Pashley’s journey from 1930s path racer to 21st-century performance machine shifts up a gear with the lightweight Roadfinder SL, a new model that the British marque – which turns 100 next year – says “blends race performance with all-day epic ride capability and exquisite handling, and embodies the unmistakable ride quality of high-end, hand-crafted steel.”
At the beginning of 2025 Pashley introduced the Roadfinder and Roadfinder X. Whereas those bikes cater to versatility and gravel respectively, the SL seems unapologetically singular in purpose: “The antithesis of a do-it-all bike… for road riders who crave speed,” says Pashley. "Tarmac is the sole purpose.” However, despite its different surface specialism, the Roadfinder SL is handbuilt, just like its siblings, from start to finish at Pashley’s factory in Stratford-upon-Avon using TIG welds combined with brazed and silver soldered joints and fittings – and both feature 3D-printed elements including the distinctive flowing seat lug and rear dropouts adorned with the curly Pashley ‘P’.
The aim for the Roadfinder SL, as the suffix suggests, was lower weight. Since the advent of disc brakes, which are now considered non-negotiable, steel bikes can struggle to compete with their carbon counterparts on weight, even though on ride quality many would say metal is still superior. So Pashley worked with Reynolds to produce a new, lighter, custom 853 ‘SL’ tubeset. According to lead designer Jon Cumberpatch, positions of the tube butts and wall thickness came under scrutiny – because 853 is already regarded as a lightweight tubeset – and the top tube, for example, has reduced butt lengths and a wall thickness of 0.4mm in the centre. The 3D-printed elements of the frame were also remodelled and Pashley says it saved 30g in the left-hand dropout alone. A 3D-printed stainless bolt-on front derailleur hanger and a carbon Columbus Futura Disc SLX fork save more grams overall. The frame weight is a claimed 1,698 grams for a size 54, which Pashley says is 400 grams lighter than the original Roadfinder; in its Campagnolo Super Record 13 spec with Parcours Strade wheels the Roadfinder SL weighs a claimed 8.64 kilos, which is pretty impressive.
The geometry is more aggressive than that of the standard Roadfinder: that bike was designed for comfort with a 72° head angle, 73.5° seat tube and a slightly elongated top tube that facilitated a shorter stem. The Roadfinder SL by contrast has a lower front end, steeper 73° head angle for sharper handling, shorter chainstays, reduced tyre clearance (32mm instead of 45mm) and more conventional top tube lengths across the five sizes. It’s designed for more aggressive riding with pinpoint cornering accuracy but, says Pashley, it’s stable and comfortable with excellent vibration absorption.
Other features that place the Roadfinder SL unmistakably in 2025 are a T47 bottom bracket, 12mm thru-axles and UDH compatibility. It’s for electronic groupsets only, with internally routed brake hoses combined with 3D-printed tube transitions to create, in Pashley’s words, “an incredibly clean looking bike that retains classic road frame proportions.” There are hidden mudguard mounts so that all-season use is possible (and encouraged).
There are two colours – Hyper Violet with Gold and Thunderstorm Blue with Neon Yellow. As with all Pashley bikes you can customise to your own specification or choose one of the four recommended builds, which are:
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Shimano 105 Di2, £3,950
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Shimano Ultegra Di2, £4,995
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Shimano Dura Ace Di2, £8,495
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Campagnolo Super Record 13, £8,995
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Frameset £1,795
Andy Smallwood, Pashley’s CEO says via the press release: “This new SL range is a shining example of how traditional British craftmanship, and ingenuity is at the forefront of bicycle design and a truly world-class product. To ideate, design, manufacture and build here in the UK is testimony to the long-standing heritage of the Pashley brand. As we ride towards our 100th year we are excited about the future and the innovation to come. This launch is great for me too - I've already got one on order and can't wait to ride it.”
Are we starting to see makers of metal bikes moving back towards a more performance focus? Only last week Italian brand Pegoretti launched the new Elio, which it says is "an unashamedly pure racing bike. Meawhile, Standert is busy proving that its aluminium Kreissäge RS is fast and light enough to be raced at UCI level. Dario Pegoretti himself once said that what's important is what the framebuilder does with the material rather than the material itself, and the latest steel and aluminium performance bikes are finally stepping out of the shadow of carbon-fibre. They don't have to be relegated to the all-road category any more – they are proving that they can be fast and light too.
For all the details and specs of the Roadfinder SL go to Pashley’s website.
