From Pedal Power To Ride On
The history of Ride On – the glossy incarnation of Pedal Power – is inextricably linked with the history of Bicycle Network. The magazine, and the plucky newsletter that preceded it, has been a vital public face of the organisation, since the commencement of the Bicycle Institute of Victoria (BIV) in 1975.
The newsletter Pedal Power no1 was presented at the first BIV Annual General Meeting in April 1976. It was 20 foolscap folio pages of strident advocacy for the benefits of bicycling and the rights of riders.
This was a time when “no separate bike paths are planned to run parallel with the new freeways” and “a high priority must be given to saving what remains of Melbourne’s creeks and river valleys…for transportation such as walking and bicycling”. There was much campaigning to be done by the fledgling BIV and the membership had to be grown and kept informed.
Hence, an item in the schedule of the Annual General Meeting was the Secretary’s Report that included an “outline of the need to establish a regular magazine”.
By Pedal Power no5 in February 1978 a network of bicycling organisations was forming with the listing of the Bicycle Institute of NSW, the Bicycle Institute of Queensland, the Cyclists Protection Association of South Australia, Pedal Power ACT, Pedal Power Tasmania and the Newcastle Cycleways Movement. This issue’s 20 pages focused on the energy efficiency of bike riding and featured very early ebikes, a subject that kept Pedal Power and Ride On very busy for decades.
In Pedal Power no6 in March 1978 BIV announced “Recognition at last” with the news that the Victorian government “recognised the bicycle as a significant mode of transport”. It also announced, explained and celebrated the Geelong Bikeplan, a pioneering development of bike riding based on “engineering, education, enforcement and encouragement”.
But by November 1978 the overworked volunteer office-holders of BIV were showing signs of fatigue.
Pedal Power reduced to a smaller format (approximately A5 size) and, while it still had plenty to report from the prodigious campaigning efforts, calls for more people to take up crucial roles were frequent.
In 1981, John Barret took over editorship for the next two years, but produced just six issues (of A4 size) of between 20 and 30 pages. The still-young organisation was looking shakey and its hard-won influence threatened to evaporate. Alan Parker, founding secretary of BIV, reported later that the government “was on the point of downgrading the State Bicycle Committee”, which would result in a slowing of development for bikes in Victoria.
Then in 1983, for four issues, the newsletter became a magazine, with a colour cover and 34 and 50 pages. This was under a new editor, Harry Barber, who was later to be General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the organisation for 20 years.
Incoming President (and founding secretary), Alan Parker, thanked Barber for this significant act of image improvement, saying he “made the BIV look a most credible organisation” at this critical time.
By 1984 Pedal Power was back to a black and white foolscap format but was locked into a regular cycle of six, 30-plus-page issues a year under the editorship of John Harland, who guided the helm until May 1986.
In Feb 1987 the newsletter became a magazine Bicycle Victoria—the name by which the organisation came to be known for the next 20 years—with a two-colour cover. John Harland was back in the editor’s role from April 1988 and by 1989, the magazine had a full-colour cover and the content regularly spread to more than 40 pages. From 1989 it was simply titled BV.
In 1992 the name became BV News and the content became newsletter items for the swelling membership of the organisation. Its production became a task for Bicycle Victoria staff busy with multiple roles, and it varied in extent from a low of 12 pages to 40 pages.
Under Editor Ben Zipper, BV News was transformed into Ride On in June 2004, with the intention of selling the magazine on newsstands around the country as well as inspiring Bicycle Victoria members to keep pedalling.
Though BV News had been colour throughout, Ride On had professional magazine design, was published regularly six times a year, changing up its content with health advice, bike maintenance, places to ride, bike news and feature articles. Over the next six years, the magazine grew from 40 to 84 pages.
Over the decade since its 2004 beginning, Ride On’s readership grew strongly despite difficult conditions in the publishing market. Ride On evolved to be the only magazine in Australia addressing the interests of the mainstream, everyday-cyclist audience.
The readership grew to 60,000 readers per issue of the hard-copy magazine and 60,000 visitors per month to the Ride On website.
In 2017, Bicycle Network management made the difficult decision to stop publishing Ride On, electing to primarily focus on advocacy and core rider services.
Over the following years the organisation received regular calls to bring back Ride On, with feedback reaching a crescendo in a 2023 member survey. ‘I’d renew my membership if you still published the magazine’ was typical of many comments.
January 2025 marked a milestone: the highly anticipated return of the very magazine you’re reading right now, Ride On.
Re-launching a print magazine in the digital age is no easy feat. There are many challenges and obstacles, plus, of course, the financial aspect and cost of production. That said, Bicycle Network is thrilled with the member support, along with the critical industry and advertising support, that makes this magazine possible.
Ride On is now published quarterly, both in print and online as an e-zine. With strong ties to the early days of Pedal Power, we are thrilled to be back.
Members can receive the four annual editions of Ride On for just $30 by visiting the ‘Subscribe to Ride On’ tab on www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/membership/
