Chanel fashion house released a black bicycle with a quilted leather chain guard and pannier/purse for $12,000 back in 2007, because Coco loved sports. Courtney Cox sent one to Jennifer Aniston, and then it dropped off the map. Naturally, Chanel followed up with a jeweled pant clip.
But the Chanel Segway? This I have a hard time with, in part because I still--rarely--have to pass one in the bike lane, which I'm loathe to share. On the one hand, Segways are electric, an alternative to cars, and probably deserve to be more popular in dense cities. On the other hand, they're difficult to take seriously unless there's a cop riding it.
The price has not been released, but the question has: Who will buy this?
And sp-sp-spendy as they may be, I'm in favor of flashy bikes. Here's why.
Chanel sport makes skis, snowboards, and tennis rackets, so it's nice to see the bicycle join the ranks of gear to haul to Aspen. And since one of the misconceptions of biking is that you arrive looking like a drowned rat, a flashy bike is another way to ensure a paparazzi-ready ride. Even if it's really only a random person with an iPhone.
I've repurposed a green leather ankle strap as a pant clip for myself, and biked in wearing heels today--easy peasy. Bikes and fashion can mix, and for bikes to be viewed an functional, this needs to be known.
The
Chanel bike is functional, too, with a built in pump, leather saddle, and rack. It's pretty close in design to the simple and traditional
Azor (Clever Cycles has many city bikes worth checking out), and it's another avenue to make people look at bikes.
If someone ever creates spinning rims for bikes, I'll draw the line, but until then, if the people who can still afford to invest in bling for bicycles are doing so, it's one further step away from the style cult of the SUV.