We’ve turned one of our back issues into an interactive, surgically enchanced “online magazine”. And we’re giving you the opportunity to try it for size for FREE…
Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil.
I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld.
Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.
I know I’m being a Luddite, but how is it different to a pdf with web links? The turning pages animation looks good but doesn’t really add much to the experience.
Print is print, web is web. Play to the strengths, this is a halfway to nowhere solution that does nothing well. I buy magazines to read ‘offline’, for good features and for gorgeous photos. Online I want reviews and community. But I enjoyed the ti bikes review, thanks 🙂
Works great for me… love it..better than the other one that came out a bit back! found it very easy… Great job!
Not sure about the Ti article ” we are not in 1994 Toto” LOL B-)
Brant 20/6/09 “Remarkable technology, still not matched.” Re Timax titanium frame from 2004… I would say it’s still the case… the geometry and style may be dated with regards current trends… but it can’t be touched regards engineering…IMHO, Because no one else has the facility or processes to do it or would possibly want to. They are still playing catch up…. IMHO B-)
But watch this space! B-) no fake wizard… but some real magic B-)
Feedback is great.. Thanks everyone.. The browser resizing issue is something we’ve just made the software designers aware of.
As for the whole point of this… Well it can be best summed up in Ben’s latest blog (see front page). But this is not a way to replace either the website or the mag. It’s a ‘NEW’ way to read the mag. I’m just finishing off the interactive features for issue 53 which will soon be available in this new online format. There’s many advantages to this new method of distribution from more environmental delivery to being as cheap for overseas readers as the rest of us (postage on mags sent overseas almost makes it not worthwhile us offering to overseas readers at all). Plus there are a growing number/generation of readers who actually are more then happy to read a magazine in this format. Some actually prefer it.
For the record I’m personally not one of them. But then I’m 38 and I think oversized bars are work of the devil too, but that’s just me and my penchant for reading paper while i’m ‘powdering my nose’ :-). Think of it as just another option for Singletrack readers everywhere 🙂
It’s a developing project though so keep the feedback rolling in. The software developers are aware of this post and the feedback and we are working closely with them to see where we can take this.. Oh and as a bit of a blatant plug for them it’s http://www.3dissue.com 🙂
Mark, I’m 42 pushed for time, failing eye sight but love the mag…the zoom and the scroll are brilliant … you just saved me £180 on some bifocal lenses.
They won’t be free but they will be tied in to new features on the website. But they will be much cheaper than the print copies and access to them will include our entire digital back catalog so as we produce more mags it becomes better value 🙂
Nice idea but was a bit awkward on a small screen (netbook). Full screen mode would help, without the space wasted by title bars the actual mag could be twice as big. Then I should be able to read it without zooming. Even better would be a non-typeset (variable page length) version with adjustable font size, but that could be too hard?
Zoom mode could do with a more convenient way of paging, eg. page up, page down keys and context menus.
Is there a pdf version of the same magazine for comparison? I’m thinking of an electronic subscription but would like to see how readable it is.
Have to play with this soon – I’m one of the overseas subscribers so I have PDF subscription at the moment becasue I agree that the extra $$ of postage and the time it then takes to get here aren’t worth the extra expense to me; extras sound fun too!
looks good. Page 110 is the best one.
Can’t read it. The usual ebook problem.
“The usual ebook problem.” which is what?
Looks good, shame there isn’t a full screen option though. (If these is I couldn’t see it)
I know I’m being a Luddite, but how is it different to a pdf with web links? The turning pages animation looks good but doesn’t really add much to the experience.
You can’t download it 🙂
Issue 51 doesn’t have an awful lot of extras admittedly, we’re working on issue 48 too (which seems to have quite a lot of extra fancy bits).
it worked very well for me.
very annoying when you resize your window it flicks back to the cover !!!
Would love to report back, but flash means I can’t view it on the iPhone 🙁
Print is print, web is web. Play to the strengths, this is a halfway to nowhere solution that does nothing well. I buy magazines to read ‘offline’, for good features and for gorgeous photos. Online I want reviews and community. But I enjoyed the ti bikes review, thanks 🙂
Can I read it whilst dropping the kids off?
alotronic – have you read my last blog post? 🙂
It doesnt work on the iphone so I cant.
