Just got my subscription to dirt mag sorted today . . . . . . . however ive never actually read one before just did it for the free gift (superstar plasma chain guide £49.99 and tshirt for just £33 code is DT65)
wondering if the mag is any good, btw i'm no gravity fiend.
cheers
Overall it pretty good but they do sometimes get a bit 'clicky'; they tend to have features on the up and coming A-List bikers or the 'too cool for schoo' scroats. The Josh Bryceland column is a good example of what I'm talking about; I mean there must be other top DH racers that can string words together in a more coherent manner than him (and he went to the same school as I did!) OK maybe not.
The thing I like most about the editorial is that the bike reviews are actually very good indeed. Jonesy doesn't shy away from giving an opinion and being honest if he doesn't like something.
The other thing I really like is that they've moved away from being focused purely on DH to general hooning around type riding. They have a definite slant on riding that can be best described as 'messing about in the woods'.
Yeah - its good - got great pics and a review of my new bike in it this month 🙂
oooh positive relies about a bike magazine i wasn't expecting that!
cheers guys
Strangely enough, I've just cancelled my subscription 🙁
I really like the mag - there are no other mags with such good photography. And the World Cup reports are great - I'll probably start buying it again when next year's starts.
Some of the writing styles take a bit of getting used to (there's no doubt they are enthusiastic!), but it's a good read most of the time.
Oh yeah, don't bother reading the letters page!
I cancelled cos I just don't get the time to read it.
Thanks for the heads up on that one, just subscribed myself.
Another fan here
The hooning around in the woods attitude is the one I really identify with and enjoy a mag that reflects that. The reviews are always good as well and tend to focus on kit from a broad price range rather than just top of the range stuff.
is the chain guide BB mounted or ISCG?
Dirt mag is good. People who like Dirt should also check out Wide Open online mag.
I subscribed a couple of months ago and am quite impressed so far.
As mentioned the WC coverage is great and as a whole it has a more authoritative tone than any other MTB mag.
Not so sure about the bike reviews, Steve Jones has a very "individual" writing style that I know is going to grate on me. They go really in depth on some aspects but can be really glib on others. For example I didn't come away with much of an impression of how the Giant Glory actually rides.
And he seems like a terrible gear snob.
And their constant references to "single ring up front" in the current mag makes them look a bit childish IMO.
Now I sound like a moaner, but I do really liek the mag, honest.
titusrider - it's ISCG with an adaptor for BB mounting.
+1 on [url= http://wideopenmag.co.uk/ ]Wideopen[/url]. Shame it's not released more often but its one of the best and free. Beautiful images. often better than DIRT dare I say. 😯
Yep, it's the only mag I buy religiously every month . . . and I just got my weekend choon posted on their Friday randoms . . . wooooo!
I buy it sporadically, normally some very pretty pictures that's about the best that can be said of Dirt now I reckon...
The actual "Journalism" if you can call it that is frankly toss these days, seems to be more of a DH/fashionista bitch mag than when it started out...
Mostly written by illiterates for illiterates, if I want that sort of cobblers I can find/contribute to it for free on the interweb.... Oh
Aye, it's great.
They do have some very different opinions to some mags, which is sometimes good but I got a bit tired reading the Saracen Ariel one this morning- some people want a triple ring, and if every bike had a sub 66 head angle you'd have a lot of bad climbing bikes.
Photography is great. Some of (but far from all) of the columns/articles can be quite thought provoking - especially the tech ones and the 1:04 series. Race reviews are pretty good, but most of the time you already know the results because you watched it on freecaster. Bike/kit reviews are crap IMO. If it's not got "this years" shock on, it gets a crap review if it has, it does.
I wouldn't pay for it, but most of the time I don't have to, so all good.
Surprised at the general positive feeling.
Mostly written by illiterates for illiterates
Pretty much sums it up. No amount of jazzy presentation and pretty pictures can make up for it.
Also, minor point, the typeface is often about half a millimetre high and in daft colours, making it bloody difficult to read, even if you have good eyes.
Diagonal black text set against a black background.
I don't really enjoy any MTB magazines these days, I don't really like any snowboarding ones either.
Thrasher was always great, but I don't skate anymore. Hmm...actually, Surfer's Path is usually a good read.
I heard there was an article about Woburn Sands that was written by a modern day William Wordsworth.
Ive been picking up dirt on and off for years now from the newsagent - never a subscriber - i buy it for the WC articles and bike reviews etc BUT....
I may just do for the chain-device - is Superstar nuts?!! Giving away a product that retails for more than the subscription - its trade price i have on good authority is around the late £25-£28 mark too! (Its a MRControl chainguide)
Mental if you ask me - when word gets around people will just subscribe to dirt and save £18 while gaining a magazine and gree T shirt! Im not complaining, it will go well on my 'spare' hardtail!
Dirt Mag writing is really hard to read/make sense of but after a while you get their ideas, as per stw if you beleive everythhing they write then you are a retard.
Steve jone remain teh only journo that \\i have ever seen routinely at a downhill series and teh only one who's riding is totally top notch. for those reasons plus the inspired editorials evry now and again (unconventional races/top 50 places ineurope to ride/ discussion about trail santisiatio/skisuits/etc\) make it an essential read for anyone who enjoys going downhill fast.imo
Not everybody wants to read boring articles by people rapped up in bureaucracy, nor do they have time to spend two whole days every weekend riding mile after mile after mile of XC.
Some of us just want to hoon around when they get chance, wizzing around like a hooligan in the woods, down hills, off drops, over jumps, around pump and 4x tracks having fun with friends. All this plus more whilst keeping an eye on what the big boys are up to… QUE: Dirt Magazine…beautifully crafted photographic images from like minded people who may not be ‘Wordsworth’ but have fun in what they do. Dirt does’nt feel main stream and corporate and that’s why I love it!
We had the guys from dirt over in July... and man they didint half work and party whilst they were here.. Jonesy's attention to detail and the amount of time to take "the shot" is incredible, it took a couple of days for one shot!
You can see some of the shots in this months edtition 🙂
I like Dirt. I find it much more inspirational than the other magazines...probably because my riding is what you find in the other magazines and I am not so good at what you find in Dirt. It also makes me lust after a big bike.
Dirt works for me. I look forward to getting it every month and it rarely disappoints.