Bike forums folks,
I'm a bike lover and a technology reporter for Forbes Magazine. Ahead of the Tour de France, I'm putting together a story (a bit outside my normal beat) on the world's most expensive bicycles. I was hoping that you all might have ideas.

I'm looking for specific examples of ultra-pricey bikes, but also trends in high end cycling technology and ideas about which might be the most expensive bikes that will be ridden in the TDF this year.

If you have any ideas about who might be a good source for this story, I'm definitely eager to hear suggestions.

If you'd prefer to email me directly, my work email is agreenberg@forbes.com.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Andy Greenberg

I don't think they ride mountain bikes in the Tour de France.

I hear some of those bikes cost two or three hundred dollars! You can't even GET those bikes at Walmart. Nope, not even Sam's club carries them. Crazy.

Sounds like Forbes hires bloggers? Same quality of research that I see in my former local paper's website?

Who cares about the most expensive bicycle? Overpaid financial industry dorks who read Forbes? Would they know the difference among bikes other than price? Is that the point?

Road bikes tend to cost more, but if you really want to check out expensive mountain bikes check out anything still hand made in America or super specialized one-off racer rigs. The more handmade a frame is, especially from a US builder, the more expensive it's likely to be; components are somewhat generic by comparison. You might start with Jeff Jones...jonesbikes.com and try looking around here maybe https://transition.handmadebicycleshow.com/.

You work for Forbes.... Can't you just make a couple phone calls and get a hold of Team BMC direct, or maybe just grab Trek's corporate number? I'm sure someone would want to talk to Forbes to get their name in a magazine.

Gee to the oogle, fruitcake.

Ha ha, youse guys are tough.

I'm starting to like this place.

Well, there was one - - sort of . . .

No, that's simply over the the end of the peloton, not anywhere IN....

Hahah, I can't wait to read what this guy has to say about mountain bikers in his Forbes article. Oh riiiggghhhht, he writes for Forbes...guess I won't be reading it after all..

Businessweek! Businessweek! Businessweek!

With that said, the Specialized Shiv that's supposedly so fast it was briefly banned by the UCI is about 5.5k USD for the frame alone. I wouldn't be surprised if the bikes on the roof of the support vehicles are worth more than the cars carrying them.

Knock it off guys! He's a and simply knew the mtb forum was the place to get the scoop on high-end TDF composite road bikes.... Man, you guys play hardball.

If he's BF material then he'll laugh it off & use google; the only mechanism any of us would use if we were to help him. If he's not BF material, he'll get pissed & storm off to another forum. (Michael Westen, anyone?)

Oh . . . I wasn't going to say anything because I figured there were CF road rockets that cost much more. But some MTBs come close:

Karpiel Armageddon: $5,650 frame & shock
Empire Cycles AP-1: $4,100 frame & shock
Lapierre DH 920: $4,500 frame & shock

. . . and, of course they were factory works bikes, but the Honda RN01s were rumored to be in the neighborhood of $10K value.

"Expensive" is a relative term. Please define.

Is that real? He must have been haulin'!

https://www.delta7bikes.com/arantix-mountain-bike.htm
These things are so expensive they don't even have a MSRP listed! No, I am not endorsing them, just aware they are in my neighborhood and exxxxpennnnsive. Try googling BMW bikes or some such nonsense if you are looking for an expensive bike wothy of mention in Forbes... or you could call Martek China and ask who they are selling to this week!

Oh yes it was real:

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/articl...-gap-jump-7785

From NWD IV:

A the good ole clip of watson gapping the peleton. I was at crankworx when this was released and he was hailed as a god at the time haha..quite funny

Ferrari had a mtb a while back. 10,000$ if I remember right. https://www.luxurylaunches.com/transp..._cool_bike.php

And the hondas as dminor mentions are in the 10,000$ range.

Oh, almost forgot - - Nicolai Ion G-Boxx2: $7,380 frame, shock, gearbox & rear hub

https://www.nicolai.net/products/e-frames/e-ion-gb2.html

thanks ...and thanks

I don't know if this Forbes guy is for real, but whatever. This is a road bike but it would be difficult to top the technology or the price.https://www.factor001.com/


Really it's a steal at $34,000. I should have just bought one of these instead of going to college.

Or designed it, then sold it to someone with more money than good sense.

That may be, but as a design and engineering study it is fascinating.