Military bike (Sweden)
The Swedish military bike (Swedish: militarycykel ) or Swedish army bike was used by the Swedish military for over a century.
The first bicycles in the Swedish military were either privately owned or bought for testing purposes. The first bicycle infantry was introduced in 1901 when the Gotland I27 infantry regiment in Visby completely replaced its cavalry with bicycle troops. By 1942 there were six bicycle infantry regiments in the Swedish army, mainly using the m / 30 and m / 42. There were also individual copies of tandems for radio operators and some specially adapted paramedic tandems in which a stretcher could be attached between the front saddle and the rear handlebars.
After the Second World War, the decision was made to shut down the bicycle infantry regiments. They were gradually removed from the Swedish army between 1948 and 1952. This decision was followed by a change in the field of use of bicycles away from combat use. Bicycle transport groups were created, but battalions with bicycles (Swedish: cykelskyttebataljon , bicycle rifle battalion ) equipped with rifles existed until the late 1980s .
Models
- m / 1901 - A safety low bike that was the first official military bike of the Swedish Army.
- m / 30 - A bicycle with a balloon tire and a bucket brake, the weight of which was approximately 23.5 kg. It was made by several major Swedish manufacturers
- m / finsk - A bike made by Nymans without a chain guard. Finsk is the Swedish word for Finnish.
- m / 42 - The most famous Swedish military bicycle, the weight of which was up to 26 kg. It was made by various manufacturers ( Maskinfabriken Rex , Husqvarna , Monark , Nymans ) between 1940 and 1950. It used a Novo coaster brake at the rear and a drum brake with chain hoist at the front. In addition, it had a large transport basket with a tool box.
- m / 104, m / 104A - without front brake, Novo-CN hub with rear coaster brake.
- m / 105, m / 105A - with 26 × 1.5 (584 mm) tires and Sachs - torpedo freewheel hub .
- m / 111 - after 1971 with 28 × 1.5 tires and Sachs torpedo freewheel hub.
Popular with the population
In the early 1970s, the army began selling its m / 42 bikes. They became very popular among students as cheap, easy-to-maintain transportation. In 1997, in response to the popularity and limited number of bicycles available, three students from Uppsala founded Kronan . They produce modernized but largely unchanged replicas of the m / 42. These are available in a variety of colors and also with gears. Unlike the military models, however, these bikes are no longer made in Sweden.
swell
- Gert Ekström, Ola Husberg: Älskade cykel. Bokförlaget Prisma, 2001, ISBN 91-518-3906-7 .
- Cykelhistoriska föreningen (Swedish)