Hi! I had this vintage Soviet bicycle in my shed, it was recently restored to working order and I decided to give it a go for commuting to work. I took it out for a ride to the store today and I find riding it a bit terrifying. If I keep my hands on the brakes I have to sit in a very hunched over position, if I keep my hands on the top of the bars in a more relaxed position, I'm scared I won't reach the brakes in time. I haven't ridden bicycles since teen years (I'm in my 30s) and find riding this one a bit stressful in the city.
The bicycles I rode as a kid were MTBs with wide bars that felt a lot more easier to ride than this. I do love the way it looks and it feels fast and sturdy.
Is there a learning curve I just need to get over, or are these kind of bicycles just not good for urban riding?
by Spoks10
19 Comments
If you ride a bike like this often, you get used to it. But, don’t force it if you don’t enjoy it. I rode a similar bike for 10 years of urban riding, usually with my hands in the lower position on the bars.
Well it is a road bike and not really a city bike but the brake levers also just are very low, I would move them up a bit higher.
I had one of these I restored a few years ago, it was an excellent riding bike. Honestly, it far exceeded my expectations. Being an old Soviet bike I thought it would be sluggish and poor quality but it was very smooth and handled well. I really regret selling it but it was not my size
It’s too small for you, can almost guarantee it. I know from having a ton of other road bikes. I am 6’ and typically ride a 58cm road bike, you would probably want a 60-62cm but it depends a little on your proportions, the stem/bars/seat, and how you want the bike to feel.
Mine was approx a 55-56cm and didn’t help the seat post was extremely short which didn’t give me much room to adjust. I didn’t want to change any parts from original if possible so I didn’t try changing things to make it fit I just wanted to keep it original (albeit) rideable)
I have a Raleigh with very similar geometry.
I do find it a little annoying to have to reach down to use the brakes, but I got used to it.
When I was a kid, I had a bike like this that had a secondary handle on the brake grips that allowed you to squeeze the brakes from the upright position, in addition to the lower position. I’ve considered swapping out the brake handles for a set like that, but at this point I probably won’t bother, as I’ve gotten used to riding in urban traffic with this configuration and for the most part it has been fine.
If you do decide you want dual-position brake grips, they can be found. The ones I’m referring to look a bit like this:
* https://www.fixedgearfrenzy.com/products/vintage-bike-drop-handlebars-with-wienmann-dual-brake-levers-and-italian-stem/
But there are others as well, naturally.
Put some modern brake levers and interrupters on and ride with confidence!
If you can‘t ride from the drops constantly and comfortably, the bike fit is not right. The „standard“ position for these bikes is the drops, for several technical reasons. I wrote a [detailed answer on this topic recently](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bikeporn/s/4pIQTHbq7q)for a redditor who was wondering why the hoods are so uncomfortable. The same (but even more so) applies to your case on riding from the tops.
I had a similar experience over the weekend. I rode my grandfather’s 1948 Carlton for the first time and it was as scary as you described. It’s not the handle bar length but the head angle that makes it twitchy and a bit scary. A Redditor pointed this out to me. Your bike has a similar head angle, so this is what you’re probably experiencing. Apparently you’ll get used to it.
A few things.
1. It’s true that you will get used to the riding position–but:
2. The brake levers are set too low on the bars. They should be moved up, maybe about an inch. Typically, the ends of the levers should be in line with the center of the flat part of the bottom of the bars.
3. For casual riding, ride on the hoods. This is an in-between position between all the way in the hooks, and resting on the tops. See [this link](https://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2012/06/drop-bar-hand-positions-introduction.html) for some photos and info.
4. The hoods will be a lot more comfortable if you replace the missing rubber hoods. [These](https://velo-orange.com/collections/brake-parts/products/dia-compe-hoods-for-202-204-brake-levers) may work, depending on your levers. You may have to search around to find ones that work well. You can also wrap them in bar tape for now.
5. Make sure the brakes are set up well. They should stop the bike confidently and you should not be able to pull the lever all the way to the bar without great effort, if at all. Quality pads help a lot. I haven’t watched this [tutorial video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3_lUazeBVw), but hopefully it will show you the basics (Edit: just watched it, it’s a good video. You don’t *really* need the torque wrench for this).
