Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Pedersen bikes in the US?

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Pedersen bikes in the US?

Old 11-06-22, 12:12 PM
  #1  
Harhir
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Harhir's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 669

Bikes: Fahrradmanufaktur Trekking Bike, 2 x Lightning Phantom, bikeE AT, Radwagon3

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 180 Post(s)
Liked 137 Times in 72 Posts
Pedersen bikes in the US?

Have these style of bikes ever been sold in the US? I am currently traveling in Europe and I have seen a few here in Copenhagen.
I really would like to get one of these. But shipping from Europe would probably kill it.
I think the company Pedersen was one of the leading companies with these.
There is now a German company still building these.



Harhir is offline  
Likes For Harhir:
Old 11-06-22, 01:57 PM
  #2  
Harhir
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Harhir's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 669

Bikes: Fahrradmanufaktur Trekking Bike, 2 x Lightning Phantom, bikeE AT, Radwagon3

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 180 Post(s)
Liked 137 Times in 72 Posts
Originally Posted by bbbob
There used to a builder in Christiania, in Cobenhaun. I imported them to CA in the 90's and sold them all.
That photo was actually taken in Christiania today. Found it at one of the houses. It might have been one of those bikes. But buying a used one in Europe and shipping it to Germany is cost prohibitive.
Harhir is offline  
Old 11-06-22, 05:19 PM
  #3  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Paging @dddd .
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Old 11-06-22, 05:49 PM
  #4  
tcs
Palmer
 
tcs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 8,576

Bikes: Mike Melton custom, 1982 Stumpjumper, Alex Moulton AM, 2010 Dawes Briercliffe, 2017 Dahon Curl i8, 2021 Motobecane Turino 1x12

Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1644 Post(s)
Liked 1,785 Times in 1,041 Posts
Mr. Pedersen died in 1929 and his cycle manufacturing company is long defunct. All Pedersen design bicycles built today are reproductions/knockoffs/inspired by.

A reproduction "Pederson" (sic) was sold at the Copake Auction in October.
https://copakeauction.hibid.com/lot/...cycle?cpage=10




The Solu Duke Pedersen (manufactured in Taiwan) was-and-maybe-still-is sold in the USA by a few dealers.
https://www.pcstore.com.tw/solu/S334472.htm

tcs is offline  
Likes For tcs:
Old 11-07-22, 04:02 AM
  #5  
EpiKlix
Newbie
 
Join Date: Jul 2022
Posts: 1
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
If you do like your Magic Carpet,
you will LOVE a Pedersen bike.

There is a German "keeper of the f(l)ame":
[Sorry, I can't post links.]

Utopia-Velo DOT de => "Pedersen-Fahrrad"

Also the wikipedia article "Pedersen_bicycle" is quite informative [some links are even linking].
EpiKlix is offline  
Old 11-07-22, 09:05 AM
  #6  
dddd
Ride, Wrench, Swap, Race
 
dddd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Northern California
Posts: 9,170

Bikes: Cheltenham-Pedersen racer, Boulder F/S Paris-Roubaix, Varsity racer, '52 Christophe, '62 Continental, '92 Merckx, '75 Limongi, '76 Presto, '72 Gitane SC, '71 Schwinn SS, etc.

Mentioned: 132 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1554 Post(s)
Liked 1,273 Times in 845 Posts
First I've seen of any Asian-sourced Pedersens or frames!

They are relatively rare and expensive over here in the US these days.

I've owned five in total, plus one additional frame.

In addition to the Christiania-built bikes, there was an English outfit called Individual Bicycle that made them (Cheltenham Pedersens) for five or six years during the earlier eighties. These are my favorites, especially for their all-leather saddles.

An outfit in Germany called Kalkhoff has produced/sold many as well.

At one time, I recall Gene Smith of Kool Stop being listed as a distributor for I believe the Copenhagen Pedersens in the late 1990s if not the early 2000's.

They're good riders even for sporting uses if the saddle is set up properly as shown below (more level and taut than is typically seen).
These bikes have an unsteady sway if the saddle isn't adjusted taut, the tension springs won't yield to bumps, and the front of the saddle will pull upward uncomfortably in front. A taut saddle however indeed gives the magic-carpet ride!

There is considerable physiological adaptation required getting a Pedersen up to a sporting pace, much like with a recumbent (the Pedersen is what I call semi-recumbent). There is more in the way of pulling on the bars required, possibly why I broke one handlebar during a cyclocross event!

The bottom bracket on a Pedersen is set low, since the rider cannot slide forward off of the saddle to find footing, and (for the same reason) an off-road Pedersen rider in difficult terrain needs to perfect their emergency "ejector-seat" style of dismount (the normal Pedersen mount/dismount is like mounting a horse or a bicycle).



