Breeze into work with our selection of the best bikes .

“The bicycle is the most civilised conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart,” wrote Dame Iris Murdoch in The Red and the Green. Not only are bicycles an efficient, practical and green means of negotiating the city, in recent years they have transcended the role of perfunctory travel tool and now reside as things of beauty, at once gloriously simple yet technically elegant; two-wheeled beacons of design, autonomy and smile-inducing freedom. No wonder the pedalling ranks are swelling.

Close to a million Britons ride a bicycle to work each day, and in the US the number of two-wheeled commuters has risen by 62 per cent since the turn of the millennium. That’s a lot of bicycles, and here we’d like to introduce six more, each one chosen with your commuting and style needs in mind. Ride on.

**Batavus Old Dutch **

When it comes to commuting, Amsterdammers have it dialled. Bicycles outnumber cars four to one, with nearly half of all journeys in the city centre made on two human-powered wheels. Those bikes come in all shapes and sizes, but by far the most popular are the sit-up-and-beg variety, which native bike builder Batavus has been creating since the 1900s. True, they might not fare too well in the racing stakes, but then bikes such as the Old Dutch aren’t meant to. They’re for the cruising gent, who approaches a form-meets-function, fit-for-purpose kind of steed, where an enduring design that was never meant to be beautiful just, somehow, is.

BMC Alpenchallenge AC01 Alfine

Any investor knows the key to success is growth, and the key to growth is adaptability. It’s a philosophy that’s at the heart of the Alpenchallenge AC01, which is not only configurable for all types of situations, it’s also taken the flat-barred commuter bike to a whole new technological level. Magnetic, clip-on mudguards can be added or removed in less than a minute, an ingenious “gravity lock” system guards wheels against theft, hydraulic disc brakes provide pin-sharp stopping power and a belt drive (as opposed to a chain) and internal geared hub keep the running smooth, the lines clean and the Alpen challenge AC01 virtually maintenance free.

Icon E-Flyer II

If Mr Steve McQueen had ridden bicycles, he’d probably have jumped the fence in The Great Escape on the Icon E-Flyer II. Much like Mr McQueen’s Triumph TR6 Trophy motorbike, which was disguised for the film as a BMW R75, the E-Flyer might look like a pared-down motorcycle, but is, in fact, a push bike with an electric motor, capable of reaching speeds of up to 36mph with a range of 30 miles (and all for a charge time of just two-and-a-half hours). It has regenerative brakes to recharge the battery en route and pedals for those caught short or who simply wish to burn a few extra calories on their daily ride.

Tern Verge X20

City living is often bereft of space and time, so why waste what precious moments you have with a bulky bicycle and a slow commute? Folding bikes have long sought to address this problem, combining nimbleness and speed with space-saving abilities, but they’ve typically lacked the performance and finesse of their bigger-wheeled brethren. Until, that is, Tern introduced the Verge X20 in 2012. This latest generation has a spec sheet that reads like a top-end road bike – custom wheels, 20-speed drivetrain and carbon chainset – only, thanks to the iF Design Award-winning folding mechanism, the Verge X20 packs down to the size of a small suitcase in less than 30 seconds.

Donhou Adrian’s Dazzle

Although commuting on a busy morning might feel like being part of a herd, the bicycle you ride need not conform to the masses. Rather, it could be entirely bespoke, such as the Dazzle, commissioned by an architect named Adrian from multi-award-winning custom-frame builder Mr Tom Donhou. Blending the finest Columbus XCr stainless steel, fastidious craftsmanship and the “razzle-dazzle” camouflage paint that adorned Allied battleships in WWI, the Dazzle is a steel racer of yesteryear reimagined for the high-flying creatives of today. You won’t see another bicycle like it but, then again, if you commission Mr Donhou with a design of your own, no one will ever see another bicycle like that either.

Moulton New Series Double Pylon

Designed by Mr Alex Moulton, the man behind the suspension responsible for the original Mini Cooper’s fabled handling, the New Series Double Pylon is a celebration of the finest engineering. Borrowing from the Mini’s design, the Double Pylon employs hydro-elastic suspension dampers front and rear, incorporated into a meticulously executed stainless steel space frame. The result is a small-wheeled bicycle that handles like a road bike, yet can be split in two and folded down for easy transport on trains, in car boots, or even as hand luggage on your next business flight. It’s the embodiment of speed, comfort and practicality – you’ll never leave home without your bicycle again.

Read on for our subway survival guide

By which we mean something that uses multiple pockets to turn the chaos of your laptop, book, phone, season ticket and house keys into a form of pleasing, rectangular simplicity.

Yes, you no longer need be concerned about unwittingly garrotting your fellow passengers with your headphone cable. The P5 wireless headphones from Bowers & Wilkins connect to your phone via high-speed Bluetooth, meaning that sound quality and convenience are nigh-on unrivalled.

When the carriage sways, be one of those people that people lean towards rather than shrink away from. This requires a subtle, fresh scent that’s enticing but not overpowering. Try Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Aqua Universalis.

Let’s face it, commuting is a slog, involving much walking and standing around. The forbidden response to this is wearing a pair of running sneaks with your suit – the world is not ready for this. Black leather is not only smarter but more impervious to subterranean railway grime.