10 Absolutely Beautiful Bicycles You Wish You Owned

The Schindelhauer. Photo by David Niddrie.

Bicycles can be a lot of things to a lot of people. A mode of transportation, a way to build community, a way to keep in shape, a sport, or an extension of their personal style. But if your bike is an extension of your personal style and your style tends towards the more glamorous side of the closet, not just any old city bike will do. Or perhaps you’ve fastidiously cultivated your look to embody a certain offbeat kind of cool. You can’t just be riding a regular old steel-frame kind of thing.

So whip out your Manolos and Armani duds, or your three-piece suit and vintage wingtips. Here are 10 stunning bicycles to rock up on, whatever the occasion.

The Cherubim Rambler, photo by David Niddrie.

Cherubim, The Rambler

Japanese master bike-builder Shin-ichi Konno took over Cherubim from his father, Hitoshi Konno, who founded the road bike outfit after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics brought an influx of European bike style into Japan. Today, the younger Konno focuses on incorporating Japanese artistic aesthetic into modern steel frames. His unique style is heavily sought-after in Japan, but as of yet doesn’t have an enormous following in North America. The Rambler is a gorgeous steel-frame custom city bike that took home the prize for Best City Bike at NAHBS 2013.

Price tag: Unknown

BSG Wood.b Duomatic

BSG Wood.b Duomatic

French bikemaker BSG seamlessly combines metal components with exposed ash plywood in their Wood.b line, resulting in city bikes that are as much art as they are bicycle. But don’t be fooled by the looks, this fully-functioning ride comes equipped with a 2-speed Sturmey Archer hub, full fenders, a sprung Brooks saddle, and aluminum components to keep the weight down to only 35 lbs.

Price Tag: 3190 €

Naked Cycles.

Naked Bicycles, City Adventure

Hiding away on unassuming Quadra Island off of British Columbia’s South Coast sits Naked Bicycles, an award-winning handmade custom bicycle company. Naked builder and founder Sam Whittingham does everything from city bikes to road bikes to mountain bikes in his somewhat remote shop, but the clean lines and polished frame on this beauty caught our eye. A leather top tube cover, leather grips over sleek handlebars and a Gates belt drive round out this stunning city bike.

Price tag: Frames from $1,995 CAD, build kits from $1,195 CAD.

Calfee Design’s Bamboo fixie

Calfee Design, Bamboo Fixie

Calfee is probably the best-known name in bamboo bicycle frames today. Although they specialize in carbon fibre, they’ve taken their high-performance bike-building expertise and applied to it one the planet’s most durable and sustainable building materials, coming up with frames that are as beautiful as they are functional. The natural beauty of the bamboo is offset by the bright green and gold in this fixed-gear city rider. It is a statement of both form and function.

Price tag: $3,295 USD for the frame.

The Bilenky Shelly Horton

Bilenky Cycle Works, Shelly Horton

When one of the world’s most well-known vintage bike collectors order a pair bicycles for himself and his equally-obsessed wife, you hold nothing back on the details. And that’s exactly the approach taken by Bilenky Cycle Works on the Shelly Horton, the ‘hers’ model for Brett Horton and his wife, Shelly. This stunning, vintage-inspired city rider features a hand-forged aluminum stem, a custom-drawn tubeset from Columbus, wooden rims, an exquisite paint job, custom Phil Wood hubshells, custom Laplander panniers, a 1930s vintage chainguard, and quite a few other “small” details to polish off the look.

Price tag: Not for sale.

Jan Gunneweg, photo by Dutch in Dublin.

Jan Gunneweg

Dutch industrial designer Jan Gunneweg is obsessed with all things wood. From furniture to home décor to bicycles, he’s always experimenting with ways to bring wood to the forefront of design. This stunning feat of woodworking is made of solid walnut, right down to the spokes. Despite appearing more as a work of art than a machine, the bicycle is fully functioning and weighs in at a modest 35 lbs.

Price Tag: Unknown

The Schindelhauer Ludwig XIV, photo by David Niddrie.

Schindelhauer, Ludwig XIV

With a name like Ludwig XIV, you know this is going to be a bicycle that commands respect. European manufacturer Schindelhauer walks the walk as much as they talk the talk with this prestigious steed. The city stunner comes equipped with a 14-speed Rolhoff hub, Formula R1 disc brakes, and a Gates Carbon Drive.

Price tag: 3,595 €

Black Sheep Bicycle, Stellar Beauty

Black Sheep Bicycles, Stellar Beauty

Handmade bike builder James Bleakley has been gaining a considerable following since appearing on the NAHBS circuit in recent years, but his company Black Sheep Bicycles still remains a fully-custom, fit-for-the-individual kind of operation. The Stellar frame’s gorgeous sloping lines and unique truss fork make it stand out from the crowd amongst other city cruisers, touring bikes, or trail riders, depending on how you choose to build your ride.

Price tag: $3,800 USD for the frame, $1,500 for the fork.

The House of Solid Gold, Mtb

The House of Solid Gold, The Beverly Hills Edition

Now, we don’t usually cover mountain bikes here at Momentum Mag, but for the House of Solid Gold‘s 24K Gold Extreme Mountain Bike, we were willing to make an exception. This outrageous ride was a collaboration between HoSG founder Hugh Grant and extreme athlete Dan Bull, aiming to make the most extreme bespoke mountain bike they possible could. The Beverly Hills Edition is handcrafted and overlaid with 24K gold, right down to the spokes. The company’s emblem on the frame is pavé set with a casual 600 black diamonds and 500 golden sapphires, and the customized seat is covered in chocolate brown alligator. If you get thirsty, wet your whistle with a little Dom Pérignon from the custom gold water bottle, covered in chocolate brown stingray for good measure. The House of Solid Gold will only be making 13 of these over-the-top beauties, and each saddle will have the artist’s signature along with a number out of 13 to ensure authenticity.

Price tag: A cool $500,000 USD. Gift wrapping options available.

Hilary Angus is the Online Editor at Momentum Mag. She rides a 1986 restored Norco mountain bike-turned-upright city named Donkey. It cost around $200 CAD all in. @HilaryAngus