Beautiful Bicycles: Pashley Sonnet Bliss

Posted by Dottie at 22:34 bike reviews Add comments
Jul 202009

My new bike crush is the Pashley Sonnet Bliss.  I’ve discussed the Pashley Princess Sovereign previously, which is very similar except the Bliss is different colors and does not have a full chaincase.  I seriously conisdered buying a Pashley last year, but the Azor Oma Dutch bike won out based on its incredibly sturdy and smooth ride. Recently I’ve been wanting a Pashley again – not instead of Oma, but in addition to Oma. Is that bad? If loving Pashley is wrong, I don’t want to be right. I can’t buy another bike at this time, anyway, so it’s only imaginary.  For now I will be satisfied with my recent test ride at Boulevard Bikes in Chicago. This was the first time I saw a Sonnet Bliss in real life and she is quite blissful :)

Test riding the Pashley Sonnet Bliss

Test riding the Pashley Sonnet Bliss

Classy cream and cranberry colors

Classy cream and cranberry colors

Chain guard, not fully enclosed

Chain guard, not fully enclosed

Wicker basket, rubber grips, ding dong bell

Wicker basket, rubber grips, ding dong bell

IMG_1011 IMG_1012

Pashley Sonnet Bliss, Chicago Alleyway

Pashley Sonnet Bliss, Chicago Alleyway

There’s always the Pashley Princess Sovereign, of course. The one I rode was hunter green.

Pashley Princess Sovereign in Hunter Green

Pashley Princess Sovereign in Hunter Green

Fully enclosed chain case

Fully enclosed chain case

These pictures demonstrate how light and airy Pashley is compared to Oma. In contrast, I have a hard time lifting Oma’s front wheel over a high curb.

Pashley lighter than Oma

Pashley lighter than Oma

Oma would have crushed him by now

Oma would have crushed him by now

For more detailed Pashley information, see Miss Sarah’s Pashley 101 at Girls and Bicycles.

What I want to get my mitts on next is the Pashley Poppy – very similar to the above bikes, but with only three speeds and no rack/basket/lights. The Poppy is so affordable and comes in pink and blue! Read more from Poppy owner Cathy at London Cycle Chic.

Pink Pashley Poppy

Pink Pashley Poppy

If you are considering buying a Pashley or similar style bike, be sure to check out the A.N.T. Boston Roadster before making your decision. The Boston Roadster is a gorgeous and very well-priced bike handmade in Massachusetts, USA. There’s also a lower-priced 3-speed forthcoming. I would have bought one of these puppies if I’d know of them when I was bike-shopping for Oma last year!

A.N.T. Boston Roadster

A.N.T. Boston Roadster

So many bikes, only one Dottie! Life is so hard ;)

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  • Jeff Schneider

    Just as possession of one pair of shoes does not obviate the need for others, so also one bike just does not suffice. I regularly ride 4 different ones… a fixie, a Dutch bike, a touring bike, and the stately Pedersen… and of course I am still always shopping for more. It’s not an addiction – I can stop buying bikes whenever I want – I just don’t want to…

    • Gina

      “It’s not an addiction – I can stop buying bikes whenever I want – I just don’t want to…”

      Get help. LOL

  • Aaron

    I have three bicycles (a sporty one, the oldest of my current set; a Craigslist-smorgasbord Trek 520 for touring, commuting, and comfortable but sporty riding; and a mountain bike for, well, mountain biking and hard winter commuting) and three unicycles (a 24″ cruiser, a 26″ mountain unicycle, and a 36″ for commuting). And I share two tandems (our mule, for commuting; and a sporty Co-motion). Oh yeah, and a flatbed trailer. With my wife’s two bicycles and 24″ unicycle, we have 20 tires to keep inflated. Cheaper by the dozen, I say.

  • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

    Ha. So true. Pretty bike!

  • http://thechaicyclist.blogspot.com spiderleggreen

    I think we all should have a different bike for every day of the week! A stable of bikes. “Which one should I ride today?” or “It’s Tuesday, I always ride my Retrovelo on Tuesdays”. If money is the issue, perhaps you should be looking for an older bike with some class(I love my Schwinn). If you’re just worried about what people would think about your stable of bikes, let em squak.

