Aurumania offers a limited edition (only ten made, thankfully) 24K gold-plated track bike for the bargain price of 80,000 Euro, which is roughly US$103K, or $102,200.00 more than it’s worth without the plating.
Sure, it comes with a Brooks saddle, but even that doesn’t justify the price tag of this gaudy wall-hanging that will never be ridden. So I had to look closer, and see what other features it offers. Turns out that it’s “adorned with Swarovski crystals” as well. What? Where would one put crystals on a bicycle? Oh, the company’s logo is written in braille on the top tube via the application of crystals. Makes perfect sense. I’m sure this is a feature we’ll see on other high-end bikes very shortly.
Seriously though, I don’t even think our stupid celebrities will fall for this one. Their website explains that they’re looking to bring back “wildly extravagant” to a world where product design is “insipidly ordinary”. What could be more ordinary than a track bike, even a gold plated one? I’m not knocking trackies, (note to self: prepare for hate mail from single speed and fixie crowd) but doesn’t their allure lie in the extreme simplicity? No brakes, no shifters, one speed – a bike stripped down to its essence. Might as well be gold plated egg beaters, and I’m not talking about Crank Bros.