One of my favorite bloggers, "The Retrogrouch", has written a few posts about bicycles made for folks who have more money than interest in actually riding a bicycle. The bikes he mentions in those posts usually have, at minimum, five-figure price tags and features for which there is little, if any, earthly reason. Some of those bikes really seem to be intended as wall installations or fashion accessories--or simply status symbols. A few are even made to match the owners' cars with six-figure price tags.
The Retrogrouch has written eloquently, with just the right amount of cynicism, about such bikes. There is nothing I can add to what he's said, so I try not to write about those machines.
Today, though, I will write about a bike that might seem like a subject of his scorn. Yes, it's a bike that matches an expensive sports car. But, to be fair, it seems to be designed with actual cycling in mind. And its price tag is more or less in line with other high-quality bicycles of its type. It's not a bike I'd necessarily buy for myself, but I could understand a real, live cyclist wanting the bike I'm about to mention.
If you have a BMW M5, it's the bike you simply must have. It's painted in Marina Blue--of course--to match the car. I rather like the color myself. It comes with Continental Cruise Contact tires. They're not the model I ride, but I ride other Continental tires. And the design is something I might choose if I were in the market for an all-arounder or "gravel" bike.
The deal-breakers for me, though, are the carbon fiber frame and disc brakes. Then again, this bike is not made with someone like me or Retrogrouch in mind: Someone who's buying an M5 or some other car in that price category probably wants the "newest and latest" tech gadgets. So, it makes sense the bike is so designed.
If you want the bike, however, you have to act quickly: Only 500 are being made. And you can only get it from a BMW dealer--for 1400 Euros (about 1650 dollars at today's exchange rate). That's about a tenth of what Audi charges for its e-bike.
The Retrogrouch has written eloquently, with just the right amount of cynicism, about such bikes. There is nothing I can add to what he's said, so I try not to write about those machines.
Today, though, I will write about a bike that might seem like a subject of his scorn. Yes, it's a bike that matches an expensive sports car. But, to be fair, it seems to be designed with actual cycling in mind. And its price tag is more or less in line with other high-quality bicycles of its type. It's not a bike I'd necessarily buy for myself, but I could understand a real, live cyclist wanting the bike I'm about to mention.
If you have a BMW M5, it's the bike you simply must have. It's painted in Marina Blue--of course--to match the car. I rather like the color myself. It comes with Continental Cruise Contact tires. They're not the model I ride, but I ride other Continental tires. And the design is something I might choose if I were in the market for an all-arounder or "gravel" bike.
The deal-breakers for me, though, are the carbon fiber frame and disc brakes. Then again, this bike is not made with someone like me or Retrogrouch in mind: Someone who's buying an M5 or some other car in that price category probably wants the "newest and latest" tech gadgets. So, it makes sense the bike is so designed.
If you want the bike, however, you have to act quickly: Only 500 are being made. And you can only get it from a BMW dealer--for 1400 Euros (about 1650 dollars at today's exchange rate). That's about a tenth of what Audi charges for its e-bike.
