[Closed] Farewell Privateer and chapeau.

How much was a copy to buy?

great magazine and i'll miss it for sure.

[quote=iolo ]How much was a copy to buy?

9 or 10 quid I think

Damn shame, i really looked forward to a night in wi a few drams and a read through the mag, some very interesting articles over the previous few issues as well so it's a 🙁 from me. I just got my "renew your subscription" letter last week as i only have issue 18 left to run, not much point sending it off then is there?.

So they're going to concentrate on Rouleur from now on?, i guess that mag sits more comfortably in the trek riding, rapha wearing dentists waiting room.

[i]It's (almost) always a shame when a bike mag finishes[/i]

I know, I've never quite got over the demise of MTB Pro.

Bum! Only signed up for a subscription a few months ago too and enjoyed all the copies I've had so far.

Great shame

I know, I've never quite got over the demise of MTB Pro.

Funny, that was exactly what I was thinking when I typed that...

What was its sort of successor called? Bike Planet or?

Last I read was their excellent tribute to Burry Stander.
[img] [/img]

Shame to see it go, but I must admit that I've all but given up on buying any magazines recently. So, I suppose I'm partly to blame.....

[i]Privateer is the magazine for mountain bikers who already know the obvious; for riders who have paid their dues in sweat and dust and broken bone, and are irrevocably hooked.[/i]

I still find that achingly cringe worthy.

Sad to see it go, but the pricing was always a big hurdle for me - one duff issue and I cancelled my subs.

Shame... I've got a load of issues sat at home unopened though, I always found something interesting in each mag to keep me reading but it could be pretty hard work.

Gary_M - Member
I still find that achingly cringe worthy.

Thats because it is & your normal

I still find that achingly cringe worthy.

I'll miss it.

Some issues were better than others, that's just the variety it has. There's issues on the shelf that I haven't read everything in yet, knowing there's a good article for when I have a while to sit down and read.

I think what I like is the longer articles about stuff that was often historical or on the sidelines. That and zero product content, but it must be hard to take out of the financial planning for a mag.

Well I like it! Said Florence, hopefully.

Jeff Jones article very good; always enjoyed what I've read in it but I don't always get the time to spend reading it that it deserves.

I'll miss it 🙁

I'll miss it

Me too; more consistently readable than Rouleur. Mind you, with two small kids I never got time to read it (or ST for that matter)

Shame = always a good read and never disappointed, purchased from issue one. Now what to read, anyone read Dirt Rag. We need a mtb equivalent of The Angry Corrie.

^ Dunno, I never read Rouleur. Wondering if I've missed much? Some great books around on the history of the TDF, classic bikes etc so less interest in a mag along those lines. Privateer felt a bit more unique in that respect. I suppose it was too unique, and many 35-50 yo MTB riders are into road bikes now.

Edit to add, a few saying we never have time to read a mag that has a few pages per article here.. That's sad really. We need that reading time. Too much time on quick-fix websites, snippets of news. I don't read newspapers so Privateer or a classic bikes book is my sunday coffee read if not online. Must read more tho.. Bunyan Velo seems like a good read but the online e-reader is awful compared to a paper mag, shortens my attention span by ~80%.

Could it be that singletrack's change to something similar in look and feel was the final nail in the coffin?

Nine quid?

[quote=jameso ]
Edit to add, a few saying we never have time to read a mag that has a few pages per article here.. That's sad really. We need that reading time. Too much time on quick-fix websites, snippets of news.
I'd much rather read folks blogs. Too much of the stuff in the mags is the "industry" talking to itself. What folk are [i]really[/i] doing is much more interesting.

😆 @ Brant

Spose thats £8.99 more that it takes to produce most of the on one tat but you have to pay for quality.

Nipper - there's more than a hint of sarcasm in Brant's comment.
I guess you didn't read the early issues.

What shite news... What to subscribe to now, then? Has Singletrack changed much in recent years? I always thought it looked like someones A-Level photography coursework...

