Your guide to Cycling UK projects in Greater Manchester

Whether you’re new to cycling, looking to get back on a bike, or exploring new ways to ride, there’s something here for you. Join us and see how cycling can transform your life and your community.

Our projects in Greater Manchester have already made a significant impact, empowering thousands to embrace cycling as a sustainable and healthy mode of transport. From e-cycle loans to inclusive cycling sessions, we’re transforming lives by making cycling accessible to all. 

What is Borrow an e-bike?

Borrow an e-bike offers one-month e-cycle loans to communities across Greater Manchester. This programme helps you experience how e-cycles can transform your everyday journeys, saving money on fuel, improving health, and making local travel more sustainable.

Who can benefit?

This scheme is ideal for anyone in Greater Manchester looking to try e-cycles as an active travel option for commuting, shopping or leisure. Riding an e-cycle lets you skip traffic, reduce car maintenance costs, and enjoy the mental and physical health benefits of cycling.

Impact highlights

From May 2022 to June 2024, 1,012 e-cycles were loaned to residents across Greater Manchester, with 4,328 participants attending skills and confidence sessions. These sessions have been crucial in helping residents integrate cycling into their daily routines.

Amir’s month that changed everything  

Amir found the scheme while pricing an e-bike. At £1,000–£1,600, buying felt risky; the free loan removed the barrier.  

Living on a hilly route and rebuilding fitness, he expected to ride only for leisure. Within a week he replaced daily public transport with e-bike commuting, shopping and exploring off-road paths.  

Over four weeks he saved more than £100 in fares and discovered many trips were faster than bus or car at peak times. The confidence and convenience stuck. By the end of the loan he had a plan to keep cycling because the time and cost savings were too good to lose.  

Amir’s experience reflects the programme’s fast returns.  

Book a loan today

Ready to experience the benefits of e-cycles? Sign up for a free try-out session or apply for a loan today and start making your everyday journeys easier. 

What is the Inclusive Cycling Experience?

Funded by the Motability Foundation, the Inclusive Cycling Experience offers free sessions to build your skills and confidence, along with loans of various cycles, including adapted bikes and non-standard cycles, to communities across Greater Manchester.  

This programme is designed to make cycling accessible to everyone, including disabled people, those with long-term health conditions, and anyone looking for an alternative cycling experience. Whether you’re new to cycling, returning after a break, or exploring adaptive cycles, this programme provides options to suit a wide range of needs.

Who can benefit?

The Inclusive Cycling Experience is open to everyone over 16 who wants to explore cycling in a supportive environment. With a diverse selection of cycles, including recumbents, trikes, tandems, and handcycles, this programme serves people with physical, sensory, mental health, or age-related impairments, making cycling an enjoyable and feasible option for all.

Case study: Matthew’s journey

After an accident in 2021, Matthew hadn’t felt confident riding a large-wheeled bike. He attended a session with the Inclusive Cycling Experience at Hyde Park in Greater Manchester, excited yet unsure. The Cycling UK team, led by Ryan and Simon, started him on a trike for stability. As he progressed, Matthew’s confidence blossomed, and soon he was riding independently on a two-wheeled bike.

Inspired by the session, Matthew borrowed an e-bike through the programme’s two-week loan. Riding daily with his family, he covered more distance than he had since his accident, rediscovering the freedom of cycling. Now, Matthew hopes to volunteer at future sessions, eager to help others experience the benefits of cycling as he has.

This was my first time on an e-bike and the first time since my accident that I’d been on a large-wheeled bike. Ryan and Simon were fantastic – they let me try a range of e-bikes before moving onto the two-wheeler. I covered more miles than I have in years, and it’s given me back my independence. I’m now saving up to buy my own e-bike. I’d love to continue assisting at these sessions because this experience has shown me that I can get back to cycling the way I used to before my accident – something I never thought possible

 

Get started

Whether you’re looking to try cycling for the first time, explore non-standard cycles, or rediscover the joy of riding, join us at one of our free taster sessions or apply for a cycle loan in Greater Manchester.

What is the Big Bike Revival?

The Big Bike Revival helps adults start or return to cycling through a programme of free activities and services delivered by local community organisations. The programme offers opportunities to get bikes fixed, learn new skills, or join local led rides—all designed to make cycling more accessible and enjoyable.

Who can benefit?

Big Bike Revival is perfect for adults who don’t currently cycle or haven’t cycled in a while. This programme addresses barriers such as lack of confidence, bike access, or the need for basic maintenance skills. If you’re looking for a supportive, community-led way to start cycling, Big Bike Revival is for you.

Impact highlights

• 1,279 attendances at 197 events across Greater Manchester in 2024
• 90% of participants felt happier, and 82% felt safer cycling after participating
• 47% of participants reported replacing car journeys with cycling

Sumayra swaps “bike in the shed” for daily confidence  

Sumayra visited a women-led basic maintenance session at Station South to fix her daughter’s bike. In two evenings, she learned puncture repair, tyre inflation and inner-tube replacements, and small skills that changed everything.  

Three punctures in the following weeks would once have parked her bike. Instead, she fixed each one at the roadside, kept riding with her family and joined night rides that opened new routes across the city.  

Today she volunteers, supporting other women and leading short local rides where families discover parks and paths, they “never knew were there”.  

Find a delivery partner in Greater Manchester

Ready to dust off your bike and start cycling again? Join a Big Bike Revival event in Greater Manchester and rediscover the joy of riding! 

Funded by Sport England  

Volunteer-led Community Cycle Clubs promote active travel, improve wellbeing and strengthen social connection. They particularly support under-represented groups in cycling, including people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, low-income households, women, older people and disabled people.  

Sofa to Saddle in Horwich  

At Horwich Ride Social, women often arrive unsure about balance, gears or traffic.  

Over six weeks they progress from park loops to road riding with signalling, hill starts and gravel sections. The change brings practical skills for everyday journeys as well as stronger social networks with riders continuing to get together after the course.  

Since April 2024 in Greater Manchester there have been 206 sessions with 431 attendances across five active clubs. Participants are 49% women, 37% from ethnic minority backgrounds and 51% from the most deprived areas.  

These clubs create neighbourhood networks that keep people riding and ensure new Bee Network cycle links are used by confident, nearby residents from a wide range of backgrounds.

Find your Club

Head over to our Greater Manchester Clubs page to see what’s happening near you and how to get involved.

Ready to make the most of your cycling journey? Becoming a Cycling UK member gives you access to exclusive resources, discounts, and support to help you ride with confidence. Join us and be part of a community committed to making cycling safer, easier, and more accessible across Greater Manchester and beyond!