Solex: the return of a myth

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It’s nicknamed the bicycle that rolls itself, a bike with a stroke of genius and a small engine in the front. The postman in the countryside, the student in the city, a symbol of simplicity, a promise of freedom. A means of transportation? No. An art of living. The praise of slowness. It’s the Solex. In the streets of Paris, tourists speed by at less than 25 km/h. A stroll and a journey through time. Walks offered by a company created 18 months ago. The two-wheeler runs on a battery. Gone are the old internal combustion engines.

For the project designers, the charm of the Solex stood out. “The Solex was the right vehicle that could show the real Paris”explains Luis Remi Leyva, founder of “Le French Way”. “We can quickly embrace the capital. It really has a ‘wow’ effect”assures Alban Szymanski, co-director of “Le French Way”. And it has an effect on walkers too.

A little gem of national heritage, engraved in the memory and in the hearts of several generations. Appeared in 1946, available in several versions, it was sold in total 8 million copies. Many prayed to own one. Many have a history with the Solex. When he can, Franck Ergo, deliveryman, works in the interior courtyard of his building. “I try not to make too much noise, bad gasoline smells. Not long ago, I made a Chinese Solex and everything was copied, it wasn’t great”he says. Solex found in flea markets and entrusted by individuals. “My father bought a Solex at an auction for 2 francs at the time”he remembers.

The objective: to restore all its glamor to a star among stars. From Brigitte Bardot to Steve McQueen, from Robert Redford to Bourvil, from the so British Mr Bean to the placid Jacques Tati, on the so Frenchy Solex. In a few months, the legendary two-wheeler will come back to life. An original electric model. One priority: maintaining the appearance of the small engine. “We wanted to keep this signature to make it a new feature and I am offering a glove box where we can charge our phone inside”says Ridge Chamand, designer at Groupe Rebirth. For his part, the company manager called on Franck, the passionate repairer who has become, for connoisseurs, a reference.