Dear Cycle Shop,

We remember the early days of our affair: us, with our resolve to skip the bus and cycle around town; you, with your rubber mesh accessories and geeky assistants.

We both knew it wasn’t right.

And now we’ve met someone else. Started by a mother-daughter team obsessed with cycling and a knack for doing things with style, Beg strikes the perfect balance between charm and practicality (with not an ounce of carbon fibre in sight).

Manufactured by a 65-year-old Belgian bicycle-making family, the three-speed rides come in cheery, 1930s-inspired colours like pink or green and are outfitted with leather saddles and retro chrome headlamps. But it’s the little things — like willow baskets, Irish lambswool blankets, and leather coolers, flasks and satchels — that really move us.

Looks like we won’t be riding into the sunset together after all.

Apologies,
DC

Available online at begbicycles.com, £30-£745.

Photo: Courtesy of Beg Bicycles