Royal mail bicycle ID

[ren531]

Could be Dawes, they and Elswick were the main suppliers, before Pashley got the contract, certainly remember them when I started on the Post,
I had a double top tube on my Dawes posty bike, coz I was a big leggy ( still am ) back then.
Looking at the front rack, I'm guessing it's a Pashley, the Dawes had a mesh platform with long leather straps, the Pashley came with a basket affair and a plastic tray insert.
I doubt a frame no. will be of any help, that was a Royal mail identifier.
Incidentally, posties got an allowance for basic maintenance and cleaning, Paraffin was issued to clean the bike, anything more than oiling and brake adjustment, was done by the likes of me,who had an interest in bikes ,as part of the office duties, a full strip down and inspection every 3 months, and if deemed condemned, we had to cut the seat stay lugs out, coz that's where the frame no. was, then give it to the 'Guvnor.

Sorry I may have confused things a bit with my second two photos, the Pashley and the other one with the front rack , I got three frames altogether, I don't think they were post bikes there's no evidence of red paint, but might be wrong with that.
The first photo at the top of the thread is the post bike .
Loved reading about your experiences working with these bikes .

 

[grldtnr]

Pashley , equally sold these tradesman bikes commercially,but I'd say that they are more than likely Posty bikes, without looking at them proper, there is no real way to identify them.

 

[ren531]

Pashley , equally sold these tradesman bikes commercially,but I'd say that they are more than likely Posty bikes, without looking at them proper, there is no real way to identify them.

Could very well be and long term I may "make" them post bikes .

 

[biggs682]

Could be Dawes, they and Elswick were the main suppliers, before Pashley got the contract, certainly remember them when I started on the Post,
I had a double top tube on my Dawes posty bike, coz I was a big leggy ( still am ) back then.
Looking at the front rack, I'm guessing it's a Pashley, the Dawes had a mesh platform with long leather straps, the Pashley came with a basket affair and a plastic tray insert.
I doubt a frame no. will be of any help, that was a Royal mail identifier.
Incidentally, posties got an allowance for basic maintenance and cleaning, Paraffin was issued to clean the bike, anything more than oiling and brake adjustment, was done by the likes of me,who had an interest in bikes ,as part of the office duties, a full strip down and inspection every 3 months, and if deemed condemned, we had to cut the seat stay lugs out, coz that's where the frame no. was, then give it to the 'Guvnor.

That's good information

 

[grldtnr]

It has PO on the top of the seat tube, I'll put the frame number on later when I get time, I acquired 3 trade/carrier bike frames ,1 is badged as a Pashley Workbike , the 3rd one with a big fixed front rack looks very similar indeed to the Pashley.
They all have multiple layers of paint on them more could be revealed when that's removed.

Looking at that picture with the pannier on the front, that isn't a Royal mail posty bike the tubing is too thick, there was an upstand bar across the rack below the handle bars, and they were shaped slightly different, well at least that's what I remember,the bottom mounting points to the frame were shorter, that one is likely to be a tradesmen bike, if it s a Pashley