    I’m actually, now, seriously considering buying an Azor Opa or Secret Service bike. Maybe the Retrovelo, but upright position is one of my priorities, and I’m not sure that it meets that criteria. I may be taking a trip down to the Dutch Bike Co. in Chicago, sometime in the next few weeks, to take a look.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com dottie

      You have to let me know if you come to Chicago! We can have a bike blogger meet up and ride around. :)

  • Dean Peddle

    The more the merrier. Come on Dottie….you don’t own a car so you can justify many more bikes. I currently have 6 so I hope soon I can put foward spiderleggreen’s moto of having 1 for every day of the week !! 2 is not nearly enough….I can’t even imagine only having 2 bikes nor can I remember that last time I only had 2 bikes :) That just sounds too boring.

  • http://lacyclechic.blogspot.com Cosmo

    I love it! I wish I had a local shop to test the Pashleys they look so fun and pretty.

  • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

    The Princess “light and airy”! Good Lord, I almost fell off my chair when I saw that photo of you holding her over your head!! You are a stronger gal than I am, my friend! It took me 2 days of practice to be able to lift that baby off the ground at all, then 3 more days to gain enough strength to drag her up and down the porch stairs on my own. Doing this in the July heat, I was cursing and dripping with sweat before even starting my bike ride. It is getting better every day though, and hopefully I will soon have arms of steel, which is definitely not the case at the moment. God, I shudder to think what the Azor Oma must weigh in comparison!…

  • http://www.rideofsilence.org/chicago E A

    Not even a mention of Betty Foy! What? Has the romance already worn off?

    Pashley is nice, too… who am I to argue?

  • http://none grambev

    I like the aqua mint color and I like the light weight.

  • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com dottie

    All you enablers are not helping my addiction! :)

  • http://sheridesabike.com Karen

    At first I felt ashamed of owning 2 bikes but I now see the logic. Different bikes for different moods and different conditions. The Breezer is I am more dressed up and need to get to work faster and stick to the street. The Specialized Expedition if I am looking to mix recreation in with my ride home, cutting through a rocky path or trail or tackling a steeper hill. I fight the urge though to consider bike number 3. I think I’ll focus my energies on new baskets and saddlebags.

  • http://votewithyourfeetchicago.blogspot.com John Greenfield

    I work at Boulevard Bikes Thursday – Saturday and am a big fan of our Pashleys. I borrowed a Roadster Classic for the Tweed Ride and the Summer Babes and Elegant Bachelors ride. I’m tempted to buy it for myself as my opera bike (which means I’ll have to start going to the opera.)

    If you’re interested in test riding a Pashley, stop by the shop and say hello.

    John Greenfield

  • http://suburbanbikemama.blogspot.com/ Mamavee

    all I can say ( totally inappropriately I full well know) is have a baby and buy a sorte or bakfiet to add to the lust. Ha ha ha!

    Ok done. I *need* to test ride the betty and the pashley. Like NOW. I think I will try Friday. Yes.

    Lovely post!

  • http://www.rideofsilence.org/chicago E A

    Karen, if it’s new bags… then consider the PoCampos. I was lucky enough to win one recently! It’s a wonderful addition to “dress up” my bike outings.

    In fact, dottie posted about the creators of these bags: http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/emily-and-maria-making-fab-bike-bags-in-chicago/

  • http://www.fullhandsx3.blogspot.com sara

    I really want this bike…. Oh well, will wait the 10 years for my 50th birthday. Maybe I can get it for my 45th? 41st? Is that too soon?

  • http://mplsrad.wordpress.com Tad Salyards

    It’s pretty simple really – the heavier the bike the smoother the ride. My guess is the Pashley was a bit more of a boneshaker than the Oma. Life is full of trade-offs :)

  • Ann Gustard

    Dottie, you clearly have a Pashley-shaped hole in your life which will never be filled until you give in. Some of us are just like that…. I have a green Princess Sovereign which I absolutely adore – recently it was in for repairs, and although I was lent a lovely Dutch bike to get round on I missed it so much I found myself gazing longingly at cycle racks hoping to spot one! I fear you will never rest until you own one…..

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  • Alicia

    Having just bought a Pashley Sonnet Bliss, I can definitely confirm it is the most beautiful and comfortable bike I’ve ever ridden! The craftmanship is superb, everything about her is so beautiful! Living in London means that I’ve had to spend a fortune on locks in order to keep her safe but after weeks of gazing longingly at pictures of them, I just had to bite the bullet before the price went up (even higher)… I would wholeheartedly recommend Pashleys, fantastic bikes!

  • sallysalamander

    I hear you all, but what about the weight really? I live in London and need to carry these little beauties up a flight or 2 of stairs to get to the train platforms about once a week… am i going to pull my back out, or is it possible?

    x

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