Why don't you buy bike magazines?

[Bearbonesnorm]

I know that's a very general and sweeping statement but I'm pretty convinced that the majority on here don't buy bike mags ... and I wondered why.

Is it because there's nothing new - same sh1t, different month? Is it the seemingly continual trawling over old ground - it's November so we'll have a lights test, it's Feb, so best look at mudguards? Is it that they focus on aspects of cycling that you're not really interested in - Duro, Trailcentres, etc? Or perhaps, in the main, we're of an age where we've become cynical and dis-interested?

I'd love to see a print mag that catered for cycling's great unwashed but I can't ever see it happening. XXC mag was about the nearest there was but very sadly, it couldn't survive in todays world of day-glo shorts and 180mm travel play bikes ... maybe we're a lost cause and out of the magazine habit, so even if one were available we wouldn't buy it?

Anyway, that's todays random thought out of the way.

[Dave Barter]

I think we need a fanzine type approach, like The Outcast/Shred but for Stu's unwashed. Trouble is it needs people to love and curate it for no fiscal reward.

STW started like this but commercialised itself due to the ambition of a few of its founders. But to answer the question I don't buy them because of this:-

same sh1t, different month? Is it the seemingly continual trawling over old ground - it's November so we'll have a lights test, it's Feb, so best look at mudguards?

..and also the fact that everyone wants inspiring photos and "meh" writing. I'm not bitter.

[Single Speed George]

basically cause there is nothing new and interesting other than the odd kit review which i can normally find out about on line.
i dont need to learn how to bunny hop , or ride down a gental slope etc.
and i can look at pretty pictures of biking on online magazines like Pinkbike etc...

and dont need yet another free sticker sheet or y rench.

i do occasionally buy ~Dirt as it has lovely photography of Freeride etc but ye basicaly cant remeber the last time i did

[Lawmanmx]

too many ad's and waaay too expensive for what you get from them, its all geared towards either selling you something OR showing you stuff that costs a fortune (that you want) so you start to feel crap about your own gear, Lol
bit like women looking at them fashion mags and feeling 'inadequate' about their figures ... imo of course

[Richard G]

I do. Some of the more enjoyable ride routes I've got from the likes of MBR etc, and if I didn't read about it in the magazines I'd have no idea what all of this + bike bollocks was about, nor would I likely have a clue about the differences between all the drivetrains etc now available. I don't find them much use from a skills perspective, but I have found the articles on maintenance quite useful (rebuilding hubs etc). I appreciate all of this information is out there online, but I wouldn't know to look for it anyway, whereas I will pick it up more organically if I'm just reading through a magazine. There's definitely a lot of repetition, but I have certainly found some of the product roundups handy from time to time.

Besides, all the mobile games I have are crap... and I need something to read on the toilet.

[GregMay]

I still read (and write) for a few different publications. It's becoming harder, on both counts, as Dave says due to the wants of editorial boards.

I read and write for magazines still as it gives me something to aspire beyond. However, this normally results in me being asked to dumb down submissions - which I tend to not do. I also plain refuse to do any article that is tagged with "what X Y's for Z" or any other such Buzzfeed style crap. Not worth my time to have to waste writing dross.

Quite happy I'm freelance and not doing this full time - my stance wouldn't have me in food for very long.

There are some other great publications out there making good art with words and images - Ride Journal was one, Sidetracked is one, Bunyan Velo was another - the problem is people are changing how and when they consume information - digital is all well and good, but people no longer want long form, they want short and explosive, which more often than not is badly written and formed to sell, not promote, aspects of the industry. I'm not bitter, I'm just sad to see it go this way, but every now and again something crops up that makes it worthwhile to still read print magazines.

[Bearbonesnorm]

..and also the fact that everyone wants inspiring photos and "meh" writing. I'm not bitter.

That's true ... it's as though reading has become some kind of chore.

[GregMay]

That's true ... it's as though reading has become some kind of chore.

Good to see I'm not the only person who has noticed this trend.

[mountainbaker]

Overprice, badly written. I subscribed to STW for a couple of years, then cancelled, as I basically flicked through it the morning it arrived, then didn't look at it again. Nothing was really worthwhile reading, and it was all so 'enduro' and tiresome. There's also very little funny writing, took itself much too seriously.

If you could buy print copies of Bunyan Velo, I would buy that.

[darbeze]

I buy Singletrack once a year for the calendar (Primarily to mark BB events and such like to give me something to look forward to) to hang on the wall behind my desk.

Anything else I want to know about bikes and riding, I find on the internet...

Having said that, coming from a print and design background, I do prefer the physical act of reading a printed book or publication, rather than a screen. I spend my working life looking at computer screens and some (most) days I get to the point of having enough of them.

Maybe that's one of the reasons I like riding bikes so much. It doesn't get much more different to computers than that.

Si

[whitestone]

..and also the fact that everyone wants inspiring photos and "meh" writing. I'm not bitter.

That's true ... it's as though reading has become some kind of chore.

Reading takes time and requires you to think. Can't be having that now can we?

I find the biking mags very formulaic and predictable, like someone mentioned: "if this is November then we'll talk about lights". To begin with the pull-out routes in MBR etc were fine but after a couple of years you get the same routes presented with a different name, then again in another couple of years. What looks like a big magazine tends to be mostly adverts and you can read the thing from cover to cover in under an hour, most of which is my inner grumpy old man railing against the poor standard of English. (sometimes even the editor doesn't appear to know when to use "then", "than" and "that" )

It's not just biking mags though - I hardly ever buy magazines on any subject these days, usually it's for something to read on a flight.

[Cheeky Monkey]

I've subscribed to MBR and STW for years (and years and years). Still get them. Wonder about cancelling (STW more often than MBR) but never get round to it.

