spent the entire time reminding both Pashley and Cycle Surgery that I was a customer in need of some service.
Lessons learned.
- When a customer makes a warranty claim they are already at a low point on any satisfaction chart. You can choose to either let them down (much) further, or convert them back into a satisfied customer with some good service and attention to detail. Neither happened here.
- When service has got so obviously bad it is universally agreed by all parties, one party needs to stand up and take responsibility, whether or not they think they are fully responsible. The party that does this reveals their understanding of good service and will convert the most dissatisfied customer.
- After sales support is where a short term small gain can be turned into long term larger gain. Or it is where a desire only for short term gain can be revealed.
- It’s too late now for me to be a Cycle Surgery customer again, in any capacity. I am rather stuck being a Pashley customer, but this has thankfully been more positive over the last 2 years.
Finally, the bottom of the receipt above contains the following warning: “If repair is not collected within 1 day of agreed collection date a storage charge of GBP 10.00 per day will be levied”
I think it’s time customers began issuing similar warnings to shops.
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow! That’s some story. I’ve had warranty issues with my motorcycles but never such a non-compliant dealer such as yours. I mean for Christ’s sake, a stem break is pretty obviously something Pashley et al should make right. Too bad about the summer being lost though. If I had only known earlier I would have sold you an extra stem I just happen to have. I replaced my original (Nitto) with a long (255mm) Nitto with a shorter horizontal length (90mm). Good luck.
That is a bit of a saga. Who put the bike together in the first place, and missed the washer?
Still, at least it’s sorted now. Touch wood.
Gentlemen, may I direct you to my recent forum post:
Personal Service…… on this matter.
Ride on!
Is that a shim I see in the photo?
Why wasn’t the correct sized item fitted in the first place?!
Shims sometimes allow a little movement……. with alloy
no wonder a crap appeared. Strange.
Ride on!
Is that a shim I see in the photo?
Why wasn’t the correct sized item fitted in the first place?!
Shims sometimes allow a little movement……. with alloy
no wonder a crack appeared. Strange.
Ride on!
Damn it! A “Guardian” moment……. a Freudian slip no less…..
crap=bad service related. Crack=resulting reason for failure.
Sorry gentlemen!
Spot the Freudian difference between those two posts!
A sad tale but no suprise. The malaise of customer service ( an oxymoron in 99% of companies these days) is an increasing frustration of modern life. When will companies realise that by providing even a modicum of service would result in a massive retrun on investment & create advocates for the company
I am disappointed that Pashley did not react in a more proactive & positive manner , sadly my experiences with them have not been better.
Let’s hope Pashley et al view this website comment with shame!
Perhaps the embarrassment of this sorry saga will prompt them into getting their warranty and after sales customer service to the 5 star standard expected by its customers.
After reading your post once again and viewing the pic of your stem, I see that it is not the same stem that came on my Guv’nor. What brand is it?
I bought my bike in June and it came with a Nitto Technomic stem. As I mentioned, I traded it out for a taller height and shorter throw. One problem I can see with the one you have is that it looks like the bolt screws into the body of the stem. The Nitto has a free nut that the bolt screws into. The advantage is that if one does strip the thread, the bolt and nut can be replaced. If you strip the thread one yours, you pretty much can chuck the stem. Harris Cyclery has these stems, I think even in the short size too.
Oh, and yes the shim is curious. Mine also came shimmed. When I orderd my new stem I wanted to get the 25.4mm but all they had was the 26mm. Curious.
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/stems/index.html
Evening James, Gentlemen,
Good to see you back in the saddle, it’s a shame you’ve lost eight weeks of summer but we are only at the start of August hopefully plenty more fine weather riding to be had.
For what it’s worth I have no shim and a slightly different design.
Regards,
Adam
Evening all, thank you for the support. I neglected to mention I also now have a different stem to the one pictured, I believe also a Nitto Technomic. I have absolutely no idea what the original one pictured was.
When the stem broke I had such high hopes of delivering a great story about how quickly and professionally it got fixed. I trusted these companies to do a fantastic job, and left the door wide open for them to do so. I was ready to say to you “Hey my stem broke, but it doesn’t matter, because the process of replacement was so beautifully handled it was actually a pleasure!”
Am truly saddened that it wasn’t to be.
Oh well, it’s so good to be riding again I have to say. Onwards and upwards.
Verve, dignity and curiosity!