I really liked its as it found its feet. Shame there arn't more mtbers, it was my second fav behind Ride and this magnificent Journal of course. Rouleur it is then which I like but not as much. Note to Rouleur please don't do another b&w cover of detail of a velodrome ...

....I like velodromes, great photo, but I love to open Rouleur and see some colour...

I never like to see anyone lose a job or go out of business, but it seems the pricing was a big weakness

Lot of belt tightening going on at the mo.

I came late to mountain biking (43). I enjoyed every issue and it filled a gap in my cycling history and general knowledge. Never read Rouleur, but I do read books on road cycling instead (and Procycling and the Comic).

Perhaps my complete collection will now appreciate on my bookshelf.

£9 is a massive hurdle for anyone to get over when it comes to buying a magazine. I'm not bothered enough by adverts to want to pay for not having them in a magazine and I've bought BMX and MTB mags for 30 years.

Think I've looked at it on the stand in the bike shop and thought [i]nice cover, odd format - how am I going to store that, HOW MUCH!![/i] and my curiosity ends there.

Good luck to all concerned, these can be tough times.

I didnt know it had no ads, because I never got over the £9 price

I didnt know it had no ads, because I never got over the £9 price

This was the problem. Its all well and good publishing a perfect bound book with high pagination, great paper stock and a smaller quantity of ads if the reader understands and accepts the repercussions that will have on cover price.

The Rouleur reader and the Privateer reader I would guess to be poles part in salary and attitude though. what a shame. Well done Andy and co on a great mag.

£9 is way to much for a magazine

Way to pricy for the ipad verson as well!

Way to pricy for the ipad verson as well!

I never found the price to be excessive... It's double the price of a "normal" magazine, but it's more than double the content (and 5x the quality). And seeing as it was only released every-other-month, the subscription price works out to be pretty similar.

I never had an issue with the price, it was that I never could grasp the concept of presenting MTB in the same fashion as road cycling, it just seemed a bit forced. The two sports are so very different, historically, culturally, and seemingly in those that partake in it/read about it.

Long time reader and collector of Rouluer which I love.

Sad news for the team at Privateer and readers who much prefer to experience in print a magazine with production standards as high as theirs. Distribution (WH Smiths I'm looking at you) is a major pain for small publications.
Could also be more than a coincidence that ST has recently taken a few leaves out of Privateer's book.

I recall an article in TGO a few years ago, explaining why their magazine was so hard to find in the stores. It seems that the like of WH Smiths and the supermarkets, charge the publishers to have magazines just on the shelves. It must be very hard for small and new independent magazines to even get going against that kind of backdrop.

And IMO is a perfect example of how unfettered commercialism constrains the "free market" to reduce the buyers freedom of choice.

i really enjoyed the journal. the last but one with the road trip to SoCa was superb.
A great shame its going.
would be nice if someone from the publishers would firm up the postion with regards to subs.

[i]someone from the publishers would firm up the postion with regards to subs. [/i]

The email I had from them said;

[i]We will be writing to any subscribers who have issues remaining on their Privateer subscription in the next few days with details of how they may claim a refund for all un-mailed issues (due after 18), or alternatively switch over to Rouleur.[/i]

It's not ambiguous, really?

The last 3 issues are sitting here largely unread, but that's true of most of my mags. I've just had a big subscription cull.

It must have been annoying for them to put a big call out to Missy Giove in one issue and then DiRT get the big interview. (unless I missed an interview in the last 3 issues).

I don't think I'll miss it too much although it did have some incredible photography.

I imagine the number of people who use the word 'chapeau' are quite small and as such they had a small market. Funnily enough, the type of person who buys 'coffee table statement' magazines I always iamgined using words like chapeau, spiffing, etc

I don't think £9 is bad for decent writing on interesting subjects, better value than the mainstream mags. I currently have a road mag in which there is a light review that is simply a copy of the info you'd find on the product box or website. Look at the dodgy press releases passed off as news, that this rag puts on it's website, lazy, lazy; a 9 year old can copy & paste.

*does a search, realises he's used both spiffing and chapeau in the past month*

😳

It was much more than a coffee table magazine, I only ever read it whilst on the loo.