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Victoria Zigelman's boyfriend bought her a bike in time for summer. While she still takes public transportation to and from her Toronto office, she straps on her silver and blue helmet and cycles through the city streets when going out for a casual dinner or on weekends.

As someone who takes fashion seriously, she insists that she has had to make few concessions. She will hike up her maxi dress and put her high heels in her wicket basket, which has a handle so it can double as a carryall. The risk of helmet hair is a welcome trade-off for being one less driver on the road.

“You can be environmentally friendly and efficient and look cute,” she says. “Why drive? Not only is gas not normal, but parking is getting so expensive. The time it takes me to get somewhere [by car] is almost the same as by bike and I feel better.”

Zigelman is just one of a growing corps of urban cyclists who are more appropriately dressed for a tour de Paris than the Tour de France. Just call them the “primp my ride” pack.

Accordingly, bike accessories are taking a turn toward the fashionable. “Usually in North America, the most uninspired part of any bicycle shop besides the bicycles was the bag selection,” says Eric Kamphof, the manager of Curbside Cycle in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood, which began carrying colourful bags and baskets from Netherlands-based Basil this year. “I can always judge a good response when [I] have lots and lots of people going, ‘Oh my god, it's so cute.'“ Helmets in hot pink or covered in flower patterns, baskets with names such as “Beautyshopper” and saddlebags in water-repellent blossom prints are among the accessories that cater to downtown types who appreciate fresh design. Classic Pashley bikes from Britain have a city sensibility that is in direct contrast to the ultramodern carbon fibre versions. Fenders and skirt guards help to protect hems from spokes.

“They want to have a bike that's not only very practical but has a sense of urbane sophistication; and then of course a bag to go with that is just rather obvious,” Kamphof says.

Marthijn van Balveren, the general manager for Basil in the Netherlands, says women have long been an overlooked segment of the bicycle category. Initially created for children in 2005, the colourful accessories expanded to a fashion range in 2007. The Mirte tote with a pouch that opens to reveal clips for attaching to the rear rack has been a bestseller.

“Why shouldn't we make something so women will say, ‘Wow,'“ he says from Ulft. “In Holland, more bicycles are bought by women than men. Here, it's easy to go shopping by bike.”

While in the past, riding a bike was seen as a poor man's alternative to having a car, “now it's you're so trendy and so hip and so 2008. If we can help a little bit by making fun products, then the government should help with the logistics by making nice bicycle lanes. We want people to feel proud to cycle.”

Aside from accessories, this means steering clear of inconveniences such as changing into grubbier clothing in order to ride. But most style savvy cyclists say that with a little planning, they ride in the outfits they wear throughout the day.

For Samantha Sacks, a features editor at House and Home magazine, this means staying away from clothes that crease easily. She learned this recently after a cotton dress “bunched in the crotch area” while on her bike and left an awkward bulge there. She tucks necklaces into her tops and looks for sunglasses that don't have wide arms, which limit her peripheral vision. “There are times when I think twice, but not very often,” Sacks says of getting dressed.

Although she is not afraid to wear open-toe shoes or heels, she's not a fan of bike shorts – which has its consequences. “Sometimes you can see my underwear,” says the mother of three. “You have to be careful about flashing.”

Belle on wheels

Always wear a helmet when you ride. A brightly coloured one can be your signature as you pedal through town.

Yes, you can wear heels for casual riding, but be careful not to get them stuck in the pedals.

Body Wraps work well under dresses, as they don't add as much bulk as bike shorts.

Leave the clutch purse at home. Or stow it in your basket or saddle bag.

Don't wear chunky bangles. They will hit your hands as you are braking. Ouch!

And speaking of hands, invest in a pair of biking gloves. They look cool and, more importantly, will protect your palms in case of a fall.