We have featured some pretty outrageous machinery in the past, but for sheer ostentatious display of wealth, nothing even comes close to this bicycle here. Aptly named Californian company, House of Solid Gold has taken an off-the-shelf Salsa Mukluk all-terrain bike (ATB) and draped every metal part of it in solid 24K gold. Every part is pretty much dipped in gold, from the spokes to the chain to the derailleur to even the valve caps. The only bits and bobs that remain in plebeian plastic are the tyres and some parts of the drivetrain.
As if that wasn’t enough, this “Beverly Hills Edition” of the Mukluk comes with front and rear logos that are encrusted in over 600 diamonds and 500 golden sapphires. On the off chance that its owner actually takes it for a ride, it also comes with matching gold water bottle with chocolate brown stingray accents. The saddle is done up in chocolate brown alligator skin, and all the branding is engraved with precision-cut lasers. On the practical side, it does come with a 27-speed transmission and disc brakes at both ends. Gold, though, is a soft metal in its pure 24K state, so we don’t see those shiny moving parts lasting in their pristine state for too long.
House of Solid Gold claims that every bike takes a total of 750 hours to be built by hand, and we don’t doubt them. Whether you find their creation just plain vulgar or appealing, depends on which side of the fence your fashion sensibilities lie. But rest assured, with a price tag of a million dollars, we won’t be seeing one of these at the nearest Firefox showroom anytime soon.
Welcome to the 1%.
