Martin Fitz-Gibbons is returning to Bike, taking over the helm from Mike Armitage, who’s off to replace Hugo Wilson at Classic Bike magazine.
Fitz-Gibbons, or ‘Mufga’ as he’s known in the business, started his bike journalism career as a staff writer at Bike back in 2003, moving up to features writer, road tester and news editor before leaving for a first stint as a freelancer in 2013. A return to staff status came in 2017, when he took on the deputy editor role at RiDE magazine, before moving to Sportsbikeshop.com in 2021, then back to freelance journalism in 2023. He’s also part of the team behind the Front End Chatter podcast, alongside Simon Hargreaves.
In a Bauer release, Fitz-Gibbons said: “I am beyond delighted to be the new editor of Bike magazine. Bike has been a massive part of my life for more than 20 years, having started my career there as a clueless but eager staff writer in August 2003. Hopefully a little less clueless now, but no less eager, I can’t wait to once again be a part of what remains – with good reason – Britain’s best-selling bike magazine. Packing the sharpest writing, inspiring photography and the most thought-provoking insight in the business, Bike remains the best place to discover what’s really going on in motorcycling. It’s a huge honour to be taking the reins from Mike and leading Bike into the future.”
Bauer’s motorcycling group editor, Richard Newland, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Martin back to the Bauer Motorcycling team, and very excited to see him implement his vision for Bike magazine over the coming months. His motorcycle knowledge, industry lens, riding ability and technical know-how have ensured that he’s been a leading voice in bike journalism for more than 20 years – all delivered via his creative and highly engaging ability to turn observations and impressions into collections of words that are so good you’ll want to read them twice. Bike has a rich history of fantastic editors, and Martin has everything in his armoury to continue that legacy.”