Having spent time in the factories “where dreams are made” – namely the Colnago factory in Italy – I’ve seen some expensive bikes. This reporter can also say that he’s seen some beautiful bikes. The M55 Terminus is certainly the former if not exactly the latter.
It isn’t just the name that evokes the metal interior of the Terminator either, and in all honesty this is probably what a T-80 in the guise of Arnuld would ride if the Terminator went mountain biking. Fortunately for us – and bad for Sarah Connor – the Terminator’s activities are limited (“He’ll find her! That’s what he does! That’s ALL he does!). This $35,000 bike is also heavy enough (heavy duty enough too), at 65 pounds to support a cyborg. And it is actually built like one too. The CNC-milled aluminum frame includes an electric motor powered by lithium-ion cells that give it a range of 62-miles – a bit limited we think were it to be used to actually hunt Ms. Connor.
Other advanced features aren’t exactly space age but they still impress, and include Syncros 26-inch rims, MXR air shocks at the rear, Fohloff twist gear shifters and Formula One braking technology. The good news for anyone worried about this machine potentially being used by our robot masters is that it will be limited to five very limited runs of 55 piece each.
The bike isn’t the product of the machines, but is coming a Hungarian developer, who has been financed by private investors and a $400, 000 grant from the New Hungary Development Plan. Isn’t that always how these sinister plans begin? But at $35,000 who besides a mad scientist or Terminator from the future (who could predict the stock market and bet on football) could possibly afford one!
M55 Terminus Official Website
[Via Wired: Hit the Hills and Highways on Hungary’s $35,00 Hybrid Hyberbike]