Bike Check: Dima’s Elin
There are some people that you know from their online presence, you’ve seen their life through social media, but because of distance or the language barrier you never really thought that meeting them would be a real thing… Until you randomly bump into them at one of the biggest European fixed-gear event. That day, my brain had to process pretty hard,(and for what felt like way too long) to recognize that the man in front of me was no other than Dima a.ka. @dimachok.
We talked online, we’ve been following each other for years, but we never thought that we’d meet one day.
And now that I’ve seen the guy, I had to ask him if he wanted to send me some pictures for a remote bike-check of his very slick Antonov Elin.
This is not the first time you’ve seen an Elin on this blog. My personal one has always felt like the strangest bike that I owned, but also, it feels extremely difficult to resist owning a bike like this. It’s like nothing you’ve seen before, and every time I find another one still in the streets, it’s always in the hands of a passionate rider, So I asked Dima why he ended up with a bike like an Elin? Knowing that he is from Ukraine, and that, by default, fixed-gear riders tend to look for frames and parts that are from the other side of the world. (Look how American and Europeans have the passion for NJS, when Japanese people would give everything for an US made frame.)
Turns out, Dima wasn’t looking for one at first, since they were wildly available five to six years ago. Finding a Takhion was on the top of his “bike priorities” list, and Elins were too modern, too easy to get your hands on, and said to be too fragile.
So after a few years when Dima was done with upgrading all of his steel bikes (Most of them you can find on his Instagram here: @dimachok.), he started looking at the Elin with a new pair of eyes. But of course, it’s when you want one thing that all the velodromes have already been emptied, and the ones that didn’t have cracks, or been repainted, were selling for upwards of a thousand euros.
Old 90’s frames were the new passion of our Ukrainian friend. Look 396, Corima Cougar, or even Anchor phr7, are all dream bikes that are a challenge to find but not completely impossible to own. Unfortunately, the search for a new steed was cut short.
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
National Ukrenan Team Antonov Elin
Chainring and Cog Campagnolo 50t, Lazarus Ti 17t Cog
Crank Campagnolo Record 165mm
Seatpost and Saddle
Syncross , Flite Titanium Transalp
Stem and Handlebar
Cinelli Grammo, Nitto m186
Wheels Zipp 404 laced to Harmony hubs
Tires Tufo s33
In February 2022, Dima’s life, along of the ones of millions of Ukrainian people, dramatically changed. Bikes were not a priority anymore, and Dima had to leave the country to find safety in Portugal.
Bikes now have become the least of his problems, and to think that someone my age had to switch his focus to basic survival for a time, just makes me feel miserable.
No-one should have to think about that let alone go through it , but let’s refocus on bikes.
One year later, his friend @fixed8, found the bike of the official national Ukrainian team in a velodrome somewhere. Only four Elin were made in this colorway, perfect condition, and it was the latest version as well, with the a-head stem. It was expensive, but to Dima it was worth every penny.
I feel like the story is more important than the bike itself here. But let’s quickly go over this beautiful street focused build. Wheels are a set of Zipp 404 laced to harmony hubs. With a low flange front and a “chub” style rear. Drivetrain is a classic Campagnolo Record crank with its assorted chainring, and the Cog is a custom titanium Job by Lazarus. The Stem is also titanium with this Cinelli Gramo stem, and of course, Dima had to pop a Ti Flite as well for that OG look.
It doesn’t really get any cooler than that. We know a cool bike when we see one, but a bike becomes so much more with a powerful story attached to it.
Fun fact: Dima hates that it’s not the quill stem version.
👤:@Dimachok
🎞: Kodak Portra 160
📷: Olympus Mju Zoom 70
📍: Potugal
