The £18k bike: find out why the Lightweight Urgestalt is so expensive

German company Lightweight really goes to town on this gold-encrusted machine

The new Lightweight Urgestalt is yours for £18,000 or its official price – €24,000. You can buy a lot of things for €24,000 - 24 half decent bikes for starters. However if you'd prefer one very, very good (or at least expensive) bike instead, then the Lightweight Urgestalt could be the bike for you.

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So how does this bike even begin to justify that price-tag. Well firstly it's very limited edition. Only 24 are going to be produced, so it's pretty safe to say you're going to be the only person riding one on the club run. The other part of the 24 theme is the fact that the graphics are all rendered in 24 carat gold.

The headtube

The headtube

The rest of the bike isn't quite as indulgent (although all things are relative) and Lightweight certainly hasn't been concerned with cutting corners through budget brakes and chainsets for example.

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The gold details really set the bike apart

The gold details really set the bike apart

Nowhere is this more the case than with the wheels. The area in which the company is most renowned, the Lightweight Urgestalt comes with special gold edition Meilenstein Obermayer wheels. This beauties come in at under a kilogram for the pair, with a combined weight of just 985g - even more impressive when you consider their 47.5mm depth.

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Even the wheels are special edition

Even the wheels are special edition

The bike also features Lightweight's new Kompaktbügel bars. These high modulus carbon fibre bars have a compact drop, with the 42cm width weighing in at 196g. The stem is also an in-house part, although is still at "final prototype" phase. The minimal design means that it weighs between 85g and 95g depending on the length, although Lightweight is still giving a rider weight limit of 110kg.

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Gold on the hubs!

Gold on the hubs!

Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 is the natural groupset of choice for this exclusive bike, although you also get a Praxis Works chainset and THM Clavicula SE cranks to further lighten both the bike and your wallet.

Clavicula cranks and Praxis Works rings

Clavicula cranks and Praxis Works rings

Final touches are the carbon Lightweight saddle and the 18g Lightweight Edelheifer bottle cage. This means that the complete bike weighs in at around 5.8kg - so just over €4 per gram.

For more information, head over to Lightweight.

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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.