Say what you will about an $11,000 townie, but if anyone can sell it, Hermes Paris would be a safe bet. The Paris based luxury retailer has a knack for attaching incredible price tags to every day items, like an $1850 baseball bat (but it has a gold swift calfskin grip!). The thing is, of all of the Hermes products, these bicycles might just offer the most bang for the buck – after all, they’re not just a generic frame with the Hermes logo attached.
Instead, Hermes sought out the carbon fiber prowess of the venerable Time to use both RTM (resin transfer molding) and CMT (compressed carbon technology) carbon technology to build two of the most advanced carbon townies around. Sure, you’re probably paying more for the bike than if it wasn’t Hermes branded, but I’d say $11,000 for a Time-framed townie is a bit more reasonable than a $3,325 hand-felted pillow.
Do some serious window shopping after the jump.
Hermes will be offering two models of bicycles, the Le Flaneur and the Le Flaneur Sportif above. Loosely translated, Le Flaneur means the loafer or loiterer, so I guess we shouldn’t expect to be setting any speed records with these bikes, though with a carbon frame and relatively high end build they should ride very well. Each bike is equipped with a Shimano Alfine 11 speed internal hub matched to a belt drive transmission and hydraulic disc brakes – even at $11 k, no Alfine Di2 here.
What you do find is that special Hermes touch like Bull Calf leather on the contact points like the grips, saddle, and carry handle, as well as a dynamo hub and lights for the Le Flaneur. The non Sportif model also receives a beautifully integrated rear fender, rack and belt guide with a more standard looking fender up front.
The Le Flaneur will be offered in Blanc d’Espagne and Charcoal in both models, while the fender and rack equipped Le Flaneur will also be available in Red. The two bikes will be available for sale in November, with each retailing for 8,100 Euros.
