Pashley Pathfinder ebike with steel frame and Mahle X30 drive

Bicycles with steel frames are becoming increasingly rare these days. This is especially true for ebikes. However, right from the start, they only used this material to a very limited extent. Here on the blog, they only play a minor role as well. The new Pathfinder XE from Pashley currently proves that both we and the bicycle manufacturers are doing steel a certain injustice.

Pashley Pathfinder XE ebike — Pashley Pathfinder XE

1. Steel only the third choice?
2. Noble tubes for the Pashley Pathfinder XE
3. Craftsmanship meets modern production technology
4. One of the first ebikes featuring Mahle X30
5. Pashley Pathfinder XE somewhere between e-mountain bike and urban ebike
6. Eleven gears + motor = enough leeway
7. Background: Who is Pashley Bicycles?

1. Steel only the third choice?

When we talk about a new ebike, usually the only question arising with regard to the frame material used is: aluminium or carbon? The reasons for this are obvious. Apparently. With steel, the overall weight of the bike increases too much. In addition, ebike systems are much more difficult to integrate into such a frame. And fundamentally, this old-fashioned concept does not fit in at all with a progressive idea such as electric assistance on a bicycle.

Far from it. The time-honoured manufacturer Pashley from Stratford-upon-Avon, made famous by William Shakespeare, skilfully combines a retro approach with the great hope for the individual urban mobility of the future. In many respects, it brings together things that at first glance would seem contradictory or mutually exclusive.

2. Noble tubes for the Pashley Pathfinder XE

This starts with the decision to bring an ebike with a steel frame onto the market. In the case of Pashley, the causality probably has to be reversed. After all, steel frames symbolise this brand like, I don’t know, maybe the big yellow M for a global fast food chain. So, the real surprise for outsiders like us was that the manufacturer decided to build an ebike.

The result is a frame that reflects the fact that Pashley traditionally swears by quality not quantity. The manufacturer uses some of the most prominent tube sets that you can choose from for such a project. On the Pathfinder XE frame, it combines tubes from the Reynolds 725, 631 and 525 tube sets. All of them are butted tubes. With their respective alloys, they bring different degrees of hardness, wall thicknesses, weights and processing properties into play. Pashley utilises the individual strengths of the tubes to respond to the different requirements of the frame tubes. This means, for example, more stability for the down tube, in which the weight of the battery provides additional stress. Or more flex for the seat tube, because the frame can thus compensate for vibrations that occur while riding and ride comfort is increased.

3. Craftsmanship meets modern production technology

The tubes are joined by hand in a soldering process. Special lugs that connect the top tube to the seat stays are manufactured by Pashley using 3D printing. A process that some of you may recognise from the ebikes from Urwahn. There, however, the entire frame is created in this way. In addition to the sleeves, two other parts of the Pathfinder XE come from the 3D printer. The first is a socket with which the display is embedded in the top tube. The second is the charging socket on the frame, where you connect the charger for the ebike battery. In the end, there is a lot of manual labour in the ebike. This explains why you have to expect delivery times of three to four weeks after ordering.

3D-printed steel lug on the Pashley Pathfinder XE ebike — The 3D-printed steel lug on the seat tube is one of the details where Pashley shows how traditional frame construction can be combined with modern technologies.

An additional plus point for the frame from our point of view is the partially internally routed cables. They run invisibly along almost the entire length of the down tube. This gives the ebike a very clean look and brings it much closer to bikes with aluminium and carbon frames. Pashley even uses carbon itself as the material for the fork. One result of this decision is the low weight of the Pathfinder XE. The manufacturer states that it weighs less than 18 kilograms. So much for the preconceptions that ebikes with steel frames are inevitably much heavier than their counterparts that use only aluminium and carbon.

Mechanic brazing a bicycle frame — Pashley continues to rely on hand brazing for its production.

