Songs about bicycles

Mixing two wonderful passions

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Published: December 3, 2008 at 12:19 am

Bicycling and music go hand in hand for many BikeRadar readers, and despite the dangers of actually riding a bike while listening to music, sitting back and watching some obscure bicycle-themed YouTube videos seems like a good idea today.

Pink Floyd fans remember the Syd Barrett song "Bike" from the band's 1967 debut The Piper At The Gates of Dawn, with the lyrics "I've got a bike, you can ride if you like. It's got a basket, a bell that rings. and things to make it look good."

We all know about Freddie Mercury's 1978 single "Bicycle Race" which appeared on Queen's album Jazz. Some of you techno fans may be familiar with Kraftwerk's Tour de France album from 1983. The now defunct Seattle alt band Bicycle actually rode from gig to gig on bicycles with portable instruments, and released a fairly catchy record in 1999.

But what about a lost B-side by the Red Hot Chili Peppers? Who woulda thunk Anthony Keidis thought so highly of the bicycle? How about a pleasant little number by Katie Melua? Our fave is the ultra-creative "Bicycle Samba".

Click back and enjoy:

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Bicycle Song

Katie Melua - Nine Million Bicycles

Bicycle Samba