6. Are you sure the bike fits you and is set up properly? Often people without a lot of experience set the saddle too low. It should be high enough that at the bottom of the pedal stroke, your knee is just slightly bent. It should not be so low that you can sit on it and put your feet on the ground. You set the saddle height for riding, not stopping. At a stop, get off the saddle.
7. Last, you can add [interrupter levers](https://velo-orange.com/collections/brake-levers/products/tektro-rl720-cross-levers-all-silver) if you want to be able to ride on the tops and still use the brakes. Do NOT get old style [“suicide levers,”](https://wandel.ca/bikes/0620-170639.jpg) they are garbage.
Is that a ХВЗ one?
Can you post a drive-side photo? I would love to see the drivetrain.
Also the brakes and hubs if you have the images. Loving the headtube lugs!
If you haven’t ridden for ~15 years it’s not surprising it would feel weird and stressful. The position on this bike is actually not very “slammed,” the bars are high. You just need to get used to it, which will take a little time.
It was a fast handling race bike, in its day, so it’s not the best choice for a commuter. It’s not really made for racks and there’s not much room to fit fenders.
But it’s a great bike for tearing up the city, or the suburbs, or the country when you start feeling comfortable on it.
I personally do not like these old groupsets especially for city riding. Very bad ergonomics and the breaks/shifters aren’t the safest. A retromod with a modern groupset, wheels, and bars would be great. That saddle seems really low though so either you are too small for the bike or your seat is too low. Bikes are sized and an ill fitting bike will never be comfortable to ride.
Most Soviet era things are scary.
The old style drop bars are shaped so that it is hard to ride on the hoods like people do on modern drop bar bikes. With a modern pair of bars the hoods can move up higher and you’d find them to be at less of an awkward angle.
Those old road bikes were designed to be ridden with your hands on the drops, in the “hunched” position.
I would highly recommend that you consider a more modern bike if you will be riding often. The brakes, shifting & comfort won’t ever be good on that old bike.
Keep the bike to have fun with but if you are looking to ride everyday, I’d say get a hybrid/flat bar road bike with modern brakes, shifting & geometry.
Maybe invest in some good fenders & a rack, to me, a good hybrid with fenders & a rack is the perfect commuter. You should be able to find a nice bike for $500usd or less, especially if you purchase a used one. It’s not cheap but it will make a world of difference for riding everyday.
If you can’t get a newer bike, I’d recommend getting a good tune up at your local bike shop with new brake pads & cables + housing and tires if you can. That will help things a bit but it will never have great braking or shifting as it’s all old stuff that just doesn’t work well compared to modern standards.
I think fit may be an issue, but it’s hard to tell. I would try sticking with it if you like it.
Mountain bikes are completely different from road bikes. I can see how you’d find it “alarming”. To give you an idea, when I ride a nice mountain bike I feel like I’m steering an ocean barge. You have to use the bar a lot, and everything is kind of slow and “rolly”. It’s really stable. You can go over curbs and stuff really easy.
Road bikes, especially older ones aren’t meant to be “steered” the same way. You’re supposed to get centered on the bike, and steer by leaning. It doesn’t take a lot. It’s more in the shoulders, or in the seat. Handlebar input is minimal. They’re not made for standing either. When you stand you have to find the right fore/aft position and weight distribution. In old videos even pros used to sit on the climbs, the standing and spinning thing is mostly post Lance Armstrong. The benefit is that on a smooth road, it’s like gliding on a rail.
The “hunched” over position is the correct one, unless it’s too small. The correct way to ride is with bent elbows.
You can put the brakes wherever you want them. Traditionally you put the flat bottom of the bar parallel to the ground. Then you put the end of the brake lever level with the flat part on bottom. However, you can put it any way you want. It would probably be more comfortable with the levers a bit higher on the bar.
If it’s set up correctly, and has new brake pads, you should have more than enough braking power. The front brake hanger will probably flex a good bit, so you might notice that.
Йоу, хвз
UPDATE: Just a few rides later I feel much more confident riding the bike. I can easily switch my hands to the brakes and to a more upright position when I want to. I just got my daughter a 20″ bicycle and we’re going on rides together, it’s great. 🙂 Thank you all for the replies.