Has anyone read it? Apparently its the only UK mag with growing readership… Cancelled my sub to STW and thinking about supporting these guys instead…

Our readership is growing. Subs are up on the same time last year. Who says Cranked is the only one growing?

I’d need reassurances regarding the value of my privacy before I’d consider trying it.

It’s just what I’m used to

I like Cranked, I like their interviews.  What they don’t have is a forum as good as this one used to be

I quite like Cranked. I also quite like ST, though I’ve not read it for a while. If you follow Cranked on Facebook they quite often have offers where you can get back issues a bit cheaper, that might be a good way to see if you like it or not.

I’ve had it since the beginning, great articles, great pics. Lovely smell.

Really rate it, I ended up getting 6 back issues in their last deal plus my sub came in on the same day so I have a lot to get through.

I like Cranked, it’s a bit different to Singletrack (which I also like), probably a bit near to Privateer.

Hi Mark it was a Guy Kesteven. On Instagram he said Cranked is “the only print MTB book with a growing circulation”…Maybe it’s a case of lies, damned lies and statistics. Who knows? You’ve lost me, but I’m glad you’re still growing!

Thanks for replies all – will definitely check Cranked out, the latest issue has some promising looking articles in it.

Cranked subscriber here great at supporting small events that I organise and very approachable on the email/FB side . Noticed the adverts have started creeping in more noticeably first 4 pages. Very little in the way of bike tests which is great in my eyes but really enjoyed the Guy Kesteven interview, lots of bike packing which is a bonus for me.
Still a STW subscriber but Cranked are winning IMHO!

Rich

A mag without bike tests sounds promising!

Lovely smell.

This is a key component of a decent mag.

I’ve read it a couple of times, it’s a decent magazine. Really thick. They had a great Dartmoor feature a year or so ago.

I can only justify a single magazine subscription though and I prefer Singletrack.

Not stumbled across a copy of cranked, but will order a copy now as I won’t be renewing my subscription. Given I don’t seem to get magazines without chasing STW now

Cancelled my sub to STW and thinking about supporting these guys instead…

Yes, and you do like going on about it.
I’m sure there’s other fora that you can moan about ST on, rather than boring us with your whining.

Weren’t you off to Pinkbike?

I bought a couple of them, was pretty good. Bloody expensive though. And no lovely forum full of witty, awesome, know-it-all, grumpy, jolly, dopey & middle-class dwarves.

I’ve read a couple of the issues – very good. Buy one and you wont regret it. You will quite likely end up getting a sub.

Its the only mag I’ve recommended in the last 10+ years to anyone.

Ha ha ha! Are you one of the people who thinks someone who can’t ride very well is a credible bike reviewer Ajantom??

I’ve been to Pinkbike I’d recommend it – better videos, more in depth articles about bike tech and in truth the forum is better and caters to a wider range of riders too…

Despite all that I still get drawn in by the strange mixture of gammony rage and misplaced virtue signalling you find here! I might hang around…but then again I might get a life and go for a ride.

Sounds like Cranked is the way to go in the future – thanks for the useful replies lets hope they start a forum eh?

I get it and ST.

Stopped mbuk n Mbr as they’re well past the best. Used to love mbuk but now it’s 4 pages of actual content…

Imb online is nice too.

And on a different note if you think ST is **** and the forums gash what the **** are you still doing here.

It’s like Some one who is lactose intolerant downing pints of milk and bitching at the farmer that it makes them ill.

@duncancallum 👍

Ha ha ha! Are you one of the people who thinks someone who can’t ride very well is a credible bike reviewer Ajantom??

Dunno, but I’m not so much of a misogynist that I’d cancel a magazine sub over it.

Never a truer word spoken Duncan – although I don’t think it’s ‘gash’ or ‘****’ whatever that means!

It’s just a mag, which caters to a very narrow audience of riders and I’m not within their demographic hence enquiring about Cranked.

Probably better places to enquire about it than here but I got the information I needed and that’s all you need from a forum isn’t it?

Over and out!

I got to be honest MBr and MBuK are absolute drivel. I’ll buy a copy of cranked just to say I have read one but in hindsight I rarely read printed magazines now. I like the STW website and forum and the content. Just a large number of things are adding up to make it either unusable or a pretty nasty place to spend your money. Coupled with a, what seems lack of ability to even deliver my paid for magazines. I’m pretty fed up. Obviously if people followed through with promises to repair some of the issues then there would be no need to moan. Sadly the only responses nowadays seem to come from the forum moderators.

ajantom Ha ha! I’m not a misogynist I just expect bike journalists to have basic bike handling skills regardless of their gender.

