Pashley PDQ Recumbent Bike
Introduction
- The Pashley PDQ was my first recumbent :-)
- The PDQ is a SWB (Short Wheelbase) recumbent with an adjustable
mesh seat, ASS (Above Seat Steering), V-brakes, 3*7 combined hub and
derailleur gears, 406/20inch wheels and the rear of the seat is mount
on a small suspension "doughnut. The front boom adjusts to fit
different leg lengths.
- Originally this design was made in America as the
Counterpoint
Presto. It was then made by
Pashley Cycles in
England who have also developed it further but have now discontinued it.
- It provides a very quick ride although at first I found the
steering little twitchy at low speeds. But now I am used to it, and
the stability improves with speed (and is rock solid even at
40mph).
Log
February 2012: back to the Zox !!
Move the parts back to the ZOX for
a more fun/fast ride !.
April 2011: New season / new gears
I am currently training on the Kett Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the
PDQ at weekends, aiming again for 100 miles at 15 mph which I am
confident I will hit before the summer.
Most of the time the original 12-28 7-speed Sachs cassette was OK, but
at other times I wished for closer gears. After receiving a very helpful reply
from CTC's Chris Juden on the CTC Forum I took my pick of the
available and got a 13-21
Shimano cassette for only Eur14. This combines with a double
chainring and the 3x7 to give 2 ranges of gears 30-91 and 23-68
gear-inches.
March 2011: Tweaking
Having decided that the handlebar height is good for me shorten all 4
brake and gear cables so that they are just the right length, reducing
the loop forwards. Also replace long armed mirror on bars with short
armed version in handlebar end.
Also remove badly fitting pannier rack and fit the original PDQ
daybag (see photo at top). Also fit Garmin cadence sensor on crude
mount (see fuzzy photo right). Better ideas welcome, but it works
fine.
August/September 2010: Regular riding
After Kett seat frame
breaks ride the PDQ everyday to work and do all training rides on
it. Fun, but not as relaxing as on 3 wheels !! Back to Kett for
commuting when new seat arrives and fitted.
August 2010: Fit short cranks
Fit 140mm Thorn short cranks and
lower handlbars as my legs do not come up as high now on each pedal
stroke.
June 2010: More riding
With winter weather gone do some rides on PDQ as part of my training
programme (link), including a metric-century 66 miles at 15.2mph
(110km at 24.5kph) (a month earlier I did the same ride on the Kett at
13.1mph (21.0kph))
The Kettwiesel is still great for the
daily commute/training rides, especially in bad weather, but I like
also having a faster ride too !
April 2010: Revival
Move the parts back to the PDQ from the ZOX for a bike that is more practical to
ride to work before using on training ride back home again.
First impressions after rebuild: does not feel quite as fast as the
Zox and not as safe a feeling as the Kett in bad weather (!!) but it
is a good compromise for my current intended use.
October 2003: PDQ dropped by Pashley
The PDQ seems to have been dropped from the Pashley website (I heard they
had a big order for their postie-bikes and so dropped some other models).
August 2000: Move to Zox
In search of more of a thrill, and following a test ride at the SPEZI,
dismantle the PDQ to
use the parts on my ZOX 20 Lowracer. (I
bought a ZOX 20 frame kit and seat and transferred the wheels,
transmission and brakes from the PDQ.)
June 1998: Bought
After much research on the Internet, and reading a 3-way review in
Cycling Plus June 1997 (Dawes Low
Rider vs Pashley PDQ vs Speed Ross) I bought my PDQ mail-order
from the excellent UK shop St
John Street Cycles. Assembled and learn to ride in local park.
Pros and Cons
Plus
- Very solid feeling frame, rigid. No apparent pedal flex.
- Great fun to ride.
- Feels fast, responsive - feels like it wants to go !!
- Handling at speed - good even at 40mph.
- Fairly upright seat position and mesh seat contributes to very comfortable ride.
- Excellent aerodynamic "day bag" available from Pashley (see photo above).
Minus
- I found it a little "twitchy" at low speed at first, but now I am used to it and it feels fine.
- Shorter legged people may have problems touching the ground securely when stationary.
- I am not sure yet whether I like the handlebar style: I would like
to try it with a arms out style, like on my ZOX.
PDQ Links / References
PDQ Manufacturer
Other PDQ owners pages
PDQ Reviews
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