What is the Bicycle Association

The Bicycle Association (BA) is the national trade association for the UK cycle industry. The BA strives always to represent the best interests of the UK cycle industry to government, stakeholders and the general public – with the highest standards of professionalism. The mission of the BA is to grow everyday cycling in the UK and remove barriers to cycling for everyone.

Our members

Our members include over 100 of the cycling industry’s most influential and ambitious companies, united to help the industry grow.

See full member list

Meet the team

The Bicycle Association is managed by its Executive Director, supported by a team of experienced cycle industry professionals:

Steve Garidis

Executive Director

Steve Garidis heads the BA executive team.

Steve has worked in and around cycling since 2005 when he ran Cycling England's £60m p.a. programme to promote cycling, including creating Bikeability - the modern Cycling Proficiency. Since then, he has also run a cycling-related consultancy and a social enterprise - the Electric Bicycle Network - introducing people to the delights of electric bicycles. Now as the Bicycle Association's Executive Director he's still working to get more people on bikes, and grow the cycling market in the UK.

Phillip Darnton OBE

Chairman

Phillip Darnton is the BA's principal ambassador with Government.

From 2005 to 2011 Phillip was the Chairman of Cycling England, and he was awarded an OBE for his services to cycling in the New Year's Honours List of 2010. A former President and Executive Director of the Bicycle Association, Phillip continues to play a vital advocacy role.

Philip Taylor

Director

Philip Taylor is a Director and board member of the Bicycle Association.

Philip's grandfather started a bicycle factory, Comrade Cycles, that was continued by his father and became the second largest producer of bicycles in the UK. Philip is managing director of Schwalbe UK, distributors of Schwalbe tyres for the UK and Ireland.

Mark Bickerton

Director

Mark Bickerton is a Director and board member of the Bicycle Association.

Mark started attending meetings of the Bicycle Association in 1986, and has been a Board Director of the BA since 2000, in that time having various roles as Vice-President, President and Deputy President. He works with both Tern Bicycles and Bickerton Portables brands and has spent much of his career trying to increase bicycle and e-bike usage through advocacy.

Simon Irons

Associate

Simon Irons has led the development of the BA’s market data service since early 2018, and is also leading work on new initiatives to support the industry.

Simon was the Group Cycling Director at Halfords and has worked for over 20 years in senior commercial positions at Asda, Argos, and 2 Sisters Food Group.

Peter Eland

Technical & Policy Director

Peter Eland is the BA's Technical & Policy Director, running the technical advice service and providing support for members and liaison with Government on regulations, compliance, standards and best practice. Peter also participates in cycle standards development at BSI, CEN and ISO, and works more widely to support the BA's advocacy at UK and international levels on matters affecting the industry.

With a background in mechanical engineering, Peter spent almost two decades in cycle magazine publishing before joining the BA.

Stephen Holt

Associate

Stephen Holt works to support and drive the BA's work across several initiatives, including market data, retailer support and logistics.

Stephen was previously Commercial Director for Cyclescheme, the UK's largest Cycle to Work provider, moving into the sector from the FMCG market with 20 years experience with PepsiCo.

Emma Catt

Virtual Office Manager

Emma is generally the first point of contact for anyone who contacts the BA by phone, email or web chat.

Emma has 20 years’ experience in customer service and sales, managing teams within the transport, construction and events industries.

David Middlemiss

Associate

David Middlemiss is working to support the BA's offer to and representation of IBDs, especially via the BA's flagship Market Data Service programme.

David spent nine years in senior roles in the automotive fuel industry, before a shift in 2008 to a teaching fellowship at the University of Exeter. In 2011 he led the rebranding of Rutland Cycling alongside his wife Sally, culminating in an MBO, equity investment and his seven-year spell as CEO, which saw Rutland Cycling's turnover grow from £10m to £35m and from four shops to 14.

Tom Payton

Head Of Market Data Operations

Tom Payton is responsible for the operation of the Bicycle Association's Market Data Service.

