Cycling makes people happy

by Alexey Ganshin, Ukraine

For over 13 years I have been developing bicycle transport. DiŠerent types of bicycles, the main purpose of which is everyday transport. „ese bikes can be all-weather, comfortable, stylish, functional, safe, multi-seat. As practice has shown, one bike is not enough at home in this case. You need to have a single fast machine, family, cargo, small folding and maybe something else that I have not yet come up with.

I successfully use velomobiles and recumbent bicycles as everyday transport. ere were years when I never used a car at all, although I already had a small production of recumbent bicycles and three bikes for small children. I carried all loads and products velomobiles, trikes and 4-wheels HPV’s. Yes, it took a little longer than on a car, but I, ‡rstly, had this time, and secondly, it was an adventure every day. People lose a lot when they drive a car. e saved time is usually spent on some kind of nonsense like scrolling the tape in social networks. at is, the use of cycling as the basis of transport is a di–erent lifestyle. As for me, very interesting.

Over the years, I have created many di–erent bi cy cle structures, and became the inspirer of the Ukrainian club of alternative bike lovers. It has already held two ‘Veloconstruktos’s camps’ which gathered people from all over the country. My main goal has always been the popularization of velomobiles and the creation of an all-weather velomobile. is year (2019), I already have a small team of like-minded people who work remotely from each other, but nevertheless, this turned out to be enough to come close to the serial production of case-mounted cycle vehicles.

Life in the village has many advantages. For example clean air, silence, its own water from a well, a piece of land where you can farm, a sky full of stars. But the main thing in my case is the zero cost of renting premises for production. It was thanks to the reduction in expenses for everyday life that I was able to develop velomobiles, because so far this business is not pro‡table, and I'm certainly no businessman.

But, everything goes along to the point that it is time to start producing velomobiles. I am faced with the fact that I simply have no one to take on the job. ere is still no clear business plan and premises for a new workshop or factory and much remains to be done. But – there are working proto - types, there is knowledge of how to build them, there is a desire to develop this topic, and in the village of Kitaygorod there are many empty houses that can be bought very cheaply (€ 800 for example).

I chose Kitaygorod for its convenient geographical location and cheap real estate, as well as a paved road to the village and paving stones and gravel inside the village. By geography, this village is located 8 km from the town of Aleksanrovka, Kiro vograd region. e Fundukleevka railway station is also located there. From this station you can get to almost any city in Ukraine. In Aleksanrovka itself there is everything you need: schools, banks, a hospital, a large market, delivery services, a bunch of di–erent shops. On a bicycle it’s only 20 minutes in one direction and 35 in the other (on the rise). When using an auxiliary electric motor, time is reduced. is is an opportunity to live away from the city and from noisy roads, but if you wish, you can easily get into the city. A school bus runs for students.

I invite people who are interested in ideas like minimalism and downshifting to consider moving to Kitaygorod to participate in the Bicycle Settlement project. First of all, I am looking for people who love bicycles and are ready to learn how to create interesting things with their own hands. According to rough estimates, its creation takes one month when one person works. Although the technology has not yet been fully developed (this is just in the process). I am also waiting for investors who are not indi–erent to the theme of cycling. Come visit ‡rst. <

Cycling is a small physical di culty, overcoming which makes people happy. is is not only moving, this is not the main task. e main thing is precisely the sensations from the process, the perfor mance of several functions simultaneously.