Kronan (company) explained

Kronan (Swedish: The Crown) bicycles are marketed by Kronan Trademark AB, also known as Kronan AB. Kronan AB was established in June 1997 by three former-students, John Wahlbäck and the Avander brothers, Henry and Martin. In autumn 2003 the company was bought by the Brunstedt family with Mary Brunstedt as the company's current CEO.

History

Kronan began when John Wahlbäck sold surplus Swedish military m/42 bikes, to supplement his income as a student. They decided to manufacture a copy of this after selling all their original stock. Kronan bought the original drawings from the Swedish Ministry of Defense and commissioned a Taiwanese manufacturer to build bicycles to these specifications.

The current Kronan Bicycle has been modernized slightly, but has the same basic design as the original. It is assembled in Poland using parts from Asia. The original Kronan factory was in Malmö.

Until about 2000 Kronan bikes were only available in a limited number of colors, with a single gear and coaster brakes. New models have been added with 3-speed SRAM hub gears and drum brakes.

Other variants include a child's bike (Kiddo), a traditionally-styled bike (Kranny) and a tricycle (Kargo). All these bikes have a bottle dynamo front light (the rear is operated by a battery) and panniers as standard.

Models

Diamond Frame, single gear, coaster brake
Diamond Frame, 3-speed, front roller brake, rear coaster brake
Step-through, single gear, coaster brake
Step-through, 3-speed, front roller brake, rear coaster brake
Step-through Unitube, 5-speed, front roller brake, rear coaster brake (USA only - no longer available)

Specs

Frame: Cromoly diamond and step through with 1 or 3 three speeds
Forks: Cromoly
Wheels: Miche, aluminum
Rear hub: Shimano 1-spd or SRAM T 3-spd S3 Spectro with coaster brake.
Chain: KMC 108 links
Crankset: Shimano steel 46T
Pedals: Aluminum spindle
Tires: Continental ^[1]
- Men's bikes: (54-584) 650B
- Ladies' bikes: (47-622) 700C
Saddle: Cushioned w/ vinyl upholstery
Rear light: Darkness & motion activated. .06 watts. Stainless steel cover & cage
Front light: Front wheel Bottle dynamo generator - 6 volt, 3 watts
Brakes: Drum brake SRAM T3
Luggage carrier: Painted steel w/ 2 chrome spring clips and airpump holder. Pump included!
Bell: Stainless steel w/ Kronan logo
Fenders and chainguard
Colours:
- Men's - blue, black, brown, and occasionally green, and red.
- Ladies - red, pink and black.

All Kronan bicycles have following basic equipment: large tires for more comfort in the city, a rear license plate, extra large saddle, coaster brake and front hub brake (As of March 2007, all Kronan models are equipped with a hand brake^[2]), dynamo powered front and automatic rear light, rear rack (wide and front to back),^[3] stainless steel chain and spokes, steel frame with extra coating for protection, and rims and fenders/mudguards in steel in same color as frame, internal gear hubs, kick stand, bell, and air pump.^[4]

Accessories

Frame mounted wheel lock
Front rack - frame-mounted and measures deep by wide with 35 pound capacity.^[3]
Front basket - wire or wicker^[3]
Brooks brand Saddles and bags
GMG Dutch child seat
RackPack Carradice Bags

Corporate advertising

Several companies have incorporated Kronan bicycles into their employees and customer reward programs, or purchased a fleet of Kronan bikes for use by employees and customers.^[5] These bicycles usually have a signboard underneath their crosstube advertising the company.

References

Web site: Hermes m/42. July 26, 2006. Stenqvist. Åke. van Helden, Ben. 2004-04-09. Dutch, English. https://web.archive.org/web/20041121095909/http://www.benvanhelden.nl/Condorclub/Fiets/Sweden/hermes/Hermes.html. November 21, 2004.
Cykelhistoriska föreningen . April 2001 . Militärcyklar . Velocipeden . 17 . 5 . 6–13 . Swedish .
Web site: A small history of Bicycles in SWEDEN . https://web.archive.org/web/20040520195244/http://www.benvanhelden.nl/Condorclub/Fiets/Sweden/History%20Army%20Bikes%20Zweden.html . dead . May 20, 2004 . July 26, 2006 . Stenqvist . Åke .

External links

Notes and References

Web site: Herrcykel . Kronan . 22 August 2014 . sv . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115101/http://www.kronan.com/sv/Cykel/kronan-herrcykel-brun . 26 August 2014 .
http://usa.kronan.com/answers.php
Web site: Bicycle Fixation: Review: Kronan City Bike . bicyclefixation.com . 2014 . 22 August 2014.
http://www.kronan-fietsen.be/bikes/detail_en.phtml?id=3
http://www.kronan-fietsen.be/bikes/detail_en.phtml?id=4