Anime decorated recumbent

Weird and wonderful bikes at Paris-Brest-Paris

Some of the most bizarre and beautiful bikes from the biggest audax in the calendar

11:08, Saturday 26th August 2023

James Howell-Jones

Junior Writer

Paris-Brest-Paris, the biggest brevet in the calendar, is open to pretty much anything pedal-powered. Naturally, then, it draws in some unique bikes. Here are some of the weirdest and most wonderful bikes at PBP 2023. From beautiful custom creations to crazy contraptions, they're all here.

Click on each image to see it up close.

Racing recumbents

The Cruzbike Vendetta is touted as 'the fastest recumbent road bike ever'. Cleverly designed to fit a standard road bike groupset, the bike benefits from the aerodynamic advantage of recumbents while avoiding lots of awkward bespoke parts. We spotted a few at PBP.

This customised Cruzbike is decorated with anime cartoons

Another Cruzbike, this time in full racing mode

Bamboo bikes

There were a number of bamboo bikes at this edition of PBP. Some, like the top one here, are works of art. Notice the bamboo front rack, supported by custom carbon fibre junctions. Others look a little more rough and ready.

Flawless bamboo and carbon bike

Bamboo bicycle

In it for the long haul

Plenty of room for snacks and supplies in the front loader of this, the only cargo bike we spotted at the event. We love the lefty fork design and retro mag front wheel. Our only question is, with all that luggage space, why the bar bag and saddle pack?

Cargo bike

Custom build copper

This one-of-a-kind bike from Gran Finesse Cycle Works, Paris, France, is reminiscent of a 3T Strada. We love the custom randonneur racks and that triple-diamond frame design.

A custom build from Gran Finesse Cycles

A strider bike any dad would want

This beautifully constructed strider bike might not have lined up at the start line, but it's a sight to behold.

A strider bike with style

Elliptical bike

We sent GCN's Conor Dunne to give ellipical cycling a go last year, and he found out that it was hard work. Kudos, then, to Stuart Blofeld, who took on PBP on a saddle-less elliptical bike.

The elliptigo has no saddle

Two's company, three's a result

This three-seater tandem must absolutely fly on the flats. Matching outfits for the riders are, of course, essential.

A bicycle made for three

Recumbents at the ready

A couple of short-wheelbase recumbents, with their riders readying for the off. Short wheelbase versions like this are manoeuvrable, but have complicated, inefficient drivetrains – just look at the length of those chains.

Recumbents at the ready

Very long chain recumbent

Velomobiles galore

There are plenty of velomobiles at PBP. These racing machines are built as fibreglass or carbon fibre monocoques, rather than a simple shell over a tricycle chassis. They're incredibly fast, but with the weather being so hot, riders struggled with heat during this year's race.