Pedalling ahead on retro bike

By ELLEN READ

A retired Auckland businessman is building up a small company using knowledge gained during his working life and applying it to one of his passions - retro Swedish bicycles.

Previously a chemicals and plastics importer, Roger Everest retired last year and was looking for new things to do.

When an elderly friend complained about not being able to find a simple, old-fashioned bicycle, it sparked an idea.

Trawling the internet, Everest found a website for Swedish bicycle manufacturer Kronan and his idea began to take shape.

With his wife, Helene, he travelled to Sweden in May, thinking New Zealand would be a good market for bikes targeting the 50-and-over age group.

"But when we got there, it was more university students and a commuting bike. It's a retro thing."

This business combines something Everest is passionate about with expertise built up from running his own importing firm - such as importing requirements, distribution and international foreign exchange.

First built in the 1940s for the Swedish military, the bike was designed for simplicity, strength and longevity.

But instead of being a cumbersome piece of Machinery, Kronan's no-nonsense approach to bicycle making has created a stylish machine which is sought after both as a practical means of transport and a superb classic bicycle.

In 1996 Johan Wahlback, founder of Kronan Cykel, discovered a supply of the sturdy bikes stored in various warehouses around Sweden.

Although they had been there for decades, they needed no servicing and were in perfect working order.

He bought them and within two days had sold 300 bikes off the back of a truck and was in business.

A year later he had opened a Kronan plant in Sweden and today more than 70,000 of the bikes on the roads of Europe, Britain and North America. And, as of next month, New Zealand, too.

Everest has set up a company - Rigel (the brightest star in the constellation of Orion) - to act as Kronan's local agent.

The first shipment of 90 Kronan bicycles will arrive at the end of next month. It will be stored in a warehouse in Turangi, cheaper than Auckland premises and more central for distribution.

Rigel will become the first bicycle retailer in New Zealand to bypass traditional retail outlets and let customers buy direct from the internet - a combination of old (the bike) and new (e-commerce).

The bikes are made from stainless steel and each has an individual number plate, which can be registered on the internet for added security, and comes with extra wide mudguards, durable balloon tyres, a back pedal brake, a solid luggage carrier, a bike stand, a front dynamo light and a one-year guarantee.

Prices will start from around $660 and range up to around $1000 for a three-speed bike with all the accessories.

Everest says he has already received his first order.

Kronan