• This topic has 44 replies, 37 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by StuE.
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  • mountainbike magazines…………..a little rant.
  • ton
    Full Member

    with the exception of stw mag………………….mtb mags are **** rubbish.
    for some idiotic reason or out of boredom, i purchased what mountainbike magazine last night.
    i sat on the throne in the little room to read it this morning, and i can in all honesty say, it is the worst and most boring full of crap mag i have ever looked at.
    what a complete waste of money.

    BontyBuns
    Free Member

    What specifically are you refering to. Was it the articles? or lack there of.

    Teetosugars
    Free Member

    The Ride is good, as is Privateer..

    Both, granted, do sound more like porn mags, but hey..

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

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    ton
    Full Member

    just the contents in general
    the journo’.s telling us about their fave gear
    the journ’s telling us about their fave bikes
    the tests of boring samey full sus mondeo bikes
    the uninspiring route guides
    the same old fave manufacturers winning all the tests
    boring
    boring
    boring
    bit like me i suppose

    poly
    Free Member

    Ton,

    You appear to have missed the point of “What Mountain Bike” (and the whole “What…” series). They are specifically targetted at people looking to buy new Mountain Bikes (or Gear) and therefore it is highly appropriate that they are just full of reviews. The average reader is also looking for something he can buy at his LBS not some super niche thing he’ll need to build himself, and since the majority of people buy “Mondeo” bikes its appropriate that someone reviews them.

    ton
    Full Member

    poly, you are ofcourse correct, and i apologise for being a miserable grumpy old ****……………. 😆

    njee20
    Free Member

    You appear to have missed the point of “What Mountain Bike” (and the whole “What…” series). They are specifically targetted at people looking to buy new Mountain Bikes (or Gear) and therefore it is highly appropriate that they are just full of reviews. The average reader is also looking for something he can buy at his LBS not some super niche thing he’ll need to build himself, and since the majority of people buy “Mondeo” bikes its appropriate that someone reviews them.

    +1, the clue’s in the name really!

    angryratio
    Free Member

    Singletrack is the only riding magazine i go near now.
    I used to read Mbr etc. but as time wore on i realised i don’t really get anything in the mags i won’t get online for freeish anyway.

    I’m rarely influenced by a magazine such as mbuk saying something will be rad to the power of woop, and, like to think of myself as a marketing persons nightmare…. although ultimately we’re all fools for the marketing.

    So mondeo mag for mondeo man is pretty much the answer. I work with a guy who is best described as anal. He talks about riding in a very clinical way like he’s doing a review of everything in an mbr style tone of voice.
    It’s amusing to me anyway. He always seems to have a copy of what mtb on his desk.

    ton
    Full Member

    the mag is now in the recycling paper box……. 8)

    angryratio
    Free Member

    Leave it out for the rats to read..
    “what tyres for sewer riding”

    stAn-BadBrainsMBC
    Free Member

    The Ride is good, as is Privateer..

    not £9.00 good though.

    I bought MBUK the other day. I’d finished this weeks comic (Cycling Weekly) and had an hour or to kill on a train – mint sauce was pretty good, the article on the west highland way was pretty good and the article on riding the himalayas wasn’t too bad.

    Rest of the magazine was the usual tosh aimed at someone other than me but I did get a free neck tube which came in handy on the way home – had to clean my specs and blow my nose.

    On the whole I’d have to agree with Ton on this – although I dare say STW is a bit hit and miss lately. But its still the best mag by far – its got Mike Ferrintino writing for it to start with.

    King-ocelot
    Free Member

    Is 30% of ‘What MTB’ still taken up with those tables of current bikes under the manufacturers heading? I could never undserstand why only a few bikes were rated. It just seemed like a list of prices and place of manufacture. I didn’t buy the magazine my dentist always has a stack of them on the coffee table. Surely a chart more like ‘the knowledge’ in evo on cars would benefit the buyer more?

    bazzer
    Free Member

    Dirt is OK sometimes, again sounds like a porn mag though 🙂

    Mister-P
    Free Member

    Ton why not have a crack at putting a mag together with the stuff in it you think bike mags should have? Then do it again next month and the month after and the one after that etc.

    popstar
    Free Member

    Dirt is very very good, you kind of getting impression as reading rider’s story not one of the Journo’s.

    xc-steve
    Free Member

    I liked Dirt for a bit then remembered I’m not 15…. 😀

    Good if I’m about to go on holiday and need to stock up on reading material mind! This Privateer thing any good then?

    sv
    Full Member

    Ton why not have a crack at putting a mag together with the stuff in it you think bike mags should have? Then do it again next month and the month after and the one after that etc.

    Not sure but I don’t think that is Ton’s job but it is the bike mags job to it monthly or 9 per year etc.

