Bike
MTB
The world's most expensive MTB parts
From the nearly-achievable to the insanely excessive, here's how to give your rig an extreme facelift with the most expensive stock parts that money can buy.
While mountain biking is an awesome, amazing and fun hobby, it can be pretty expensive. Some companies have taken the expense factor to extreme levels, designing uber high-end parts that most of us can only dream of owning.
Designing your dream rig is a bit like looking at supercars – chances are you’ll never own one, but they’re great to drool over. Here’s some insanely expensive MTB parts you could (in theory) go out and buy tomorrow.
Frame
Robot Bike co
Robot Bike Co. R160
© Robot Bike Co.
Price: £4,395
Robot Bike co is the coming together of three engineers and a bike journalist, with the promise of providing custom rides without any compromises. As you can imagine, they’re not cheap, but a quick look on their website shows how much effort has gone into creating their beautiful frames. A particular highlight has to be the 3D printed titanium lugs, something that's incredibly rare on modern mountain bikes.
Fork
German Answer Xcite ZERO
Price: €1,697
Fancy a suspension fork under a kilo? Then the 998g German Answer Xcite ZERO might just be the answer (pun intended). Made for the cross country and marathon crowd, you wouldn’t want to take it on a downhill track, but for people with deep pockets who are all about racing the ups as well as the downs, this is just the ticket.
Rear Shock
Push Elevensix
Push Elevensix rear shock
© Push
Price: $1,200
The Push Elevensix is perhaps the most expensive rear shock on the planet. Made exclusively in Colorado, they use the best domestically-sourced materials. They’re also built to custom rider specification, so you can be sure a lot of effort has gone into making these shocks the absolute business.
Groupset
Shimano XTR Di2
Shimano XTR Di2
© Shimano
Price: £1,939.99
Tired of using cheap cables to change gears on your bike? Try electronic instead. The XTR Di2 groupset from component giant Shimano costs as much as a very decent trail bike. But for the money, you get seamless electronic shifting, feathery weight and a whole host of features to make you a happier, more productive and rounded individual. Well, perhaps not that, but you get the idea – very pricey and very cool.
Wheels
ax-lightness Ultra Race 29
ax-lightness Ultra Race 29 wheels
© ax-lightness
Price: €2,799
German brand ax-lightness produce some of the lightest, most expensive bike parts on the planet and their Ultra Race 29 wheels are no exception. Designed for XC and marathon racing, these bad boys come in at 1,195g, with a 100kg rider weight limit.
Bars and stem
Mcfk
Mcfk stem
© Mcfk
Price: €228.90/€328.90
Mcfk are a German brand who specialise in super lightweight carbon components. Their bar and stem weigh just 182g combined, which is lighter than many other high-end carbon bars alone. The engineering and finish is second to none, hopefully going some way towards justifying the price.
Pedals
Speedplay Syzr Titanium pedals
Price: £349.98
Perhaps better known in the road bike market, Speedplay make pedals renowned for their great adjustability and of course, high prices. Many years in development, the Syzr model provides up to 10 degrees of adjustable, friction-free float, helping riders to get their pedalling dynamics spot on.
Bottom Bracket
Chris King ceramic threaded bottom bracket
Chris King ceramic threaded bottom bracket
© Chris King
Price: £280
Sram and Shimano make perfectly usable bottom brackets which retail around the £30 mark. But if you want something costing nearly ten times as much, Chris King have their ceramic threaded bottom bracket. Chris King are legendary for their quality, so although expensive, this is a bottom bracket that should last a lifetime.