It works on the mac but requires instruction so is badly designed.
Otherwise ok, but why would I want to sit at a desk and read a copy of paper when I could be reading it in something designed for digital display?
Works great for me… love it..better than the other one that came out a bit back! found it very easy… Great job!
Not sure about the Ti article ” we are not in 1994 Toto” LOL B-)
Brant 20/6/09 “Remarkable technology, still not matched.” Re Timax titanium frame from 2004… I would say it’s still the case… the geometry and style may be dated with regards current trends… but it can’t be touched regards engineering…IMHO, Because no one else has the facility or processes to do it or would possibly want to. They are still playing catch up…. IMHO B-)
But watch this space! B-) no fake wizard… but some real magic B-)
Feedback is great.. Thanks everyone.. The browser resizing issue is something we’ve just made the software designers aware of.
As for the whole point of this… Well it can be best summed up in Ben’s latest blog (see front page). But this is not a way to replace either the website or the mag. It’s a ‘NEW’ way to read the mag. I’m just finishing off the interactive features for issue 53 which will soon be available in this new online format. There’s many advantages to this new method of distribution from more environmental delivery to being as cheap for overseas readers as the rest of us (postage on mags sent overseas almost makes it not worthwhile us offering to overseas readers at all). Plus there are a growing number/generation of readers who actually are more then happy to read a magazine in this format. Some actually prefer it.
For the record I’m personally not one of them. But then I’m 38 and I think oversized bars are work of the devil too, but that’s just me and my penchant for reading paper while i’m ‘powdering my nose’ :-). Think of it as just another option for Singletrack readers everywhere 🙂
It’s a developing project though so keep the feedback rolling in. The software developers are aware of this post and the feedback and we are working closely with them to see where we can take this.. Oh and as a bit of a blatant plug for them it’s http://www.3dissue.com 🙂
Struggle to read it, taking a print mag online directly doesnt work – I need to zoom on on every page to read the text properly which is annoying.
Agreed with other comments that it needs to be more interactive with videos and interactive components at lot like the imbikemag.com offerings.
Id rather read a PDF in this instance as it handles print to web better.
Mark, I’m 42 pushed for time, failing eye sight but love the mag…the zoom and the scroll are brilliant … you just saved me £180 on some bifocal lenses.
many thanks B-)
The ability to download the PDF of the mag will also be an option for those who want to read it and even print out parts of it offline.
Future issues will have many more interactive features. More video, more links more downloads etc..
I take it the future versions wont be free? any idea of the price compared to the paper version?
They won’t be free but they will be tied in to new features on the website. But they will be much cheaper than the print copies and access to them will include our entire digital back catalog so as we produce more mags it becomes better value 🙂
Nice idea but was a bit awkward on a small screen (netbook). Full screen mode would help, without the space wasted by title bars the actual mag could be twice as big. Then I should be able to read it without zooming. Even better would be a non-typeset (variable page length) version with adjustable font size, but that could be too hard?
Zoom mode could do with a more convenient way of paging, eg. page up, page down keys and context menus.
Is there a pdf version of the same magazine for comparison? I’m thinking of an electronic subscription but would like to see how readable it is.
Have to play with this soon – I’m one of the overseas subscribers so I have PDF subscription at the moment becasue I agree that the extra $$ of postage and the time it then takes to get here aren’t worth the extra expense to me; extras sound fun too!
extras do sound great just hope they don’t alienate the paper mag buyers who are actually spending more money and not getting extras.
Why can’t you put the entire back catalogue on-line as a sweetener for those who take up a ‘digital subscription’?
And why can’t an issue be free six months after the print copy comes out? That’s the model that ‘Decline’ are using in the US I believe.
“Why can’t you put the entire back catalogue on-line as a sweetener for those who take up a ‘digital subscription’?”
they do
OOOO, it’s just like reading the special offers at Netto.