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There’s nothing more intriguing than a build that seems to be hard to pigeonhole. Now that’s not to say that a classic café racer doesn’t whet our whistles, but there’s something about a mix of styles or fresh ideas that make you look twice. Needless to say, the bike you see here a.k.a. the latest build from France’s amusingly named Ed Turner Motorcycles just so happens to be one of them. Built by and for ‘Head Ed’ Karl Renoult, it’s a Honda that looks like the result of a one night stand between a café racer and a supermoto in a 1970s amusement park. And in our books, that can only be a good thing.

via pipeburn

via pilisiecki's instagram

By now, you may have heard that Robin Williams was a cycling fanatic. He loved the sport—its history, its pageantry, its champions magnificent and raffish.

He was also a devoted rider, and adored the machinery. Over the years, Williams accumulated a substantial bicycle collection—what Jay Leno does with cars, Williams did with bikes.

"He had everything," said Chad Nordwall, owner of Above Category, a high-end bicycle retailer based in Marin County, Calif., where Williams was a devoted client. "Everything."

Williams collected bikes of all types, but he was passionate about one brand in particular: Pegoretti. If you know bicycles, you probably know Pegorettis. Custom-made in Italy by master builder Dario Pegoretti, who built frames for cycling icons such as Miguel Indurain, they are wild pieces of art, almost always steel, colorfully painted by hand. They're also serious road machines. Imagine riding a high-performance Basquiat. That's a Pegoretti.

via The Wall Street Journal

Just what is the Zydeco? Is it a race machine impersonating  a commuter, or an urban bike masquerading as a mud plugger? Well, its Columbus Zonal aluminium frame has cyclocross geometry, with a shorter reach, high bottom bracket and sharp steering – so it’s the right shape for competition; but the big clearances around the Challenge Griffo tyres let you fit mudguards, and the Zydeco has fittings for them as well as bosses for a rear rack.

The Zydeco handles rough stuff well. Its high bottom bracket and sharp front make clearing obstacles a breeze. The gearing, though, is straight out of the cyclocross manual: a 46/36 chainset paired with a 12-28 cassette. This will keep you pedalling on most climbs, and should you need to shoulder it its over-the-top cable routing and semi-flattened top-tube mean it’s comfortable and won’t snag on clothing.

One thing you can’t ignore about the Zydeco is its looks. The polished aluminium and classic Cinelli colours contrast with the blue logos for a love it or hate it appearance. Whatever your opinion on the aesthetics, underneath the paintjob minus points are few.

[bikeradar.com]

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