I suspect it's less that the magazine or its content or editorial direction have changed but more that the readers have change.
I wondered that but when reading old issues (the benefit of still having them!) I still find the articles interesting and not just from a nostalgic pov - in fact, that's what usually reminds me that the most recent issues just aren't hitting the spot for me in the same way.
that's what usually reminds me that the most recent issues just aren't hitting the spot for me in the same way
Interesting. At least you've tested it - I never have; I've just assumed that I've changed more (or more differently).
it and Privateer are the only MTB mag's I subscribe to
Though I have a subscription, Privateer is yet to capture anything for me. Funnily, and I think this is something that would get TJ's goat, it's the choice(s) of font(s).
I bought a copy a 6 months ago, thought it was dull as dishwater. But I don't really like magwazines anyway..
Not heard of Privateer so googled it - how much? Nearly £10 per mag!!!
No wonder they are named after pirates.
As to STW, I subscribed for a long time then cancelled my subs as it was getting a bit samey, although I have changed a lot too which must add to the mix. This is the second time I have done this.
Actually getting a hankering for it again so will have to go buy a copy, if I like it then I'll sub once again.
Maybe this time, unlike the last two times, I'll get the free gift (is there still one offered?).
It's great that MTB is such a big and diverse pastime that geriatric benders with spuds and a well thumbed highway code can have their own niche mag and forum to compare how omniscient and uptight they are and belittle people who don't share their tastes ie commuting, ignorance about road biking, with a few useful bits and bobs thrown in
It should be a charity really
(tbh it is nice to read mag that acknowledges that not all so-called extreme sports are really rad to power gnarr and some of us listen to R4 rather than spend time lowering our jeans - but don't tell Benjii)
Good thread, actually, and some really interesting points.
When I read it (past tense), I found it to be more of a grown-up read than some of the others - a bit like Playboy (hear me out!) in that the articles are included because they're an interesting read, not because it's necessarily proving a particular point or any such.
If I want to know how a particular bit of kit works or is worth buying, I'll probably go to WMB or Bikemagic, as sometimes a score out of 10 is useful (and they do seem to have a larger collection of reviews). But for general coffee-table reading by (reasonably) normal people rather than self-professed experts, it's not bad.
Having said that, though, I never bought it that often, perhaps because general coffee-table reading wasn't top of my list of priorities. I'd read it if there was a particular grouptest of interest (Ti hardtails, for example), and then enjoy the rest of the articles, rather than buying specifically for the articles.
Distribution was always the other issue for me - if I was at Kings Cross looking for a read for a 5 hour train journey, I probably would pick it up if I could have found it. Now I'm in Canada, I can't get it anywhere, and my buying habits don't justify buying a sub, to my mind.
st magazine is pretty good, decent writing and some lovely photography. I dont buy it though as it seems a bit thin on the ground.
The best mtb magazine is dirt, which I try and buy every month. The photography is fantastic, good gear reviews and some interesting articles (the writing is not as good as single track though)
Singletrack the site - Fine, I can look at what I want and laugh at some of the ramblings of the mental patients (me included)
Songletrack the magazine - meh! Some articles are ok, the bike tests seems fine too, some articles are in no way relevant to me but you can't have it all ways. I'll have a flick through while waiting for the wife in Sainsbury's but if it's not my cuppa that month i'll buy something else
Ive only ever bought one issue and that was only because I was in it. Really doesn't inspire me but then I don't read any mtb mags other than the ones in my mates van on the way to rides. I likes to sees new bikes and kit but the words is far too confusings.
bring back mountain biker international!!!
too much chromatic abberation on the photos recently
meh.....
i miss MTB Pro - i think it & ST are pretty similar in "feel" - had to bin my old Pro copies after a house move in 98...:( . i keep all the ST copies i have since 2003. Found the mag, met Chipps when he came over to the Isle of Man for the Polaris, found out about Dirt Rag too , and subscribe to that... What i like about both DR and ST is that they go beyond WMB/MBR who are "of the moment'. Don't keep them more than a couple of months before recycling. Meant to cancel my mBR sub about 9 years ago - just inertia really that stops me cancelling it.
i like that i can pick up an old ST and still find it worth rereading - and often being surprised how old the issue is, especially when the clean subs copy doesn't date it as much...
long may it continue..
It does seem to be getting a bit tired at the mo and a bit Mbr, although just like summers from years ago I'm sure it used to be better back along.
Maybe after 'many' years I just don't need to be told what the latest fandango piece of kit is I can just do what I want to do.
I certainly know for a fact I couldn't make it any better !
I find it very erratic... When it's good it's very good, when it's bad it's pretty bad. That Matt Hart article in the last issue but one, frinstance, was like something out of some zero-budget fanzine. But I'll tolerate the bad for the good. Right now it seems to be at the low end of the cycle, that issue was really not up to scratch.
None of the mags are perfect but they've all got something to add IMO.
My favourite series was the Fish Out Of Water series - it put the writer in a position closer to most of we mortals, ie unsure of excatly how to do something and discovering a lot on the way.
My all-time favourite Singletrack article was the frame building one, which was from that series.
