# Cycling mags; when will I learn?



## Brandane (30 Jul 2020)

Cycling has recently become a little more appealing to the masses, so I thought that maybe cycling magazines might have followed suit. It's been quite a while since I bought one, so decided to give it another go. Cycling Plus used to have some useful content in it, so I bought a copy at a penny less than £6. How wrong could I be!

So far I've seen nothing but a load of adverts; reviews of "Women's bike of the year" with prices STARTING at £2449; a review of a saddle at £250; shoes at £320; review of summer socks (is it only me who wears the same socks - washed occasionally of course - all year round?); a Gore rain jacket at £320; Sram groupset at £1650; a folding e-bike at £3699; a maintenance article on how to clean your drivetrain which advises to clean and lube chain THEN scrub the crud out of your jockey wheels (what? to get the crud onto your nice clean chain??).

Remotely useful stuff? Well there was 8 pages devoted to sub £100 bike gear (but nothing I am looking for). A review of an £865 gravel bike; and for route advice there was one single page of riding routes - around Scarborough, if I ever happen to find myself in the area. 

They must be selling copies of the mag, or they wouldn't be in business, but does anyone actually read this stuff on a regular basis? For me, it was another lesson learnt - save my £6 from now on.


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## vickster (30 Jul 2020)

A friend bought me that as a little birthday gift. The Sonder Ti bike looked rather tasty 
https://alpkit.com/collections/sonder-colibri


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## cyberknight (30 Jul 2020)

I only buy pro cycling


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## Sharky (30 Jul 2020)

Similarly, I stopped subscribing to Cycling Weekly a while back after subscribing for many a year. Just full of adverts as you say and race reports which are already old news when you get the copy. You can get news now in almost real time on the big tours or Eurosport/ITV4 etc.

Pre WWW, the adverts were something to drool over, but now you can see everything via Google.

The only mag I read now is the one from Cycling UK. Has a few interesting articles that you wouldn't find in the internet.


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## Teamfixed (30 Jul 2020)

Same predictable cover story titles as well:
_Go faster this year
Increase your power in two weeks
Eat smarter Ride smarter
Climb better... we show you how
All the best gear from (insert date)
Blah._
I have made these up but I'm sure they have been used. I'm sure there are plenty more similar.
I don't even look at them now.
I used to get 'cycling' (weekly?) now and again way back which was mostly results.


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## MntnMan62 (30 Jul 2020)

Here in the US I have been getting Bicycling Magazine. Sometimes there is some good content but most of the articles devoted to gear and bicycles are targeted at those with much more disposable income than I have. Although one recent article did talk about quality road bikes that covered a wide pricing range from just below $1,000 US on up. And "on up" means prices of $10,000 and more. But the bikes at the lower end were in fact some strong recommendations, which I appreciated. This magazine always has some good stories about riding as well. While I still think there are too many advertisements, I also realize that the publisher and editors and staff have to eat too. So I accept them as a necessary evil, if not more enabling eye candy.


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## confusedcyclist (30 Jul 2020)

Comparison is the thief of joy, which is why I don't read mags, or visit the likes of road.cc anymore, unless I am actively searching out the conventional wisdom of best of guides to avoid buying total crap, even then the guides are to be taken with a pinch of salt. As entertainment, they are dreadful, as they solely exist to make you feel like what you have already is not enough in order to line their own pockets. If I want some cycling themed entertainment, I prefer youtube bike builds, bike repair channels and how-tos


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## Smokin Joe (30 Jul 2020)

I haven't bought one for years. Even during a quiet afternoon behind the counter in the shop the last magazine I'd think of picking up is a cycling one.


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Jul 2020)

Next week.

How to cycle in hot weather


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## wafter (30 Jul 2020)

Yup.. target market is unashamedly the new rider with no gear, no idea and money to spend. Enthusiast mags are sadly usually nowt more than an advertising vehicle you pay for the privilege of "reading". Depending on the mag and interest group you're doing well if the "reviews" are anything better than a re-written advert..

While it's unfortunate for those in the industry the internet has firmly hammered home the final nail in the coffin of printed media of this type, and the enthusiast is arguably much better off for it.


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## Rusty Nails (30 Jul 2020)

I occasionally flip through these ridiculously expensive magazines on the store bookshelves, then invariably decide not to because I can buy the latest paperbacks for just about the same price.


