Today we will meet you with a piece of Bulgarian technology pride – a unique bicycle with impressive outlook. His creators Galin Bonev and Galin Atanasov from Varna call it Galex. The duo says that their thing was recognized as one of the most beautiful at the Eurobike exposition, held in Germany in August. Galin Bonev, founder and CEO of the manufacturing company gives us more details about the innovative vehicle:

“We have been making electrical bicycles for over 3 years now. We started with the production of aluminium bicycle frames, but we decided to move on to something a bit different and unseen so far worldwide – the first wooden electrical bicycle with a battery built into its frame. The electrical engine has been put in the middle, over the pedals. This requires a special frame which has space for the battery in the segment between the pedals and the rudder.”

There are lots of wooden electrical bicycles across the globe, but the engine of those is at the back hub while the battery can often be found on the rack. Therefore these are standard wooden frames for bicycles, turned into electric. This concept is not what the Bulgarian producers can agree with.

“We managed to build in the engine in the middle and the battery inside the frame. We knew we could cope with the challenge. My friendship with a carpenter with more than 20 years of experience was the other thing that helped us a lot in terms of knowledge on the qualities of each type of timber.”

The bicycle’s frame is made of two kinds of wood. The core is made of ash tree which carries the entire weight due to its elasticity and solidity. Wooden material by the name of Purple Heart has been glued along both sides of the ash. It is brightly red in color and requires no polish to attach refined look to the bicycle. No steel is used for the entire frame. However what is the price of this quality?

“The price is not that high, but of course West Europe and the USA are our target market. People are used to paying EUR 3 – 4,000 for standard series bicycles there. Our bike is entirely handmade, so the high price means uniqueness. Each bike is different due to the colors of the wood and the different stringers inside. Practically you receive a product which is alive.”

A single charging of the battery covers around 50 km. The bike has a GPS built in and constant Internet connection. Thus a smartphone application allows you to monitor your bike 24/7. Is this all made in Bulgaria?

“We produce the batteries as well and we are proud of it, as the process is a tough one. However, Bulgaria has enough engineers and facilities and we can guarantee a safe and reliable battery. You know the problems that other companies have recently faced with that part. The energy cells themselves are grouped in a manner which doesn’t contradict to the bike’s design and vision. The rest is imported but with no quality compromise.”

English version: Zhivko Stanchev