Just before the Easter holidays it was announced that H&M founded retail chain COS (Collection of style) will start to sell the Swedish bike Kronan at its newly opened shops in England, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Kronan bikes are based on a classic Swedish military model (they actually started once by selling from an old stock of military bikes).
Maria Brunstedt, Managing Director of Kronan comments the collaboration like this: “We have noticed increased interest from other countries, and the timeless design of our bicycle has attracted consumers from the Netherlands and Japan for some time now. Now we have matured enough to take an additional step out into the international market. We are increasing our marketing efforts and are looking forward to meeting many more quality and style-conscious Europeans.”
Andra bloggar om: h&m, cos, collection of style, kronan, cyklar
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11 comments
raffaele zallone says:
May 29, 2007
I bought a Kronan four years ago. I live and work in Milano and bike to work everyday. Just recently i have had two problems. The handle broke (and it was NOT FUNNY!), and non the front whell has collapsed. AND, Kronan does not market in Italy anymore, so NO SPARE PARTS! 400 euros of byke to be thrown away! Nice, isn’t it?
David Carlson says:
May 29, 2007
Dear Raffaele, that’s to bad! You should send them a claim at info@kronan.com…
raffaele zallone says:
Jun 12, 2007
Dear David, I did: do you think i got any kind of answer? or any kind of spare parts (which would have been a lot better)?
how did that old saying go? oh yes, customer first….
David Carlson says:
Jun 12, 2007
Raffaele, I’m sorry to hear that. One lesson I learned during my years with David design was that a complain or a claim could be turned into something positive if you act fast and responsible towards your customer. Probably Kronan has to learn a lesson…
Torben Kristensen says:
Jul 31, 2007
A situation in Denmark.
My son bought a Kronan for his own saving money when he was 14 years old. 11 months later the back wheel collapsed without warning. The rim actually was split into two halfs. The accident happened without knocking the wheel against a kerbstone. It is now about 3 months ago, and the dealer has not yet heard anything from Kronan. They say, that Kronan is impossible to work with, and that is what several dealers in Denmark says. I hope COS has made a better service agreement with Kronan – otherwise they could face problems.
Peter Stegman says:
Nov 3, 2007
Dear raffaele zallone, in the year 2002 in bought a safe for the sum of 1100 dutch guilders, one year later the cifrelock went crazy so I couldn’t open it anymore and had to grind it open on the backside, make a new backside an welded it, I did reset the lock and coded a new combination and the same thing happened again. This safe was italian made and I had a one-year warranty. My possesions were very safe since no-one could get at it, including the man who paid for it. I could reclamate nowhere, that’s what I call funny.
Thomas says:
Feb 1, 2008
I’ve talked with bicycle mechanics in three countries. The consensus is the same-Kronans are not worth the money. Great design, horrible execution. Dutch, German, Italian, and even some Taiwanese city bikes of similar design tend to hold up better. I personally believe the Dutch are best b/c of the stainless steel parts.
greg keller says:
Feb 15, 2008
The rear rim of my Kronan (2 years old) split length-wise too. I took photos and sent them to Kronan, who said to show them a receipt and they’d replace the wheel if I paid for shipping. 100 euros later, i received a wheel – single speed, when I had specified it was a 3-speed hub. First they claimed incorrectly that I had “confirmed”
the order. Finally after a few weeks they said they would send me the correct wheel at no extra charge. I’m expecting it soon.
Jan Engelsman says:
Jun 27, 2008
I too considered buying a Kronan. But everything that I’ve heard about them lately has put me off the idea. It seems that once the original supply of Swedish Army surplus bikes dried up they sub-contracted their production out to a number of highly dubious suppliers in countries like Poland, with the result that a bicycle which was heavy but battleship-strong turned into one which was heavy but structurally weak and which would rust into holes if you left it outside on a foggy morning. Likewise their after-sales service inspires no great confidence: their UK dealer seems to have fallen off the edge of the world while e-mails to their headquarters in Sweden are comprehensively ignored. As Thomas says, great design but rotten execution. I worked in Sweden and have a great respect for Swedish products. But Kronan seems to be letting the whole country down. A two-wheeled Volvo it certainly isn’t.
While we’re waiting for Kronan to get their act together, those interested might try a Dutch Batavus Personal unisex bicycle. My wife has one and I ride it a lot now myself. About the same spec as a Kronan, and an excellent machine all round.
Jan Engelsman says:
Oct 18, 2008
It’s me again with an update. For me, my wife’s Batavus Personal bike has one huge fault: that not having a crossbar makes it very difficult to manhandle across anti-SUV gates on country by-roads and up and down the stairs at railway stations. So in the end I bought myself a Finnish Helkama Jääkäri bicycle for £520 from the London cycle store Velorution. And I’m delighted with it. It’s the same 1940s Scandinavian-military style as the Kronan (though it weighs slightly less) and is a copy of the bikes which Helkama supplied until recently to the Finnish government: 26″ balloon tyres; galvanised steel frame; hub three-speed (you normally ride in second); finished in green and black. The lighting system is a bit odd: a hub dynamo for the front light but nothing at the back so I’ve had to fit a battery-powered rear lamp. but apart from that it’s a lovely, handsome machine and a pleasure to ride living in flattish country as I do.
Helkama are a highly reputable firm and their frames are still made in Finland, so there should be none of the breakage problems that have plagued Kronans in recent years.
The website is http://www.helkamavelox.fi, but you’ll have to go to the Swedish version and select “Herrcyklar” because it isn’t on the English one yet.
nils says:
Feb 27, 2010
We sell Kronan Bikes again because our experiences during the last 6 years were not bad but good. Though most of the bikes were not made in Sweden anymore the quality is very good. We had little customers with problems. The bikes we use ourself have no rust problem and the coating ist still fine after 6 years. If you are interested you can order here: http://www.beachcruiser.de/index.php/cat/c278_Kronan-Classic-Bikes.html