Bike Company Takes Customization to a New Level Big Shot Bike company allows customers to design their dream ride on an iPad-friendly interface.

Henry Ford's statement that the Model T was available in any color a customer wanted, so long as it was black, is remembered mainly for its pithiness, but the economics behind this assembly-line innovation were revolutionary. By eliminating options, Ford kept prices down, making automobiles suddenly attainable for the masses.

Now the pendulum has swung in the other direction. Today's consumers aren't satisfied with a single option; they expect individually designed products, in the color schemes of their choice--but they don't want to pay a premium for this customization. Fort Collins, Colo.-based Big Shot Bikes has capitalized on the trend, making its fixed-gear, single-speed ("fixie") bikes in any color combination the customer wants--so long as it's rad.

Sold online and through independent bike dealers, Big Shot fixies are designed by customers through an iPad-compatible web interface that lets shoppers select from 10 parts, each available in up to nine color choices. The company builds out the design to its customers' specifications, then ships the multicolored rides to their doors--all for less than $500.