Damien Hurst's Trek Madone was ridden by Lance.

Cycling

8 of the most expensive road bikes on the planet

From a €90k gold-plated bike to a Trek Madone adorned with real butterflies for €470k, these bikes are just plain ridiculous.

Written by Heather Snelgar

4 min readPublished on 28.03.2017 · 11:42 UTC

Bike lovers will all agree that money spent on your precious steed is always money well spent. We all aspire to have lighter, faster, smoother, slicker rides. However, we generally hit a ceiling when it comes to what our bank balances will actually allow.

But let’s pretend for a second that money is no object, how much could we actually spend on a road bike? Quite a lot it turns out. The lightest bike on the planet is a relative steal at just €15,000 when you compare it to the infamous Damien Hirst Trek Madone which is adorned with real butterflies, which sold back in 2009 for a whopping €470,000.

If you are looking for some light escapism into a world of ridiculously lavish road bikes, read on as we have rounded up eight of the most expensive road bikes on the planet.

1. Cervelo P5X

Price: €15,450

This space-age looking bike might not be your cup of tea looks-wise, but if you are looking to up your speed and you have €15,000-odd euros to spare, it might be just the ticket for you. This triathlon-specific bike features a full carbon construction with SRAM eTap wireless gears, hydraulic disk brakes and feather-light ENVE wheels.

2. Damien Hirst Trek Madone

Price: €470,000

This very unique Trek Madone was the bike used by Lance Armstrong when he won the 2009 Tour de France. Finished to the highest spec, the frame was designed by Damien Hirst who used real butterflies to achieve this eye-catching steed. The bike was auctioned after the tour by Sotheby where it sold for a whopping €470,000, the proceeds of which went to the Livestrong Foundation – a steal if you ask us!

3. Aurumania Crystal Edition Gold Bike

Price: €93,500

Nothing screams bling quite like a gold bike. This 24-karat gold-plated bike comes adorned with 600 Swarovski crystals and is finished with a luxurious moulded leather Brooks saddle for an extra touch of class. Elsewhere, the handlebar grips are also made from hand-sewn, chocolate-brown leather. Only 10 of these bikes were made worldwide, one of which was sold to a Londoner who has it hanging on the wall of his lobby as an art piece.

4. Lightweight Audi Sport Concept

Price: €17,500

What do you get when one of the world’s finest bike manufacturers collaborates with a luxury car manufacturer? An awesome bike, that’s what! A cool €17,500 will get you the Audi Sport Racing bike which features a Lightweight Urgestalt frame and Meilenstein carbon clinchers, topped with a custom Selle Italia saddle made from the same nappa leather used in Audi’s R8 supercar.

5. Lightweight Fahwerk Gold

Price: €24,000

While the Lightweight Audi Sports Concept will set you back a cool €17,500, it is by no means the most expensive bike in its repertoire. Those looking for something a little bit of extra bling can opt for the Lighteweight Fahwerk Gold. This road rider’s dream is finished to the highest spec imaginable and is adorned with gold leaf to give it that extra little something. If you do happen to have €24,000 hanging about you’ve got to move quickly as only 24 of these bikes exist.

6. Chrome Hearts X Cervélo

Price: €56,000

The Chrome Hearts X Cervélo is about as badass as you can get with a bike. Cervélo teamed up with American luxury motorcycle brand, Chrome Hearts, to create this mash-up of a Harley Davidson and time trial bike.

Equipped with a whole lot of leather, custom graphic and its fair share of metals and rhinestones, you will not be missed out on the road on this one. Based on the Cervélo P4 TT, which usually retails at about €5,000, this custom version will set you back a hefty €56,000.

7. One-77 Bike

Price: €28,500

Another car and bike collaboration, the One-77 Bike is based on the most advanced and expensive Aston Martin ever. Teaming up with high-end bike brand, Factor Bikes, the duo created a pretty sophisticated piece of kit.

Made from carbon fibre throughout, this bike is super-light, and comes equipped with an integrated LED lighting system, a high-end bike computer, and hand-stitched leather handlebars and saddle.

8. AX Lightness Vial Evo Ultra

Price: €15,000

While this might not be the most expensive bike on our list, it is the lightest. In fact, it is the world’s lightest bike at just 4.4kg.

In a bid to save weight, AX produced their own frame which weighs in at a measly 660g, while the wheels are also made by AX Lightness. Elsewhere, the bike is equipped with SRAM Red 22 shifters and derailleurs, Praxis chainrings and THM cranks.

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