Stuff verve, dignity and curiosity, if I were you I’d be stapling your review of their ‘customer service’ to their front door. Absolutely shocking behaviour.
Glad to see you have the beast of burden back in your clutches and will now be back out on the roads in time to enjoy what is left of summer.
I’ve read some of these comments with interest, some of you might be able to help with a problem with my own Guvnor. Mine arrived a few weeks ago with the Nitto stem. The problem I’ve had is that the stem won’t tighten enough onto the bars. As the dealer is over 150 miles away I’ve had to bodge a shim made of course emery paper to fill the gap and cause a little friction. Do I take it that there is meant to be a proper shim fitted in my stem?. Any answers greatly appreciated
Evening Mr Markhphoto, Gentlemen,
Mrs Adam has a similar stem on her Princess I shall have a look later.
With regards to using emery paper, within the cycling world it is more usual to make a shim out of a piece of coke can (other drinks are available). I am by no means an expert on these matters but I would be a little concerned about creating stress risers and a component failing.
Regards,
Adam
My Guv came sans shim also. The Nitto stems come in two handlebar sizes – 25.4mm and 26.0mm. The handlebars that the Gov’nor has are 25.4. I suspect that Pashley could not get the 25.4 stems so set them up with the 26.0. This requires a shim. I bought a shim dedicated for this purpose from Harris Cyclery. http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/stems/index.html I think it is a Shimano stainless shim.
You can crank down until your arm breaks trying to tighten a 26.0 stem to a 25.4 bar and the bar will still slip. I too tried to use Coke can aluminium but alas it is a very poor substitute. The aluminum eventually shreds. If you are confused as to which stem size you have, Nitto conveniently stamps this information on the part of the stem that sits below the top bearing nut.
You will see from the Harris site that they offer a longer version of this stem for those of us who need to be a bit more upright in our riding. They also come in different horizontal lengths from 80mm to 120mm.
Good luck.
Anyone remember Johnny Cash’s “One Piece At A Time”…..?
What the hell are Pashley playing at?!
Consistency in a “luxury” product is a must. Putting shims
on such a stress loaded section seems suicidal!
Accident, anyone?
Ride on!
Thanks for your answers Gentlemen. I did try the coke can method but too many polished surfaces together didn’t work too well. It’s handy to know that there is meant to be a shim and as such I’ll get the dealer to order me one and post it to me, in the meantime my bodge will have to suffice. At least I now know that it’s noy a faulty part which was my first thought.
Evening Mr Markhphoto,
Out of interest what size frame is your bike?
Regards,
Adam
It’s a 22.5 Adam. I love the bike though one does notice the weight when riding up the Pennines, needless to say it’s a 3 speed. I doubt if I could manage a single speed up a 1 in 3 hill.
Evening Gentlemen,
Thank you for you prompt reply, I’m trying to work out why some stems are shimmed and others are not.
I have a Technomic stem fitted to my bike and no shim, is it possible that Nitto? stems are slightly over-sized? It looks like the stem fitted to Jame’s is also a Nitto.
Regards,
Adam
This is just going from bad to worse, I’m feeling very let down by Pashley.
What’s happening to their quality control, to be sending out cycles with potentially unsafe fitting components is just beyond believe!
Trading Standards and/or The Bicycle Association of Great Britian, of which Pashley are members, may well be interested?
Duchy,
The Nitto stems are very high quality, but yes, a set up without a shim would be ideal. It certainly though is not an unheard of practice nor an “unsafe fitting component” to use a shim especially one designed by Shimano expressly for this purpose. I’m guessing that Nitto has most likely run low on the smaller stems and has not been able to keep up with Pashley’s production – I’m guessing. Seeing the pics of James’ stem and it’s possible design flaws leads me to believe the Pashley has upgraded it’s product with the Nitto – at least in this instance.
Joe……….I bow to your technical knowledge regarding stems and shims. Nevertheless Pashley should be doing a proper job, then ‘markhphoto’ wouldn’t find himself faffing around looking at emery paper and shims etc., to rectify manufacturers assembly problems like this, which could potentially be unsafe, on his new Guv’nor!
Anyone tried pulling a wheelie on a Guv yet?
Hi All
I had the same thing happen to Kim’s Guvnor here in Calgary, Canada. Simply put the stem clamp is weak at the bolt hole. I have shimmed stems that are just fine. It had a Cinelli decal, so I assume it was supplied by them. I replaced it with a polished steel njs pro (Jaguar) Nitto stem I had as a spare for my track bike. It has the shallow drop so looks about the same. The fit is perfect with no shim. A Nitto Pearl would work as well and is alloy, but I think the bright steel looks better on this bike and quite frankly weight is not a issue here. The supplied stem is not safe and should be replaced.
