Commercialising high-end bicycles fitted with wood frames was the gamble Simon Malvaux took when he manufactured his own in his garage two years ago. The interminable delays in delivering orders for materials brought about by the public health crisis led him to realise the extent to which the bicycle industry is dependent on Asia. Being a wood enthusiast, he decided to solve the problem by building a bike for himself using Belgian materials. The Zafi Cycles concept was born.

Simon Malvaux is aged 26. His passion for cycling stems from a bicycling tour of Latin America he went on with his friends. Entrepreneurship had never really been part of his plans. His project becoming more large scale, he became the first in his immediate family to set up a business. ‘I, first of all, thought of developing Zafi on a part-time basis, alongside a casual job as a safety net,’ he confides. ‘But I quickly realised that if I genuinely wished to develop this activity, I would have to go about it full-time.’ He thus gave himself three years to trial his product and ensure that his business plan was tenable.

Two years later, and Zafi has expanded. ‘When you launch a project such as this one, it involves so many different domains… That’s what I love about it. As I went along, I realised that there were certain roles that I was less capable of, in administrative and financial terms. It’s important to work hand-in-hand with the right people, who have skills which complement your own.’

Simon has teamed up with Servais de Meeûs, a childhood friend now assisting him in the development of Zafi’s marketing strategy. He can thereby spend more time on the production of bike frames and focus on the research and development of new products.

Why wood?

Traditional bicycles are typically manufactured from aluminium, steel and carbon, the latter being privileged due to its low weight. But when these materials inevitably get banged about a bit, they will either bend or shatter. The advantage of wood is that it can withstand blows without breaking. It will also naturally absorb a proportion of the vibrations, providing the cyclist with a much more comfortable feel.

Zafi bike frames are made from either walnut or ash, two tree varieties which have already been tried and tested in sporting environments. From one tree trunk 30 bike frames can thus be cut. The walnut is sourced from a family-run sawmill in Florennes, in the Namur province, whilst the ash comes from the Soignes forest. In this instance, the company works with Sonian Wood Coop, an organisation whose mission is to intelligently relocate the transformation of the wood in the Soignes forest. ‘But we can work with other wood types on request,’ points out Servais de Meeûs. They have thus already produced a bicycle made from a walnut tree growing in the client’s garden.

A bike which has no fears of Belgium’s bad weather

Needless to say, using wood for an object intended to be outdoors for long periods of time tends to raise questions as to its fragility in the face of the elements and as to its estimated useful life. ‘It’s a fear which is often raised,’ confirms Servais, a smile on his lips, ‘but there is really nothing to worry about. Our bikes require nothing more than standard maintenance.’

Before being fitted to the rest of the bike, the wooden frame is treated and a varnish similar to that used on the hulls of ships is applied. As far as maintenance is concerned, all that needs to be done is cleaning the bike after use, as anyone would normally do. It obviously must not be left in a damp shed over the winter, which would over time damage any object manufactured from wood, as is also true of metal.

For the remaining parts, Zafi Cycles uses top-of-the-range components found in traditional bicycles, which customers may choose à la carte. As for the provenance of the products, it is at this stage of the bicycle production process that the company runs up against the realities of the industry. ‘We have realised that at this level, the bicycle industry is heavily dependent on Asia and the United States,’ admits Servais. ‘There are nevertheless brands which produce Europe-wide and we thus try to encourage our customers to choose from these specific components.’

A made-to-measure choice

Zafi bicycles are entirely bespoke. The frames can be cut made-to-measure to be adapted to body morphology, as well as to the customer’s desires in terms of comfort or use, for example. When you access their website, you find three basic packages whose components vary from the least to the most state-of-the-art, but you can decide not to stick to a pre-prepared package and choose each component individually.

Zafi Cycles offers a client experience unique in its kind. When ordering a bike, on the first meeting with the team, the customer will be invited to meet a specialised sports physiotherapist in order to undergo a ‘bike fitting’, with the aim of analysing the customer’s position on the bike. ‘On the basis of these results and the specific needs of the person, we can design an adapted frame,’ explains Servais. This analysis also enables the most suitable components to be identified regarding the person’s body type and the use that will be made of the bike.

Once all of these components have been selected and the frame has been cut, the bicycle is assembled and the client is once again invited to the boutique for a second bike fitting, in order to guarantee a made-to-measure fine-tuning of the bicycle.

And for how much?

With all that in mind, it is clear that Zafi bicycles are geared to a clientele for which cycling is a passion and which is on the lookout for an object as beautiful as it is high-performance. Consequently, this quality and this service comes at a certain price, which can vary greatly depending on the desired quantity of personalisation and custom-built features. ‘Our prices start at 5,500 Euros, exclusive of VAT, for a bike for which the variety of tree will have been selected, and a standard frame, pre-designed,’ specifies Servais. ‘Obviously, the more personalised the bike is, the higher the prices will go accordingly. Depending on the project the person has in mind, that can rise to 20,000 Euros.’

Simon’s ambition for Zafi Cycles is to create bespoke exceptional bikes for the clients, beautiful but above all functional and high-performance. At any rate, he wishes to demonstrate that it is possible to do so with local products. Thus, the brand is aimed at enthusiasts, adventurers and all those who identify with the environmentally responsible and local approach in which it is steeped.

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