RiDE

About RiDE

RiDE is the UK's favourite monthly motorcycle magazine — a practical, no-nonsense monthly published by Bauer Media from Peterborough, launched by Emap in autumn 1995 as the company's sixth motorcycle title. Aimed squarely at real-world riders rather than "dreamers," it guarantees useful advice on buying new or used motorbikes, thorough product testing and tips on the best gear. Its website presence centres on ride.co.uk, and it is based at Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough.

"Whether you're an experienced rider or are new to motorcycling," says Bauer's brand description, "RiDE is here to help you get more from your time on two wheels with its no-nonsense, practical approach to biking." Every issue is put together by a team of enthusiastic experts with help from thousands of committed readers.

Launched by Emap in 1995

Emap announced the launch of Ride as its sixth magazine motorcycle title, to be launched on 21 September 1995 with a cover price of £2.20 and an initial print run of 140,000. The editorial content was to report on new and used bikes and in-depth road-testing of products and equipment — with articles primarily on buying, maintaining and riding used motorcycles.

Crucially, the new magazine "tried to steer away from the 'dreamer' style magazine" — the fantasy superbike titles — and was aimed instead at people returning to or becoming interested in motorcycling in their thirties: practical owners who rode real bikes on real roads.

The Biker's Champion

Bauer Media describes RiDE as "the biker's champion that guarantees useful advice on buying a new or used motorbike, thorough testing and tips on the best gear to buy; from helmets and suits to gloves and boots." It is "the UK's favourite monthly motorcycle magazine," helping readers "get your bike out on the road with detailed routes of brilliant riding roads and destinations in the UK."

That practical mission — value, usefulness, real-world riding — has been the magazine's identity since the 1995 launch. It speaks directly to readers about their biking lives and uses its expertise "to steer them towards the good-value option in bikes, trips and kits."

Editorial Scope: Bikes, Kit, Routes, Technique

Every issue of RiDE is full of recommendations on bikes, kit, routes, destinations and technique. The magazine is famed for its regular Product Tests and every month provides a comprehensive used-bike buying guide, helping potential owners find the right bike at the right price. Finally, every issue features touring guides and riding advice to help readers explore the world on their bike.

Regular departments include first rides of new machines, "Ask the Lawyer" with Andrew Dalton of White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors, "Ask the Riding Coach" with Rapid Training coach Dave Hewson, reader routes ("Your Rides"), letters and investigations into the issues affecting riders — from stealth speed cameras to licence reforms.

A Reader-Driven Magazine

RiDE is put together by a team of enthusiastic experts "with help from thousands of committed readers" — and the readers' voice runs through the magazine. "Your Rides" invites readers to share inspirational trips and amazing roads; letters pages carry the debates of the biking community; and the magazine's practical testing reflects the concerns of owners rather than the fantasies of showroom dreamers.

This reader-centred approach was there from the start: the 1995 launch targeted returning riders in their thirties — people with the experience to know what they wanted from a magazine, and the scepticism to demand that it deliver.

Published by Bauer Media

RiDE is published by Bauer Media — the successor to Emap's consumer magazine business — from Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough (PE2 6EA). It sits within Bauer's motorcycling portfolio alongside Bike and other titles, in the great Peterborough publishing cluster that has been the centre of British specialist magazine publishing for decades.

The magazine is available in print and digital editions — including through digital newsstand platforms — with subscriptions handled by Bauer's subscription services.

RiDE Today

From Emap's 1995 launch to today's Bauer monthly, RiDE has kept faith with its founding mission: practical, no-nonsense motorcycling journalism for riders who ride. Its Product Tests, used-bike buying guides, touring routes and riding advice continue to serve the experienced and the returning rider alike.

As the UK's favourite monthly motorcycle magazine, RiDE remains the biker's champion — helping readers get more from their time on two wheels, every month, from Peterborough and at ride.co.uk.

The Biker's Champion

RiDE is Bauer Media's practical motorcycling magazine — "the biker's champion", in the publisher's words, and the UK's favourite monthly motorcycle magazine. Where some titles chase performance figures, RiDE takes a no-nonsense, practical approach to biking: useful advice on buying a new or used motorbike, thorough testing, and tips on the best gear to buy, from helmets and suits to gloves and boots.

Each issue helps readers get their bikes out on the road with detailed routes of brilliant riding roads and destinations across the UK. Whether the reader is an experienced rider or new to motorcycling, RiDE aims to help them get more from their time on two wheels. Its website is ridemagazine.com.

The 2026 Relaunch: The RiDE Test

In April 2026 Bauer unveiled a major revamp of RiDE — a new chapter for a title with more than 30 years of reputation as one of Britain's most practical biking magazines. The relaunch issue, the May edition, ran to a bumper 140 pages including a 28-page showcase of the latest riding kit. Editor Matt Wildee said the overhaul had been shaped by direct feedback from more than 4,000 readers, aiming to enhance every aspect of the riding experience from buying advice to travel inspiration.

The centrepiece is "The RiDE Test", described as the most in-depth single-bike road test in motorcycling media, offering detailed analysis, real-world insight and buying guidance. Touring content was significantly strengthened with new features: "On The Road" highlighting standout routes, "Must Ride" as a regional guide to the UK's best roads, and "Destination" for trip inspiration and practical advice. Gear coverage — long a cornerstone — pairs established comparative product tests with "In Kit We Trust", in which experts advise on essential equipment, while hands-on features include the "Project Tiger 1050" rebuild series and "The Small Stuff", on simple upgrades that transform performance and comfort.

Membership and the App

Becoming a RiDE member brings immediate access to the magazine anytime, anywhere and on any smart device, through an app offering Digital View and Magazine View. Members get expert road tests, buying guides and long-term tests, industry-leading product tests and reviews of bike kit, tyres and garage equipment, and inspirational features from life-changing tours to in-depth riding-skills masterclasses.

The 21 September Launch

RiDE was launched by Emap on 21 September, with a cover price of £2.20 and an initial print run of 140,000. It was Emap's sixth motorcycle title, and it was deliberately positioned against the 'dreamer' style of magazine: aimed at practical motorcycle owners, it reported on new and used bikes with in-depth road-testing of products and equipment — and it was aimed squarely at people returning to motorcycling, or becoming interested, in their thirties.

That practical positioning has never left it. Bauer Media's brand page describes RiDE as 'the biker's champion' — guaranteeing useful advice on buying a new or used motorbike, thorough testing and tips on the best gear to buy, from helmets and suits to gloves and boots — and promising detailed routes of brilliant riding roads and destinations in the UK, with a no-nonsense, practical approach to biking.

The formula worked. With a circulation of 28,057 in one ABC period, RiDE underwent a design refresh and, Bauer announced, 'remains the best-selling monthly Modern Motorcycle title on newsstands' — the practical rider's magazine, still going strong three decades after that September launch.