Friday, March 6, 2009

World's Most Expensive Bicycle

I realize that blogging about 24 karat plated, crystal adorned bicycles during the United States present economic climate is nothing short of obnoxious. But it doesn't detract from the perverse fascination I have for these sort of luxury items. And this one is a doozy. And costs $102,418.60 USD

Each bike is hand built, plated with 24 carat gold and hand-adorned with more than 600 Swarovski crystals.

The limited to ten, the crystal and gold bike was created by a company named Aurumania, whose self-proclaimed purpose is to conceive of and design items with the extravagant use of gold, thereby turning familiar objects into collectible art. Their collection thus far consists of fifty 24 karat gold plated bikes, a gold plated bike rack and the special Swarovski crystal adorned 24 karat plated version. As one would expect for these prices, their products are hand delivered anywhere in the world.






These 10 limited-edition bikes represent a cornucopia of delights for any feinschmecker. The designers have employed all the classic principles in their overall appearance, and every detail has been under careful consideration.


The handlebar grips (above) are made of hand-sewn, chocolate-brown leather and a moulded Brooks leather saddle (below) provides the right nostalgic touch.



The Aurumania logo appears stylishly and enticingly on the crossbar (below). A limited edition number is discreetly embossed with gold leaf and set into a leather badge, placed prominently on the front of the bike.



To ensure potential buyers the greatest possible degree of discretion, these gold bikes are exclusively available via www.aurumania.com and they are delivered to the buyer personally using a White Glove service, in a specially designed package that exudes extreme luxury on par with the golden bike inside.

Of course, they have a matching gold and crystal wall mountable rack for the bike:


Pricing:
GOLD BIKE CRYSTAL EDTION €80,000
GOLD BIKE €21,000
BIKE RACK €5,000

The crystals a little bit too much for you? Don't fret, they've made 50 of the gold plated bikes without the Swarovski Crystal adornments. These too, have the leather Brooks saddle and hand sewn leather handles.