I don’t regularly read MBR (or any magazines) but I do look out for a copy when on holiday or travelling. Recently haven’t seen it for sale any time I’ve looked – at the station or in supermarkets and local newsagents. This has been going on for a month or so

Is it still going? Has something changed with its distribution? Or have a lot of riders started commuting by train and buying up all the copies??

I know their circulation is down a lot, so probably then been delisted by places as not profitable use of shelf space.

Still going but yes probably harder to pick a copy up like a lot of magazines.

Maybe people got bored of 100 pages of nothing but:
Ad
Stealth ad
Roost
Ad
Stealth ad
Roost

I picked a copy up in Sainsbury’s! Agreed though it’s getting harder to find, and the mag in a lot thinner than it once was!

Wandered round Lancaster services on the M6 this evening as a break from driving and saw it was on the shelf.

I picked up four of last month’s issue (because I had an article in it 8) ) and it did take two trips but it’s never been stocked everywhere, and places like railway stations and motorway services will tend to just stock MBUK as it’s the big seller.

I got mine in Morrison’s, who had loads of copies, and a tiny WHSmiths in Cornwall who only had two.

A month timestamp will only mean 1 or 2 issues and depending on time of month it may have been sold.
Locally it tends to be in decent supply but I’m unsure on who buys it…3 of the big chain supermarkets stock it as does WH Smiths and they all tend to have 5 or 6 copies each.

I stopped buying it a couple of years back ..when the route section became less important and I realised that I probably had four copies of each route anyway.
I have never thrown a copy out and have a cupboard full upstairs from the first edition onwards ..

It’s probably available free (electronically) through your local Council Library which should have RB Digital or similar (Zinio?) content for free for members. I often download it but rarely look at it beyond the contents page!

I do, however, read The Railway Magazine, Heritage Railways AND What Hifi on my subscription. And if you like OK / Chat / Knitting World etc then there’s plenty for you there, too. Support your local library! 😀

Still going but it’s got a lot thinner so who knows for the long term?

I subscribed to it earlier on in the year, as the offer of a ‘free’ helmet tempted me in. After nearly 6 months and no helmet and a few angry emails later I cancelled my subscription and direct debit. They still seem to drop through my letter box each month though.

Apparently it’s been going 20 years. The November edition has lots of ultimates and bests and underrateds.

Bike of the year
Bike of the decade
Lights

Yawn zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I had a sub to it when they were giving away free Evoc packs. Kept it going but then cancelled it after it all got a bit samey.

Met quite a few guys through the MBR forum that I still ride with very occasionally. I don’t frequent that forum anymore though as it all got a bit banterless. Plus if you tried to have a raging argument with someone the mod would close the thread without warning.

Truly thoughtless of them 😆

Reminds me I need to cancel my subscription.

It’s about half the number of pages it used to be, twice the number of adverts, half the quality and twice the editorial bias towards brands that advertise with them. The route guides are just normal pages rather than the sturdier stuff they used to be.

I don’t think it will be around much longer in paper form.

their bike of the year is a Trek. nails in the coffin… 😉

Used to pick it up occasionally when travelling if nothing else was available. Then ten minutes into the journey I’d find myself looking at the back cover.

I think the magazines missed the boat in terms of getting their content onto channels such as youtube. They should have adapted several years ago and made the most of the brand they had but they didn’t and it’s probably too late now for most of them.

It’s all so predictable.

GT bike being reviewed per the cover? Flick to review knowing it will be a grudging 7 at best, most likely a 6.

Wonder what % of their advertising income is from GT. Probably lower than the average for other brands.

Just been over to the forum to check what’s going on. Two posts today and 8 in the last 24 hours. Not be long until they close that down I think.

Yeah I just picked up novembers one with bike of the year in it apart from thinking it was very thin special!
But just turned out it was a normal thin magazine that cost a fiver and was lack luster!
But to be fair they all singletrack included are going that way for me, I kind just buy them for a quick read and to surport them. Gotta say I do miss what MountainBike though!

What Mountain Bike is the one I miss most also (actually I’ve only just found out it’s gone, just thought it was getting ever harder to find).

