We all know that cycling can be an expensive sport, and hardcore riders will go to great lengths to shave even a few ounces off the weight of their bikes. Those seem to be the exact customers that luxury auto maker Audi is targeting with their latest project, which is a high-tech bike that tips the scales at just 12.7 pounds, and comes with an eye-popping price tag of nearly $20,000.
Earlier this week the Audi Sport Racing Bike went on display in an automotive showroom in Shibuya, Tokyo. The bike features custom geometry and a splashy paint job that was created by the Audi Concept Design Studio in Munich, Germany. It also has a frame and wheels that are made from a carbon fiber material known as T1000, and a saddle wrapped in Nappa leather. The very same material found on the seats of the Audi R8 automobile.
T1000 carbon fiber was created by a Japanese chemical company known as Toray Industries. Audi uses the same material in its racing cars because it is extremely strong and incredibly lightweight. Just how lightweight you ask? The frame on this bike clocks in at a mere 27.9 ounces, which is roughly the same as five iPhones 6 Plus smartphones. The downside is that T1000 is prohibitively expensive, hence the high price tag for this bike.
Audi says that only 50 of the Sport Racing Bikes will be available worldwide, and each will be numbered so collectors will know where they fall in production. The first of the bikes is expected to go on sale very soon, and demand is expected to be high despite the exorbitant cost.
To put things into perspective, this bike is so light that a cyclist wouldn’t even be able to legally ride it in the Tour de France without first adding more than two pounds of weight to it. The minimum weight of any bike entered in the Tour is 15 pounds, which this falls well under.