How hard is that to understand???

Sounds to me like your expectations from bike journalists differs depending on their gender, which in itself is pretty sexist isn’t it?

Cranked’s ace. I’ve liked it from the beginning of course, before it got popular… The ‘Be More Canadian’ article in the new one is jolly good.

Colin9 – if that Dartmoor feature is the one I’m thinking of, then I’m glad you liked it 😀

Both very different in my mind, enjoy them both just as much but for very different kinds of content.

Sounds to me like your expectations from bike journalists differs depending on their gender, which in itself is pretty sexist isn’t it?

Not at all, we’re not all riding gods (though you obviously are).

I prefer my bike journalists to be able to write well, as is the case with ST, and I assume that most of them are average to decent riders, like most of us.

On the other hand you get magazines/websites where the journos are gnarcore enduro-bunnies, but can’t write fur toffee.

On the other hand you get magazines/websites where the journos are gnarcore enduro-bunnies, but can’t write fur toffee.

There we go again with the thinly veiled insults towards more skilful riders. Most ‘average to decent riders’ can jump, well the ones I know can.

There are decent writers at STW. Not sure you’re best placed to judge good writing with such appalling spelling though…

WTF is ‘fur toffee’ sounds rank.

Ah yes, it’s half term.

Bought a copy at the airport the other day to give me something to read on the flight. Read it cover to cover and found it really enjoyable. Quite different, but good different. Expensive though.

Mmmm, fur toffee 😆

TBF it was my phone autocorrecting from for.

I’m not sure one spelling mistake counts as appalling spelling though.

But anyway, you’re still here, can’t be all bad.

tthinly veiled insults towards more skilful riders.

That’s something about this place that has always absolutely baffled me.

That’s not the only spelling mistake in your posts ajantom – you’d fail an NCTJ exam. Take better care next time…Ha ha!

Thought I better hang around to defend myself. It’s not nice being called a misogynist – especially when it’s completely unfounded.

Last couple of issues of ST have been excellent

That’s not the only spelling mistake in your posts ajantom – you’d fail an NCTJ exam. Take better care next time…Ha ha!

Thought I better hang around to defend myself. It’s not nice being called a misogynist – especially when it’s completely unfounded.

Ok, I admit that the misogynist dig was a bit much. Apologies.

Though you have done a very STW thing by announcing a flounce, seeming to flounce, and then staying around to justify said flounce.

I’d take issue with your jumping and riding skill correlation. At least one of the fastest riders I know is very much a wheels on the ground kind of rider. Came from a CX and XC background, so skillful and fast, but had never been into jumping.

I see Fantasyland is open.

No matter how fast or how far you can pedal if you can’t jump you’re not very skillful on an mtb. It’s a fairly basic skill requirement to ride technical off road terrain well.

No matter how fast or how far you can pedal if you can’t jump you’re not very skillful on an mtb

This has huge potential. I’ve no idea what it has to do with Cranked magazine or ST for that matter but I’ll keep a packet of biscuits handy. Quick question though, how far and how high do you have to jump before you qualify? Does it count if it’s accidental? Do you have to do one of those silly sideways bike things or does a boring upright wheels pointing in the right direction jump count? Do you get extra points for jumping on an inappropriate bike?

Thanks for apologising ajantom.

On the other hand you get magazines/websites where the journos are gnarcore enduro-bunnies, but can’t write fur toffee.

There we go again with the thinly veiled insults towards more skilful riders. Most ‘average to decent riders’ can jump, well the ones I know can.

There are decent writers at STW. Not sure you’re best placed to judge good writing with such appalling spelling though…

WTF is ‘fur toffee’ sounds rank.

As I said on the thread on the story itself, the notion of a journalist’s having to be a pro level rider to justify being allowed to review a bike is laughable. Taking the line of thought that only someone who can push the bike to the absolute limits can comment on its handling inevitably leads to the conclusion that only Sam Hill or Loic Bruni are sufficiently qualified to do so, and then only while they’re winning.

Pinkbike has more in depth reviews, but they are somewhat flawed, in my view, by certain of their writers’ constant need to frame their reviews within their own rigid (and sometimes ill conceived) notion of what constitutes correct geometry.

PS: I’ll pre-empt any criticism of my use of the apostrophe on the word ‘journalist’ by suggesting that you investigate the use of the possessive with gerunds.

JP