Pashley effortlessly mixes BMX heritage with old-school craft, to make a mini-velo that's an instant classic

As City bikes go, the Brompton reigns supreme in the cutesy-practical department, but for those of us that secretly still harbour BMX dreams from our childhood, the mini-velo is actually where it's at. They don't fold, so don't offer much in terms of space saving in your flat, but once you get them to the car, or need to carry it upstairs they really do come into their own. Anything they might lack in extra practicality compared to their folding compatriots, they more than make up for in smiles per miles.

BMX size tyres makes for some awesome tyre choices, and some really fun handling, and most modern incarnations add racks, and hub gears for a simple, fun, fast and practical way to rock around our towns and cities, in style.

Pashley have been making bikes the same way – properly, by hand, one at a time – for dickies years, but as I found out recently on a tour of a factory, they're taking all that knowledge and skill accumulated over years and pouring all that love and experience into a much more contemporary range of new bikes that they're hoping will underpin their next 100 years or so.

Despite its traditional looks, at heart, the Skyline Mini Velo – launching today – is a practical and versatile bike and will form the backbone of their new approach, alongside some really well thought through road, gravel and adventure platforms.

The Skyline Mini Velo is built from a combination of light but sturdy Reynolds 725, 631 and 525 double-butted steel tubing, it’s designed to accommodate a variety of builds, whether as reliable city commuter, a weekend bikepacker or much in between.

Pashley's relationship with Reynolds goes back decades, and Pashley are responsible for bringing back 531 tubing, thanks to their commitment to homegrown British steel. They're also well known in BMX circles, and used to make some of the world's best track frames.

While the 20” wheels help give the bike’s it’s unorthodox appearance, the frame’s generous tyre clearance of up to 2.3” wide means it's adaptable to a variety of terrain.

The smaller wheel size also means it takes up less space, whether that’s in the office, at home, or in the back of a camper van. Similarly it is loaded with mounting points which lend it to the urban and country landscape alike; there are bosses for front and rear racks as well as framebags, bottle cages and mudguards.

Options for swept back, riser or drop bars continues the theme, as does the frameset’s ability to change dropout standards so it can be run with single-speed, derailleur or hub gears; the three complete builds available to purchase feature either a Alfine 8-speed internal hub or a microSHIFT FC-G7000 groupset, both 1x and 2x. There’s even an option to run a dropper post.

The frame’s geometry plays a large part in the Skyline Mini Velo’s inherent versatility, as Jon Cumperbatch, Lead Designer at Pashley, explains:

“Slightly elongated top tubes create a stable wheelbase and allow fitment of drop and flat handlebars and short chainstays make for snappy acceleration. The front-end geometry has been designed to mimic a larger wheeled bike for familiarity and predictable handling.”

Available in three sizes, Small, Medium and Large, the stack and reach numbers are 395/555mm, 425/590mm and 455/625mm respectively. Across the threes sizes, the head tube angle is 72 degrees, while the chainstays measure 405mm.

The three builds all use disc brakes, either Shimano or Tektro, as well as Brooks saddles and wheels with a 25” internal rim measurement. There’s also an option to buy the frameset so you can customise until your heart’s content.

Prices start at £1,795 / $2,695 for the complete builds while the frameset retails at £995 / $1,495.