Did You Know...about the Gold Bike?

I can't imagine getting this baby dirty. Photo credit: Arumania.com

Just when I thought I'd seen everything, along comes this ornate specimen: a gold bike with crystal lugs. Whoa. It's pretty flashy. Not my idea of a practical bike, but that's not its intent, I'm sure. I don't suppose you'd take it out for a spin, even on the Olympic oval. But...if someone said to, well, how could I resist?

So, who buys a bike like this: the eccentric, the well -to-do, a collector? I guess if you've exhausted your charity allowance, why not purchase extravagance, especially if you're a bike aficionado?

 How utterly divine...Photo credit: Arumania.com

The back-story: this limited edition track bike is by Aurumania, a Scandinavian design company who uses gold on functional items to create an exquisite, ethereal effect. This is their first product. One of ten has already sold. Really. More story at biketype.com.

So if you have a spare 80,000 Euros, go for it. With the Euro's current exchange rate and lagging U.S. economy, who knows...investing in gold and crystals might be the next best thing.