I know that we hash and re-hash what constitutes the best in mountain bike magazines on here, but with the plethora of ‘publications’ available online, do you actually buy (or subscribe to) hard copies of magazines anymore?

Personally, I hate reading most things online, and while I do it, there just isn’t the same the pleasure to be had in it as buying a magazine and perusing it over the course of, say, a week or so, before getting the next edition. I imagine, if I had the time to read more extensively on a daily basis, I would say the same about newspapers.

In the meantime, I buy Cycling Weekly pretty regularly from my local newsagent. I love the fact that it feels like it is almost ad-free, covers all the week’s cycling news, gives coverage to local clubs, and makes real connections across the different levels of cycling. And I normally end up getting through one issue the day before the next one is due out. 8)

Do you still read one or more magazines? If so, which one(s)?

No, and to be honest I hope the whole industry (including newspapers) dies off ASAP because of the massive amount of waste involved and the fact that there’s a much more environmentally friendly option available (i.e. online)

Having said that, I did read/subscribe to quite a few magazines in years gone by & know what you mean about the “feel” etc of a printed mag. That will just be another relic for c-list celebs to discuss on cheap TV nostalgia shows in a few years though.

I buy a couple of mag’s regularly : Airgun World and ClassicsMonthly plus the occasional Rail magazine

Zilog – you are a miserable git.

Online magazines? No. STW by the bog, yes, when I was a subscriber. These days, in a cost-cutting drive, I’m mostly reading my back catalogue of Pete Loveday’s comics. If you haven’t heard of them, you have now 🙂

Zilog – you are a miserable git.

Yeah, it’s been said 🙂

Just to clarify, I don’t want publications, etc to go out of business & everyone lose their jobs, etc. Just for everything to move online. I think it will be more sustainable in the long run once everyone gets used to reading stuff off tablets, etc.

Yes I still read magazines.
you might want to read this zilog6128 https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/digital-really-greener-paper-marketing

Classic Bike, cover to cover and I even allow myself a fantasy bike per page in the classifieds.
Then I pass it on.

I’ve subscribed to SFX for years. I used to buy other mags occasionally but these days that’s really only if I’m going on holiday or something.

Pretty much never, maybe 1 or 2 a year. Why would you in an age of the internet and Youtube. Take the GCN ‘How to fix’ vids, far more useful than any magazine article.

you might want to read this zilog6128

print industry lobby group claims print is greener? 😆
You’d probably be interested in this lovely bridge I have for sale…

Also, why didn’t you post me a copy of the Guardian rather than put up a link, you earth-raping bastard? 🙂

Pretty much never, maybe 1 or 2 a year. Why would you in an age of the internet and Youtube. Take the GCN ‘How to fix’ vids, far more useful than any magazine article.

I love GCN, but you can hardly suggest that sitting down with a tablet or laptop to watch GCN is relaxing in the same way that sitting down at the kitchen table with a brew and a magazine is!

I think this is attested to when Cougar says that he mostly buys magazines when he is going on holiday. Why would that be?

Judging by how the chocolate:magazine ratio in WHSmiths has changed over the years, I’d say not many people are reading magazines anymore.

Or maybe people eat more chocolate.

Yep- there’s no such thing as an online magazine, just weirdly formatted websites. The format changes everything

practical classics for when im traveling.

never bother when im at home.

quite like the variation of vehicles and tech articles.

avoided MOST bike mags for some time as usually the news is outdated and the articles are just thinly veiled adverts for what ever specialised is selling this year.

obviously some exceptions !

I love GCN, but you can hardly suggest that sitting down with a tablet or laptop to watch GCN is relaxing in the same way that sitting down at the kitchen table with a brew and a magazine is!

I watch it on the living room tv with a brew. So for me at least, yes it is as relaxing.

I only read magazines in the flesh, can’t stand reading them online…

STW and Cyclist magazines – both essential reading in the bath. Not such a disaster when you drop them, unlike a Kindle 😳

I think this is attested to when Cougar says that he mostly buys magazines when he is going on holiday. Why would that be?

Because he goes on holiday to really boring places (which is a choice he is allowed to make, obviously 🙂 ) Or selfishly chooses to fly, etc, rather than holiday more locally? (Again his prerogative, etc)

Empire mostly, Net is on subscription

I have to say there are a few really expensive magazines out there printed on lovely paper with beautiful photos and hardly any ads

Fuel Magazine

Wax Poetics

But these are really a 1 time a year splurge

I sometimes pick up the odd one at the airport when travelling for work (I get up to £10 per day for ‘sundries’ when travelling abroad) but other than that – no.

