Half gravel half mountain bike? Or is it just a hardtail...
UK brand Pashley, known primarily for manufacturing steel framed bikes that absolutely are not mountain bikes, has launched its latest addition called the Wildfinder. Which, in the brand’s words, is “a drop-bar mountain bike.” Just last week I was bemoaning the advent of drop bar mountain bikes, and how they only work for a minority of riders. Well, Pashley is here to prove me wrong with the Wildfinder. Or are they?
You get a choice of two colours, or custom if you want to spend a bit more
Pashley Wildfinder need to know:
- Reynolds 853 steel tubing frame
- Option to run a rigid fork or RockShox SID SL
- UDH compliant and runs a BSA bottom bracket
- Three recommended builds – one flat bar
- Prices start at £1,695 for the frameset and £2,795 for the flat bar build
If you look at it from a distance then it’s just a bike being a bike
“I like to call it a grountain bike”
Pashley isn’t exactly the typical MBR-focussed brand, as it primarily is known for steel city and urban bikes. Although the brand did build up a cult following among the dirt jump and 4X crowd in the 00s thanks to Nick Larsen. And it has moved into road and all-road bikes this year with the advent of the ‘Finder’ range. And the latest addition? The Wildfinder.
According to Pashley, the Wildfinder is designed for “all-day, all-year, all-weather, and all-terrain.” That ticks a lot of boxes. But what caught our eye was the use of the term…grountain bike. Apparently that’s a cross between a gravel and a mountain bike, and the Wildfinder fits this description because it can accommodate 29 x 2.4in tyres and run a suspension fork and dropper post if needed.
Suspension fork = mountain bike, right?
And there’s even a flat bar version of the bike, which we’ll admit did have us scratching our heads a bit, because isn’t that just a hardtail? Or a rigid mountain bike if you don’t use the suspension fork? We’ll let you draw your own conclusions about it, but Mark Lloyd, Project Design Lead at Pashley explained his thought process about the bike and who he thinks it’s suited for.
“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.”
The 3D printed dropouts means you can slot in 180mm rotors. Steady on
Pashley Wildfinder builds and spec
Looking beyond the term ‘grountain bike’, let’s look at the actual build of the bike, shall we? Spying the geometry chart, we can see it is primarily still a gravel-leaning design, with a 74.5 degree seat tube angle and 69 degree head tube angle in size medium. The stem length fitted as standard is also 50mm, which is…rather long for a mountain bike.
The frame is pretty cool, utilising 3D printing for the seat stay/top tube junction and the chainstay yoke, which is to allow for clearance for 29 x 2.4in tyres. And, the dropouts are 3D printed too which help to give clearance for 180mm rotors.
If you want to take the bike on an adventure there’s plenty of mounting points for racks, bags, cages, you name it. There are 5 sizes available, from XS to XL, and two colours (although custom colouring is an option if you pay extra).
The rigid fork version still looks capable
Pashley has recommended three builds, although you can customise the spec online so it’s more of a suggestion. We’ll ignore the drop bar versions and just look at what Pashley recommends for the flat bar lovers.
The brand suggests a Shimano SLX groupset, Schwalbe Rick XC tyres, Ritchey finishing kit, a Blackjack SL27 wheelset and a Brooks Cambium C15 saddle. This recommended build comes to £2,795. But, if you want a RockShox SID SL fork, it’ll cost £549, and for a Pro Koryak 120mm dropper, another £249. So in total, you’re looking at just over £3.5k.
Would you take the leap on a £3.5k ‘grountain’ bike? They’re available to buy now from the Pashley website.