Bicycles and automobiles are more intertwined that you may think. Several automobile manufacturers were actually started as bicycle manufacturers or key players dabbled with bicycles before becoming involved with automobiles. The now defunct Pierce-Arrow Motor Corporation started as a bicycle manufacturer and Carlo Maserati got his start in engines while working at a bicycle manufacturer near Milan, Italy. In recent year, Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, Cadillac and Mercedes have lauched their own line of bicycles to more than likely capture additional revenue after they have sold an automobile. The new car owner can buy the hat, jacket, pen, sunglasses…why not the bike? Saab was clever and sold a Saab bicycle that was folding so that it could fit inside your car just in case you could not park near your final destination. Most of the modern bicycles offered by automobile manufacturers are in reality designed and built by bicycle manufacturers. It is possible that the car company designs the bikes and specs the components, but they certainly are not making them.
Audi of America, not to be outdone by its competition, has launched their own line of bicycles. The Duo line of bikes, a play of words from the ‘Quattro’ all-wheel drive system in their cars, are actually wooden bikes made by Renovo Hardwood Bicycles based in Portland, Oregon. The Renovo line of bikes were chosen by Audi due to their use of wood in the frames which is a biodegradable and renewable product. As opposed to all of the automobile manufacturers previously listed which use aluminum or steel in their bike frames, many hours are invested in each Audi Duo bike which are meticulously handcrafted from hardwood. The amazing part is the most of the Renovo frames weigh in at a respectable 4.5 – 5.5 pounds which is in the range of a lot of steel frames that are currently on the market.
The Audi Duo line of bikes are currently available in three ‘trims': City, Sport and Road. Those three types of bikes are available in two types of wood combinations, Espresso Brown and Serrano Red. All of the bikes come with disc brakes and either top of the line components such as SRAM Red on the Road bikes or a whole host of accessories such as racks and lights on the Sport and City bikes. The level of components, number of accessories, 4-ring logo and convenience of ordering these bikes online directly from audi-collection.com might be enough for you to swallow the $6500-$7500 price tag that these bikes command…a premium over a bike ordered directly from Renovo. Of course if you just purchased a new Audi R8, you paid more in sales tax than the most expensive Duo.
Audi Collection Official Website
Renovo Bike Official Website