The Philippe Stark town bicycle

Philippe Stark, a designer who has applied his talents to products as diverse as a lemon squeezer and the Virgin Galactic Spaceship, has turned his attention to the urban bicycle.

Three hundred people from Bordeaux, a city in which ten per cent of trips are undertaken by bicycle, were asked what they most wanted from a town bike. The wish list was distilled by Philippe Starck into the City PIBAL Streamer – a concept that allows the rider to sit and pedal in the conventional way, or stand on a platform and use like a scooter.

Other features of note include brightly-coloured tyres and integrated LED lights.

Peugeot will now build 3,000 of the bikes for the City of Bordeaux.

Dutch-style town bikes

If you ever sit in traffic jams and daydream about cutting gracefully and effortlessly through the cityscape, then stop off at one of the increasing number of outlets specializing in practical and stylish town bikes.

One such retailer is anddutch.co.uk – an online retailer launched to cater to the demand for “Dutch-style” bicycles in Britain, by shipping the genuine article to customers’ doorsteps directly from the land of cycling And London cycle shop Velorution is enjoying healthy sales of its modern, urban commuter and cargo bikes, including the Christiania – a trike design that can easily be equipped to carry three or four children in comfort.

Town bikes range in appearance from reproductions of vintage models to contemporary designs, but they all place the need for practicality above all else; features like mudguards, covered chains, hub gears and carrier racks mean you can wear everyday clothes, carry shopping and arrive at your destination looking unflustered.

Cycle insurance with built-in legal protection

Cycle insurance from the ETA is well suited to city cycling; including as it does new-for-old replacement, accidental damage, £1m third party insurance, personal accident cover, bicycle breakdown recovery and if you should be unlucky enough to be knocked off your bike our specialist legal team will fight your corner. From 34p per week.