The legendary Soviet folding bike "Kama"

In Soviet times, there were several bicycle factories at once in different parts of the vast country. This approach allowed residents of certain regions to use the products of the nearest manufacturing enterprises. So the western part of the Union went to "Minsk" (or "Aista") and "Ukraine". But the Ural region used a road bike of the same name or a folding Kama.


Most of the pedal technology of stagnant times was of good quality and durability. This was due not only to serious OTC checks, but also to the excellent properties of the metal produced by the Soviet industry of the 70s. Unfortunately, by the end of the Soviet era, both indicators deteriorated significantly, leading to the fact that all bicycle lovers of the late 80s spoke of the two-wheeled vehicles of that period with a high degree of contempt.


There have been funny situations when a person tried to update his old bike, and then found that the new one turns into a wreck much faster. Irritation was added by the fact that the price of the "pedal friend" was constantly growing - in direct contrast to its quality. Nevertheless, Soviet people continued to operate road equipment, but folding bicycles occupied a special niche in this row.

They were more often used by girls (the complete absence of the upper crossbar of the frame is convenient), children (small wheels) and summer residents (the folding design made it easy to transport equipment in a car or train). Despite the fact that Minsk quality has always been at its best in any model, Perm folding bikes "Kama" also appealed to many.

First "Ural", then - "Kama"

A full-fledged bicycle with 28-inch wheels, produced by the Perm Machine-Building Plant. October Revolution, was called "Ural". True, the enterprise received such a name only in 1977, before that it was called the Perm Bicycle Plant for two decades. The road builder belonged to the category of two-wheeled off-road vehicles and operation on roads with different surfaces (in addition, it was made of wear-resistant materials).



The thing is that the Soviet people of that time significantly improved their well-being, compared with the post-war period. This made it possible for them not only to buy good things and furnish their apartments. Some have purchased personal cars and suburban areas. Also, the generation of stagnant times was very fond of going on vacation to the forest or to the river.

In all these cases, a bicycle with a folding frame has become a good help. They began to hunt for them in sports shops, and many Soviet specialized enterprises mastered the production of just such models of bicycle equipment: Kama, Salyut, Aist, Desna. After all, they had a number of advantages:

✅ folding frame
✅ smaller dimensions due to small wheels
✅ wide adjustment of the handlebar and saddle for height
✅ the possibility of transportation in personal and public transport

Perm bicycles on small wheels have taken one of the leading positions in their market segment. Indeed, in their configuration, in addition to the trunk, mounted on a spring structure, there was a shield for the chain, beautiful reflectors on the spokes of both wheels, a pump and a leather travel glove box. They became, in fact, pioneers in this segment. Others followed suit later. The advantages of "Kama" also included:

✅ reliable frame folding lock
✅ toughened inclined frame
✅ use of connecting spring-loaded screw terminals

The last element turned out to be an extremely convenient thing. Firstly, you could transform the bike from a state of readiness for transportation in a matter of seconds. Secondly, this did not require the presence of any special key: everything was done with the help of muscle strength and the action of the fingers. And, of course, just as quickly it was possible to return the equipment to a state of full readiness for movement, after the termination of its transportation.

In practice, it looked like this. When a cyclist on the platform saw an electric train entering the station, he slowly began his preparations: he folded the frame, turned the steering wheel, and moved the saddle. And – the convenient transport design is ready to go! Leaving the car, you just had to do the same steps in reverse order and enjoy a pleasant country trip in nature.


Another plus was the comfortable steering configuration. Given its wide curves, there was a very wide range of adjustment, depending on the needs and wishes of the rider. When driving off-road, it was quite possible to encounter a wet or muddy surface. To protect against splashes, wide fenders were installed on the model.

The first model received the index "815" and became a trial balloon in the field of folding bicycle technology. And it appealed to many city kids. After all, its compactness had advantages not only during transportation, but also during long-term storage. Not everyone had a garage, and it was often very far from home. And with "Kama" there were no problems to store (especially when assembled) on the balcony or even in the pantry. Therefore, they decided to finalize the popular bike, eliminating some weaknesses.


So, for reasons of passive safety, "Kama" (model 113-613) began to be supplied with a front brake. It was made according to the principle of sports models: the cable from the handle on the handlebar led to the brake cheeks mounted on the front fork of the bicycle. At the same time, a convenient lock for folding the frame appeared. The base price of such equipment in the late 80s was 98 rubles. The amount is rather big, against the background of the road builders, who cost 60-70 rubles. Although the above advantages probably explain why folding bikes have always cost noticeably more than classic technology.

Although the company has expanded its range of products since the late 70s, bicycles have always been a priority. Over the next fifteen years, some components for Izhevsk cars were manufactured in Perm.


At the same time, the total output of all models of bicycles (road, folding, sports, children's) exceeded 1 million pieces on an average annual basis. As you can see, almost every Soviet person needed a two-wheeled vehicle (after all, there were also other bicycle factories with a rather large production run).

Resumption of production

Of course, with the fall of the Iron Curtain, streams of imported equipment, including bicycles, poured into the country. And Chinese brands subsequently began to dominate the global market. In such conditions, reinforced by the deep economic crisis of the 90s, it turned out to be a very difficult issue to maintain production.

But recently the authorities of Perm decided to "enter the same river" again. Yes, the legendary bike is back! Of course, he did not become an exact copy of the successful Soviet model. But the main parameters are still preserved. Production last year decided to establish the company "Ural-trade". True, it was not about serial or mass production of folding bicycles.

Timed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of Perm, which is celebrated this year, the company decided to recall one of the important pages in the history of the city by collecting 3 slightly modified copies of Kama. For the financial success of the project, pre-sale orders were placed.


No one expected such a rush, all the bikes were sold out long before they could be put on the conveyor. And even the cost of 12-13 thousand rubles did not at all embarrass potential buyers of Kama. As a result, the plant even had to increase the circulation by another 10 copies. This was announced by the leading design engineer of the Forward bicycle manufacturing company Sergey Andreev. Who knows, maybe in the future production will be able to move into the category of small-scale production.