4. One of the first ebikes featuring Mahle X30

Of course, the built-in e-drive also contributes to this weight. The Mahle X30 motor weighs around 1.9 kilograms and the Mahle iX2 battery around 1.6 kilograms. With a Mahle X20, the total weight would have been around 800 grams lower. However, this would also have increased the price. Perhaps this is the reason why Pashley decided in favour of the Mahle X30. Mahle specifies the rear hub motor with a torque of 45 Newton metres. However, this value is meant as an equivalent for mid-mounted motors. In fact, the motor generates a measured 18 Newton metres at the hub.

You can activate the ebike system via the Mahle iWoc control unit integrated in the top tube. It is the only element that you can use to control the drive while riding. To change riding modes, for example, simply press the button labelled ‘Mahle’ once. However, this also means that you have to take one hand off the handlebars each time you want to ride in a different support level. A control unit such as the Mahle Duo or the Mahle eShifters on the handlebars would have made this a little more convenient.

Mahle X30 rear hub motor on the Pashley Pathfinder XE ebike — Mahle X30 rear hub motor

The built-in Mahle iX2 battery has a capacity of 237 watt hours. In practice, this should result in ranges of between 50 kilometres and 90 kilometres, during which you can count on electric assistance. Anyone who feels that this is not enough can get an additional 171 watt hours with the Mahle eX1 range extender. Assuming optimum conditions, this could extend your journey by up to 50 kilometres.

5. Pashley Pathfinder XE somewhere between e-mountain bike and urban ebike

As always, the actual range will depend, among other things, on the terrain you are tackling with the Pashley Pathfinder XE. Due to the hybrid concept of the bike, several variants are possible. Some of you may see the model primarily as a hardtail mountain bike. The manufacturer supplies it ex works with 2.1-inch wide Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres. This means that the tyre clearance of the frame is far from exhausted. Even wider? Or would you prefer even more studs? Both seem possible.

Others may notice the front pannier rack and see themselves cycling through the city on the Pathfinder XE. However, if you want to do this permanently, sooner or later you will probably want to add mudguards and lights. Or perhaps a second pannier rack. The front rack is large enough to allow you to transport larger items on it with the help of tensioning straps and the like. However, Pashley only allows a load capacity of six kilograms. And you can quickly reach that.

Front rack on the Pashley Pathfinder XE ebike — Thanks to the relatively large cargo bed, you can also load bigger items onto the front rack.

6. Eleven gears + motor = enough leeway

Neither scenario will fail due to the drivetrain. The Shimano derailleur gear system with one chainring and eleven sprockets, together with the electric drive, gives you plenty of options for finding a comfortable gear ratio for a wide variety of terrain. We consider the hydraulic disc brakes to be similarly solid. However, their brake discs only measure 160 millimetres in diameter, which is a typical size for e-gravel bikes and trekking ebikes. So you might not want to plunge down too steep descents on the Pathfinder XE after all.

You can now order the Pathfinder XE from the Pashley website for a current price of around 4,400 euros in the frame sizes small, medium and large. So, you’re not necessarily getting a real bargain with the ebike. What you do get is a handcrafted model with an absolutely high-quality steel frame from one of the UK’s most traditional manufacturers that doesn’t come off the rack. For some, this may well outweigh the price tag.

7. Background: Who is Pashley Bicycles?

If you’ve never heard the name before, there’s no need to be ashamed. We also had to look up what this brand is all about. As it turns out, Pashley is one of the oldest British bicycle manufacturers alongside Pearsons and Raleigh. The company was founded in 1926 by a certain William Rathbone ‘Rath’ Pashley. This was still under the name ‘Pashley and Barber’ in Birmingham. From the very beginning, Pashley dedicated itself to the production of high-quality, handmade bicycles. The company also specialised in tricycles and commercial cargo and transport bicycles. Under Dick Pashley, the founder’s son, the company moved to Stratford-upon-Avon in the 1960s, where it is still based today. One of its greatest successes was the production of postal bicycles for the British Royal Mail, starting in the 1970s.