Audi Brings Back Wooden Bicycles

Carbon, metal and all sorts of other materials have long become the tools of the trade for the bicycle builders of the modern age. Wood has stopped being used for longer than most of us can remember, with few minor exceptions making, from time to time, all the wait worth while.

However, it took the involvement of an auto maker to bring back the glory of old days. Because, at least at first glance, the simple idea Audi had might catch on better than any other carbon bike launched in the past few years.

Audi calls its creation duo. It has been developed together with bike manufacturer Renovo Hardwood Bicycles (the only one that uses wood-only in the construction of bicycles) and will be sold, unlike other similar designs from other auto makers, by Audi and Renovo themselves.

Built with a monocoque frame made of hardwood, the bicycles will be offered in three versions, duo City, duo Sport and duo Road. Prices for each are insanely high, but as we all know, exclusivity has no price.

The City, priced at $6,530, comes as a “leisure bike, urban explorer and all-weather commuter.” Its main attributes are the upright position, wide puncture-resistant 32 mm tires, LED lights, fenders, rack and grease-free Gates CenterTrack belt drive coupled to the Shimano Nexus 8-speed internal hub gear.

The Sport version, which will sell for $7,350, offers the same grease-free Gates CenterTrack belt drive, only this time paired to a Shimano Alfine 11-speed internal gear hub. The distinctive elements are the drop bars, minimum fenders and medium width and puncture-resistant 28 mm tires.

The last of the pack, and the most expensive one ($7,460), the duo Road comes with an SRAM Red, compact 20-speed gear train, narrow tires and minimal accessories.