Five bicycles that are almost too gorgeous to ride

When I started thinking about themes for Creative Boom's shopping features this month, I got genuinely excited to discover that Bicycle Day was coming up on 19 April. Being a keen cyclist, I thought: perfect excuse to research beautiful bikes.

Except it isn't that kind of Bicycle Day. It commemorates Albert Hofmann's first intentional LSD trip in 1943. Specifically, the moment he cycled home from his laboratory and discovered that the world looked rather different from how he'd left it. An important day in its own way. One I can, perhaps, relate to. Not quite the angle we were going for, though.

World Bicycle Day (the one about actual cycling, organised by the United Nations) falls on 3 June. This is the one we'll be celebrating. (Although mixing the two could be quite fun. Erm. No.)

We've picked five new bikes that we think you'll love: from family-friendly options for everyday rides to seriously capable electric versions for anyone who needs a little assistance on the hills.

1. Mamtor by Quirk Cycles

Quirk Cycles is the work of a London-based maker who has spent over a decade designing and building bicycles entirely by hand and made to order. I like The Mamtor, which has been designed to meet the many demands of modern roads, whether smooth tarmac, broken lanes, or a fast final stretch home.

It's built for riders who care as much about how something is made as how it performs. And hey, let's be honest, that's probably the majority of our community.

2. Electric T Line by Brompton

Some bikes are designed to be ridden. Others to fit into your lifestyle. Brompton has always been firmly in the second camp, which is exactly why people love them so much. I've got two myself, and find them especially helpful on camper van trips.

Brompton has just launched its lightest electric model as part of a new-generation range. Called the Electric T Line, it weighs just 11.2kg without the battery, or 14.1kg with it. It brings electric assist to Brompton's titanium platform for the first time. If you've ever carried a folding bike up a flight of stairs or onto a train, you'll understand why that matters.

What's clever is how little it compromises the thing Brompton is known for. It still folds down in under 20 seconds. Still feels engineered rather than assembled. But now there's a new proprietary e-Motiq system quietly doing its job in the background, delivering smooth, responsive assistance when you need it, especially pulling away at junctions or tackling short, sharp climbs.

Rather brilliantly, it comes with a system that learns how you ride over time, adjusting range predictions so you're not constantly second-guessing the battery. You can even pair the bike with a dedicate app, and get real-time data, updates, and a clearer sense of what you can do day to day.

It's easy to dismiss folding bikes if you've never lived with one. But for city riders juggling trains, offices, small flats, and unpredictable commutes, they make a lot of sense. This makes the experience lighter, smarter, and a lot more enjoyable.

3. Dimanche 28 Urban by Moustache Bikes

Moustache Bikes is a French manufacturer with a distinctly considered approach to the e-bike, and the Dimanche 28 Urban is one of their most elegant propositions yet. The name translates simply as "Sunday", which tells you something about the spirit: unhurried, pleasurable, a bike that gives you those early weekend morning vibes before the aggressive motorists find you on the country lanes.

What sets it apart is how little you'd guess it was electric at all. The Bosch motor and 400Wh battery are fully integrated into the hydroformed aluminium frame, giving it the clean lines of a performance road bike rather than the look of something bolted together. Under the surface, though, it's comprehensively equipped for real city life. There's an SR Suntour suspension fork that soaks up broken tarmac, wide Schwalbe tyres handle whatever the road throws at them, and a 235-lumen Supernova front light keeps you visible well into the evening. There's even a rear rack and mudguards, all discreetly fitted so they don't disturb the cool silhouette.

The Bosch Performance Line SX motor delivers 60 Nm of torque with incredibly satisfying smoothness... so much so you forget it's there... until you hit a hill, and suddenly it very much is. From £3,499.

4. S5 by VanMoof

There was a moment, not that long ago, when VanMoof managed to do something quite rare: make people who didn't care about bikes suddenly want one.

That takes some doing, but the S5 made it happen. It's a fully integrated urban e-bike where almost everything is hidden in plain sight. Lights disappear into the frame. Cables are nowhere to be seen. The battery sits inside the tube, not bolted on as an afterthought. It has that slightly uncanny quality of looking simpler than it actually is, which, in design terms, is usually a sign that someone's done some seriously hard work.

Underneath, it's packed with tech. There's a 487Wh integrated battery, automatic electronic shifting, and a motor that delivers smooth, consistent assistance up to city speeds. You don't really think about any of it while riding. It just works, adjusting as you go.

Then there's the security side, which feels thought through rather than tacked on. Built-in locking, tracking, and alarm systems are all part of the package, turning the bike into something closer to a connected device than a traditional piece of cycling kit.

It's not for purists. And that's kind of the point. The S5 is for people who want a beautifully resolved object that fits seamlessly into modern city life, somewhere between transport, technology, and design statement. The kind of bike that makes you look forward to the commute, which is no small thing.

5. multi bike by Veloe

There's a particular headache city-dwelling parents will know only too well: the school run that doubles as the commute, the groceries that need carrying, the child who needs a seat, and the parking space that doesn't exist. Enter Italian brand Veloe, which was built around exactly this problem. And the 'multi' is their original solution.

It's a mid-tail e-bike: longer than a standard city bike but considerably more manageable than a full cargo bike. The fixed rear rack runs to 67cm and will take up to two child seats, a load basket, or a combination of both, with MIK-compatible fittings that make swapping accessories genuinely quick. The frame is hand-built in Italy from chromoly steel and is available in a range of RAL colours, so you can order it in almost any shade you like.

What's more, you choose between a Bosch Cargoline or Shimano EP6 mid-motor, both centrally mounted for balance, paired with a belt drive for low maintenance and a five-speed Nexus hub. It's not a complicated bike, which is rather the point: the type you'd actually use every day without thinking about it, in the best possible way.