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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.