[Closed] What bike magazines do you buy?

Albion BMX mag, through the post. Worth it for the lengthy articles and no corporate overlords to please, so opinions are thoroughly expressed.

Surprised no one has mentioned The Albion yet. Oh wait, it's free [re-checks thread title]

Singletrack.subs and agree with some of the comments re Ed O/Matt but enjoyed Jenns articles especially cairngorns, does get a bit pals and all but still the best by a mile, Steve Worland reminds me of the reprobate days and he can be hit or miss. But still the best read but maybe a bit more variety on the stories and personal views.

DIrt as and when different quirky annoying

Cycle now and then to see the roadies world

Internet Bike/Bike Velo/Cass Gilbert blog so many out there.

Privateer imho was a rehash of old MBUK stories and mates from yore.

EDIT indeed Albion good mag

peterfile - Member

Then put it back down at the till.

were you so outraged that you also took photos of it at the till just before you put it down?

Yeah... but it was to send the photo over on whats'app to a mate of mine who I was talking to a few days before about the costs of mags these days... !

Subscribe to Singletrack

Get The Ride whenever it comes out

Have developed an addiction to Cyclist, might ask Santa for a sub to that one

And I get Cycle and Arrivee due to CTC/AUK membership

Singletrack but then I am biased!

Dirt Rag is always good for a read too.

The Ride Journal

Rouleur

I used to get Procycling on Subs but lost interest post the Lance fiasco. I still love the Tour but road racing has lost something for me.

I occasionally buy Boneshaker as it is just that little bit different

I always borrow Trail from my Dad as it's pretty good and I think I'll resubscribe to TGO.

For those who think Singletrack isn't what it used to be, what would you change to return it to what it was as you perceive it?

Cheers

Sanny

For me some of the personal articles that connected

ED O boy to man linked to myself and mine growing up

Storm passing just good informative and inspiring

Jenn H Great Divide one of the best travelogues

Mike Ferrintino visiting and riding out of the vale

Sim going back to Cumbria

Some of the 100 pound challenges

Roly Lamberts ramblings make me smile

Reviews,,I got the impression that Matt was a similar rider to me so tended to listen to those. Same with Daves, just seemed to be a real practical view.

The last mag with Linconshire was slightly soulless and lacklustre could have been MTBR.

Articles like.....

This month cut your bars down by an inch, the bike will handle better. Six months later ....Get wider bars your bike will handle better.

I don't buy any now.

Wideopen. It's free online. And they do a print version now.

http://wideopenmag.co.uk/

For those who think Singletrack isn't what it used to be, what would you change to return it to what it was as you perceive it?

Reduce the price, actually get some shops/libraries to stock the mag, more free gifts, less waffle,and its not big clever or funny to see pictures of dirty kit in the product tests.It doesnt actually prove youve tested the stuff just because its dirty in hot summer.

Subs :

Singletrack
MBR
What MTB
Cycling Plus
Cycling Active

That's probably a waste of money when I think about it.... I agree with others that road mags are better than MTB ones.

This month cut your bars down by an inch, the bike will handle better. Six months later ....Get wider bars your bike will handle better.

I've read it for a few years and don't remember talk of cutting bars down, other than those mahoosively oversized ones that come with cut marks anyway.

Reduce the price

I think it's a fair price compared to other magazines, especially with a sub

actually get some shops/libraries to stock the mag

pre-sub I never had a problem getting it and I live in a pretty small town. I realise STW's business model is less about shops now

more free gifts

- personally I couldn't give a stuff about free gifts. I got a Buff with MBUK once which was quite handy, but apart from that they're usually pretty naff

less waffle

I don't really know what you mean by waffle, but assuming you mean it has too many words and not enough [s]adverts[/s] pictures, that's exactly what attracted me to it in the first place. If I want short, easily digestible "toilet" articles I'll buy MBUK.

and its not big clever or funny to see pictures of dirty kit in the product tests

Meh.

WhatMTB on sub - but only cos I've not got round to cancelling it - give it a cursory flick through usually when it arrives.

Never really 'got' Singletrack - always found it a bit pretentious, however - got issue 84 sat next to me, as I wanted something/anything MTB related to read the other day. I've only read 4 articles, but thought they weren't bad at all - will certainly pick up the next issue to glance at in the newsagents and decide if I want to buy.

I was subscribing to Privateer and Singletrack.
My Privateer sub had just ran out with the last issue and was about to be renewed, my Singletrack sub won't be getting renewed as I can't remember the last time I read an issue of it. I normally have a quick flick through and see if anything catches my eye but I can't remember the last article that did 🙁

Last one I bought was MBR in 1998 as it had a review of the Marin East Peak which I went on to buy. I still have the bike and the mag. I can't see why I'd ever buy one again, I can get all the info I need and want off the internet.

I used to subscribe to MBR with Tesco clubcard vouchers. I've got board of it now as it's the same thing every month. I've just bought my first ever Singletrack which seems pretty good. And I've bought the last three issues of Urban Cyclist. I really like this one as there is a good focus on frame builders. Plus a healthy dose of ridiculously expensive bikes. This month a bike that, for an extra €230 you can have with a rust finish!

I pick up a copy of Singletrack from a bike shop or newsagent occasionally, but that's all.
There was a point in time at which it grabbed me, with content like "Pass Storming" and the other good stuff that Vondally mentioned up there^^^.
... but it's not doing it for me at the moment.

no longer buy any bike mags (privateer was the last)

used to buy Singletrack but i think it's lost it's way - last straw for me was 'travel articles' off the back of a product launch - ok, so you get expenses paid trip to somewhere interesting, and ok so it makes financial sense to wrap it up with an article, not ok that the article reads like a few pages of filler that tells me nothing of interest

Had a re read of issue 84 I liked the BC race article interesting informative and good pics. Linconshire article not very interesting very MBR/generic piece, Nidderdale was middling 'forgot tyre ended up with Santa Cruz bike....@

Contrasting to Benji and ED O overnight experience in bothy and the tribulations of change of plan and Ed O long johns expoilts with a real review of kit used....ED O wool wet AND cold, yeah agree with that and so on.
The recent Santa Cruz Junket was not good either.

Still is the go to magazine for me but internet has a wider range of subjects.....personally would like to see the mag be

[b]earthy/personal[/b] as it was in the early and middle years with thought provoking articles that felt like some were written by folks I knew or shared a view, Matts personal view and honesty of trans provance
[b]articulate[/b]/Mike Ferrintino has written some of the best articles on MTB and life, death of his dog was a tremendous article. Steve Worland as the reprobate in the day was refreshing as was his article in 84 about marketing
[b]intriguing[/b]/ enthuse me or the reader to do something in this age of austerity.. ED O video keep it local brilliant/Train from Hebden to York Dales and riding home brilliant
[b]Community[/b] different bikes different views and thoughts, womens perspective and this is what STW is really good at in all honesty, I like reading about cyclo cross and three peaks so what about bmx/dh
[b]Contentious and critcial[/b]all fairness to Dirt and Steve Jones honesty about 29er and online review of a Lidl bike mechanics stand, in all honesty what most people would consider, same with gear more low (?) end prices not always Assos

Still a subscriber 😀