Gary Galego is no new face to the Australian design profession, his furniture has been wowing us for over a decade, and the results are more and more carefully refined with each release. He is calm and considered in life – as he is in his work – and his latest release, the Carbonwood bicycle is testament to that.
Derived from an exploration into the unusual combination of carbon fibre and wood, Galego’s bike was an opportunity to apply it to something more widely appreciated than the elite sports equipment it was known for. “I was taken by the combination and started experimenting with it in my workshop, and applied it to something I was working on with a friend at the time.
”Essentially, the bike frame is carbon sandwiched between the wooden frame – with a lot of technical skill and detailed workmanship to make it successful. Galego explains, “all the timber pieces used need to be very precisely machined, cut and moulded to shape. All the moulds were custom made to press the timber and carbon sides of the bicycle frame and to make other components specific to the frame.”
The result is a high performance composite-material frame, which delivers a bike with comparable strength to one made from steel. The bicycle is completely handmade – with superior quality materials and an intense attention to detail that is a signature of Galego’s work. While the price is far from cheap at $10,000, the additional components (wheels, crank etc) are also of extremely high quality and the workmanship is second to none.
“The intention of the design is to inspire and highlight what is possible with wood when used appropriately and in an innovative way.” And more good news from Galego… “I will be launching some new products and website later this year.”
Stay tuned, as Habitus will keep you abreast of the next developments.
The Carbonwood bicycle is made at Gary Galego’s workshop in Sydney and it can be delivered anywhere in Australia.
Gary Galego
+61 401 644 660
[email protected]
garygalego.com
