People of Copenhagen love to cycle but their definition of a bike goes beyond just two wheels. Cargo bikes are the latest thing for big shoppers or little families. Riders sit at the back of what looks something like a rickshaw, with two wheels forward supporting the load. Children enjoy a free ride upfront while the parents pedal.

In the case of Ole his valuable cargo is caffeine, not kids.

He has devised a few clever tricks that helps his cargo-bike deliver piping hot barista coffee from freshly ground beans. Ole even made room for a window garden on the front of his mobile-merchant machine. Classy. His wheels look good and smell good. The city of Copenhagen recently introduced a law to encourage mobile vendors, giving them the right to sell their treats on the streets. Have wheels will travel.

In Ole's own words, "There is just one catch, you cannot claim one spot for more than one hour. When my time is up I hop on the seat and take the show on the road."

When the Espresso Man is not around you may have to get on your bike in search of traditional treats. Copenhagen is a city for cycling. They didn't just paint bicycle lanes along the street, roads have been redesigned to keep the cars out of the way. Dedicated carriageways are for bikes and bikes alone, even the pedestrians are advised to stay clear.

This is life in the slow lane and loving it, the emphasis is on free wheeling, not racing. Women ride to and from work wearing long flowing dresses and sassy shoes, with room to put their laptop and handbag in the bicycle basket. Why hurry. With so many people employing the bike paths the emphasis is on comfort and style, instead of lycra and speed. Gentlemen enjoy watching the passing ladies, sipping a coffee or a Carlseberg depending on the time day. The Danish have a happy knack of taking their time to enjoy what they're doing.

Food is no small part of that enjoyment. Top of the list for designer Danish delights is Royal Copenhagen. More famous for their fine porcelain than food, they have opened the sweetest little spot for lunch in the lanes. The Royal Cafe indulges taste buds with coffee, cake and "smushi" - Scandinavian sandwiches with a twist of sushi style. Salmon, crayfish and herring feature on the Smushi menu, along with other savoury temptations for those with less Nordic palettes.

They're chic, delicious and worth pedalling across town for.

Royal Cafe is located in the centre of Copenhagen's old town, the historic heart of the town where desirable designer shops and artists collectives mingle with 16th century chapels, castles and canals. Cobble-stoned laneways are filled with fashion. Scattered along the streets and water ways of Copenhagen are dozens of museums and glorious galleries, all of them built with bicycle friendly access in mind. This is a city that distills art from architecture and fun from functional.

Scandinavian cities are typically charming but Copenhagen stands out for its tasteful blend of modern and medieval. Grand old canals weave through the city, still serviced hourly by ferries and lined with private boats. Industrial docks have been reclaimed for residential apartments, but many of the canals are lined by brightly painted buildings erected in the late 1700s. Around the Overgarden district the yachts out number the bicycles - some look as old as the canals themselves compared to the modern cruising sloops, designed for regular weekend escapes to nearby archipelagos.

Some of the old boats are more residential than nautical. Big old barges with room for a home in the hold can still be found moored to pylons, usually within a short walk of a little cafe. Here again the bicycle is the preferred mode of transport when getting about on land, and much easier to stow away onboard the deck than parking a car. Not everybody in Copenhagen can be this dedicated to life in the slow lane, but at least it sets a good example.

Commercial ferries depart from Nyhavn and explore the water ways at a gentle pace. They were designed low and wide so the boats can still motor underneath the modestly sized canal bridges. Nyhavn is one of the busiest parts of town however, with several boats leaving every hour and no shortage of bistros and beverages on offer while you watch the passing water traffic. It's a scene that may not have varied much in the past century, although today there are more choices of beer available to complement a sunny day.

Sundays are typically sedate in Denmark but Saturday is the big day out in Copenhagen, a day for shopping and sightseeing when local markets pop-up in city parks.

A local girl needs a basket for her bicycle, or maybe even a cargo-bike to carry home the goodies. With an entire city of cyclists descending on the central shopping district the bicycle parking is necessarily elaborate. A sea of handle bars lap at the edges of pedestrian malls, town squares and water-front esplanades.

Finding a bike of your own in Copenhagen is easier than falling off one. You can rent a bike in the downtown area for as little as $20 a day, grab a free set of wheels to ride between tourists sights or just pay someone to pedal for you. The Flying Tigers are the pedal-cabs of Copenhagen, fast and furious young lads who push the pavement to get passengers around town. It's a great way to get a tour of the city without getting lost.

Visitors can also get navigational help from the city's website, with free to download podcasts are designed to guide you through backstreets and cycle routes. Commentary complements on the ground guided tours, reveals the history of architectural treasures and delves into details of innovative urban developments.

Copenhagen's city square is home to the most unusual cyclist in town, the Weather Girls. A neon thermometer runs up the Richshuset Building and at the very top are two girls, one carrying an umbrella while the other rides a bicycle. For more than 70 years these girls have reflected the city's weather, rotating around to greet the square in suitable attire.

Ole the Espresso Man takes an each way bet on the weather by adding a few umbrellas to his cargo-bike. Rain or shine he has enough shelter to keep smiling and keep pouring. The coffee comes first.

When he runs out of coffee and cake he puts the wheels in motion to ride back to his neighbourhood. Lining the street are dozens of bicycles, parked next to doorways and along the lanes. Most bikes in Copenhagen are made in Scandinavia. Elegant wheels from names such as Skeppshult, Kronor, Velorbis and Christiania. They are built for pleasure and leisure, for rolling along civilised city streets. Mountain bikes and road racers aren't essential when heading to the cafe. the park or the office.

Riding a bike is like having coffee with cake. It's best done in elegant surrounds and with plenty of time to enjoy it.