Bicycles in Berlin come rough and ready. No fancy suspension forks or the latest clip less pedals. For the most part they are work dogs used for the local commute to work, the shops and college.

Mums carry kids to school on them, laptop laden students travel to and from college and summer tourists cycle leisurely around the Tier gardens.

Its all helped by the fact that Berlin is a relatively flat city with plenty of bicycle paths. Any bike will do, with or without gears, just as along as it gets you from A to B.

Folding bikes are common but not the newer funkier models. Rather the old Eastern European 1980’s folding type are plentiful especially in the student areas of east Berlin. Bikes are cheap and plentiful, you can pick up a half decent cycle for €50 in a local flea market. Bicycle theft exists but not on the scale elsewhere. You will see bikes loosely secured on street level with a simple lock.