ABOUT US OUR BRANDS CONTACT Monark - the cycle of life Timeless design in time The name Monark was chosen to create an association to something royal, something out of the ordinary. Monark’s origin comes from the little village of Hunnestad near Varberg in the southern Swedish county of Halland. Here, an 18-year-old Swede named Birger Svensson, started a village store from which the Monark bicycle originated. Birger began by assembling and selling bicycles at this small store, but as time passed the business grew into a company manufacturing the parts used to make the bicycles. Over the years, Monark has been associated with motorised vehicles such as mopeds and motorbikes, products that have required considerable technical expertise and strict quality assurance procedures. Monark became associated with quality. Around the mid-1950s, Monark scored many victories in major bicycle races in Sweden; soon, sport and racing became part of the brand. Visit brand site Iconic design The story of Karin Sweden's best-selling bicycle model is a story in itself. Karin's oldest and most classic frame type is the basis for Karin. The original version, with the characteristic curved frame, was created over a hundred years ago. The tradition of giving personal names to bicycle models became Monark's hallmark from the 1930s onwards. Most often, these names had a connection to the royal family. From the 1950s, the bikes began to resemble today's Karin. The first time the name Karin is used is in 1999, but it would be a few more years before they started production in limited edition variants. The winner of Giro D'Italia In May 1971, Gösta "Fåglum" Pettersson pedaled through the three-week stage race Giro D'Italia, one of three bicycle races included in the Grand Tour. On his Monarch, he became the first Swede to win the race, a title he still holds. ABOUT US OUR STORY CORPORATE OUR BRANDS BIANCHI CRESCENT DBS EVERTON GITANE KILDEMOES MONARK PEUGEOT CYCLES PUCH SJÖSALA SPECTRA TEC KOPPLA CONTACT CE GROUP COMPANIES MAIN DISTRIBUTORS CYCLEUROPE AB HOVSLAGARGATAN 5B, 2ND FLOOR SE-111 48 STOCKHOLM SWEDEN We use cookies. Find out how we use them and how you can disable it in your browser at our cookie policy page. I understand