The fine art of cycling | Martin Love

From Lacroix's hi-tech racer to Pininfarina's take on an old-school steely, the LikeBike show in Monaco is all about gallery-grade cycles

Last summer masked men smashed through the plate glass of a boutique on Regent Street and made off with a 25,000 haul. Nothing unusual in that, except for one thing: their targets were the latest, finger-light bikes from cult brand Pinarello.

Bicycles today are more desirable and more collectable than ever before. They have become highly fetishised objects which manage to be both machines and works of art at the same time. Those interested in these "hyper" bikes would do well to head to Monaco for what is being billed as the "most glamorous bike show on earth". Held in the Grimaldi Forum overlooking the Mediterranean, LikeBike will be a showcase for cyclophilia and excess, with everything from diamanti(C)-encrusted carbon frames to bikes made of 50 layers of compressed ash. Be sure to wear your smartest Lycra"