A casual browse of most newsagents suggests that most magazines are around the 35 mark and the 'high quality' (well in look / feel, can't comment about content) seem to be £8 upwards. So, A nice quality copy of Singletrack at £7 would appear comparatively good value in the market. Anyway, as a long time subscriber it's not something I'm worried about!
Bike Forum
[closed]
Issue 72 - Relaunch - NOW IN MAGARCHIVE
-
Posted 1 year ago #
-
New subscriber here. Hadn't bought the mag in a shop in ages, but suddenly felt motivated to subscribe once I read about the changes and the rationale behind them.
To be honest it's worth the money just for access to all the digital back-issues. And if £40 up front helps a little to keep the magazine in business and people in jobs then it's well worth it irregardless of the quality of the mag.
Posted 1 year ago # -
In the last year I have seen beers that I regularly drink in regular pubs go up from £2.40 a pint to £2.70, some I drink in other regular haunts are £2.90 now, sometimes £3.00 and more.
While this argument won't persuade the nay sayers have a look where you do spend your money. I did an exercise last year with tea bags. For quite a few years I have been buying supermarkets own brand tea bags, though not the cheapest range "to save money". I bought a box of 80 in October 2011 and put a little note in my caddy with the date on. They lasted until early this month. So I was basically saving about a quid over the brand I really wanted in roughly 3 months. 30p a month! That is the amount PER pint I am paying extra in my local since Feb last year. Where can I really save money.
As said this won't convince the nay sayers but for those of you who are on the fence worrying about the new price. Have a think about where else you spend money. The store mag is increasing what £3 per issue so a little under 50p a week? If the new mag lives up to the promise couldn't you really drink one pint less a month to save up for the extra cover charge?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Looking forward to recieving my newly subscribed to magazine through the post. I've been getting singletrack for the past 6 months and it just makes sense to subscribe IMO. The most unique mag out there in regards to mtbing and just the right mix of awe inspring pictures, thought provoking and funny articles and not too much tech and gear reviews but just enough for the geek in me.
Keep up the good work guys.
Posted 1 year ago # -
i subscribed last week, new mag at old price #win
Posted 1 year ago # -
When is it due through my door ???
Posted 1 year ago # -
All things being well around the 13th
Posted 1 year ago # -
Browsing in 'Smiths/ buying off the shelf lets me decide whether that particular issue is of interest to me that month. I'm sorry to say that sometimes some issues just aren't that appealing. I know that by subscribing I can just recycle the issues I don't fancy, but that seems a bit of a waste (especially of fancy thick paper). The cost of subscribing compared to buying at a newsagent probably means I can afford to chuck a third away and still be none the worse off, so why am I bothered? I'm not sure.
What would be really handy would be the ability to subscribe and then pre-select the issues you want each month from the preview put up on STW. You'd pay in advance for 12 issues, but the number of issues remaining available to you would only decrease as you pre-selected. This means you'd only receive those issues that you really want. I suspect this would be a logistical nightmare, technically difficult, and the printers would end up printing the same amount of issues each month regardless, but in my head it makes some kind of sense.
Having said all that, I'm likely to subscribe again (I've lapsed) as its too much of a flipping hassle to find a copy anywhere near me (Corsham, Wilts).
Posted 1 year ago # -
Will there be more than 2 bikes per issue as there seems to have been a trend for more and more lifetsyle, riding, people, clothes, chain was, places at the expense of some good old fashioned bike reviews?
Posted 1 year ago # -
There's always been more than 2 bike reviews in every issue. Typical count is 4. Bike test of three plus a grinder bike review. But Singletrack's focus has never been predominantly review lead.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Perhaps reveiw isn't the right word as it doesn't have to be the standard 'test' of something new as I'm not after What Mountain Bike level of lots of bikes but little substance. There is a limit to how many bikes you can test both physically and within the format of ST. But there are lots of folks out there in STW who are either respected or just get on with riding and enjoy themselves, that for one reason or another ride a particuar bike. As much as I like a bike test it can sometimes feel that journalists are living in a different cycling world to the rest of us.
Posted 1 year ago # -
And when will it be available as digital copy please?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Tuesday for Digital
Posted 1 year ago # -
Probably been answered somewhere but if I get a digi subscription can I have multiple copies of the mag on different gadgets? I have a kindle, an iPod touch and pc/laptop. The kindle doesn't do justice to the excellent photographs but is usefully portable for reading wherever the chance occurs.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yes.
You have free access to the mag archive. As many downloads of as many issues as you like
Posted 1 year ago # -
Excellent. Thanks for the swift reply - sub on its way!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Done. Take one off your walk in purchasers and add one to the subscriber list
Great mag by the way.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Welcome to the club
Posted 1 year ago # -
Mark - Resident Grumpy
Tuesday for DigitalWhich Tuesday?
