One for our Danish Friends

This is a bike on show at the Classic Bike Display last weekend. The guy who owns it is a member of the Bygone Bikes Club and is a self-confessed 'Danophile' with several Danish friends.

The bike - a BJERRE - was ridden by the Danish Time Trial Champion in around 1992/3. Bjarke Nielsen his name?

Anyone recognise it?

Please bear in mind - one of our "danish friends" is actually an exiled philistine from Barnsley.

But that said, I've lived here for 15 years and had contact with Denmark for over 20. But I've never seen this brand before.

There are only 3 well-known danish frame brands from this period.

Banani = Bent Nielsen from West Copenhagen. His younger brother has been making the frames for the last umpteen years. But production is very small these days. I bought a Pista frame from them last month.

Schrøder from North Copenhagen - now bought out by new owners and made-to-measure frames are now made in former eastern bloc.

and

Tonny Tornado from Odense, who still makes frames to order today.

There are less well-known manufacturers who may or may not have used other builders and decalled them up.

Jupiter, Everton etc... all had frames made elsewhere for pro riders, while having their own production for standard frames as sold to the general public.

Round this time, small runs of custom painted standard off-the-peg framesets were rife in Denmark, so this frame could be anything. Also, outsourceing to Belgium and Italy was not unknown. Many many small shops sold "own brand" frames painted to order. Photo is not ringing any bells as to it being any of the 3 aforementioned builders.

Like the former poster, i have never seen a "Bjerre" frame here in Denmark. Must be a rebranded bike.

But as stated there where many small bikebuilders at the time, where you could decide the paintscheme on your own.

"Grebart Cykler" is one addition to the above mentioned, they where very famous in Denmark back in the day allthough they found a niche in touring bikes. They are still in existince in the original location. (Actually on the street where i live ). But like most the other old frame builders, they cannot make a living of that anymore and have turned to stocking citybikes and cheap mountainbikes. They do however still have a huge stock of old parts (unfortunately still at normal retail prices ) and they have quite a few of their old unpainted steelframes hanging, should anyone fancy a handbuilt unpainted frame.

Bjarke Nielsen was a pro with Team Chicky World, Team Jack and Jones and CSC/Tiscali in the early days according to the bike journals here. U23 Danish champion in 1998. If this is the right Bjarke - then the TT bike must be from his early amateur days.

Pro facts here :

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Pres ... ielsen.htm

Fri Cykler in Sønderborg apparently used to be called Bjerre.

And Bjarke is from round there. Would make sense, just like Jupiter used to badge up Banani frames for Jimmi Madsen.

Razer":1le45pju said:

Bjarke Nielsen was a pro with Team Chicky World, Team Jack and Jones and CSC/Tiscali in the early days according to the bike journals here. U23 Danish champion in 1998. If this is the right Bjarke - then the TT bike must be from his early amateur days.

Pro facts here :

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Pres ... ielsen.htm

Click to expand...

The owner has a Chicky World jersey hanging with the bike, perhaps this was Bjarke's? Although from what you say, the timing would be wrong for him to have ridden this bike when in the team. What were the official CW team bikes?

seen a couple of Bjerre´s now.. (3!)..

The Chicky boys where on Danish Principia's [/quote]

The owner has a Chicky World jersey hanging with the bike, perhaps this was Bjarke's? Although from what you say, the timing would be wrong for him to have ridden this bike when in the team. What were the official CW team bikes?[/quote]