Readly’s been great for our family – £8/month for 5 people to read all the mags they can download.

“zilog6128 – Member”, whats another word for member ?

Subscribe to Gardeners World and STW.

Yep, Motorcycle News most weeks and Bike Magazine every month, pass onto my neighbour, so gets reused. Sometimes Ride or Practical Sportsbike, depends what’s in. Still read paperbacks as well, love to read in bed every night. Say NO to screens!!

I guess that was a rhetorical question in the title, as print is still a way off being dead. Even if it’s not very profitable anymore.

I subscribe to Private Eye, MBUK and Procycling personally and read them all. I have a “P” on here but never read the online ST mags.

My wife just got me a sub to Private Eye, makes me look serious and political on the tram every morning when really I’m just looking at the cartoons and just skim reading the complicated stuff 8)

Wouldn’t be the same on a kindle or whatever the equivalent to dead trees is.

“zilog6128 – Member”, whats another word for member ?

I thought reading was supposed to increase one’s intelligence? Obviously not in your case, if you can’t even have a debate (or recognise a joke 🙂 ) without just resorting to insults rather than making a case.

I buy cyclist cos it’s good with being too pretentious like Rouler. Used to buy dirt but Steve Jones writing style wasn’t for me. I also struggle to read any bike review done by that fat bloke in Cycling Plus and MBR is just bobbins unless Muldoon is reviewing – is he still there?

Nope, I used to buy maybe half a dozen or more every month but it gradually tailed off and I’ve not bought a magazine of any sort for around 4 years. Can’t remember the last time I went into WH Smiths.

Readly’s been great for our family – £8/month for 5 people to read all the mags they can download.

I’ve just been looking at that, is that legit?

It must be, sure I’ve seen adverts on the telly for it. Just had a quick look at the website, tons of mags including 7 or 8 cycling ones. Probably none of them optimised for tablet, etc (i.e. would be just like using a PDF viewer or similar) but for the money seems like cracking value.

Probably none of them optimised for tablet

The reader’s really good, zoom, search etc. Links all open in a browser.

All the bike mags I used to buy (including Rouleur) are on there bar Cranked and STW. The car magazine content is huge.

Yes, I know it’s not the same and especially Rouleur is better as a paper item.

Plus you get all the back issues for all the mags to read.

Signed up after spotting about 10 mags i’ve bought at varying times. 2 weeks free so i’ll see what it’s like

Have a print sub for ST and cranked. Only recently cancelled an mbuk sub, as the articles seem a lot lighter of late

I used to be your classic male, avid magazine reader of [insert any number of hobbies] over the years.

Let’s see, what’s on the current list:

Rouleur (subscription)

TBH I seem to have stopped opening them, let alone reading them.

The problem is that I have a complete set (from issue 1) and it’s worth rather a lot of money (esp issue 1), so I sort of feel the need to continue with the collection.

Singletrack (subscription)

Arrives and is never read. Feel bad for using this site without a sub, and just never get round to cancelling it.

Modern Classics (subscription)

Sub bought for me by my sister. Arrives on a rather ad hoc basis (can see it folding). Flick through but prob don’t read it cover to cover. I’ve got Pistonheads for cars.

Monocle

Buy a couple of times a year. Flick through but barely touch it. Some nice stuff in there, but I’m not sufficiently jet set to appreciate it.

Esquire

Buy when going on hols. Usually find it quite diverting, then remember that there’s a reason I never buy these vanity magazines: I’m an overweight forty year old with the income but not the physique for the nice clothes.

Do you still read one or more magazines? If so, which one(s)?

Up until recently I had subscriptions for Cyclist, Cycling Plus and Rouleur and before that Singletrak. Stopped them all last year. Cycling Plus was the same stuff every single year, Rouleur got dull, Cyclist just wasn’t floating my boat and Singletrack had way too much flowery **** content.

If I’m going on holiday I’ll occasionally but a magazine but that’s it.

i do, prefer mags to screens.

I think this is attested to when Cougar says that he mostly buys magazines when he is going on holiday. Why would that be?

Internet roaming is expensive abroad so magazines provide required fappage material obvs

You can download all the mags on Readly, btw, so you can read with no data connection.

I regularly buy Outdoor Fitness (or whatever it’s now called) to read on the train when I have to go to the London office. As others, I prefer a magazine to reading a screen, but also find that a magazine rarely dies when I forget to charge the battery!