(good being a relative term to the normal level of Dirt journalism)
Yep purple text on a black background
Not wanting to miss the chance to have a pop at Dirt, purple text on a black background is a failure of design; the mangled attempts at English are a failure of journalism, or at least of sub-editing.
TBH since Enduro mag launched online, I've not bought any bike mags other than if there was something specific I was looking at or had a long train journey to read it on.
I'd say Enduro or Wideopenmag are the two most relevant and interesting ones out there right now - good content, no wierd "into the wild" style escaping society with a bike and bivi bag stuff and no mincey whimsical stuff about what riding represents or some such oddness.
Better pics too.
I like the cx stuff. My most ridden bike is my cx bike. As long as they don't start covering cx racing it's fine by me
(Though maybe stw need some fresh blood/younger/not a mate/not a contact from the industry/different demographic/someone from outside the NorthWest writer, someone with a different view point)
MBR gets my vote, though STW can still entertain.
(Though maybe stw need some fresh blood/younger/not a mate/not a contact from the industry/different demographic/someone from outside the NorthWest writer, someone with a different view point)
Good idea.
MBR gets my vote, though STW can still entertain.
MBR stopped getting my vote many years ago. Their ability to publish even the most basic of routes the wrong way round. Their constant assertions that the only bike capable of being ridden off road was a 6" travel full sus (preferably a Specialized though Orange was also permissible).
What did it for me was when they casually dismissed a £2000 hardtail as only good enough for being a road based winter hack bike.
****ing idiots.
I leave my copy in the bathroom all month - find I've managed to read it cover to cover by the time the next one lands on the doormat. Makes a better pile of mags than MBR too...
You can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time.
But you cant please all the people all of the time.
It's about biking, I like bikes, but not all the articles rock my boat. The wider the coverage the better imo.
Start a niche publication if you want just one topic covered 🙂
Why not volunteer to write a piece for the mag on this issue then?
Please can we stop trotting this one out?
*s*****
Edit: 100!
Well I still enjoy it. I like pictures. Lots of pictures. I like proper beer. I like bikes. I like new places and different people. I like shiny new bikes. I like being a bike geek. I like the silly back page of "stw brought yo you this month by..."
If you don't like it, don't buy it. Simples
GrahamS - MemberWhere can I buy "Riding CX Bikes Up Hills For Fun Instead Of Round Muddy Fields In Pain magazine?"
There are a great many non-mtb subjects out there that don't have their own mags, perhaps ST should cover all of those as well 😉
ampthill - MemberIf I had a rant it would be carbon wheel reviews. For example issue 86
The ENVE jobs. £800 per rim. Not a pair or even a wheel. That's just a carbon hoop, with some holes. The first line of the review is something like "testing really posh kit is completely pointless but we like ridding with free nice stuff"
At least it's mountain bike kit. The SRAM hydro brakes review in the current issue is exactly the same, except offtopic to boot. And the cx shoes for that matter, £275. Stuff that'll only be of interest to the nichest of the niche.
There are a great many non-mtb subjects out there that don't have their own mags, perhaps ST should cover all of those as well
Well if the other "non-mtb subjects" involve riding bicycles, off road, through forests and up and down hills, for fun, then yeah I'd be happy to see them covered. 😉
You're not supposed to ride a CX bike! It's a sport based on the carrying of bicycles. Sometimes you get tired running, and have to ride for a little bit.
[quote=Northwind ][s]You're not supposed to[/s] I can't ride a CX bike!
FTFY
I'd say Enduro or Wideopenmag are the two most relevant and interesting ones out there right now
Glad that someone else likes them. Really enjoy Enduro and Wideopen, IMB as well
scotroutes - MemberFTFY
Le me, doing it wrong:
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8500/8320590904_26d1cbc116_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/53860438@N06/8320590904/ ]cross[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/53860438@N06/ ]Northwindlowlander[/url], on Flickr
Turned out to be a lot more fun than doing it right.
If it floated in the bath it would be better.
It never ceases to amaze me what people will turn to in search of suitable grot.
Le me, doing it wrong:
Granny to big ring?
Brave post.
[quote=Northwind ]
Le me, doing it wrong:
cross by Northwindlowlander, on Flickr
Turned out to be a lot more fun than doing it right.
Is that what you call mountain biking then?
It's what I call fannying about.
Well, I still like it. 🙂
I enjoy the Cross stuff too.
And the Fat bike stuff.
I usually only get ST so it's fine by me if they diversify a bit.
Not so much the reviews these days, but still enjoy the travel stuff, perspectives from other places and people.
Quite like Cycle Active too, they have some good road routes, but it's very samey.
How do you lot turn corners with those blinkers on? "i only ride mtb, I only want to read about mtb, nothing else exists"
I'm a cyclist, I like any bicycle, Singletrack, please stay diverse & open to New ideas & experiences
How about an Offshoot mag.
"STW Forum" Covering Bikes, Sheds, Beer, Stoves and Travel.
