Bicycle NSW: A message from Barry Kenyon

At the recent Bike and Lifestyle Show, Bicycle NSW had the opportunity to talk to many members who stopped by to have a chat with us.

One of the most talked about topics was Australian Cyclist and what was happening with it. During our converstation it became apparent that a lot of members weren't aware of the relationship we had with our publisher - Nuance Multi-Media - and how their demise has affected Bicycle NSW, so I'd like to take this opportunity in the spirit of transparency, to share with you the impact it has had on us.

On the surface it's a fair assumption to presume that some of your membership fees went into producing Australian Cyclist Magazine when in fact no member fees were used to do so. The production of Australian Cyclist was entirely funded by the publisher who paid Bicycle NSW a nominal licence fee from the revenue they made from selling advertising in the publication. This arrangement meant that Bicycle NSW enjoyed a double benefit of producing Australian Cyclist at no cost while aslo renerating income from it - a terrific deal for us and evidently an unsustainable one for Nuance. When Nuance sadly went into administration without warning not only did we lose our magazine but we lost a source of revenue that helped fund the work we do.

The moment we learnt of Nuance Multi-Media going into liqidation, we began exploring alternative publishers for Australian Cyclist but none are prepared to work in the same way as Nuance. At this time we feel that reallocation of funds to underwrite production of a printed magazine is a misuse of your membership fees and would have implications on our ability to deliver the core benefits of Bicycle NSW which is providing advocacy, insurance, support for our memberss and creating a better environment for cycling.

We're currently looking into an online solution and while we're the first to admit that an online magazine is not the same as a printed one, it's our hope that we can create an electonic publication that is both entertaining and valuable to you as a member.

Thanks for your patience and support of Bicycle NSW as we work through solutions for you.