Shorter cranks (and a saddle that is cinched downward at the forward end of the saddle strap) are essential in order to effect a strong sprint on a Pedersen:

Last edited by dddd; 11-07-22 at 09:23 AM.
dddd is offline  
Likes For dddd:
Old 11-07-22, 09:14 AM
  #7  
Harhir
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Harhir's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 669

Bikes: Fahrradmanufaktur Trekking Bike, 2 x Lightning Phantom, bikeE AT, Radwagon3

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 180 Post(s)
Liked 137 Times in 72 Posts
Originally Posted by EpiKlix
If you do like your Magic Carpet,
you will LOVE a Pedersen bike.

There is a German "keeper of the f(l)ame":
[Sorry, I can't post links.]

Utopia-Velo DOT de => "Pedersen-Fahrrad"

Also the wikipedia article "Pedersen_bicycle" is quite informative [some links are even linking].
Thanks. Yes Utopia still makes them. But they are about $3K new. Plus you habe to add shipping from Germany. They will probably not fit in any standard bike box.
Harhir is offline  
Old 11-07-22, 09:19 AM
  #8  
TugaDude
Senior Member
 
TugaDude's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,511
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 586 Post(s)
Liked 612 Times in 447 Posts
Thanks for the specifics on the ride quality dddd. I was wondering about that and you answered all of my questions. Not anything I'd ever want to try, but it certainly is interesting nonetheless.
TugaDude is offline  
Old 11-07-22, 09:30 AM
  #9  
Harhir
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Harhir's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 669

Bikes: Fahrradmanufaktur Trekking Bike, 2 x Lightning Phantom, bikeE AT, Radwagon3

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 180 Post(s)
Liked 137 Times in 72 Posts
Originally Posted by dddd
First I've seen of any Asian-sourced Pedersens or frames!

They are relatively rare and expensive over here in the US these days.

I've owned five in total, plus one additional frame.

In addition to the Christiania-built bikes, there was an English outfit called Individual Bicycle that made them (Cheltenham Pedersens) for five or six years during the earlier eighties. These are my favorites, especially for their all-leather saddles.

An outfit in Germany called Kalkhoff has produced/sold many as well.

At one time, I recall Gene Smith of Kool Stop being listed as a distributor for I believe the Copenhagen Pedersens in the late 1990s if not the early 2000's.

They're good riders even for sporting uses if the saddle is set up properly as shown below (more level and taut than is typically seen).
These bikes have an unsteady sway if the saddle isn't adjusted taut, the tension springs won't yield to bumps, and the front of the saddle will pull upward uncomfortably in front. A taut saddle however indeed gives the magic-carpet ride!

There is considerable physiological adaptation required getting a Pedersen up to a sporting pace, much like with a recumbent (the Pedersen is what I call semi-recumbent). There is more in the way of pulling on the bars required, possibly why I broke one handlebar during a cyclocross event!

The bottom bracket on a Pedersen is set low, since the rider cannot slide forward off of the saddle to find footing, and (for the same reason) an off-road Pedersen rider in difficult terrain needs to perfect their emergency "ejector-seat" style of dismount (the normal Pedersen mount/dismount is like mounting a horse or a bicycle).



Shorter cranks (and a saddle that is cinched downward at the forward end of the saddle strap) are essential in order to effect a strong sprint on a Pedersen:
cool information.thanks. Do you know how to properly size one? I have seen a few in Germany for sale but no details on size. Which tube would a seller need to measure so that I can compare that with my inseam? On a standard diamond frame it is the seat tube and I kind of know what works for me on these. But I have no clue on Pedersen bikes. Thanks
Harhir is offline  
Old 11-07-22, 10:08 AM
  #10  
Highmass
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Posts: 77

Bikes: 1991 Centurion Oxygen, 1997 Centurion Invincible, 1995+- Fondriest Wind, 1982 Grand Master Nissan Pro 2000, 1992 Olmo Racing (The racing part of the name HAS to be a joke).

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 34 Post(s)
Liked 29 Times in 19 Posts
And just to add to the German made ones, you can also still get a new one made in Copenhagen. Copenhagen Bike Factory have four different models, you can even get disc brakes on electric power, if you feel like it. https://copenhagenbikefactory.dk/?gc...BoCB3cQAvD_BwE
Pricing seems to be roughly comparable to the german made ones.
Highmass is offline  
Old 11-07-22, 10:14 AM
  #11  
ehcoplex 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,823

Bikes: '38 Schwinn New World, ’69 Peugeot PX-10, '72 Peugeot PX-10, ‘7? Valgan, '78 Raleigh Comp GS, ’79 Holdsworth Pro, ’80 Peugeot TH-8 tandem, '87 Trek 400T, ‘7? Raleigh Sports, ‘7? Raleigh Superbe, ‘6? Hercules

Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 756 Post(s)
Liked 1,535 Times in 745 Posts
Royal H Cycles had a spankin' new aquamarine-blue Pedersen at the Philly Bike Expo last weekend.