Posted 1 year ago # -
This one by the looks
Posted 1 year ago # -
New layout looks good
Didn't want to spoil the arrival of the paper copy so haven't read it in detail.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I was EALLY going to try to not look at the digital copy until I'd got the "real" one. But I failed miserably. I have to admit that I am not a fan of the digital copies though they have their uses. I much prefer a magazine. Still there certainly looks as though there is a lot of content in the new issue. Really want to get my hands on the proper thing though.
Posted 1 year ago # -
My copy has just arrived in the post!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Maybe a question for the management. What electronic formats are going to be supported? I see .pdf and flip in the archive, I'm guessing kindle and epub are on their way? Not everything in the archive is in the same formats, what is the intention for the future?
Is there a summary of the pros and cons of each format anywhere?
Posted 1 year ago # -
ePub is on my desktop now. Just adding the cover image and should be ready in an hour or so. Same for Kindle (.mobi).
Some of our older issues were produced with an older version of the Pageflip software we use. We are working our way back and upgrading them all.
ePub versions work best on Apple devices in iBooks but also other eBook readers for Android phones and tablets.
.Mobi is the Kindle format and works on Kindles and all devices running Kindle app software.
PDF works well on tablets running a PDF reader app. iBooks again is great at viewing PDFs although it still doesn't run Double page Spreads, which is a bugger since we like running images across two pages. There are other PDF reader apps available that display DPS well. iBooks is free though and it also allows you to switch from PDF to ePub very easily as it stores both.
The pageflip version is best used on desktops, laptops etc. It uses Flash so it is not great on Apple devices although it does run a stripped down HTML5 version on Apple devices, but it's not great.
There is a third party App in the App store that delivers a really nice version of the mag. At the moment that's a separate purchase although we are working on integrating that into our existing subscription package via this website. That should be sorted for the next issue.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks. Personally I don't have anything apple for now, or maybe ever. My tablet is a playbook (it was a bargain) and I know there are plenty of others with Android tablets and phones so please don't get too much of an apple bias.
That range of formats is great though, I will select a reader for my niche device.
Posted 1 year ago # -
ePub version is now there.
Kindle version next
Posted 1 year ago # -
and now we have the Kindle version for you
Posted 1 year ago # -
Mine arrived today. Fairly damaged - the cover seems quite susceptible. Nothing major, but lots of surface marks on front and back.
Just had a quick flick through - looks meaty. Plenty of nice photos for inspiration. Still looks like Singletrack. Should be good!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Will download tonight - Any recommendations for best way to use on android tablets? PDF in eBook is good but it sometimes locks up on the big photo pages; (As an aside how come some issues are 40Mb and others 80Mb or more?) Adobe reader manages the photos but is not as nice to browse as it just scrolls top to bottom.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Alex Simon +1
Mine has also arrived quite beat up, old version was much more Royal Mail proof it would seem.
Looking forward to having a read through it to see whats new.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I have just downloaded Issue 72 to Bookman to read on the i Pad. A quick flick through and I am more than happy with the contents, both written and pictorial. However, I am a little disappointed that the e format has not changed. I find it hard to read without constantly zooming in to a page, which then loses the flow of text and pictures.
If e publishing is going to be the future then I recommend a look at some of the more innovative e versions of magazines that are currently around, rather than those that just reproduce their paper mag in a PDF. Can I suggest the ST editorial team take a look at Motorsport magazine. Not for the content, but for the layout. The font is all of a god size and scrolls vertically or horizontally whilst maintaining the masthead for that page or section. Multi page articles also scroll vertically. This allows you to move on quickly if you don't want to read an article there and then without having to flick through the whole piece. Like ST good photography is important and there is the opportunity to zoom in on photographs and lose or gain text. There is even embedded video.
I am not waving the banner for Motorsport here as I am much, much more interested in the content of ST; I can afford a mid-range Cannondale but not a mid-range historic Aston Martin. But, as I say, the ST editorial team may want to take a look for some inspiration as to how to move the magazine onto the next level.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Had a flick through the flippy pages e-version yesterday and it looked ace. Actually seemed much more readable as an online version than I remembered from trying one ages ago.
Paper copy arrived today with no damage. It's currently sat on top of issues 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Angus,
Agree entirely. Replica mags are not the future of epublishing. You will be glad to hear we are already on it
Posted 1 year ago # -
First flick through and I like it. Cleaner and more considered. Good effort.
Posted 1 year ago #
Topic Closed
This topic has been closed to new replies.
