Kronan (bicycle)
Encyclopedia
Kronan 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 two brothers Henry and Martin Avander. In autumn 2003 the company was bought by the Brunstedt family and Mary Brunstedt is the company's current CEO.

History

Kronan began when John Wahlbäck sold surplus
Surplus
Surplus means when there is more supply than demand, as in extra resources.Surplus may refer to: dumd* "The Surplus", an episode of The Office* Surplus: Terrorized into Being Consumers, a documentary film...

 Swedish military m/42
Swedish military bicycle
Swedish military bicycles , or Swedish army bicycles, have been used in the Swedish military for over a century.-History:The first bicycles in the Swedish military were privately owned or bought for testing purposes. Bicycle infantry were first introduced in 1901, when a Gotlandic infantry...

 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
Ministry of Defence (Sweden)
The Ministry of Defence is a Swedish government ministry responsible for the national defence policy.The Ministry of Defence has existed in its present form since 1920...

 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
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 using parts from Asia. The original Kronan factory was in Malmo
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...

.

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
SRAM (bicycles)
SRAM Corporation is a privately held bicycle component manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1987. SRAM is an acronym comprising the names of its founders, Scott, Ray, and Sam, .In 2008, the company received a strategic investment from Trilantic Capital Partners, formerly known as...

 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 are have dynamo lights and pannier
Pannier
A pannier is a basket, bag, box, or similar container, carried in pairs either slung over the back of a beast of burden, or attached to the sides of a bicycle or motorcycle. The term derives from the Old French, from Classical Latin, word for bread basket....

s 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)

Specs

  • Frame: Cromoly diamond and step through with 1 and 3 three speeds, aluminum step-through 5 speed.
  • Forks: Cromoly
  • Wheels: Miche, aluminum
  • Rear hub: Shimano
    Shimano
    Shimano, Inc. is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of cycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment.In 2005, the company had net sales of US $1.4 billion. Bicycle components provided 75% of its sales income...

     1-spd or SRAM T 3-spd S3 Spectro or 5-spd SRAM P5 with pedal brake.
  • Chain: KMC
    Kmc
    Kmc and KMC may refer to:*KMC Bicycle Chain Company*Kaisis Motor Company*Kaiserslautern Military Community*Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School*Karachi Metropolitan Corporation*Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore*Kasturba Medical College, Manipal...

     108 links
  • Crankset: Shimano steel 46T
  • Pedals: Aluminum spindle
  • Tires (Rubena s, from the Czech Republic
    Czech Republic
    The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

    )
    • Mens' bikes: 26x1x1 1/2 I 54-584 I 650B
    • Ladies' bikes: 28x1x1 5/8 I 47-622 I 700B
  • Saddle: Cushioned w/ vinyl upholstery
  • Rear light: Darkness & motion activated. .06 watts. Stainless steel cover & cage
  • Front light: Front wheel Bottle dynamo
    Bottle dynamo
    A bottle dynamo or sidewall dynamo is a small electrical generator for bicycles employed to power a bicycle's lights — or to charge batteries for electronic devices including cellphones or GPS receivers....

     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: black, cream, green, red. Plus dark blue for men's bike and pink for women's bike.


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), dynamo powered front and automatic rear light, rear rack (7 inches (18 cm) wide and 18 inches (46 cm) front to back), 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.

Accessories

  • Lock
  • Front rack - frame-mounted and measures 12.5 inches (32 cm) deep by 16.5 inches (42 cm) wide with 35 pound capacity.
  • Front basket - wire or wicker
  • Brooks
    Brooks England
    Brooks England is a bicycle saddle manufacturer in Smethwick, Birmingham, England. It has been making leather bicycle saddles since 1866, when it was founded in Hockley, Birmingham....

     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. These bicycles usually have a signboard underneath their crosstube advertising the company.
  • British Airways
    British Airways
    British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

  • Ikea
    IKEA
    IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...

  • Volvo
    Volvo
    AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...

  • Body Shop
    Body shop
    Body shopping is the practice of consultancy firms recruiting information technology workers in order to contract their services out on short-term bases...

  • Hennes & Mauritz
    H&M
    H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....

  • ABB Group
  • Wallpaper magazine
  • Dagens Nyheter
    Dagens Nyheter
    is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It has the largest circulation of Swedish morning newspapers, followed by Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet, and is the only morning newspaper that is distributed to subscribers across the whole country. In 2009 DN had a circulation of 316,000, reaching 881...


External links

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