It’s a secret to absolutely nobody that electric bicycles are just as much lifestyle symbols as they are means of personal mobility. The wildly stylized e-bikes, as well as those that boast insane performance figures are testaments to this, and so too are the special edition models we’ve seen come as a result of partnerships between e-bike makers and pop-culture icons.
That being said, Super73 has always been one to give its e-bikes a fun and interesting spin. In its latest release, the brand has released not one, but two one-off e-bikes, both built around the craze surrounding none other than Barbenheimer. Wait, what the heck even is Barbenheimer? First of all, I assume most of our readers are tech-savvy folks who keep abreast with current events and meme culture. If not, well, Barbenheimer is essentially the ongoing craze of movie-goers who’ve been raving all about Barbie and Oppenheimer – two box office hits that dropped at pretty much the same time.
Indeed, the two movies are by no means connected – with Barbie featuring a completely fictional universe where dolls somehow turn into sentient beings, and Oppenheimer featuring the mostly true story of the so-called father of the Atomic bomb. Oh, they’re also made by Warner Bros and Universal, respectively. That being said, the release of the two movies has indeed caused a lot of stir on a global scale, so much so that they’re hot topics even weeks after their release. Yeah, if you haven’t watched either, I really suggest you do.
This brings us back to the topic at hand: Super73’s new e-bikes. Based on the Super73 ZX, these customized e-bikes are stylized after the respective movies they’re designed to represent. Of course, the Barbie Super73 is finished in a vibrant mixture of pink and white, with the frame painted in an eye-catching hot pink. White-wall tires and a white upholstered saddle provide some sharp visual contrast and the unmistakable Barbie connection.
If the Barbie bike is all about bright colors and zero existential dread (if you don’t get the reference, it’s definitely time to watch the movie), the Oppenheimer bike takes us back in time to World War II with a military theme. Even though there weren’t any e-bikes in the 1940s, Super73 has done a remarkable job in creating an e-bike that looks like it’s eight decades old. Complete with an army green motif, this custom e-bike even gets leather panniers and a military style pack housed in the middle of the frame.
While all this is cool and all, those of you hoping to add these special edition e-bikes to your collection won’t be able to, as Super73 has made these bikes as one-off, or rather, two-off machines to celebrate the launch of the movies. It’s also important to note that Super73 didn’t work directly with Universal or Warner Bros. to create these models, but rather used its own original designs.
