Bike riding for pleasure, sports and lifestyle

Nearly every German has at least one bicycle. Altogether, the nation counts about 72 million bikes. Added to that are untold numbers of rusty old specimens wasting away in basements. From the classical Dutch bike to stylish city cruisers and high-tech mountain bikes, there are many models to choose from. With springtime having arrived, nothing can hold people back.

Germany is criss-crossed by a dense bike path network. DTV, the German Tourist Association, counts about 75,000 kilometers of quality paths with the infrastructure to fit, including hotels, restaurants and e-bike charging stations. On long hauls, riders revel in the beauties of nature - as they do here on the Oderbruchbahn path traversing 142 kilometers of a stretch once traveled by trains.

On the first beautiful Sunday in the park, it's a family outing with daughter Nike. The four-year-old is hitched to her father Helmut's rear wheel. A real convenience: on long stretches, when the child gets tired, she can just be pulled along and doesn't have to pedal. But here, Nike is pushing her father along, as she proudly demonstrates.

Parents of small children increasingly value cargo bikes. Atop the front axle, the box can seat up to four small children. For nanny Eva, it's a godsend. Today, though, she's chauffeuring only her son Max, who shares the box with his toys and a picnic basket. It's a break for the mom, who otherwise has to cart four lively children around.

This one you can even fold up. Lightweight and taking up so little space, it's easy to carry. And it's popular with commuters, who have to go part of the way to work by bus or train. Taking a "normal" bike along on public transit costs extra - but for this one, there's no extra charge. It's smaller than a suitcase.

Bikes with electric motors are available in various classes. Purebred e-bikes move with no pedaling. The motor in the most widespread model, the Pedelec, adds to the energy the rider puts in the pedals. Pedelecs have cast off their reputation as "retired people's elevators." High-performance and mountain bike versions also exist (photo). A quality model costs about 2,500 euros ($2,660) in Germany.

The Internet of Things has also reached the bicycle, of course. Along with a speedometer and a pedaling frequency counter, it's now customary to have holders for smartphones and navigation devices. Locking or unlocking the bike by app is a nice touch, and the UMTS network can come in handy if you're trying to locate your bike. It also provides added security against theft.

A statement on wheels: the bicycle is an expression of lifestyle. It doesn't just have to work, it has to look cool too. Manufacturers are now using materials other than the usual carbon, titanium, steel and aluminum. You can now opt for a wooden bike or, particularly exotic: a bike with a frame wrapped in manta ray leather (photo).

Everybody loves the exotic, still some designer bikes are beautiful, yet impractical in everyday life. Bamboo bikes, though, are stable enough to cross the world. Karina and Tim Poser (photo) rode theirs from Hamburg to the Chinese city of Chengdu. Constructed in social development projects in Ghana and Germany, these bikes made the 12,000-kilometer journey with hardly a glitch.

With form, the only limit is the imagination. Some bikes can even be rid in a reclining position. Others - tall bikes - are very high. Fat bikes have absurdly wide wheels. This photo shows a cruiser. Highly comfortable, it's an eye-catcher, not only because of the soft contours, but also for its generous dimensions, which is why cruisers are often used as advertising space.

Not every biker is satisfied with an isotonic drink in a plastic bottle affixed to a humble steel holder on the bike frame. These two vintage leather straps holding a bottle of red wine on the frame are far more attractive. With this on board, the rider should be extra careful though.

Liberated from the circus, the unicycle has made its way to the school yard. Adventure-hungry, high-achieving sportspersons have discovered it too - and take it to every terrain. Do this at your own risk! No one will judge you if you use a mountain bike with two wheels instead...

BMX riding was born when children and young people from all over the world, too young to ride motorcycles, were looking for an alternative to motocross riding. Bicycles were reworked and equipped with broad cross-country wheels, and the first tournaments were held in quarries and forests. A BMX bike is still a cool thing to have - and for grownups, BMX riding has been an Olympic sport since 2008.

OK, bike helmets aren't very attractive. They're usually much too colorful, have air vents all over and often look like they don't really fit. But there's a better way: in this disguise, the ugly helmet is an eye-catcher. It's not a law - yet - to wear a helmet when riding a bike in Germany, but more than two-thirds of the population thinks it would be a good idea.