[Closed] Through the Grinder

Grinder has gone. It seemed silly to be restricted to 500 words for a complex product when we can write more detail and publish it to a wider audience online. Generally, people make buying decisions after reading reviews and opinions online and not in print. Online we can show the product better using video as well as loads of extra images and there's technically no word limit. Better all round we think. More room in the mag for the articles about riding and adventures.

Sent to room 101, with room 101 then?

Fair enough but have to admit I liked it and did buy quite a few things on the back of it.

Used to enjoy reading it in the bath (bit too much info?) which I can’t see me doing online.....thats progress for ya!

Yep, I'm missing it too. Was one of my favourite bits of the magazine: it was a great way to give me a taster of things I might not have thought of otherwise - from which I would then go on to do online research, and in some cases buy. Hey ho.

I'm with Lorax here. I'll go searching for online reviews if there's something I'm interested in, but the grab-bag of reviews in a magazine section like Through the Grinder may make me aware of useful/interesting things I never knew existed.

Fresh Goods Friday sometimes achieves the same sort of thing but I do like the magazine capsule review format too.

I think if anything the group tests which take up (off the top of my head) 10 to 12 pages would be a better format for online.

i know I certainly tend to flick through these (perhaps cherry picking a couple of items per test to read about) whereas the grinder was always something I tended to read every review.

Yeah, I was a fan of the Grinder reviews

ah, that's a pity, liked it.

I miss grinder too.

I don't miss interviews with industry folks, haven't seen one for a while, couldn't care less what these guys think tbh.

Yeah, I miss it too. And I feel like it pretty neatly tied in with the thing I like Singletrack for, being less about new shiny and more about real world experiences of kit.

I liked it too. And Room 101. The travel and adventure articles do get a bit samey tbh. It’s nice to have some stuff about kit in there as well.

I'd much rather have the interesting grinder reviews than "we've tested 25 very similar SPD's" in the group test.

“we’ve tested 25 very similar SPD’s”

...and here are the 4 or 5 that actually make any sense for anyone to buy. PS get the second cheapest Shimanos.

I liked it too. And Room 101. The travel and adventure articles do get a bit samey tbh. It’s nice to have some stuff about kit in there as well.

+1

Miss it too.  It's more often a ooh that's clever didn't know about it thing. Simple stuff that doesn't need a full review like trail tools or small tech.

Me too. Bring back the grinder.

Me too. Always the first section i flick to after the postie has put it through the door.

I liked “Grinder” - much more than a test of twenty different flat pedals or something. I don’t see much point in pedal tests anyway, to be honest (flat or clip-in) - don’t most people just keep using what they use? (if you see what I mean).

I still miss the bike porn section.

* armchair feature *   😉

I miss it as well. Much rather read a random mix of reviews than a group test, especially as the group tests go through the usual yearly cycle. Brakes, pedals, lights, summer tyres, winter tyres....

If it's really about extra pages then save the group tests for online where there's more space to review options all together not just highlight the winners. Especially since recently the group test appear online a few weeks after the mag is out anyway.

FGF is ok for showing new quirky stuff, but not much of it ever ends up in a review. On the other hand, it can't be easy doing long term reviews in an industry where models are changed so frequently. Test something for a year and by the time you publish you can't actually buy that model any more.