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    What Mountain Bike was very useful last year when I was returning to MTBing after a 12 years absence. I wouldn’t buy it now though, I have a bike and if I wanted another it would probably be too niche for them anyway…

    anotherdeadhero
    Free Member

    I gave up mtb mags a while ago, BECAUSE I KNOW IT ALL.

    *iz god*

    TooTall
    Free Member

    adh – I’d recommend Boneshaker magazine. Real people really riding bikes. I found it less artys-tossy than The Ride but not bland. I’ll buy the next issue, which is more of a statement than I’ll make about any other magazine.

    argyle
    Free Member

    dirt was good until the mpora crowd got involved, now it’s as guff as the rest

    anotherdeadhero
    Free Member

    dirt is one of those odd magazines. Whenecver there is one lying about that somebody else has bought, I read it, it’s really good. Whenever I buy one, I flick through and think WTF? This is rubbish!

    TT – I’ll look it out.

    Hairychested
    Free Member

    I like Dirt better than Singletrack TBH. I’ve no DH/FR skills let alone a need for a 666″ travel bike but nonetheless I love their attitude. Besides, I live close to some stairs where Lawro allegedly snapped his Boxxers years ago when he overshot the street.

    Dark-Side
    Full Member

    Dirt is my favourite mag as well. I think Factory Media are pretty good sports publishers all round really, as my favourite snowboard magazine is Whitelines.

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    I look at Dirt in WHSmith but then don’t buy it. Too much “full-face helmet and goggles” for me I think.

    PeteG55
    Free Member

    Been a subscriber of Dirt for quite a while and buy Singletrack every month. The others are a bit mainstream, but I guess thats rather the point. For the majority of mtb’ers, they’re just what they want. Take a look around your average trail centre car park and I’ll bet most of them are mbr/wmb readers.

    verses
    Full Member

    Boneshaker magazine

    Another porn mag?

    clubber
    Free Member

    Boneshaker issue 1:

    http://www.boneshakermag.com/BoneshakerMag_issue1.pdf

    It’s certainly different but I’m not sure that I’d pay for it.

    bobbyspangles
    Full Member

    get up to speed with some online shizz…

    wide open magazine
    IMB magazine
    Vital

    jhw
    Free Member

    The US “Bike” magazine is worth reading for the photography alone especially the annual photography issue.

    Dirt is good for the photography and layout but the prose is often pretty risible.

    ART
    Full Member

    I’m a mag tart .. can’t help it, just like reading about bikes, but my faves are definitely Dirt (although god only knows what Steve Jones is on half of the time), Singletrack and the US ‘Bike’ at the moment. The Ride looks lovely on my coffee table and I quite like the groove of Boneshaker. Gave up on Dirt Rag and still mourn the demise of Mountain Bike World which was the last time Future got anything right. Had a flick through Privateer in Bothy Bikes the other day so might give that whirl. And agree that the online ones are worth a read too. 😉

    timc
    Free Member

    I actually think Singletrack magazine is rubbish…

    obviously Im wrong like 🙂

    Ax3M4n
    Free Member

    angryratio – Member
    So mondeo mag for mondeo man is pretty much the answer. I work with a guy who is best described as anal. He talks about riding in a very clinical way like he’s doing a review of everything in an mbr style tone of voice.
    It’s amusing to me anyway. He always seems to have a copy of what mtb on his desk.

    I think you are talking about me and I think I know who you are. Don’t expect any more favours.

    julianwilson
    Free Member

    bazzer – Member

    Dirt is OK sometimes, again sounds like a porn mag though

    indeed; my subs copy comes in the post in an opaque grey wrapper with just my address, subscriber number and ‘dirt’ written on it. I bet genuine grot-by-post also looks just like this to the postman. 😕

    wl
    Free Member

    Intrigued by the concept of a £9 mag I looked at the Privateer website. WTF? Presumably bought by Howies fans.

    Leku
    Free Member

    and this months MBR?

    skimmed and binned.

    angryratio
    Free Member

    Ax3M4n think you’ve got me mixed up mate.. and if you do know me.. don’t take it too personally i love you still.

    if your henley based then i defo don’t know you.

    StuMcGroo
    Free Member

    my advice when it comes to product selection is to use magazines to gather information on what is available but take any rating with a bucket of salt and attempt to try/view before you buy.

    GiantJaunt
    Free Member

    I found it to be quite a useful magazine when I was looking for a bike as it had lots of reviews and reviews of bikes I could actually afford. Don’t buy it anymore though because I don’t really agree with giving a bike marks out of 5 as it’s personal preference largely.

    What does annoy me about some mags is how they want to rate absolutely everything. Like helmets for example. They’re just a lump of polystyrene with a chin strap ffs. What do they do, get someone to hit them over the head with a sledge hammer then rate the headache?

    albino
    Free Member

    I tried Dirt on one of those “3 Free issue” deals. There are some really good articles in there but either I’m in need of reading specs or they need to sort out the size of the fonts – I gave up halfway through the last mag …

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