As the founder of Agnelli Milan Bikes, Italian craftsman Luca Agnelli is melding the comfort and convenience of today's technology with the artistry of old-school design. Each one of his electric bicycles is handmade with vintage parts that date back to the 1950s, from the frames to the fuel tanks, but carefully reworked with modern-day modifications and accessories. (The tanks, for example, hold battery packs instead of petrol.)

Agnelli was trained in antique furniture restoration, which he credits as essential to his continuing creative path. In 1989, at the age of 22, he was inspired to open his own design lab, where he began experimenting with building new, contemporary products from older heirlooms.

Each of his bikes presents its own creative challenge, and no two sets of wheels turn out the same. Agnelli likes to allow for imperfection in each of his pieces, which honor form and function with equal care. The result: detail-oriented, retro-inspired elegance remixed with present-day practicality. Agnelli's work manifests the ultimate in contemporary craftsmanship, willing to adapt to changing techniques without sacrificing the artful aesthetics of the past.

Agnelli Milano Bici: Website | Facebook

via [autoevolution, designboom]

All images via Agnelli Milano Bici.