We'll rectify that tout suite. Many of the Danish brands only have websites in Danish, which really shows that they are content to concentrate on the local market.
Nevertheless, it's interesting to see their bikes and I've provided links after each brand.
VELORBIS
There are big players on the market in Copenhagen and Denmark but the new kid on the block is Velorbis. The very idea of starting a new bike brand in this market is, on paper, rather silly. But Velorbis are enjoying great success, not only at home but abroad. Their bikes are being bought by Danish county councils and city councils who provide bikes for their civil servants and they are making a splash in the UK and North American market.
We have a post about Velorbis in our Bikes We Like feature over at Copenhagenize.com. Michael at Drunk and In Charge of a Bicycle out of NYC blogs about his new Velorbis Churchill.
Velorbis Website - In English.
Made in the EU.
KILDEMOES
Kildemoes is one of the brands you don't hear about elsewhere, and yet they produce 100,000 bikes each year. They are the largest brand on the Danish market but they're now owned by an Italian company.
TAARNBY
Taarnby is another big player on the Danish market with a great selection of bikes to choose from.
Taarnby Cykler - In Danish.
Taarnby Retro/Shopping Bikes - In Danish. Click "Klik her for se alle retro/shopping bikes" to see their selection.
SÖGRENI
Upmarket brand with emphasis on design and style, as well as functionality. Very cool bikes to be seen on in Copenhagen. Read our BIKES WE LIKE POST about Sögreni.
SÖGRENI WEBSITE - In English.
SÖGRENI DISTRIBUTOR IN US - In English.
MBK
MBK Cykler are quite popular. They have a broad selection.
MBK Cykler - Ladies Bikes - In Danish.
EVERTON
Used to be an independant brand, now owned by an Italian company but still produced under their own name.
Everton Bikes - In Danish.
JUPITER
A large chain of bike shops with both their own brand and others.
Jupiter Website - In Danish.
Jupiter Ladies Bikes - In Danish.
JAGUAR
I don't know much about Jaguar bikes, just that I see them quite often. They might not even be Danish, shockhorror!
An online shop selling Jaguar. In Danish.
MUSTANG
Mustang bikes are mostly sold in large supermarkets. Usually quite inexpensive compared to other brands.
Mustang Cykler - In Danish.
ROCKY
Another brand sold in supermarkets.
Rocky Cykler - In Danish.
There are many other brands, but these are the Danish brands that you seen most often on the streets. We'll cover some of the foreign brands in upcoming posts.
If anyone knows of distributors or websites where these brands can be bought internationally, please let us know.
21 comments:
You have a much better bike selection than us poor folk here in the US. Here it's all mountain bikes or racing bikes.
I'm amused by the bike brands "Jaguar" and "Mustang", because they remind me of the cars of the same name.
i know, krista, it's a travesty.
but to be honest, i'll take a jaguar car over a jaguar bike any day of the week... :-) for top down sunday drives in the country.
So true, krista.
I wish I'd known about Velorbis when I bought my new bike last year. I am pretty happy with it but I like the chicness of the Velorbis bikes even better. I have an emerald green Elektra Townie with pink spoke beads.
However, those Velorbis tricksters have not put any prices on their web site so 'if you've got to ask about the price, you probably can't afford it!'
You look ace with your Velorbis with 'blond' (hee!) wheels, Zakkaliciousness!
thanks, jennifer! my wheels are so cool. real headturners, even in Copenhagen where we've seen it all before.
Ask Michael over at Drunk and in charge of a bicycle about the price. i think you're looking at about 2000 dollars for a Velorbis.
So happy you're covering this, it is so needed. In the USA it seems that the Euro-style bicycles are becoming the most alluring, 'must have' ride to own.
Why bicycles are so expensive in Denmark? I certainly can't afford 3599DKK for a lady bike.
Thanks for the comments.
Bicycles aren't expensive in Denmark. They're quite affordable for us. 3599 kroner is a cosy price.
If you convert kroner into, for example, the dollar, it sounds expensive, but that is because our standard of living is different. Not to mention the fact that the dollar is frightfully weak.
Converted into dollars our wages are much higher. A bartender will make $20 an hour, which is roughly the minimum wage. That's about $40,000 a year.
Any experience of Biomega bikes?
They're quite something, at least from seeing the website. Design by Mark Newson and others. Fixed drive train. Glow-in-dark paint. No fenders.
martin melbourne
haven't tried a biomega, but i see quite a few on the streets. classic danish design.
the new ones with glow in the dark paint are cool.
does anyone have wisdom on cheapest way to transport a bike bought in, say, Demark, back to the US? Pack and ship or box it and bring it back on the plane as extra luggage?
shipping is a nightmare and it is expensive. the cheapest way is taking a bike as luggage on a flight. you'll have to pack it in and airlines have different rules.
Here is something for the children. Take a look at The original FirstBike
cool bikes. shame about the silly bike helmets.
What about brands like Centurion and Avenue - those two are some of the brands you see the most in the streets?
Or is this post only about "classic" designs?
Great blog btw!
this post isn't just about classic. so thanks for mentioning those two brands!
There used to be a Dutch bicycle factory called Mustang, in Assen (David Hembrow might know about it). Here is their story, in Dutch but the pics say it all: http://www.rijwiel.net/mustangn.htm. The name was probably bought and used for a new brand. You see them every now and then in Dutch bike shops.
I have a 2-year old Kildemoes. This summer I had it serviced during a vacation in Germany.
The mechanic really loved it. For him it was a luxury bike. In Denmark, of course, it's quite common.
I didn't realize bikes were such a huge deal and how many people love them. I love the pictures and I like the fact that it seems people from every walk of life use bikes.
I picked up a Jupiter while studying at DIS for the summer back in 2000- basic single speed, love it. Problem is, I need to replace the bottom bracket- anybody know the thread pitch??? It isn't english standard!
The funny thing is that the bike brand: Mustang, is actually older than the car model :-)
You can buy the Mustang bikes at:
http://www.nettorvet.dk/kategori/sport-og-fritid/cykler-og-tilbehoer
You wrote: "Everton Bikes. Used to be an independent brand, now owned by an Italian company but still produced under their own name."
Correction: They are a Swedish brand. The fact that the owner has an Italian name (i.e. Grimaldi) does not make them Italian.
Cycleuropa Group: The company manufactures such brands as: Bianchi, Crescent, DBS, Everton, Gitane, Kildemoes, Legnano, Micmo, Monark, Puch.
Hope this helps.
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