A new generation of London's Santander Cycles has been launched.

The cycles, nicknamed Boris Bikes after Boris Johnson who was Mayor of London when the hire scheme was introduced in 2010, have been redesigned by manufacturer Pashley Cycles.

New cycles will offer riders improved handling, safety and comfort, with a new gel saddle, lower frame, tyres with puncture prevention and Bluetooth.

Current London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Tens of thousands of Londoners and tourists enjoy using the bikes to get around our city every single day, so by making them more comfortable and manoeuvrable we’re hoping they’ll be even more popular.”

Santander and Transport for London also announced that racing driver Jenson Button will be the new ambassador of the Santander Cycles, recording a promotional video for the new bikes.

Last year was a record-breaking year for Santander Cycles with 10.3m hires.

Keith Moor, chief marketing officer at Santander, said: “The new cycles have been designed to meet the evolving needs of London as an always on, connected smart city.

"We’re really excited about the new tech on the cycle, it’s been built in a modular way so we can easily add and update it.”

The new cycles also have inbuilt Bluetooth and the capacity for GPS technology.