ISO Vintage Soviet Road Bike (58-60 cm)
08-16-19, 11:28 AM
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ISO Vintage Soviet Road Bike (58-60 cm)
Hey guys, I'm looking for a vintage 70s or 80s Soviet road bike, maybe a Karakhov XB3 or something similar. It can be fully built, just the frame or the frame and fork. Hopefully a 58-60cm frame. I can't find one anywhere on Ebay or on facebook. If you have anything please let me know! I'm in North Carolina but I'm happy to pay for shipping.
08-16-19, 11:56 AM
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When you find one, please post some detailed pictures.
08-16-19, 12:35 PM
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Soviet, eh? Cool plan! Here in western Europe a Czechoslovakian Favorit turns up every now then, but that's about it, wrt bikes from behind the former Iron Curtain.
However, the SU professionals preferred Dutch bikes. From the vaults of RIH Sport in Amsterdam:
However, the SU professionals preferred Dutch bikes. From the vaults of RIH Sport in Amsterdam:
08-16-19, 12:38 PM
#4
framebuilder
I've visited the XB3 factory in Kharkov a few times some years ago working on our charity bicycle project in Ukraine. The only racing frames I've ever seen from them are all the same size. I have one in my shop in Michigan to show my frame building class students. It has a center to top seat tube length of 22". A couple of amateur Ukrainian frame builders have visited our frame shop near Kiev at my invitation. One of them turned a XB3 into a fixed gear bike. He said racing frames from the Kharkov factory have become popular in Ukraine for that purpose and their value as a result has risen. The other guy was from Kharkov (which is a big industrial city near the Russian border for those not into Ukrainian geography). He thought the factory had closed but I haven't been able to verify that.
I wasn't able to buy a racing XB3 in Ukraine but I did have a german friend that got one for me from a Russian emigree to Germany. Very occasionally someone mentions one on the bicycle forums but I would be surprised if you could get even a standard size one here in the States
I wasn't able to buy a racing XB3 in Ukraine but I did have a german friend that got one for me from a Russian emigree to Germany. Very occasionally someone mentions one on the bicycle forums but I would be surprised if you could get even a standard size one here in the States
08-16-19, 02:50 PM
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I've visited the XB3 factory in Kharkov a few times some years ago working on our charity bicycle project in Ukraine. The only racing frames I've ever seen from them are all the same size. I have one in my shop in Michigan to show my frame building class students. It has a center to top seat tube length of 22". A couple of amateur Ukrainian frame builders have visited our frame shop near Kiev at my invitation. One of them turned a XB3 into a fixed gear bike. He said racing frames from the Kharkov factory have become popular in Ukraine for that purpose and their value as a result has risen. The other guy was from Kharkov (which is a big industrial city near the Russian border for those not into Ukrainian geography). He thought the factory had closed but I haven't been able to verify that.
I wasn't able to buy a racing XB3 in Ukraine but I did have a german friend that got one for me from a Russian emigree to Germany. Very occasionally someone mentions one on the bicycle forums but I would be surprised if you could get even a standard size one here in the States
I wasn't able to buy a racing XB3 in Ukraine but I did have a german friend that got one for me from a Russian emigree to Germany. Very occasionally someone mentions one on the bicycle forums but I would be surprised if you could get even a standard size one here in the States
08-16-19, 04:47 PM
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Having wandered around large portions of Moscow and St. Petersburg, I can confirm that almost every Soviet bicycle frame I've seen equipped with drop bars and derailleurs was right around the 22" frame size. Most of them have been painted time and again in those inhospitable climes and are frequently used as decorations outside of cafes and shops, and I don't think I've ever seen the original decals on one yet!
08-16-19, 04:57 PM
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Does anyone else remember those yellow Soviet tubular tires that you could buy in the US in 80s? They were pretty cool. Cheap and cheerful, and they gave hope that the cold war might end. The ride wasn't bad for a basic cotton training tire. I liked them better than Woblers. They seemed really exotic at the time. I'm not sure why they were yellow.