I subscribe as a sub to the Forum really, but I do like the mag hanging around the house, It reminds me to get out and ride. Although as said before I find it difficult to actually read the text in it.
"STW Forum" Covering Bikes, Sheds, Beer, Stoves, Travel and Relationship Advice
FTFY
Stw lives in the bathroom and performs well for throne and bathing entertainment.
ratherbeintobago - Member
"STW Forum" Covering Bikes, Sheds, Beer, Stoves, Travel and Relationship Advice
FTFY
Yes I thought about that, hopefully it will be a supplement that can be thrown away before reading.
Or Perhaps just an, Agony uncle Chipps column
I think the OP is being a tad harsh on STW.
Lets not forget MBUK of oldish days featured mtb, jump/DJ etc all in the mag. It makes it slightly refreshing. Plus in a mtb I like to see articles/sections that are interesting- health, diet etc. It all helps riding. I do think STW might become too Calderdale-centric though. It'll shrink the UKwide reading (i.e. buying public) if it does. I think it has a great USP though still.
Not so long ago in Dirt there was an article on Yoga (4 pages) from a top rider. I liked that.
Talking of Dirt - I found a few old copies from 2011 under the bed. Compare them to todays Dirt and its shocking. Todays Dirt is a thin, insulting mag. I imagine people still buy it for nostalga or to look 'lifestyle'. It used to be full now its thin- full of ads still but the content has shrunk right down.
Forget the font/colour - Dirt really have lost it.
Plus lets not forget the great Earthed series of DVD's had DJ, 4X, BMX racing, DH, mini moto-bikes, etc added in.
The dull mountain bike vids are the likes of Vanderman in Canada riding northshore then dusty crap whilst drowling on like its bloody surfing on wheels.
right everyone off to the front page and do the survey
There's a front page?
The reason why I buy Singletrack is because it has a broader spectrum of articles.
right everyone off to the front page and do the survey
And make sure you read the question more carefully than me... 😳
Not looking good for the "i hate everything but MTB" crowd so far according to the poll
What about bikes that don't get ridden on mountains?
+1
I find it amusing that a load of trail centre warriors are complaining that the latest issue of STW isn't "mountain bikey" enough for them 😉
What about bikes that don't get ridden on mountains?
What like the Orange 5's that get ridden mostly on the Col du Surrey Hills, Alpe de Cannock, and the Dalby glacier?
Might have to complain about one of the road bike mags. They had a whole multi page article with Boardman HT and some other bikes with bars that were nearly flat, and tyres wide enough that you can actually see them.
It's winter - of course there's gonna be articles that deviate a bit from what is done much more during the main season.
I enjoy having my eyes opened to all types of bike riding. The pics of different riding locations are great and informative, some are simply sublime.
Gear reviews are honest with a good cross-section of products.
The very first piece that Mike Ferrentino wrote in the mag was brilliant but unfortunately he never again reached that dizzy height.
I've no complaints whatsoever. 😀
[i]ST lost me when they started putting roadie stuff in[/i]
Where? When?! They would've lost me too, but they've never done this.
There was a threat, but it wasn't followed up.
: )"mountain bikey" enough
and what is 'mountain bike' these days anyway? Do we need to redefine it because of what some riders on some bikes can do? Where on the sliding scale of XC racing>Ultra racing>bikepacking>just trails / trail centres>EWC>DH is this 'real MTB' that gets mentioned? Is that even in the right order? Prob not.
Ah f-it I'm just taking my bike up the woods to do some tracks. Been doing that since I was 12, nothing's changed.
Lets not forget MBUK of oldish days featured mtb, jump/DJ etc all in the mag
It also did features on riding through the Channel Tunnel before it opened to trains, attempting to mountain bike across/under the Channel in scuba gear, uphill riding being dragged by a parachute and helidrop riding with the RAF team getting dropped off by Wessex then blown over by its downdraft whilst riding back down again!
The good old days!
A cyclocross bike is not a mountain bike. The clue is in the name.
rOcKeTdOg - MemberHow do you lot turn corners with those blinkers on? "i only ride mtb, I only want to read about mtb, nothing else exists"
That's hardly the point. I'm interested in other things, but this [i]is[/i] a mountain bike magazine, advertised as such. Maybe there's a case for them to change that, and start producing Singletrack Assorted Biking Magazine... but in the meantime they should deliver what they promise. If I buy a steak I expect a steak, it doesn't mean I hate oranges.
But I can see that there's room to deviate into parallel interests; that's been done effectively in the past after all. But cx-porn component reviews are a daft way to go about that. If you want to engage mountain bikers on the subject of cyclocross, write an engaging article about cyclocross. That could be of interest even to people who'll never do it.
Cyclocross would've been a good name for 'mountain biking'. When those French guys were riding in the dirt and over jumps on fat tyres in the 40s they should've called it le cross. But some Americans got IP on the name 'Mountain Bikes' in the 70s and here we are. They were also called ATBs when I started riding off-road. That's a better name too.
