A car-free planet? The notion may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. All over the world, governments and biking enthusiasts are looking for ways to make urban environments – which for more than a century have been designed to keep motorists happy – more friendly toward pedal-pushers. To wit: car-clogged Paris is working to implement a 150m-euro plan to make the French city the "world capital of cycling” by 2020. And with this surge in popularity comes a surge in choice: each year, cyclists see the arrival of dozens of new models, from bare-bones beach cruisers to composite-framed pedal-electric bikes that cost as much as a car. Herewith, we pick 10 of our favourites, including a titanium bike that folds to the size of one of its wheels, a Kickstarter-funded build-it-yourself bike made of bamboo, and a recumbent four-wheeled cargo hauler that’s supplanting diesel-powered delivery trucks in European cities.

Foldable bike: Helix

Country of origin: Canada

Details: On the road, the Helix, the namesake product of a Toronto-based startup bikemaker, is unquestionably, if unremarkably, attractive. It is only when you witness this two-wheeler’s transformative trick that its true beauty becomes apparent. With a few quick moves – extend this piece, slide that lock, twist this knob – the bike goes from transporter to transportable. The company’s boldest claim for the Helix – that it folds to the size of one of its wheels – is only barely an exaggeration. The folded bike measures just 23in by 25in by 9in. And it tips the scales at a slight 21lbs, thanks to a bare-naked frame handmade entirely of titanium. Helix is poised to launch a Kickstarter campaign to fund production of the bike, with plans to commence deliveries this summer.

Price: $1,300 - $1,700, depending on specification

Racing bike: Canyon Speedmax WHR

Country of origin: Germany

Details: For aerodynamicists, designing a bike to circle a velodrome track for an hour without stops, while maintaining an average speed of nearly 53km/h (32.9mph), is the stuff of night sweats – and world records. German manufacturer Canyon outfitted UK rider Alex Dowsett for his record-breaking ride on 2 May in Manchester, and the achievement propelled both rider and bike to the front of the cycling-news peloton. Dowsett’s rig, adapted from Canyon’s Speedmax road bike, was optimised for maximum aerodynamic benefit, resulting in record-setting pace. The Speedmax WHR also manages to quicken the pulses of onlookers, with a shape perhaps best appreciated from above, where Canyon’s profile-slimming efforts shine through.

Price: N/A

(Credit: Canyon)

Wooden bike: Matteo Zugnoni's WooBi

Country of origin: Italy

Details: Wooden bikes are all the rage right now, with examples that range from $90 balance bikes made of plywood to $70,000 art bikes made of steam-bent beechwood. Presented in April during Milan Design Week, Italian stylist Matteo Zugnoni’s WooBi (a portmanteau of, well, you know) is one of the prettiest we’ve seen. The minimalist bike features frame pieces and a front fork made of solid wood, and a greaseless Gates belt drive in place of a traditional chain. When the WooBi goes on sale this summer, buyers will be able to select a wood species from a list that includes walnut, rosewood, ash, wenge and others, and pick the hue of the wheels and the Brooks leather handgrips and saddle. We think the prototype gets the colour combination just right. Nothing says "earth friendly” quite like a solid-wood bike with bright green rims.

Price: $7,700

(Credit: Matteo Zugnoni)

Bamboo bike: Bamboo Bee

Country of origin: Singapore

Details: A reedy, invasive grass that grows like wildfire just happens to be an ideal frame-building material, with rigidity and suppleness in equal measure. But where prior efforts to apply bamboo magic to bicycle applications have resulted in crude, heavy-handed resin "welds”, Singapore-based Bamboo Bee manages to make adjoining tubes smooth – and compact. The company, which got its start after a successful Kickstarter campaign, ships a bike elegantly broken down into its constituent pieces, for final assembly in its rider’s living room or local shop.

Price: $1,499 - $3,399

(Credit: Bamboo Bee)

Oddity: Halfbike II

Country of origin: US

Details: The original Halfbike was one part clever urban mobility solution, one part Cirque du Soleil prop. The sequel shifts the mix in favor of the former, thanks to the significant replacement of a single pistol-style handgrip with a more traditional, if slightly abbreviated, handlebar. What Halfbike II hasn’t lost, however, is the original’s museum-piece looks, stand-up riding position and quirky mechanicals. Attached to an aluminium frame, the single front wheel provides the drive and the two articulated rears do the steering. And that very tall plywood handlebar folds down to make the 18lb bike a bit easier to carry aboard public transportation – where, hopefully, the rider can get a seat.

Price: $599

(Credit: Halfbikes)

Urban bike: Ford MoDe:Pro

Country of origin: US

Details: For all the talk of optimising traffic flow in congested urban cores, parking a car as soon as it is not needed – and continuing the in-bound journey on a bike – presents an inspired, elegant way to stave off gridlock. Ford has taken this idea on, designing the foldable MoDe:Pro e-bike for use by "couriers, electricians, and goods and delivery services”, presumably after parking their hard-working Ford Transit Connect vans (pictured). Directions to a preselected destination are communicated not through a potentially distracting smartphone display, but via haptic feedback channelled through to the bike’s hand grips, which vibrate to indicate proper turn direction. That, race fans, is steering feel.

Price: N/A

(Credit: Ford Motor)

Kid-friendly bike: Boxer Rocket

Country of origin: UK

Details: The old saw, "Youth is wasted on the young,” might’ve been coined after a longing gaze at the Rocket, from the UK’s Boxer Cycles. There is no adult, we reckon, who would not relish the chance to strap into this glorious kid-carrier’s aeronautically inspired cockpit and hit the road. Mounted atop a stout girder frame, the nacelle offers space for four little ones on reclining, red upholstered bench seats with five-point harnesses. (An electric motor drive system mercifully augments parental leg power.) The nosecone features an interior storage locker and, on the outside, a single headlamp with high and low beams. There's a jaunty horn, fore and aft turn indicators and a USB charging port for a mobile phone. There's even a jet-engine sound simulator linked to throttle position. The requisite vintage aviator helmet and goggles, however, are not included.

Price: £4,950 (about $7,800)

(Credit: Boxer Cycles)

Cargo bike: Velove Armadillo

Country of origin: Sweden

Details: The typical cargo bike is a two- or three-wheeled contraption with a traditional upright riding position and stowage space within an extended nose or elongated tail. The Velove Armadillo is not a typical cargo bike. This four-wheeled, fully-suspended pedal-electric hybrid hauler puts a semi-recumbent driver up front and a 35-cubic-foot cargo box at the rear. The quadracyle is so adept as a cargo-van replacement in urban centres that DHL Express Netherlands has begun making deliveries with one (which it calls the Cubicycle) in the Dutch city of Almere. The company reports that an average day for the Velove bike includes hauling 275lbs of parcels and logging more than 30 miles. For now, Velove's brawny Armadillo is still in prototype form, but the Swedish startup aims to kick off production next year. If you just can't wait that long, we hear that DHL is hiring.

Price: NA

(Credit: Velove Bikes)

(BBC)