I know I went to buy it and it had gone of my newsagents list so I went back and there was only a small bit in the mag that I’d missed saying thanks etc. Shame!
And who cam forget dirt that was an ok read on and off

In my local WHSmiths, the mountain bike section has either 3 or 4 magazines at most. Probably double that for road bikes. For contrast, the urban survival section alone has around ten magazines. I’m not convinced that the number of different magazines is a reflection of actual interests – I mean, how many city dwellers buy airguns to kill their supper that day? Or drive classic vans, lorries or even VW Transporters? And judging by the house magazines we’re all buying and selling houses, or decorating according to season.

I’m not convinced that the number of different magazines is a reflection of actual interests

See also the vast number of photography magazines.

It’s more about how different audiences and interests consume media, and if there’s enough interest and revenue from advertising to make mags viable.

Clearly some sectors like survivalism and cameras are more lucrative!

I get it on Read.ly – no idea how much money they make from that though.

Just been over to the forum to check what’s going on. Two posts today and 8 in the last 24 hours. Not be long until they close that down I think.

Been like that for the last 3-4 years. Actually those stats are pretty good – I’ve looked and some days there have been literally no posts.

When it was more active it was more than a bit cliquey with the “big hitters” openly attacking people for expressing opinions contrary to them on the basis that they hadn’t been there long enough / had a high enough post count and how very dare they? And now that crowd have largely moved on, there’s hardly anyone left.

Another Readly reader here. I wouldn’t pay full cover price for it or a sub but being able to flick through several magazines a month for one subscription price for the family makes it worthwhile. Don’t begrudge an empty ad filled mag as much…

It’s probably available free (electronically) through your local Council Library which should have RB Digital or similar (Zinio?) content for free for members…… there’s plenty for you there, too. Support your local library!

Never been a big library service user, but this is awesome. Just checked and our county (Surrey) provides free access to RBdigital. Lots of magazines on there I’d happily pay for.
I’m off down the Library to sign up. Every day’s a school day! 8)

Think I counted about 15 different fishing magazines in a supermarket once. Whilst I’m sure there are quite a few people who fish just that I don’t know them as I don’t, is it really that popular?!

Think I counted about 15 different fishing magazines in a supermarket once. Whilst I’m sure there are quite a few people who fish just that I don’t know them as I don’t, is it really that popular?!

Well it’s not like you can read about MTBing while you’re actually doing it. Fisherfolk must need something to alleviate the boredom.

Well it’s not like you can read about MTBing while you’re actually doing it. Fisherfolk must need something to alleviate the boredom.

Everyone needs to sit on the toilet for a few minutes each day don’t they – isn’t that what magazines are for ?

I counted about 15 different fishing magazines in a supermarket once

I expect 14 of them were Total Carp.

Whilst I’m sure there are quite a few people who fish just that I don’t know them as I don’t, is it really that popular?!

Yes. In England alone over 1million rod licences are sold every year. Scotland doesn’t have rod licences and even in England not all types of fishing require a licence. There could be several million people who fish in the UK.

I bought a couple waiting fora train the other day, first time for ages – thing that stuck out for me was the routes seemed to have shrunk – most were 25-40 miles when I used to buy it (late 90s I think) now they seem to be 8-16.

They give away some pretty decent prizes. My son and I were going to go and find the bottle to win a groupset and Pikes.. someone found it the day before. Ruined our weekend that.
October’s mag is ok, but yeah, nothing to make me buy it again. Shame really.

I get it on Read.ly – no idea how much money they make from that though.

I believe it’s the best part of **** all. Hence quite a lot of publishers pulling their mags of the platform as it’s non viable if they want to pay the bills. And as Readly doesn’t report properly into sales figures, it’s not even like the “circulation” can be used to leverage ad reach figures and so ad rates.

Bit like Spotify in respect that content producers get a raw deal.

Whilst I’m sure there are quite a few people who fish just that I don’t know them as I don’t, is it really that popular?!

Iirc Anglers Weekly has the highest circulation of any ‘hobbies’ magazine.