British heritage bike brand Pashley has launched its latest steel-framed gravel bike, the Wildfinder. It’s the latest addition to the Finder range, which already includes the Roadfinder and Pathfinder models. The new Wildfinder offers a more rugged, almost drop bar mountain bike aesthetic and aims to appeal to those wanting to undertake long rides off-road as well as bikepackers.
The new frame can accommodate 60mm (or 2.4in) tyres as well as 180mm brake rotors and a 120mm dropper post. There are three suggested builds starting at £2,795 although you can buy the frameset separately at £1,695.
The Finder range

The Finder range was initially launched last year, with the Pathfinder the first model to be released. They were defined as “discipline-crossing machines” by the brand, with the idea being people could use them in town as well as on country lanes and bridleways.
Then came the Roadfinder earlier this year, and the brand was careful not to use the term, ‘all-road’ when describing the bike – even though it is designed to cover, well, all-road.
So the new Wildfinder presumably fills the gap, and is a full-on steel gravel machine. Except it almost transcends traditional gravel, and heads straight for a new category of super-gravel, or drop bar mountain bikes.
“I like to call it a grountain bike”

The Wildfinder isn’t just wild by name, it’s wild by design. Riders get the option to run a Reynolds 853 bladed rigid fork or a RockShox SID SL fork – which gives additional off-road performance.
It’s UDH compliant, comes with external cable routing and a BSA bottom bracket. It’s stripping back everything you don’t need (read: internal cables through a headset that require two hours of labour just to change brake cables), and keeps what you do.
Mark Lloyd, Pashley Project Design Lead said: “We have designed the Wildfinder to be a drop-bar mountain bike, blurring the lines between gravel and mountain genres (I like to call it a ‘grountain’ bike) primarily designed to be a capable machine for long distance, multi-day off-road bikepacking expeditions.
“Even if you aren’t on an epic multi-day expedition, the bike is equally at home exploring the gnarlier end of gravel and even singletrack, inspiring the rider to go beyond the confines of a conventional gravel bike, follow that trail you didn’t think possible and find out where it leads…”
Combining modern technology with classic design

Just as it has done with the other bikes in the Finder range, Pashley has used 3D printing to its advantage with the new Wildfinder frame. You’ll find a 3D printed seat stay/top tube junction and again in the chain stay yoke which provides extra clearance for tyres up to 60mm/29 x 2.4in.
The dropouts are also 3D printed which allows for brake rotors up to 180mm, something you might want to consider if you’re going to take the ‘grountain’ term liberally and chuck it down some mountains.
There are plenty of mounting points for bags, cages, racks, banana holders, whatever you want to carry on your bike. And, the steel frame has been coated for corrosion protection followed by powder coating for more durability.
The builds

Pashley has designed three different recommended full builds, but it’s possible to customise however you see fit. Within reason, of course.
There are five sizes (XS-XL) and two colours to choose from: Ember or Tempest.
If you’re after a drop bar build, there is the Shimano GRX or SRAM Rival GX AXS builds, which cost £2,995 or £3,995 respectively.
The flatbar build option comes with a Shimano SLX groupset and Schwalbe Rick XC tyres. This costs £2,795.
And the option to buy a frameset on its own also exists, at a price of £1,695. Both drop bar builds come with the option to swap to the RockShox SID SL fork and the Pro Koryak 120mm dropper post. Custom colours can also be chosen from £75.
The Wildfinder is available to order now on Pashley’s website, but more importantly… do we think ‘grountain bike’ will catch on?





















8 thoughts on ““I like to call it a grountain bike”: Pashley’s new Wildfinder gravel bike “blurs the lines between gravel and mountain genres”, says its designer”
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Can you fit a front mech? Seems massively defeatist marketing a ‘go anywhere’ bike with 1x gearing, guaranteed to limit you on climbs AND the long fast bits (speaking as a man who has shoe-horned a 28/38 2x chainset onto his 29er for long days out in the Highlands, I’m still looking for a top end which isn’t there 🙄).
I think you will probably
I think you will probably find the Genesis Vagabond got there first… Looks very similar as an offering, so will be interesting to see how the two square up. Out of the box the Vagabond is fixed fork, but it’s a simple swap. .. hey presto… The same thing.
The geometry appears very similar.
As ever… Nothing new under the sun
The Salsa Fargo actually.
The Salsa Fargo actually. 2008. And the Singular Gryphon, similar era. Go back a bit further and Bruce Gordon’s bikes were as monstercross as you could make with the tyres of the time.
90’s mountain bike with
90’s mountain bike with flared road bars…
Hmm. I bought a Bombtrack
Hmm. I bought a Bombtrack Beyond before Brexit snarled everything up.
Nothing new here whatsoever.
To be fair, ever noticed how
To be fair, ever noticed how similar most road bikes are? The Salsa Fargo has been around for about 18 years. This is simply an expanding category. I hope it goes well for Pashley, they make really nice bikes in the UK and there’s some impressive detail going into them.
Just waiting for 26″ inch
Just waiting for 26″ inch wheels to become popular again, then we’ll have gone full circle!
Don’t most wheels go full
Don’t most wheels go full circle, regardless of the diameter?