How do you pronounce Skeppshult?

Like "wheps-hoolt". Skeppshult is actually the name of the small town where they are made. Originally the company was known as Albert Samuelsson & Co but that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue that easy, so they have been known as Skeppshult for some time now. You can still see Albert Samuelsson & Co on the company crest.

Why are the frames made of steel?

It might sound strange but a steel frame is more forgiving and "alive" than the stiffer carbon fibre and "dull" aluminium. The forgiving nature of steel translates to a more comfortable and enjoyable ride. On top of this, steel is durable and it actually adds to the aesthetics of the bicycle because the quality of the welds that Skeppshult can achieve with the steel is extremely high. Compare the welds on a Skeppshult bicycle with those on an aluminium frame and you will see the difference. Ride a Skeppshult bicycle and compare it to an aluminium frame bicycle and you will feel the difference.

They feel heavier than other bicycles.

True, but the extra weight doesn't come from where you probably think. If you had two identical frames, one made from steel and the other from aluminium, the difference in weight would be closer then you think.

The extra features that come standard on a Skeppshult bicycle such as the basket, rear rack, skirt guard, drum brake, coaster brake, dynamo hub, lights, rain guards, chain guard, integrated lock and internal gear hub all add up to make the bicycle heavier. The benefit of all these extras means that Skeppshult bicycles are comfortable, easy to use, dependable, durable, safe and low maintenance. Day in, day out. Skeppshult bicycles are designed to last.

They are not designed to travel around France via the Pyrenees and Alps in the fastest time or travel downhill at heart stopping speeds. They are designed to be used every day to ride to the shops to quickly get your bread and milk, drop your child off at kindy, ride to your gym, ride around your park, ride along the water front, ride to the movies or theatre or ride to work. In short, they are designed for a city. And this is one of the great ironies of Australia. Australia is recognised overseas as being many things and one of them is BIG. We even call it "a big a brown land" but when you look at the Australian Bureau of Statics website you quickly discover that almost 2/3 of our population lives in a city, not in the bush.

They sound expensive.

They are certainly not cheap, even in Sweden they are a bicycle which people aspire to own.

They are designed and made in Sweden. Unlike many bicycle brands, Skeppshult frames are made and painted in the Skeppshult factory, they are not mass produced in Asia. Obviously the benefit of mass production is reduced cost. Just to put this into perspective, a manufacture such as Giant would produce in 7 days what Skeppshult produces in a year. Sweden used to have a healthy bicycle manufacturing history (as did Australia, most people would have heard of a brand made in Malvern, Melbourne) but Skeppshult is now the only Swedish brand to have a continuous record of frame manufacture and frame painting in their factory.

Skeppshult bicycles come from the factory 99% assembled which is not very common. The only thing that needs to be done is to attach the pedals, basket and turn the handle bars 90 degrees. This way Skeppshult ensures their bicycles arrive to you the way they intended. Of course this means the box they come in is 3 times bigger than a standard bicycle which affects shipping costs.

Skeppshult bicycles are designed as a whole. So often the phrases "form and function" and "style and substance" are bandied about, almost to the point of losing their meaning, but in the case of Skeppshult they ring true. Components from suppliers such as Brooks, DT Swiss, Schwalbe, Selle Royal, Wippermann and of course Shimano are used because they deliver the quality which Skeppshult builds.