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by James Huang
February 21, 2020
Photography by Spengle
Swiss company Spengle is currently best known as the producer of obscure three-spoke carbon wheels for gravel, mountain bike and urban applications, but its latest endeavor may instead bring it notoriety for sheer excess. Announced today is the new “Spengle Gold” wheelset, featuring the same monocoque composite wheels that are offered to the general public, but covered in an ornately patterned, hand-laid 24-carat gold leaf that brings conspicuous consumption to a whole new level.
“The bicycle wheel represents a unique visual canvas – kinetic art in its most pure form,” said Spengle CEO Pius Brauchart in a press release. “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.”
Given the intricate pattern applied, it’s not really a surprise to hear that it took Spengle months to complete this.
Surely Spengle would loan us a set for review, no?
According to Spengle, the project actually started in June 2019, and it’s taken this long for it to come to fruition.
Spengle plans to display the wheels at various bike shows throughout Europe, and should you have the means (and desire) to instead display them in your personal gallery, the company will happily make more to the tune of CHF10,000 each (just over US$10,000 / AU$15,000 at current exchange rates).
As far as we can tell, there is no discount for ordering a pair, although Spengle will apparently back your purchase with a “30-day satisfaction guarantee”.
That all said, Spengle is also careful to point out that, despite the visual appeal, the wheels are still fully rideable. After all, if you have this kind of money to throw around, surely a few dings and scrapes aren’t a major concern, no?