Fenrir – A wheelie. I don’t think I’ve done one of those since I was 10. I might just try one. I draw the line at skidding though – Schwalbes and all, you know.
Oh, weally, it’s just not the done thing, old boy…..
Wide on!
I received my Guvnor in June 2009 from a US distributor and it arrived with an ITM Pro Race 400 quill stem. Thus far I have seen no cracks or evidence of metal fatigue. The area around the clamping bolt seems to be of robust construction. It appears that ITM no longer makes this piece.
When googled, it looked like VeloOrange had received some new ITM stems in 2007 so that might have been at the end of their production run. I read one vendor saying that the stems retailed for $60/£39 when new. It is a 26mm clamp, so on the Guvnor it has a shim. Is anyone else riding with this stem? Any problems experienced? I wonder how many Guvnors were fitted with this stem? The link is to a pic of the ITM stem.
Thanks,
Chris
http://bp3.blogger.com/_C1XrRVl3W8k/R2qyobiWjHI/AAAAAAAAD3c/lisDE0Dzazw/s1600-h/ITM+stem+2.jpg
James, remember my warranty fix on the plus 4…1 week directly through pashley, they even picked it up from my home.
Glad you got it sorted…still admiring, mine hardly been ridden…sorry all
Simon, I do of course, very glad that got sorted so well. I had a naïve optimism that someone somewhere might similarly care…
Hey, at least you have a Plus Four in mint condition!
Gentlemen
I have just taken my Pashley Sovereign in for it’s first service , surprise, surprise there is a washer missing from the head assembly. An endemic problem at Pashley then , not just on the Gov’nor.
It does seem a shame that a lack of care is evident at the Pashley workshop. When my guvnor arrived I couldn’t even lift it out of the box without the bars slipping in the stem, I’d guess that whoever placed it in the box had the same thing happen to them but it went out anyway. A couple of seconds cleaning up the opening where the seat pin goes would stop it gouging the seat pin when it’s adjusted. A couple of rubber rings on the gear cables would stop the cables scuffing the frame. What often happens with companies like Pashley is that they plod on until they end up being bought out by a European based company who then up the standards (and the prices) and cash in on selling British quality. The likes of Brooks saddles and Belstaff clothing spring to mind.
One and all,
Let’s hope that Pashley’s very own Guv’nor, Adrian Williams (Managing Director), sees these comments and takes on board and addresses the quality control issues that are coming to light.
Pashley should consider themselves very forturnate to have this Club of loyal members promoting their cycles!
Are we being let down??
Hello All,
I just read through this epic of a story and thought to offer some new feedback. My stem is the exact one as seen in the pictures. I was told, or at least believe, it is a Cinelli. Regardless, however, it’s not a good situation. And, there are several reasons this could have happened that may or may not have anything to do with Pashley. Let me explain…
Channeling my past engineering experience (I hope I can remember my materials technology!), I believe several factors are worth consideration. First, and one that I have not read above — if it’s there, I’m sorry I missed it — is proper torque of the through bolt on the stem. To the uninitiated, hogging down on a bolt to get it real tight is good enough. But, this is the worst thing one could do. Why? isn’t tight good, and tighter better? No.
As you know, the stem in question is a casting of aluminum, an amalgam of alloying materials, such as copper and tin (as well as others depending on the type of Al.), that give it specific strength, weight, and performance characteristics. The stem in question is designed for a specific sized bar and shim and torque.
Proper bolt torque allows the assemblage of parts to work in concert by holding the stem at a proper tension that allows for some flexibility in the casting–albeit very minute. Flexibility is a good thing. Without it, things break, sometimes with catastrophic results.
It’s quite possible that the stem through-bolt was too tight–or an improper shim was used. This has the effect of loading some parts of the stem casting more than others by straining the grain structure in concentrated areas of the stem. At this point the casting becomes too rigid, its applied loading not properly distributed, and thus cracks may develop, or worse, a complete part failure.
Therefore, my vote is to properly torque all parts on your Guv’nor! Pashley provides proper torque specifications for most of their components. You can purchase a simple torque-wrench for a modest sum. Each bolt and nut should be properly torqued so that no one part is stressed beyond its designed load capacity and it works in concert with the other components — which is always tested when we hit that unexpected pothole!
