Bicycle "Ural" as the banner of the era

The bicycle "Ural" was born in the distant 1965 in the city of Perm. At that time, with personal transport in the country was slightly more than tense. In many cities, even large ones, goods within a populated area were often transported on carts, the owners of motorcycles were considered wealthy people, and the owners of personal cars were looked upon as celestials. But the party and the government, rightly believing that the bicycle is not a luxury, but a means of transportation, was given an appropriate instruction, which was carried out exactly on time: the means of transport, inexpensive but reliable, became abundantly supplied to stores.

The bicycle "Ural" was almost in every family. He served not only for travel. Many boys through the bicycle attached to the technique. In the courtyard, even started a kind of competition - who will put on his iron friend a more pretentious steering wheel or softer seat, fit a ratchet on the rear fork or headlight with a generator that works by rotating the wheel, who more cleverly correct the "eight", pulling the key with a spoke. Everyone knew how to disassemble and assemble a bicycle almost with his eyes closed, and the neighbor's transport left without supervision in the entrance was almost certainly without the spools, which they unscrewed not out of necessity, but simply out of mischief, and "just in case."

And you can not say that there were no bikes of other brands. There were, of course, but the bike "Ural" was for some reason the most popular and memorable. Here, probably, the complex of reasons played a role: both the mass production, and the success of the design, and quite an acceptable price. The bike "Ural" was simple and reliable, as well as the era, which he symbolized.

The kid drove on the "greats", still not even reaching from the saddle of the bicycle to the pedals. For this reason, the installed soft seats were unclaimed, remaining only a confirmation of the high social status of the owner in the yard hierarchy. Bicycles Salyut and Kama, which began to be manufactured later, had a seat and a rudder with adjustable heights (for the sake of justice: Ural bikes also had an adjustable seat and steering wheel, but the range of heights was much smaller), but among courtyard boys they are respected Did not use: the wheels are small, you will not develop a great speed.

A competition in speed with a real, gasoline transport? A jerk from a stop at the same time as a bus: who will reach the next faster - LIAZ or Ural? Of course, the bicycle was almost always faster.
Especially, if the distance between stops was small, and the route - meandering. Yes, it could not have been otherwise: what self-respecting boy could not but lay out his last strength to prove that he was not weaker than others? Where a bulky bus is slowly gaining momentum, slowing down at intersections and corners, the bikers are quick with the help of ambition and teenage annoyance to negate the advantages of a gasoline engine.

Then there were mopeds, and the era of bicycles gradually began to decline toward the sunset. A moped is faster, more complicated and more interesting. However, with the onset of the third millennium, something surprising happened: interest in the bicycle returned. Only at a qualitatively new level. Now it's a bike trial and bicycle dances. And the technique is not the same. The classic "Ural", a well-deserved old man, is a thing of the past. Now the bike has other requirements. Other materials, other forms and lines. The old brand is still used, but it's a completely different "Ural".