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The 11 Best Melbourne Shop Rides

Been looking to join some shop rides around Melbourne?

You came to the right place.

Looking for bunch rides instead? Head here.

Here you can find a list of popular shop rides around Melbourne.

Whether you’re a beginner cyclist or looking for a solid hit out over the weekend, I’m sure you can find one that suits you.

Hate climbing?

There are shop rides along Beach Road towards Mordialloc and even Frankston.

Looking to gain some verts?

There are also rides to Kinglake, around Mount Dandenong and the Berwick Ardennes.

1. Peak Cycles

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Peak Cycles’ shop ride to Kinglake on every Saturday is probably the most popular shop ride around Melbourne.

On a good summer morning, the group can be as big as 50+.

And if you’re lucky enough, you’ll have their local hero, Brendan Canty and the voice of Australia cycling, Matthew Keenan riding with you.

Aside from the Kinglake ride, there are other weekday rides called Spin City which goes to Black Rock or several loops of Mount Pleasant Road.

Check the Peak Rides Facebook group for the latest info.

2. Berwick Cycles

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The Berwick Cycles shop ride brings you through a hidden gem in Melbourne’s South Eastern suburbs.

It’s run by Kristjan Snorrason who was the Australian 2001 National TT champion.

Many local cyclists call this area the Berwick Ardennes and that’s for a good reason. There are plenty of short and steep climbs around Berwick, Upper Beaconsfield and Pakenham which most Melbourne cyclists don’t even know about.

There are 2 bunches; the Fast bunch is drop-ride while the Social bunch is a no-drop ride. After about 1.5 hours of heart pumping ride around the Berwick Ardennes, the ride finishes in Berwick for coffee and breakfast.

Check out their Strava club page for ride updates and occasionally they do have shop vouchers up for grabs during the rides.

3. Bike Gallery

Bike Gallery runs 2 shop rides every Saturday at 7am from their shop in Hawthorn East.

The BG Hills bunch heads out for a hilly and punchy ride around Hurstbridge with a KOM up the short, steep Flat Rock Road.

If you’re looking for a solid 3 hours hit out, then consider this bunch.

If you’re after an easy and social ride, then consider the BG Flats bunch. The bunch heads to Mordialloc via Beach Road, where most cyclists go to on the weekend.

4. Total Rush Cycling

  • Where: 345 Punt Road, Richmond
  • When: Saturday at 7am for a 65km ride to Mordialloc via Beach Road

This Saturday shop ride by Total Rush Cycling has been around for more than 20 years.

Like many other shops located near the beach, this shop ride will bring you for a 65km ride on Beach Road down south to Mordialloc. The bunch stops at Mordialloc for a quick regroup and head back the same way.

On the way back, the bunch will usually split with the stronger riders breaking away. But worry not, as there will be a quick regroup at St Kilda before heading back to Rush Cafe in Richmond for coffee.

5. Essendon Cyclery

  • Where: 926 Mount Alexander Road, Essendon
  • When:
    • Wednesday at 630pm for a 40km loop behind the Melbourne Tullamarine airport
    • Saturday at 7am for a 60 to 70km loop to either Mount Pleasant, Mount Ridley or Beach Road

The Essendon Cyclery shop ride is run by the man himself, Gareth.

There are several bunches of the Saturday ride with each heading to a different direction. So you’ve got choice of either flats to Beach Road (Altona at times) or short punchy climbs to Mount Pleasant.

The Saturday is usually announced on Friday. Check their Facebook page for the latest updated and to see where they’re heading to.

While the Wednesday evening ride is short, it’s full of short punchy climbs around Essendon and behind the Melbourne Tullamarine airport towards the airport control tower up McNabs Road.

6. Croydon Cycleworks

Croydon Cycleworks is situated right at the bottom of Mount Dandenong, where some of the best Melbourne climbs are situated.

The shop ride brings you through a loop through Mount Dandenong.

You’ll climb arguable the most popular local Melbourne climb, the 1 in 20. Then ride through from Sassafras to Olinda and followed by a fast descend into Montrose and back to the shop.

On any good weekend morning, you’ll see hundreds of cyclists riding the 1 in 20. For comparison sake, anyone who does a sub-20 minutes up the 1 in 20 is considered fit. So, that’s your benchmark!

7. Spider Bikes

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  • Where: Shop 3 Beaconsfield Hub, 56-62 Old Princes Highway, Beaconsfield
  • When: Saturday at 730am

The Spider Bikes shop ride brings you through one of the hidden gems around Melbourne’s south east around the suburbs of Officer, Pakenham and Upper Beaconsfield.

It’s about 40km in total but don’t be fooled by the short distance. The route is full of short steep climbs especially with the 3.5km climb up Officer Road to Upper Beaconsfield.

There will be several regroup points to cater for all levels of cyclists. So you don’t have to worry about getting lost. The ride ends with a fast descend down Guys Hill followed by a coffee at 4 Figs Cafe in Beaconsfield.

8. Urban Pedaler

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  • Where: 873 Nepean Hwy, Bentleigh
  • When:
    • Saturday at 6am for a 70km ride to Frankston and Oliver’s Hill
    • Saturday at 7am for a 40km ride to Mordialloc

Urban Pedaler runs 2 shop rides every Saturday.

Both bunches are no-drop which means that everyone stay together for the entire ride and it’s perfectly suitable for beginners.

The 6am bunch will head out to Frankston via Beach Road with an average speed of around 30km/h. This is then followed by a short and steep climb up Oliver’s Hill climb before making a u-turn and back to Mordialloc.

At Mordialloc, both bunches will meet up and ride back together along Beach Road.

9. The Freedom Machine

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  • Where: 265-267 Bay Street, Port Melbourne
  • When: Saturday at 630am for a 55km ride to Mordialloc via Beach Road

There are 4 TFM shops around Melbourne in Port Melbourne, Brighton, Prahran and Richmond.

The shop ride starts at their Port Melbourne branch, right next to arguably the most ridden road in Melbourne, the Beach Road.

It’s an easy, straight out and back 55km ride to Mordialloc.

There are 2 bunches; the fast bunch averages around 35-38km/h while the slow bunch around 30-32km/h. The bunch will do a quick regroup at the carpark at Mordialloc pier before heading back to Port Melbourne for coffee and breakfast.

Check their TFM’s Facebook page for the latest ride updates.

10. Port Melbourne Cycles

  • Where: 107 Bay Street, Port Melbourne
  • When: Sunday at 8am

Port Melbourne Cycles, or better known as PMC runs its shop ride on Sundays, unlike most others who do it on Saturday.

So that gives you another option for the weekend. If you’re not an early person, then you might want to consider this ride as it starts later at 8am.

Beach Road for flats or Ivanhoe for some short hills. Distance would be between 50-60km before heading back to Port Melbourne for a coffee and chat.

11. Bike Force Docklands

  • Where: 432 Docklands Drive, Docklands
  • When: Sunday at 730am for a 40km ride to Altona

Bike Force Docklands runs a social, no drop ride towards Altona on Sundays.

The route is pancake flat towards Altona with the first and last 5k ridden along the bike path to avoid all the traffic madness.

From then onwards, you’ll ride along a very scenic route along the beach from Williamstown towards Altona. Look further across the Port Phillip Bay and you’ll see Port Melbourne and St Kilda in the far end.

The bunch will make a U-turn at the end of Altona Esplanade and head back to the shop the same way.

Chris Ireland
Chris Ireland is a staff writer covering everything road cycling. He has been writing about cycling as a freelance journalist since 2017. In his spare time, Chris loves to ride his gravel and mountain bikes.
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