Some other possible — albeit esoteric — reasons for the failure:
–A casting inclusion: a possible inter-granular inconsistency or foreign material inside the casting that sets up some type of “notch stress.”
–Inter-granular corrosion: add moisture and time and galvanic corrosion works its magic. This is usually witnessed by a black soot-like paste. This paste is actually the copper corrosion precipitating out of the compromised part.
And, lastly, please do not use emery paper as a shim, unless you are completely sure the paper contains no iron oxide! You will be setting up an anode and cathode. Add moisture, and voila, you have a full-on battery — complete with galvanic corrosion and a soon to fail stem!
Ride safely,
Gary
….. and that’s how the Americans got to the moon, and
the British didn’t!
Ha! Well done, sir!
Unfortunately, we lost our soul in the process; a cursory look at any alternative media documents the depth of our slide since those phantom halcyon days, the empire in decline I guess. Your own Eric Hobsbawm (a historian) has written elegantly on this point.
Whereas, you Brits still have a semblance of decorum, an understanding of history, and an erudite humor lost on most Americans! Plus, you built something we all can enjoy–the Guv’nor! For my money that beats going to the moon.
Bravo.
Decorum went out of the window years ago, and history…… don’t get me started!
Bunch of foreign invaders come and nick our lands and distribute them with their
chums. The Mafia, sorry, Royals have had us under their thumbs for years! Latterly, just after the English Civil War, a bunch of do gooders pushed the Royals to the side, a bit, and lead the people of the country that things were going to be a lot fairer for all.
Thing is, the Blue Bloods still rule. Isn’t life grand!
(Guess who’s had a bad day then!?).
Ride on!
Thanks Gary, whilst I agree it’s best to use a torque wrench most of us don’t carry one round when we set off for a ride, I tend to work on the principal that most tools are a certain length for a reason. The emery paper that I used is more of a fabric based substance that doesn’t compress and gives an amount of friction that means I don’t have to over tighten the stem bolt.
I think that some people are missing the point here, I doubt if there are any faulty parts fitted onto the bikes, I think it’s the Pashley factory fitting the wrong parts together. In my own case the stem and bars are not the same size and the shim that should have been used is missing. The home made coke can shim still didn’t fill the gap between bars and stem so it should have been obvious that something was wrong. When my bike arrived the stem bolt was tightened so much that it had bent yet the bars still twisted easily in the stem. It simply shouldn’t have left the factory like that, my stem is the kind that has a captive nut, if it had been into threaded alloy it would have stripped.
Do you remember the days of British car manufacturing?
The Allegro, the Marina……. where are they now?
The great British manufacturing attitude seeping into this area
too?
Shameful. Rolls Royce and Bentley were good cars, now they
are excellent cars. Why? Because they are no longer British run.
I am not saying Pashley should be German run, but when silly things
like this are being reported….. come on chaps.
Arrogance is the downfall of many people……..
Ride on….. if you are able.
Hey Mark,
Yes, I agree with you; carrying a torque wrench would be an over-reaching expression of gear-headed enthusiasm!
Truly, however, the torque wrench is of course a shop tool. My point, on top of yours, is to make sure the composition of correct parts is finished off and set-up properly in the shop (or your workshop) before you ride. I personally do not trust every bike mechanic I have come upon. Some are truly excellent while others…well. Periodic maintenance and cleaning should include a thorough inspection of “mission-critical” parts–as well as proper tightening.
As for fabric backed (or any other backed) emery cloth, as I wrote in my earlier post, if it has any iron oxide, and you add any moisture, you will be potentially compromising the part. I seriously recommend obtaining a proper shim made from a material that is compatible with the stem and bars and more stable than cloth. Then, apply a proper torque. The Guv’nor manual specifies 18 (Nm) for the handlebar stem clamp bolt.
Ride safely,
Gary
i didn’t find this in the entries above, so: the stem in question seems to be a Cinelli 1A or XA, which, like the above-mentioned ITM (see linked photo above from Christopher Keene August 14, 2010 at 7:07 pm) normally comes with a black plastic shim around the bolt, or a plastic ‘washer’ as the gentleman at Cycle Surgery called it (ie. it has little or nothing to do with the handlebar shim).