I've always felt the difference between STW and other magazines is that the readership have a sense of ownership over the content rather than having something served up on them. This is a lot to do with the forum and the history. I can see the mag slipping away from this a bit as it grows and becomes more mainstream. I hope the owners stick to their roots though and build the market rather than follow it.
Even though I didn't agree with it at all the Benji rant made me think, as did the Dave Anderson access pieces. I think Ferrantino and Matt Hart have run their course and wonder whether STW should be a bit more anarchic in its month to month format. If the same old sections are there it becomes a formula.
I found ST mag after years away from the sport. (I had read MBUK from issue 1 and MTB International too). I had tried the MBUK, MBR, What MTB, etc when I returned to the sport but only ST hit the spot for me. It focused more on the riding than just the 'latest kit' or new pigeonhole that the marketing types have invented to increase the bike range.
So, as much as it seems to go against the grain of this thread, I enjoy!
Firstly, in true STW forum tradition I haven't read any of the previous posts.
I don't buy it anymore except the edition that comes with the calender.
I would say there is less of interest in the mag for me the last year or two. It's a bit too in bed with the advertisers, a bit too MBR-ish and lacking any back bone.
The last article I really enjoyed was the frame building one!
too much chromatic abberation on the photos recently
I have no idea what this means but I have noticed many of the photos seem the same vivid green tone lately.
Mag is good though IMO - bivvying fixation aside.
too much chromatic abberation on the photos recently
I used to pick up Singletrack whenever I could, (doesn't show up in most small newsagents, supermarkets etc. though) I work offshore so I still appreciate a good hardcopy magazine.
I now subscribe to Singletrack and Dirt. Singletrack is increasingly my favorite as it's largely relevant to real riding I could actually do and it's not written in a variety of stylised prose, in yellow, sideways.
What would I like more of? blue skies, enduro DH, recipes for home cooked energy bars.
MBR - just awful
MBUK - tolerable if it's all there is (e.g. I liked the Barel DVD)
WMB - just no
ST - good to excellent, but difficult to obtain without subscription*
Dirt - put off by full-face helmets and hucking
Privateer - put off by name and non-availability
Ride - I liked issue 1
Shred - OK when I could find it.
* Mark: Can you not bribe Tesco to stock your mag? Pleeeease!
There have been some great articles in ST over the year. Ed's Man and Boy one stands out, but I love the industry interviews and the like. More please. There are some great characters out there.
I used to love reading about routes and cycle trips but now I find the quality of the writing is quite poor and they all now sound the same. Some people can make "just riding a bike" sound like the most interesting and exciting thing ever but most can't.
Thinking back to when I used to read climbing magazines there were quite a few very well regarded contributors. They were great writers who were also climbers. ST - and most of the other MTB mags as well - are missing that writing talent for the most part. I still enjoy ST and still subscribe, but if I could bend Chipps' ear that's what I would tell him he could improve on. I hope this is taken as constructive criticism...if any of the squad read it.
plus, i've ridden as a guide for featured rides with almost all of the main mags and st were the only people that sent a couple of guys out that seemed like a couple of mountain bikers on a weekend ride rather than a couple of journalists on mountain bikes. i'm pretty sure that that is relevant to how the mag reads.
That pretty much hits the nail on the head. Best mag out there as far as I'm concerned. It's the only one where the trail being ridden takes second place to the crucial aspect of what is the best post-ride whisky. I'm a very happy subscriber.
Ed Oxley should be in even more, I love Tangfastics & always ride with them since seeing them packed. Articles like Man & boy, whisky & B&B's etc are great. The photos are only bettered by Dirt, as is the over all design (or art) of the mag. Now that's where Dirt do stand head & shoulders above all other cycle mags - did you see their WC issue last year with the watercolour rainbow effect running through the mag? That issue should have won an award for the art involved.
All in all, I'll keep subscribing to ST & Dirt, can't be arsed with the rest. 
!Mark: Can you not bribe Tesco to stock your mag? Pleeeease *
I get my copy from Tesco, so they already do
On the whole a right good read and better than the other advertorial mtb crap out there. The fishing tips and sections on ground baiting your swim the night before for a larger catch, are always brilliant 
Could do with a profile of a forum member in every issue ? Who's first ?
I'm a subscriber (who can't be bothered to sort out the premier tag on my account...) and find its the best of the bunch by quite a distance as I find the articles and some reviews more in line with the actual riding I do/aspire to do compared to the other magazines available.
That said I have been a little irritated with some recent kit reviews as some of the recent test bikes/kit are so far beyond any sensible budget they are little more than aspirational lifestyle fodder. Thats a fairly minor complaint however (and true to all magazines since few marketing people want reviews of midrange kit) and i always find more to enjoy than dislike.
recent test bikes/kit are so far beyond any sensible budget they are little more than aspirational lifestyle fodder.
Here's a thought: how about the occasional test of a range of bikes from the same manufacturer. The Fresh Goods stuff often captures this from a press day/press release basis, but actually then taking 3-4 bikes from across the range would be great.
And, in spite of the undoubted readership demographic, get some women's kit in there..!
My 2 p worth.
