In some circles, cycling has replaced the golf course as the arena for corporates to negotiate deals outside the boardroom, which is likely the kind of customer this Californian-based athletic apparel brand is aiming at with their new bike. The District Vision titanium touring bike is a shockingly high-end two-wheeled transport, hand-made and arriving with a double-take inducing US$30,000 (AU$43,396) price tag.
Once your neck has recovered from the whiplash of seeing this bike’s price, you can start to somewhat understand why it’s a little more expensive than your average Reid Cycles single-speed. The 55cm frame (to fit someone 167-175cm tall) is made by hand in Japan by Yoshi Nishikawa of Kualis Cycles and is compatible with electronic gearing, while also featuring a carbon seat post.
The bike also arrives with some custom-made bags for bike touring and is fitted with SRAM components mixed with specialised components from AARN and Sugino. There are a lot of unusual and expensive parts on this bike, but when you consider Nishikawa’s most expensive custom titanium frame costs less than $6,000, you begin to wonder how the RRP was calculated. In the context of a Tour de France bike costing the realm of $20,000 (and the most expensive ever TdF bike priced at $65,000), the District Vision titanium touring bike leaves us scratching our heads.
