Spengle announced a new one-of-a-kind set of wheels for those times when your diamond-studded $20,000 e-bike really needs that extra bit of bling. The Spengle Gold adds hand-laid 24-carat gold leaf over their carbon monocoque wheels – which they say are a genuine piece of art that can actually be ridden.
Spengle isn’t shy in saying that “spokes suck“, and their 3-spoke, 650b wheels make a visual statement that harks back to the early days of triathlon. Coating a set of wheels in gold was no easy task, and the project began back in June of 2019. They spent months applying individual gold flakes piece-by-piece. The cost? a clean €10,000.
These wheels are exclusive (to say the least), with a “Limited edition 1/1”. We take that as there will be a single pair of these made, ever. I’m just a lowly writer, but I vote that Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have a wrestling match in space, and the loser has to buy these wheels for the winner, plus make a matching €10k donation to charity.
Why make such a wheel? According to Pius Brauchart, Spengle CEO:
“The bicycle wheel represents a unique visual canvas – kinetic art in its most pure form. Art and sport are both deep passion points and with SPENGLE Gold we saw an opportunity to blend these two worlds together. There’s something very compelling in mixing the traditional craftsmanship of hand-laid gold leaf with cutting edge materials science, and it has resulted in a visually stunning wheel.”
Before their sale, the Spengle Gold wheels will be displayed at bike shows in Europe, starting with Kolektif in Berlin. After that, they’ll hit Bespoked in Bristol, and the London Bike Show. Sale will include free worldwide shipping, a lifetime warranty, and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.