Bike – a poor shadow of its former self. Compared to the early days, it’s gotten a lot thinner, the content has been greatly reduced and the articles themselves have grown a bit, well, lightweight. A bike test that runs to a couple of paragraphs doesn’t really tell me very much that I want to know. It can be read in the newsagent in a few minutes so the motivation to buy it is nil. They’ve just started Paved magazine for roadies. I bought the latest copy but a short ride on the tube on the way to work and I had read through it.
Rouleur – Johnny Green I happily ignore as the rest of the magazine is usually very good. Sometimes they go a bit too far with the photo article stuff and to be honest, a lot of the pictures aren’t really very good at all. I’ve no claims to be a good photographer but I can recognise poor pictures when I see them. However, overall it’s a really nice mag and I happily subscribe.
Privateer – I subscribed for the first 4 issues but writing this reminds me that I need to cancel it. I can’t help feeling that much of it is a rehash of articles from years gone by. There is only so much retro rose tinted navel gazing that I am willing to read.
MBR – all a bit samey to me. The ever present cover mounts are a pain – how am I meant to read the mag in WH Smith to decide if I’m going to buy it when it has a plastic bag over it? Ha! Ha! :lol:The mag follows a predictable formula for content and for a thick mag, there never feels like there is enough reading in it so it too gets left on the shelf. Also, what comes through in the tests in particular is that it gives the impression of the testers having very set views on what is right and what is wrong when it comes to mountain biking, set up etc. Preachy is the word I’m looking for here. If it was a car, it would be a Volvo – safe, predictable but ultimately uninvolving and soulless. It takes a lot to remove the joy from mountain biking but occasionally MBR succeeds there. Ironically, it doesn’t make me want to go out and ride.
The Ride – really like it. It feels like a book and is all the better for it.
Peloton – at last, a mag from the yanks that seems to get road racing!
Procycling – definitely my favourite mag. Follows a standard formula but just seems to work for me. Photos are uniformly excellent and they strike a great balance between big name interviews and the always interesting retro features. Again, a contented subscriber.
What Mountain Bike – too test oriented for me but then that appears to be the market it is aimed at. I usually end up flicking through my mates copy as opposed to ever buying it.
Jeez. I'm picky but then I suspect most folk these days are. I wonder how many folk are now more selective in terms of what they buy than they used to be pre the economic downturn?
Thanks for all the comments folks, it's made some interesting reading. You might not think it, but we do take all these comments on board; the good and the bad ones.
There have been some good suggestions, and some ones that are already in the pipeline, so watch this space for some. It also shows that you can't please everyone - so for every 'I love Ferrentino/hardtails/reviews' there's usually an equal 'I hate Ferrentino/hardtails/reviews'.
One thing that has both helped and hindered the magazine in the past has been a lack of budget and a lack of time. Issues were worked on frantically, weekends were lost (I've probably lost a weekend of my life for every issue we've ever done) and there'd never be time to sit back and plan things. On the negative side, that can lead to erratic changes in authors, topics and photos, but it can also keep the magazine fresh and interesting because, for the most part, we're making it up as we go along.
As the magazine has grown, we've slowly gained better resources, (though there's still only me in the office who's a full time writer for the mag and Sim is still the sole art director) but with more admin staff and more folks like Jon around to write for the web, the main advantage should be that we get a little more of a breather to work out some good stories and take some time commissioning good articles. As I mentioned, we're always open to new ideas, and my email address and phone number are always visible in the mag if anyone wants to get in touch. In the meantime, we'll keep watching threads like these and hoping to make the magazine something that we can be proud of and that you would like to read.
Keep 'em coming...
after two years, next renewal will be down to a pdf/electronic sub rather than paper.. to save money generally and I find the articles/content less interesting/relevant than I did originally so wish to reduce money against what is provided - has been probably due to my changing personal attitudes as well as changes to the mag.
Nothing negative, but people and things change.
ps best thing about being a paper sub is the clean covers - the look awesome
I like it, of all the regular mags it's the one I read with most interest as the reviews to writing content balance is good and there's no percentage / number of stars results rubbish.
Costructive criticism would be simply that somehow I'd like to get more 'stoke' from each issue. I read mags and forums for info generally but mags are mainly to fire my enthusiasm for riding more than buying bikes. More images, more trip reports from wild places, more experiences found on your doorstep etc. ST has this already, but I'd like more.
Mike Ferrentino's articles are great and although writers like this are hard to find, maybe a guest-writer column would add to this type of content.
Maybe each of us has an article in us somewhere? Maybe some of us should type less on a forum and try to write something for the mag... I know this is what the Ride journal's about but no reason not to have a few more pages of random bike-related mental output in ST mag. (it could be published under a pen-name if writers prefer?) I imagine this wouldn't cost anything, some people may like the experience or challenge of writing something worth publishing?
Or, ask non-STW type MTB but otherwise great cycling writers for contributions, considering how much cross-over there is between disciplines (Tim March and Paul Roberts for example - some of the best cycling writing I've ever read was from them)
"ps best thing about being a paper sub is the clean covers - the look awesome"
Yes. I used to buy from my LBS for this reason. They don't stock it now (Bike City, Wells / Bad Ass Bikes)
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