There was one for sale near me on FB Marketplace for most of the last year. Looked kind of rough, and they were asking $2500 for it..... I can't find it now, though with FB MP's awful search algos, that doesn't mean it isn't still around. Though maybe it was the one that sold at the Copake auction.....
ehcoplex is offline  
Likes For ehcoplex:
Old 11-17-22, 08:50 AM
  #12  
tcs
Palmer
 
tcs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 8,576

Bikes: Mike Melton custom, 1982 Stumpjumper, Alex Moulton AM, 2010 Dawes Briercliffe, 2017 Dahon Curl i8, 2021 Motobecane Turino 1x12

Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1644 Post(s)
Liked 1,785 Times in 1,041 Posts
Somewhere on the 'net I ran across this Dursley-Pinion:

tcs is offline  
Likes For tcs:
Old 04-18-23, 09:08 PM
  #13  
SteveKB
Junior Member
 
SteveKB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Steveston, BC
Posts: 96

Bikes: Giant Escape 3, Giant Halfway FD806, Giant Cadex CFM3, ZiZZO Liberté

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Liked 76 Times in 34 Posts
There's a Solu Duke Pedersen for sale locally. Initially I dismissed it as some hipster bike, but on further research found quite a lot of intriguing information on the design.

Solu Duke Pedersen Bike

Solu Duke Pedersen Bike

Has anyone ridden one? Thoughts, cautions, or encouragements?
SteveKB is offline  
Old 04-19-23, 12:33 AM
  #14  
dddd
Ride, Wrench, Swap, Race
 
dddd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Northern California
Posts: 9,170

Bikes: Cheltenham-Pedersen racer, Boulder F/S Paris-Roubaix, Varsity racer, '52 Christophe, '62 Continental, '92 Merckx, '75 Limongi, '76 Presto, '72 Gitane SC, '71 Schwinn SS, etc.

Mentioned: 132 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1554 Post(s)
Liked 1,273 Times in 845 Posts
Originally Posted by bbbob
There used to a builder in Christiania, in Cobenhaun. I imported them to CA in the 90's and sold them all.
Did you source bikes or sell bikes to David Ductor? I remember that name having some Pedersen frames for sale around 1996.

The Copenhagen Pedersen outfit moved I believe to Ebeltoft
A German firm Kalkof(?) still builds them I think.
In the UK, Individual Bicycle made nice Pedersens (I've owned and raced two of these) in the 1980's.
Gene Smith of Kool Stop was taking orders for Pedersens about 25 years ago at Interbike I recall.

These bikes can be set up for spirited riding if that's your thing, even ridden off road. Mine are set up with triple chainrings, the chainline is no problem because the chainstays are very long.
The saddle should always be tensioned taut, not sagging and swaying! Saddle height adjustments are a little complicated, by the need to also tension the strap.



dddd is offline  
Likes For dddd:
Old 04-19-23, 12:33 PM
  #15  
chain_whipped
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2023
Posts: 470
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 170 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 410 Times in 222 Posts
DDDD, amazing how you've adapted to these bikes.
Had sampled one, although a short ride it was unlike any conventional lightweight racer, or even a townie. I forget the brand but believe it was Dutch, had Shimano group w/ grip shifter and V- brakes, 700c, jazzed up with wood laminate plank mudguards.

Anyways, first impression was the odd ergonomics, high handles and that hammock sway! Best I could explain, felt like a conventional bike with all its tubes coming apart. Unnerving.

That said, it was very comfortable and surprisingly good low speed handling. I suppose if the eccentric is in ones self, this bike will suit well.
chain_whipped is offline  
Old 04-19-23, 12:44 PM
  #16  
SteveKB
Junior Member
 
SteveKB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Steveston, BC
Posts: 96

Bikes: Giant Escape 3, Giant Halfway FD806, Giant Cadex CFM3, ZiZZO Liberté

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Liked 76 Times in 34 Posts
A view from the rear of the Solu Pedersen bike for sale locally.



Detail on the saddle tensioning strap.
Solu Pedersen rearview

Solu Pedersen saddle tensioner.

The fellow listing it for sale seems motivated, he's dropped the asking price $250 after a few days.
SteveKB is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.