Whats happing over at Dirt mag, we just had the first round of the BDS and only a week away from start of world cup and the home page has hardley changed in two weeks. normallyit would be my first port of call for any thing gravity related but it really has gone downhill over the off season.

No pun intended ?

Sorry could not stop my self.

The magazine used to be my only source of MTB news really but it’s gone rapidly pap over the last couple of years. Their ‘let anyone have a go’ approach to journalism is a recipe for churning out witless nonsense.

The website is a total eyesore. Can’t check it at work as it crashes my steam powered PC.

No sign of the DH fantasy league yet, first WC round is in less than 2 weeks…

Not bought the mag in ages, seldom visit the website anymore… They have their hardcore following, I used to like the mag myself, back when it was a newer more DIY affair, but it never really got beyond that, its seemed like a bit of an unprofessional shambles for quite a while IMO…

It will probably go bust soon, same as a lot of print media seems to be doing, it would be a shame I suppose, but no massive loss to journalism really.

As above it used to be a great mag I think it captured the have-a-go nature of grass roots UK DH, and the reader’s letters were worth it on their own. Last time I looked it had changed beyond recognition. kind of sad in a way I used to look forward to each edition. The rot started to set in when the fonts became readable

the reader’s letters were worth it on their own.

I wrote the ‘star letter’ once. I’ve got the Dirt branded Ogio backpack to prove it.

You just reminded me I also won the Osiris photo comp as well and got a pair of trainers out of it.

Turns out I’ve done alright out of Dirt mag! Still crap these days though.

Just to add some balance, I still get excited about it landing on my doormat and I don’t think its lost its spirit. The World Cup write ups are still the best out there.

Dirt magazine is awesome, but I stopped using their website some time ago as it’s sooooooooo slooooooooooooooooow.

Dirt does seem to be in an of place at the mo – I can understand why they’ve tried to branch out away from pure DH / 4X like they used to be but it feels like it’s stuck in no man’s land at the mo.

They have the odd good feature but lots of wasted opportunities – the Graves interview in the last issue was awful. As was the Clementz one previously.

I’m not a Jones fan – he’s enthusiastic about bikes but is a rubbish journo. His stuff is hard to read and he is banging of the big wheel drum has pretty much got belligerent now. Some of the columns are pretty good.

It was better when they had a few more permanent staff with specific jobs.

I still have a sub – it just rolls over and I keep forgetting to cancel it.

Internet, forums etc have killed print media.

Sadly that doesnt mean we have a viable online alternative, more choice does not mean better choice.

Sadly that doesnt mean we have a viable online alternative

Yeah, just loads of sites re-releasing everyone else’s press releases and marketing blurb. Pinkbike has the highest amount of original content so I check that regularly. And it’s free so if it’s crap I’m not personally offended.

I personally think Cunny should be given his P45 and he can go and write his awful, adolescent, whiney, emo, Morrisey wannabe, tripe in a more easily ignorable corner of the internet.

I’d like to see what Wideopen could do if they had Dirt’s advertising revenue and circulation.

I personally think Cunny should be given his P45 and he can go and write his awful, adolescent, whiney, emo, Morrisey wannabe, tripe in a more easily ignorable corner of the internet.

At least it’s written by someone vaguely capable to stringing a sentence togther unlike Mr Jones!

It’s also only one page to ignore rather than the vast number that Jones writes these days.

Their ‘let anyone have a go’ approach to journalism is a recipe for churning out witless nonsense.

I don’t buy Dirt often, but when I do it does astound me how poor the standard of writing is. I do wonder how they get away with it, but I suppose if muggins like me buy it hoping “this time it will be better” then that’s as good a business case as any*

*sarcasm

Trimix – Member

Internet, forums etc have killed print media.

Is this thread not about Dirt mag, which is not dead?

pah,
I thought someone had found some olde stylee printed pornographic material.
aaaaah, them were the days.

Pinkbike had a nice length vid of first BDS around. Surprised and impressed.

Even more surprised when it wasn’t over on dirt too.

They’ve fully bought in to the Enduro loverz scene is the impression I’m getting. Maybe don’t have the resources to commit to both? Agree though, it’s steadily got crapper and crapper

C’mon, I think people are giving Dirt short shrift here.

Yes, Jones’ and Cunny’s meanderings are an acquired taste, but they’re passionate about their subject. In a magazine shelf packed with joyless reviewfests like MBR and WMB, I know what I’d pick.

Their photography is usually pretty inspiring too. It makes me want to ride my tin donkey.

We’re lucky that we’ve still got a handful of good zines to read on the throne: The Ride Journal, Dirt, Singletrack, Rouleur. Until recently Privateer was great, too.

but they’re passionate about their subject

Yeah we’ve covered this. The consensus is that passion is no substitute for basic English skills when your job title is ‘Journalist’.

I’m passionate about bikes but I don’t inflict my waffle on paying customers via the pages of an expensive, glossy magazine that should know better.

^beat me to it 😆

For the british DH scene i actually think Ride.io (previously southerndownhill) is really good now. The forums a bit dead but certainly recently it’s been a very active site. They were first with the bds video and photos etc. Getting better anyway.

I used to be a dirt reader but it has gone to the dogs… Jones does my head in with his strange journalistic style and a lot of the reviews are more jibberish than content.

They also have the companies they like and back them and ignore competitors – dirt 100 is a good example of this & thet recent claptrap about buying original non copy narrow wide chainrings – they even ended with ‘buy from your lbs’ and later in the mag raved about the direct buy only YT.

Its not a publication now, just an ‘old boys’ club helping each other out.

