When this pedal of this bike hits metal — it strikes 24-karat gold. Scandinavian design team AURUMANIA (which means preoccupied with gold) debuted the Gold Bike last September, a luxury item touted as the world’s “most lavish and expensive bike.” Just 10 of the gold bikes were made and come outfitted with a hand-stitched, brown leather Brooks saddle. Oh, and each bike is “generously” bespeckled with more than 600 Swarovski crystals. The ticket for this ride only costs a little over $100,000. [via AURUMANIA]

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In an attempt to put their own spin on the fixie phenomenon, the folks from Intersection magazine teamed up with bike gurus from KOXX and came up with their own fixed-gear beast. This sexy single-speeder is more of a hybrid in style, being part commuter bike and part BMX intended for trick riding.  Unlike some of the classic rebuilds of vintage road bikes, this baby is built from the ground up for freestyle city riding.  If you buy one, don’t make the mistake that we did and move to a city that is all hill– you’ll be struggling without that extra gear or two…  [via Viacomit]

Perfect for a healthy daily commute, the Wire Bike is a cool concept that proposes to replace the fully tubed traditional frame by adding a couple of Kevlar wires to a futuristic carbon fiber frame. Work of Romanian designer Ionut Predescu, the bike is not just an interesting experiment that explores new territory, but a damn good looking one. All stylish covered in white and theoretically lighter than the classic ride, kudos to an eye-catching two wheeler that we crave to hop on.  When “light” and “stiff” are both a premium in bike design, we’re confident about the weight savings on this one- but a bit concerned about its rigidity.  We’ll know more once this concept hits production… [via yanko]

If you’re cycling for the environment, then how about doing it to add style to your daily commuting? A classic with modern features, check out this disgustingly awesome vintage styled Beach Cruiser by James Perse. With leather accents wrapped around a Hydroform steel frame, this custom built bicycle sports a set of wide rims and tires that allows it to handle both sand and urban concrete. Available in four colors exclusively at James Perse boutiques, that gorgeous black matte paint job definitely makes us want to hop on for a quick ride. [via JamesPerse]

If riding a bicycle to work is not eco-friendly enough for you, turn it up a notch or two by going green all the way. Designed elegantly with a brilliant shade of green, this concept creation of Mr. Onuff Studio is being dubbed the Green Shadow. The design is ergonomic, futuristic and stands as a fine example of wise employment of both form and function. Apparently tracking mileage, heart rate and calories through the handle-bar mounted LCD, this makes for a fine addition to the collection of fitness maniacs and the gadget geeks. So are you game enough for the vivacious green ride? [via Yanko]

Unveiled at this week’s TED conference, Mission One promises to be the world’s fastest 100% electric production motorcycle.  Mission One will be powered by a lithium ion battery that takes two hours to recharge before supplying a 150-mile range and a top speed of 150 silent miles per hour. This bike’s body and soul is clad in an aluminum, honeycomb skeleton with a liquid cooled motor and a single-speed transmission.  The first 50 units of the “Premier Limited Edition Mission One” will be available starting from 2010 for a jaw-dropping $69,000. And if that’s too steep, a more affordable model is in the works for this summer. [via Zoomilife]

Designed by Mark Sanders, this ingenious two-speed Swivel Mode Bicycle has stolen the spotlight at CES 2009 thanks to its fresh design and smart utility factor. Offering the complete comfort of a full-sized bike in a collapsible system, this commuter bike is a brilliant pairing of form and function.  This is not a simple achievement, as most collapsible bikes are too focused on portability to actual provide for a smooth ride capable of solid speeds.  The Swivel Mode Bicycle will keep you at pace with the other fixies on the road– and with this one, you won’t have to worry about it throughout your work day when it is locked up outside… [via Inhabitat]

There’s a lot of snow in your area and there’s nothing you can do with that ol’ Vespa.  You could, of course, install a ski-like keel instead on its front and glue some 300 pins on the rear tire- and you’ve got a scooter/snowmobile mashup.  The Italian folks from RiminiMoto managed to turn the concept in a real thing. Dubbed the Slidescooter, it’s a $650 conversion of a classic scooter that packs six different front tracks to suit everyone from noobs to experts. If you don’t like paying money for something like that, it sure looks like an amazing do-it-yourself project you can take on. Check out the video! [via HellForLeatherMagazine]

There are fixed gear bikes– and there is the 2009 Pinarello Montello FP8 Pista.  This fixie is certainly in a class of its own, built for time trials but hungry for the concrete jungle.  Its all-carbon frame is formed to fit the rear tire, an approach as aerodynamically functional as it is visually striking.  This and the all-carbon FP8 fork are shaped to decrease win resistance on both the rider and the spinning wheels.  As stiff as brick but virtually weightless, the Pinarello Montello packs state of the art technologies including the latest monocoque carbon fiber, computer-aided aerodynamics and variable ride settings for time trials or triathalons.  Dropping $5,900 on a fixed gear bike ain’t easy, but you’ll feel this price is justified after just a few turns of the crank… [pinarello]