grains

Cycling

ХВЗ #

A green-blue KhVZ Ukraine bicycle standing next to an apple tree

I asked my father to take a picture of his ХВЗ Україна. He spent most of his life commuting on this bike, it is much older than me. Recently I've found the documentary Чому «Україна»? which attempts to study its fenomenon.

Kharkivsky Velosipedny Zavod was the biggest soviet bicycle manufacturer, and KhVZ Ukraine was the most popular mass-produced model designed in pre-soviet era at Alexander Leutner & Co.

Bicycle geometry 101 #

This video explains bicycle design, part by part. There's a few decisions that go into building a bike that might seem minor in isolation but quickly add up and affect handling and robustness.

TL;DR First understand the geometry for handling, then look for geometry for fit.

Bike geometry

Geometry of most bikes can be compared online:

Group set #

"Group set", or "drivetrain" refers to all the mechanical parts responsible for movement, namely gears and breaks. The group set has to be picked based on the expected pattern of cycling. It defines your minimum speed, maximum speed and the quality of life between both.

"Granny gear" refers to the slowest, lowest combination of gears you can use, which is important when climbing hills under load. Increasing number of bikes use a 1x (”one-by”) groupset which gives you just one gear in front. It's a simpler system but I haven't made up my mind whether it is feasible for bikepacking.

For example, let's compare a typical 2x with a 1x drivetrain at 90rpm cadence. With 34-50t front, 11-34t you get a speed range between 17,4 and 53,7 km/h, while a 1x groupset with 40t front and 11-42t back can output 11,2 km/h on the granny gear and 43 km/h at the top, meaning it will be easier to climb hills but much harder to speed on flat.

Frame material #

Three most popular materials are steel, aluminum and carbon. They differ in price, looks and reliability. Aluminum is cheaper and lighter than steel, no concerns about rust; steel is simple to fix; carbon is the lightest and the most expensive.

There is a widespread opinion that steel is softer and more comfy to ride, I couldn't find any research that would confirm this. In my opinion, steel is uncomfortably heavier but it looks and feels great. Steel has the least carbon footprint (3.5g per 20k km vs 10+ for alu, numbers from Lowtech Magazine link below).

Bikes I like #

Companies I like #

Interesting people #

Touring #

Critical Mass #

Lots of people on bicycles take over Warschauerstraße

Critical Mass rides take place on a monthly basis all over the world. The event is about creating safety for cyclists on the roads full of cars. The one in Berlin happens every last Friday of the month and it is huge.

DIY bike maintenance #