If you want news wideopen, pinkbike, ride.io and some small guys like tom gaffney photography and others are the place to go – dirt are a dinosaur that may be going the way of extinction.

crankrider – Member

They also have the companies they like and back them and ignore competitors

Perfect example being Works in fact- Dirt ran a multi-page feature on Cane Creek and the Angleset, and spent a good chunk of that spaffing with joy at the idea that there might be a standard steerer model, and that this was the thing that would save old frames from the grave- come on CC, build it, we need it now! Most exciting thing ever!

Oh, what’s that? Works already make one? And it’s cheaper and made in the UK? Ah well, we’ll ignore that. Come on CC! Build it!

I still buy it, it’s got enough good to offset the bad. But there is a lot of bad.

They can also turn on stuff that they’ve loved for years. The Cane a Creek DB being a perfect example; for ages it was in the dirt 100, was the best shock in the world now all of a sudden they’re not so keen and it feels dad etc.

The reviews by Jones are gibberish and are getting shorter and less insightful. It’ll be interesting to see where it heads.

The piece on narrow wide rings wound me up because it ignored the fact that the original 11 speed Sram stuff is insanely expensive and not compatible with existing cranks etc.

If you really are a longterm Dirt reader. Look at a mag feom a few years ago. Compare to a recent one.

Very slender and the ad content has taken over. The punters dressed in POC and riding carbon Santa Cruz’s probably love it as its part of the lifestyle vehicle.

mindmap3 – Member

The piece on narrow wide rings wound me up because it ignored the fact that the original 11 speed Sram stuff is insanely expensive and not compatible with existing cranks etc.

Yup, leaving aside the daft hypocrisy of recommending direct buy products out of one side of their mouths (YT and bezzie mates Superstar among others) they just ignored that the choice they’re talking about doesn’t even exist, the Works etc chainrings fill a role that SRAM have chosen not to. If SRAM had gone ahead with 10-speed thick/thins then things would probably look very different now.

I stopped subscribing a couple of years ago when the mag seemed to be getting a bit ‘samey’ (the same happened with my MBUK subscription a few years earlier!), I still buy the odd magazine here and there (usually when having to spend more than an hour on public transport!

I kept using the website after I’d cancelled the subscription, but now only really look at it on a Friday, for the Randoms, or if something catches my eye on Facebook! The current format is horrible and over the last couple of years the race coverage has been overtaken by that of Pinkbike’s, who also tend to upload videos (This is Peaty etc) quicker than Dirt.

long term Dirt reader 🙂 It takes a long time to decipher the words on the page. It’s more of a picture book

I find myself on Pink Bike a fair amount these days too. They seem much more on the ball with regards to getting content up quickly.

Are Dirt missing Billy? The website does seem out of date now that he is not there any more.

I love Dirt.

I love having a print bike mag that I can read on the bog or on the odd train journey sans kids.

It’s the only print bike mag that deals with the subject matter I’m interested in in the way I feel about it – other mags are advertorial yawn-fests that deal with the subject I love (bikes) in a way that removes the passion.

Dirt website is puss though 😉

Oh aye, the printing… I thought to myself, this is a bit hard to read- think it was blue on purple, or something similarly daft. Thought I’d get my dad to try it- he couldn’t tell there was any writing there at all 😆

Dirt has gone wrong somewhere along the line, but the UK scene is waaay different to when it first came out, as are their target audience.

In last months review of 29ers they only had £4k bikes not the bikes that the majoirty of riders that I know could afford. Also almost every bike reveiew they “tweek” the suspension. So they imply that you must purchase a new bike and then spend another few hundred re valving the shocks etc.
Sadly it used to be a very good mag but it’s gone Downhill ( pardon the pun)

Magazine is pish, website as bad as Rocky Roads, we never got Finally 4, not even a rumor of # 5, Perkins off doing better stuff for other people.

I use vital for gravity news. Pinkbike for photos and edits. How they front a race team I’ll never know, even though it seems to be all Reidys work anyway.

Only check up on Dirt to see if it’s better. Never is.

Magazine is pish, website as bad as Rocky Roads, we never got Finally 4, not even a rumor of # 5, Perkins off doing better stuff for other people.

Been waiting for another Finally video, they were good.

Flicking through a recent dirt, as there isnt much to read anymore, (my oh got me a sub for xmas) it does seem full of advertisments – thats likely what is keeping them afloat.

How long advertisers will keep paying to be in the magazine who knows – sales figures must be getting smaller.

One other thing dirt doesnt do well anymore is reviews, they used to have plenty of new products like the other mags but nothing now, just endless ‘Enduro’ bikes and ass kissing of anything made by SRAM or Boss

Jones is obsessed with tuning suspension. He must have shares in TFT and co!

I’m not so fussed about the high end reviews because they’ve always kind of done that, its the fact that they’re super short that I find annoying. You can also pretty much predict what it will say – large is too small for six footers plus, suspension is OK but needs tuning due to lack of support etc.

They rarely follow anything up either – ages and ages ago they built up a couple of custom bikes (a Yeti DJ and a Demo 8) which they were supposed to do further features on (i.e long term reviews) and nothing was ever said about them again.

I still buy it most months. But I cant remember reading more than one article out of one issue.

pictures are great but the content has got a bit samey.

Or maybe I’m just bored reading about bikes

And I’ve never understood jonesy. So it cant just be him.

I hope it doesn’t go under, purely because the world cup videos they put out are pretty much the best thing since sliced bread.

It’s not been the same since Mpora bought it and swamped the site in advertising.

Otherwise I still like the mag, if I’m being honest.