Tom started his cycling industry career at Islabikes, where a seven year spell saw him lead the customer service and marketing functions. In 2016 he joined Boardman Bikes to manage the sales support team before going on to open and operate the Boardman Performance Centre on behalf of Halfords.

Sarah Read

Membership Accounts Manager

Sarah runs our accounts team for Bicycle Association memberships and brand contributions.

Following a 12-year career with law firms in an office management role, Sarah spent seven years in a global operations role for a marketing agency heading up accounts and HR teams.

John Worthington

Associate

John Worthington’s role as Head of Insights is to analyse information from the BA’s Market Data Service and other sources, producing a range of market-focussed content. He also works with the Team to maintain and improve MDS data, and plan the transition towards MDS 2.0. John began his career as an academic librarian, before stints in the civil service and financial services sector. For the past 15 years he has worked for Mintel as a Senior Market Analyst, producing reports on a variety of consumer sectors, including cycling, travel and leisure.

Kristian Rigby

Associate

Kristian brings extensive expertise to help deliver the BA's Technical Service for members, advising on product safety, compliance, international trade and related matters. For over two decades Kristain was Head of Compliance at a major distributor, Moore Large, before joining the BA team.

A Bit of History

The origins of the Bicycle Association date back to 1890 when 'The Cycle and Motorcycle Trades Association' was established in Coventry.

In 1910, the company's name was changed to 'The Cycle and Motorcycle Manufacturers and Traders Union Ltd'. Membership included all the principal British manufacturers of two and three-wheeled vehicles (bicycles, mopeds, scooters, motorcycles, sidecars and three-wheelers) as well as manufacturers of components, accessories and specialist clothing, and the UK concessionaires for imported products in those fields.

Further name changes occurred in 1920, when the company became 'The British Cycle and Motor Cycle Manufacturers and Traders Union Ltd', and again in 1956 when it became 'The British Cycle and Motor Cycle Industries Association Ltd'.

In July 1973, because of the diverging needs of the bicycle and motor cycle industries, the Cycle and Motor Cycle Association was split into two separate, autonomous bodies, the Bicycle Association of Great Britain (BA) and the Motorcycle Industries Association (MCIA).

Today the Bicycle Association boasts over 100 members and is at the centre of the UK cycle industry.

Governance

Code of Practice

Bicycle Association member companies must commit themselves to the Bicycle Association Code of Practice, which sets out high standards of professionalism, business ethics and legal compliance. A grace period for new members is available, during which they can leverage the BA’s support services to help raise their compliance to match that of the best professionals in the industry.

Phillip Darnton, the BA's Chairman, explains:

"The Bicycle Association strives always to represent the best interests of the UK cycle industry – to government, stakeholders and the general public – with the highest standards of professionalism. It takes itself seriously, and expects to be taken seriously in return. We have set out a formal code of practice to which our members are committed. It embodies the professional standards to which we, and the whole industry, should be proud to adhere. The code is a straightforward, practical and tangible demonstration of our dedication to that professionalism in all our affairs. It underpins our advocacy work with government and other bodies, and it allows our members to make explicit their commitment to these shared professional business standards."

FAQs

I need technical support, does the BA provide this?

Yes. The BA has a Technical Advisory Group, and also has a new technical advisory service available to members covering everything from support with regulations and standards to help with exports, testing, recalls and so on.

I’ve got a great idea for a cycle product, can you help?

The Bicycle Association does not provide business mentoring services. It would be best for you to contact one of the UK's cycle trade magazines, for example BikeBiz or Cycleindustry.news.

I own a bike shop, can I join?

Yes, we have a number of retailer members, and your participation would be most welcome.

Will the Bicycle Association sponsor my event/bike ride/business idea?

The Bicycle Association uses its resources to engage in a major advocacy programme to grow cycling. We are not in a position to offer ad hoc support to individuals, businesses or organisations which we are already not in touch with. Sorry about that.

I have an idea for a bicycle business, can you help?

The Bicycle Association is a members' organisation and provides a support service for members only. Please consider joining.