Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Grand Royal Göteborg: Patrik Tegnér Randonneuse

Grand Royal Göteborg: Patrik Tegnér Randonneuse

This could well be the most elegant bike we’ve featured all year. It was built by Patrik Tegnér, a name unknown, perhaps, to those of us outside his home country of Sweden — where he has quite the reputation for building exquisite randonneuring frames.

Grand Royal Göteborg: Patrik Tegnér Randonneuse

Patrik built his first frame in 1989, driven by a deep appreciation for the bicycle as a beautiful object, and a long history of working with metal. His tutor was an old book on frame building and a set of Reynolds tubes found in the basement of a local bike shop.

Grand Royal Göteborg: Patrik Tegnér Randonneuse

It took a few years’ practice but gradually orders began to turn up, from word of mouth and the interest from local touring and randonneur clubs, in a time when mountain bikes took the market’s attention.

Grand Royal Göteborg: Patrik Tegnér Randonneuse

Patrik found his niche in these classically-styled frames not readily manufactured by the big brands and, while still producing only a few frames a year in Gothenburg as a hobbyist, they are exceptionally high in quality and detail.

Grand Royal Göteborg: Patrik Tegnér Randonneuse

This one, in particular, could be his finest yet. It was commissioned by Stockholm’s Peter Linderoth, who had become entranced by the style of the French constructeurs, such as Alex Singer and René Herse.

Grand Royal Göteborg: Patrik Tegnér Randonneuse

Peter frequented a bike shop in Sweden called Veloform, a reseller of brands such as Berthoud, Honjo, Compass, Grand Bois, and it was via Anders, the proprietor, that he came upon Patrik’s work.

Grand Royal Göteborg: Patrik Tegnér Randonneuse

The frame is a low-trail 650B steel frame made from Reynolds 853 and a Columbus Spirit seat tube, with a Kasei fork. Patrik also made the racks with a detachable lowrider stanchion, and routed the rear brake cable through the top frame and seat post.

Grand Royal Göteborg: Patrik Tegnér Randonneuse

It’s built up with René Herse cranks and an SKF BB — who, coincidentally, was founded in Gothenburg. Campagnolo’s Potenza groupset was installed, with a Stronglight headset, a SON SL front hub, Pacenti rims, topped by a titanium Brooks B17 saddle.

Patrik Tegnér Website | Flickr | Instagram

Big thanks to Luca Mara for the photos.

Grand Royal Göteborg: Patrik Tegnér Randonneuse