Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 50 total)
  • The ugly truth about mountain bike publishing.
  • charliedontsurf
    Full Member

    GB gravel book DORSET

    I just wanted to take a moment and warn you about the pitfalls of working in bike publishing. From your side of the wizards curtain it all looks simply splendid. You see sunshine, beautiful scenery, and what looks like a great time.

    Please cast your eye over these pages from the new Great Britain gravel book. On the outside it looks like a great day out… a nice 25 mile loop with only three or four southern hills. The dreadful reality is that Markus Stitz made me ride up the hills and took some still photographs. and then back down again… He then made me ride up the hill to shoot video, and then back down again… and then he got his drone out for the final ascent.

    It would be easier working for the Grand Old Duke of York… but I heard he has had 10,000 men?

    I climbed every hill at least three times. A route that could of been belted out in 2 hours took from 9am to 7pm. And we only stopped at one pub, for only one pint!

    This, my friends, is sweatshop reality of this industry.

    ElShalimo
    Full Member

    #PrayForCharlie

    sparkyrhino
    Full Member

    At least you could have forced a smile, through the grimace🤷🏼‍♂️

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    bentudder
    Full Member

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    It’s all green screen and CGI, isn’t it?

    leffeboy
    Full Member

    Yeah, but then we have to read about it.  Feel for us

    Edit: smiley face/paying member, just in case…

    charliedontsurf
    Full Member

    ha haaa you are a funny bunch.

    Tune in next week when I will tell you about the trials and tribulations of being given turbo expensive demo ebikes to ride. It’s hell I tell you…. sometimes you have to  read the manual…. yes… read the manual… and that is to make the seatpost talk to your phone or something like that.

    jimmy
    Full Member

    #thoughtsandprayers

    I could show you my powerpoint I’ve been working on all day. And lost once to the horrors of auto)not)save. And didn’t ride my bike at all. Nor went to the pub.

    Grim.

    Jordan
    Full Member

    “could have” not “could of”! Sorry Charlie, one of my pet hates.

    charliedontsurf
    Full Member

    @jordan… no worries, everyday is a school day. Thank you.

    I normally have a Hannah to make me look like I might have a GCSE.

    Jordan
    Full Member

    @charliedontsurf GCSEs are overrated anyway! Looking forward to reading the article. 🙂

    Edit: I wouldn’t blame you if you thought you had it right in the first place. It’s all over the net like that to the extent I think most people think that’s the right way anyway.

    scud
    Free Member

    #toughenupprincess…

    tetrode
    Free Member

    To be fair they look like lovely photos!

    codybrennan
    Free Member

    Its a shame his sister Norma couldn’t make it along.

    jamesco
    Full Member

    Move along you fourth form boys !

    desperatebicycle
    Free Member

    Reminds me of my entry in the “Hardest ride” thread. Tim Woodcock did the same to us, way back in the 90s. Loved it though. 3 rides over 3 days and the big one was a killer.

    sockpuppet
    Full Member

    I’m saving that tardigrade photo. For the private collection.

    maxtorque
    Full Member

    Buy an eBike and stop worrying about hills…….. 😉

    djflexure
    Full Member

    Just ordered [from STW] with 12 bottles of Chimay [unfortunately not stocked by STW]

    grahamt1980
    Full Member

    Can anyone else hear a violin playing. It is either very very small or a long way away

    I’ll shed a tear for you whilst I’m in the middle of the M4 jointing cables in a concrete wall and taking the skin off another knuckle. At night

    reeksy
    Full Member

    To be fair the photos are too small to really tell just how ugly…

    duncancallum
    Full Member

    Its a shame his sister Norma couldn’t make it along.

    Posted 14 hours ago

    This needs more recognition 🙌

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    This, my friends, is sweatshop reality of this industry.

    Meh.
    Needs a flow chart.

    MrSparkle
    Full Member

    Charles – word of advice: keep the Duke of York out of it.

    theotherjonv
    Full Member

    careful everyone, one more mention of the Duke of York and you know who’s alarm will get triggered and then we won’t be able to look at Charlie’s pictures without being made to think

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Charles – word of advice: keep the Duke of York out of it.

    Article idea – ‘How to control excessive sweating while riding’

    I’m saving that tardigrade photo. For the private collection.

    Whatever turns you on.

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    Isn’t this just a stealth add for a mag very similar to STW ?

    And since when has work ever been fun ?

    Sanny
    Free Member

    Mountain bike? In a book about gravel riding? Burn the bearded witch………..Not angry. Not upset. Just disappointed. Also, the lack of Lycra, bikepacking bags and the emaciated look of the long distance ultra rider does not fit in with the gravelista image. Shame on you, Charlie Hobbs!

    Sanny

    Alex
    Full Member

    I’ve done a few with Seb Rogers back in the day when What Mountain Bike was still published. Ride over the same bit of trails many, many times trying to make it look epic 😉 And one with Russel Burton and Mike Davies on the Quantocks. Mike’s not called ‘pro elbows’ for nothing – I definitely failed to copy that stance 😉

    Russel kept asking us to ride closer together on this little ridge with a stream either side. I was sure a t-bone/fall into the water was what he REALLY wanted!

    MrSparkle
    Full Member

    Article idea – ‘How to control excessive sweating while riding’

    I’d buy that.

    ampthill
    Full Member

    With more job vacancies than unemployed you don’t have to put up with it

    I hear selling copiers on the phone is great fun and no hills

    DaveyBoyWonder
    Free Member

    I thought mountain bike publishing was just copying and pasting marketing guff from manufacturers and writing something that could be said in 50 words into 1000 cliche ridden ones?

    vmgscot
    Full Member

    Looks like a fake gravel article to me…. there’s no paid-placement for an artisan titanium coffee grinder anywhere on the pages

    mjsmke
    Full Member

    OP, you got paid for riding your bike all day.
    I have to do a hob I hate, stuck in an office that can be too hot or too cold any day of the year.

    nicko74
    Full Member

    😀 Love it Charlie!

    Olly
    Free Member

    No hills in surfing, Just sayin’

    sam3000
    Full Member

    You messed up the photos by riding stood up and now you’re moaning about it?

    ElShalimo
    Full Member

    I saw Charlie (or one of his many lookalike decoys) in an antiques shop in the Piece Hall in Halifax a couple of years ago. If the STW gig doesn’t work out I reckon he could do one of those afternoon TV shows, either antique hunts, upcycling or maybe home interiors.

    There’s a faint whiff of Llewellyn-Bowen about him

    There’s a demographic for everyone !!

    tomhoward
    Full Member

    If you don’t fancy the hills Charlie, how about a restaurant critic gig?

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