Winter can be rough on bikes, so Bulgarian designer Hristo Tashev created the Urbanized Bike to make year-round commuting in the city a breeze.

With the new year come resolutions. Promises to do better: to get more exercise, to do more for the environment, to get to work earlier. As if on cue, the Urbanized Bike has arrived to get you on the right path. Created by Bulgarian designer Hristo Tashev, the two-wheeler is touted as a maintenance-free machine that skips cycling’s current fixations – carbon fibre, disc brakes, electronic shifting – in favour of weatherproof bike componentry meant to withstand hostile conditions.

Grippy Tannus tires, made from closed-cell polymer foam, negate the need for inner tubes, making flats a thing of the past.

You won’t find brake pads, alloy steel chains or even external derailleurs in this case. Instead, the 12.7-kilogram bike is built with internal gearing, a lube-free belt drivetrain, puncture-proof tires and a frame forged from aluminum – a material selected for its strength-to-weight ratio and resistance to corrosion.

But though the Urbanized Bike might spare commuters from risking frostbite to fix a flat or dealing with seized mechanical parts that have become encrusted in salt, it won’t save them from the real obstacles to winter cycling: road infrastructure and maintenance.

A notched handle links the Urbanized Bike’s down and seat tubes, making this ride easy to haul inside and up stairs. The feather-light Gates carbon belt drive is 10 times more durable than a conventional chain and requires no lubricant, even in mucky conditions.

A seven-speed internal Shimano Nexus hub keeps gears protected from salt, slush and road grime, resulting in crisp, fuss-free shifting.

This story was taken from the January/February 2019 issue of Azure. Buy a copy of the issue here, or subscribe here.