Kraftwerk and Canyon Have Collaborated on the Most Techno Bike, Ever

After dedicating a 1983 single and 2003 album to the Tour de France, German electronic-music pioneers Kraftwerk are making their connection to the world-renowned cycling race even stronger.

Ahead of the Tour de France's kick-off this Saturday, July 1 in Düsseldorf (where the band hail), German bike manufacturer Canyon has unveiled a limited-edition bicycle, the Ultimate CF SLX Kraftwerk, in partnership with the group. As Bike Today reports, the all-black bike dons, among other features, a custom geometric pattern originated by Kraftwerk founder Ralf Hütter that took seven hours per frameset to apply.

Only 21 Kraftwerk bikes have been produced, each selling to the public for a staggering $11,434 (approximately €10,000) beginning July 3. Before then, cyclist Tony Martin will hop on one at the start of the Tour de France. The group will also perform on the Tour's opening day.

Hütter previously chatted to Rolling Stone in 2015 about Kraftwerk's connection to cycling, which Hütter said began in the 1970s with their 1978 album The Man-Machine. When asked about their music being inspired by cycling, Hüttter replied, "We were inspired by recording breath and heartbeat and other sounds from bikes. The other thing with cycling is that when it's really going well, it's really silence. You just hear the wind. That's what gave the music its flow on this album…"

For Canyon founder and CEO Roman Arnold, the connection is mutual. "My memories of partying in friends' basements as a teenager are dominated by hearing Kraftwerk's groundbreaking sounds," he said in an official statement. "Kraftwerk and cycling have a special and unique connection – their music, and all that they do, has inspired our work at Canyon in so many ways across the years."

View a photo of Canyon's Ultimate CF SLX Kraftwerk below, and head here for the rest.