http://www.thehouseofsolidgold.com/...treme-mountain-bike/
For the low, low price of $1M, this fine piece of machinery can be yours. Now, for that price, one might expect that this bike would include every top-of-the-line component there was. Except it doesn't.
A quick run through of the component list reveals a number of low-price substitutions.
For starters, you get an aluminum frame. Da fuq? The company is called the house of solid gold, but I'm getting a HOLLOW ALUMINUM frame? Error, does not compute.
Looking at the drivetrain components, one would expect full XTR or XX/XX1 for the money. Nope. The RD is XTR, but then they kick you right in the nuts with an SLX cassette. Whatever that nonsense is.
The cranks? Alivio. rEEEAALLy? Alivio? That's the best you could do? You couldn't slap some Deore up on that piece to at least elevate it above the spec of bikes that literally sell for 1000 times less? I bet they're proud of that too. Like "yeah man, this bitch has that Ahhhlivvviohhh." I could be tricked into buying a pair of $15,000 shoelaces but, for one mirlrlrlrlrrllrion dollars I expect the bike to come with XTR cranks. And a Ferrari.
Surely the shifters would be XTR, right? Nahhhhhhhhh dawg. "XT!" [winky head nod]. I put that exclamation mark in there too. The bike comes with standard XT, with no exclamation point. Oh, and only one of them. There's no FD. Have fun lugging your Solid Gold bike up the front lawn of your estate.
What's that? You wanted nice brakes too? Let's hit this bike with some Avid's. And not the XX. The odds are probable this bike is working with the Elixir's or the BB's, and not the high-end ones. We're talking mid-grade, or even schwag. Have fun picking the sticks and stems out of this shit, when the brakes won't slow your roll in time to avoid running into your money tree.
So where'd the money go, since it clearly wasn't spent on the bike? The 24k gold plating, 6ct of black diamonds and 4.5ct of golden sapphires that encrust the ever-classy "THE HOUSE OF SOLID GOLD" initials. They were too cheap to spell it out!
Good thing 80% of the purchase price goes to charity, but still, $200,000 for the above POS is ridiculous. Not surprising, given this place literally sells gold for more than the price of gold. Yeah, that's an 8.26 troy oz nugget of gold selling for $29,950. The spot price of gold today? $1214/oz. You do the math. This adds up to a whole lot of stupid.
{drops mic}
__________________________
I tweet!
For the low, low price of $1M, this fine piece of machinery can be yours. Now, for that price, one might expect that this bike would include every top-of-the-line component there was. Except it doesn't.
A quick run through of the component list reveals a number of low-price substitutions.
For starters, you get an aluminum frame. Da fuq? The company is called the house of solid gold, but I'm getting a HOLLOW ALUMINUM frame? Error, does not compute.
Looking at the drivetrain components, one would expect full XTR or XX/XX1 for the money. Nope. The RD is XTR, but then they kick you right in the nuts with an SLX cassette. Whatever that nonsense is.
The cranks? Alivio. rEEEAALLy? Alivio? That's the best you could do? You couldn't slap some Deore up on that piece to at least elevate it above the spec of bikes that literally sell for 1000 times less? I bet they're proud of that too. Like "yeah man, this bitch has that Ahhhlivvviohhh." I could be tricked into buying a pair of $15,000 shoelaces but, for one mirlrlrlrlrrllrion dollars I expect the bike to come with XTR cranks. And a Ferrari.
Surely the shifters would be XTR, right? Nahhhhhhhhh dawg. "XT!" [winky head nod]. I put that exclamation mark in there too. The bike comes with standard XT, with no exclamation point. Oh, and only one of them. There's no FD. Have fun lugging your Solid Gold bike up the front lawn of your estate.
What's that? You wanted nice brakes too? Let's hit this bike with some Avid's. And not the XX. The odds are probable this bike is working with the Elixir's or the BB's, and not the high-end ones. We're talking mid-grade, or even schwag. Have fun picking the sticks and stems out of this shit, when the brakes won't slow your roll in time to avoid running into your money tree.
So where'd the money go, since it clearly wasn't spent on the bike? The 24k gold plating, 6ct of black diamonds and 4.5ct of golden sapphires that encrust the ever-classy "THE HOUSE OF SOLID GOLD" initials. They were too cheap to spell it out!
Good thing 80% of the purchase price goes to charity, but still, $200,000 for the above POS is ridiculous. Not surprising, given this place literally sells gold for more than the price of gold. Yeah, that's an 8.26 troy oz nugget of gold selling for $29,950. The spot price of gold today? $1214/oz. You do the math. This adds up to a whole lot of stupid.
{drops mic}
__________________________
I tweet!