As it is missing in James’ photo, it seems that he was able to tighten the stem far beyond what is necessary and normally possible, thus cracking the stem. if the stem came with the bike, and James didn’t remove said washer/shim, then that’s quite a sorry state: selling the bike with a stem that, afaik, hasn’t been made for years, AND in an incomplete state. Nittos are good, as are their shims.
First time at your site! lovely stuff. A
sorry, it’s an Cinelli XA, NOT 1A of course. Alex.
not again!
and another problem is, indeed, the fact that this Cinelli stem is made for 26.4mm bars, and the spec’ed Nitto North Road hbar is 26mm, and Nitto and other handlebar shims are often designed to deal only with today’s 25.4mm and 26mm handlebar clamp diameters.
still, i think the missing black plastic shim would have made it difficult to crank down too hard on the bolt, and i don’t know what hbar shim is mounted, so that .4mm difference may have been taken care of . . .
but in general: a non-starter in terms of specs. it seems pashley has woken up. interestingly, the stem is still not listed by name on the website specs.
Hi To all in the Pashley Tribe. The washer under the clamp bolt has the wrong internal size for the clamp bolt. But you have all seen that anyway. Sorry to be an interloper here but this thread is quite interesting as it deals with the standard of service from bike shops and the factory, much more than a faulty? part . I must face the wall and tell you I own a Redline 925 fixed wheel bicycle. Not that there is anything wrong with that. The problem being that the bike comes into Australia from America and the dealer builds up. That’s the problem. The dealer here in Perth is much like the one in question and you get the feeling you interrupt his good day. Bits came off my bike when I first took it on the road, brand new. A pedal coming off made me wonder a bit after 50 metres down the road. Then the handlebar’s pointed the wrong way I was traveling. Then the seat stem slide down and I was ridding like a BMX,er. I was still in my Street ! When I phoned the bike shop the answer was, “we get busy and cannot check everything. Bring it in and we will check it out. If we find you have touched anything we will charge you as that is not covered by warranty. It may take 5 or 6 days as we are busy”. I leave it to you to imagine what I said. A n email to the factory in America got no reply. No surprises there as the dealer never replied to my letter regarding all the faults I subsequently found and rectified. The moral of this story, if there is one in this world of ‘sell now and keep a legal team at hand’, is that when you buy a bike, new or secondhand, pull it apart and build it up correctly yourself. It’s not rocket science as we well know. And do use a torque wrench as has been said before. Not many bike workshop mechanics I have observed working do that. I salute your Pashley passion guys. And yes I still have my Redline after one year. Bikes last several lifetimes with care and commitment. Factories close for lack of it. Safe riding to all. Mike
Hello to all.
I realize I’m coming in rather after the fact here but I feel compelled to give my American 2 cents as well (don’t we always…)
I am some what disheartened to find the scourge of poor to non existent after sale service has reached to all corners of the world.
I have always secretly hoped that somewhere in the world people have enough honer to stand by a product after they’re good enough to take your money.
As to the fit of the stem and handle bar, I’m not surprised that the clutch broke the way it did.
I’m sure you all realize the difference between the 25.4mm and 26mm is nearly .024 of an inch (a little over half a mm)
The 26mm clutch bore was never meant to accommodate a 25.4mm (1.0 inch) bar.
As a skilled machinist I make these types of bar/shaft clutches quite often and the fit tolerance is never more than .005″ at the most.
So I would say to anyone attempting to “shim” the fit between the 1″ bar and the 26mm clutch bore, that you will need to come up with a piece of shim stock (preferably brass) of .012″ or .013″ thickness.
Form this into a collar to surround the bar and assemble.
When tightening the clutch it should “make up” with little effort if the fit is as described.
A still better solution would be to match the correct size bar to the bore that is in the stem or visa versa if you have a bar set that you can’t live without.
Mike Dimmock, I’m afraid I’m not surprised to hear about your disintegrating bicycle, brand names mean nothing anymore.
It does show us all, I hope, that we must be self reliant when it comes to all things.
If we have a machine or tool of any kind then it must be maintained. If it is not made to be maintained the get one that can be. If we can not do something then find someone (we can trust) to teach us how to do it our selves.
This must be applied to all levels of existence or we will all go the way of the Roman Empire.
As there’s been another update on this subject I thought I’d update you on my progress. As I was working in Stratford Recently I thought I’d call Pashley to see if they could help.
They couldn’t have been more apologetic and were suprised that that me emails hadn’t been answered. A shim was waiting for on reception as I cycled (not on the Pashley) over to collect it. Job done.