I'm less interested in STW probably because I'm not that fussed about pretty pictures and the stuff that's written about. The perpetual string of typos used to get right on my tits ;-) and the spanner boy reviews were hilarious

On the plus side, and it's probably been more on the website, some articles have been brilliant like those on RoW, Dave Andersen's stuff, occasional trail and advocacy and I really like Bez's articles. Don't always agree but the articles are way above a lot of stuff on the internet (that I've come across) or in the mag, IMO - well written, structures, detailed, thought provoking etc. THink it's agreeing with Stu and Greg about having to "read".

MBR I just like, in a way it's the equivalent of the Argos catalogue at Christmas. I'm interested in new kit. Doesn't mean I'm going to buy it but I'm still interested. I think the standard of writing and reviews is better, often, as well. I bet there's a flaming on the horizon for me saying that

Broadly speaking though I think there's only so much you can write about riding bikes and it's even harder to make it interesting because, even as an enthusiast, a lot of it isn't or can't really be put into good words, frequently enough to support a monthly publication.

[jam bo]

i do occasionally buy ~Dirt as it has lovely photography of Freeride etc but ye basicaly cant remeber the last time i did

Dirt is no longer in print. online only.

[Justchris]

if I didn't read about it in the magazines I'd have no idea what all of this + bike bollocks was about,

As above.

But I do feel it's basically a fiver for a magazine of adverts. But I still buy the odd one.

Gmbn on you tube is ok as it's free.

[journeyman]

Sidetracked is worth a look - online and in hard copy 3x year with an emphasis on the written word as well as good photogrpahy. Great for contemplation in the thunderbox; its more about the Journey and Adventure rather than the nik-naks that help/encumber people on their way.

[AlasdairMc]

Gmbn on you tube is ok as it's free.

That's the problem - free content is killing the mags. I can read great articles online for free, so why bother with a magazine? Blogs, bikepacking.com and many others produce good content and inspiring photos, so the magazine's USP disappears.

I'm also sick of the ad-revenue driven reviews (e.g. MBR's 5/5 for anything Specialized)

[barney]

I prefer to speak to people on forums such as this for advice on kit & routes etc.

When you don't have much money they do seem rather overpriced, I justify to Mrs Barney that buying bike related bit's & bobs only cost the same as a couple of magazines.

[benp1]

I subscribe to MBUK - the free gift was good and so made the subsription essentially free, or in fact pay me to read it...! Also comes with free gifts which are useful for dotting around - beanie, gloves, T25 T handle wrench

Also bought Singletrack on subscription when it came up cheap, like half price at xmas

I should point out I'm a bit of a magazine reader, I have a huge stack next to the toilet!

Current subscriptions - T3, Evo, Singletrack, MBUK, Time Out. Have had many other subscriptions in the past too, recent ones include Bike and Fast Bikes, but have had lots of car ones too

[Moder-dye]

I don't buy any magazines for biking or other interests.

They're too pricey, but mainly they're just too full of adverts and reviews of gear that I couldn't afford and I'm not some one who's after the latest xyz or constantly upgrading.

They don't really relate to me or my life style.

[Richard G]

Gmbn on you tube is ok as it's free.

Funnily enough, they've been going into repetition overload of late too.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO THAT'S BASICALLY THE SAME AS WHAT WE JUST SHOWED YOU, BUT WITH A DIFFERENT RIDER.

[Single Speed George]

I subscribe to MBUK

only so many free stickers you can have on your helmet
TBH i use to buy this when i first started biking, but its all a bit samie and Freeride ( but not in a good way ) kinda for the Kona Kidz,
but does have some good routes ocasionally, an some times the free stuff is usefull

[benp1]

I subscribe to MBUK

only so many free stickers you can have on your helmet
TBH i use to buy this when i first started biking, but its all a bit samie and Freeride ( but not in a good way ) kinda for the Kona Kidz,
but does have some good routes ocasionally, an some times the free stuff is usefull

But I've got loads of room on my garage door

The free gifts are surprisingly handy!

I often subscribe to a mag if the free gift is good and something that I'll use. One of my favourite tool sets is a Teng Tools t handle hex key set, one of my most used too, that was free with a subscription

[Pete-G]

I subscribe to Singletrack (and Evo, but I don't think that counts here), I get it because there are some genuinely good articles and route suggestions. It doesn't seem to be too driven by marketing like MBR & MBUK feel like. I tend to scan read the gear reviews unless something catches my attention. Generally I prefer to read rather than an evening in front of the haunted fishtank.

[voodoo_simon]

Overprice, badly written. I subscribed to STW for a couple of years, then cancelled, as I basically flicked through it the morning it arrived, then didn't look at it again. Nothing was really worthwhile reading, and it was all so 'enduro' and tiresome. There's also very little funny writing, took itself much too seriously.

If you could buy print copies of Bunyan Velo, I would buy that.

Basically this! Subscribed for ten years until I got bored of reading Holiday X (what a load of rubbish!), Enduro (zero interest here but understand why they include this new popular fashion in the magazine) etc etc. Shame really as it used to be an inspiring and cutting edge magazine, only started singlespeeding from these guys, only found out about rovaniemi 150 from singletrack, bought my saracen ariel from their review etc etc

It's the only magazine that I liked reviews from as they didn't give a star rating!

Bought cyclist mag for ages too but cancelled that as it got samey and didnt make the time to read it

Hill walking mags are the worse for their cycle of testing kits and giving advice, so never buy them.

If bunyan velo was printed, I'd be signing up.

Have National geographic on the kindle, £5 for 12 month subs sold it to me

[Matt]

Expensive

Same stuff everymonth

Although I do have ST on subs