While we're all about the innovative bicycles here at New Atlas, sometimes a bike is noteworthy simply because it's so … cool-looking. That's certainly the case with the Akhal, which is being made in very limited numbers.
Created by British design house Extans, the Akhal is named after the Akhal-Teke horse, which is believed to be one of the world's oldest and purest breeds.
The single-speed bike features a monocoque carbon fiber frame; a custom carbon fork, seatpost and handlebars (with an integrated carbon stem); and a chrome-plated head tube, seat clamp and wheel dropouts that are each CNC machined from a solid block of aluminum. Like the similarly fancy-shmancy Superstrata, Viks and Rizoma bikes, it lacks a seat tube – presumably for aesthetic reasons.
Its components include Shimano Dura Ace rim brakes, full carbon wheels with Pirelli P Zero 700 x 28c tires, a Shimano Alfine crankset, and a Gates Carbon Drive drivetrain with a 55/22 gear ratio. The whole thing reportedly tips the scales at 9.5 kg (20.9 lb) and is being offered in a single frame size that should fit riders between 170 and 195 cm (5.6 and 6.4 ft) in height.
The Akhal is being offered in two versions – the black Shadow and the white Shine. Only 99 of each are being made, with the Shine priced at £14,900 (about US$20,074) and the Shadow at £18,800 ($25,329).
Source: Extans