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## MntnMan62 (30 Jul 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Next week.
> 
> How to cycle in hot weather



Drink tons of water. And if you are feeling flushed or shakey or just not right, stop, find some shade and drink water. And if you know you struggle in hot weather, ride early in the morning and later in the day in evening while it's still light out. I have historically been able to ride in hot weather and because of that feel it helps me increase my level of fitness faster since it is definitely harder on the body to ride in the heat. I'm careful. I bring one bottle of water for every 10 miles. If I do more than 20 miles I will leave an extra water bottle outside my house so I can stop and pick it up quickly and continue on my ride.


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## MntnMan62 (30 Jul 2020)

Rusty Nails said:


> I occasionally flip through these ridiculously expensive magazines on the store bookshelves, then invariably decide not to because I can buy the latest paperbacks for just about the same price.



Interestingly the subscription price for a full year of Bicycling Magazine is $15 yet the price for a single issue on the newstand is $5. I never buy individual issues of a magazine for that reason. There have been times when I've found myself getting on an airplane with no reading material and I'll pick up a magazine to read. But I usually buy one that I've never read before to see if I'll like it. The newsstand prices are bonkers.


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## Drago (30 Jul 2020)

I used to get several for free through worker MIAS. The only one Inrated was MBR, but that also went downhill too. They had been very, very, vocal against 29ers as a fad and of no benefit and in the space of one issue totally reversed tack on that, presumably so as not to offend their advertisers which were selling rather a lot of them.

I don't know which magazine it was, but before the virus went, erm viral, I was reading a review in a mag at the Doctors waiting room. Carbon framed bike and the tester was trotting out every single cliche, and then some, about compliance, soaking up road buzz, etc. It was so treacly and sickening that I googled the reviewers name and lo and behold discovered that a year beforehand he had been writing for a model railway magazine from the same publisher.

Other than the IPMBA trade rag, which is actually quite interesting, I don't read any cycling mags. They're all a load of J. Arthur Rank.


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## Ian H (30 Jul 2020)

Cycling (before they added 'Weekly') was _the _cycling magazine. Event reports, results, interesting articles about touring and other stuff, and cryptic small ads in the back.


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## Sharky (30 Jul 2020)

Ian H said:


> Cycling (before they added 'Weekly') was _the _cycling magazine. Event reports, results, interesting articles about touring and other stuff, and cryptic small ads in the back.


"Cycling & Mopeds" was even more interesting - used to read my Dad's copy.


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## simongt (30 Jul 2020)

About twenty years ago, a mag titled 'On Your Bike' hit the shelves. It was aimed specifically at 'ordinary' cyclists; ie., not clubbies, hard nosed mountain bikers etc., just ordinary cyclists. It had a very good content featuring affordable ordinary kit. Sadly, after a couple of years, it folded because of lack of sales.  Why - ? because it didn''t appeal to the obsessed cyclists.


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## Ajax Bay (30 Jul 2020)

MntnMan62 said:


> I bring one bottle of water for every 10 miles. If I do more than 20 miles I will leave an extra water bottle outside my house so I can stop and pick it up quickly and continue on my ride.


How do you manage after 100 miles then, on an excursion which does not include going home every 40 minutes? @YukonBoy 's long rides are probably 1000km+.


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## HMS_Dave (30 Jul 2020)

My other interests are music and astronomy and sometimes buy magazines relating to those interests. But really it's the same there too. A few pages of interesting literature then more fluff and guff advertising trying to sell you cack you dont need. Been that way for some time unfortunately. Not worth the 5 or 6 quid...


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## MntnMan62 (30 Jul 2020)

Ajax Bay said:


> How do you manage after 100 miles then, on an excursion which does not include going home every 40 minutes? @YukonBoy 's long rides are probably 1000km+.



I don't. My longest ride since I started riding again this past May after a long hiatus has been 30 miles. I suppose I could probably take two bottles in the bottle cages on my bike and two more in the pockets on the back of my jersey. In this heat, that would last me for about 40 miles. 100 miles? I'd have to stop and find a place to fill those bottles back up again. I suspect that is what most people do. The alternative would be to supplement the two water bottles on the bike with a 3 liter hydration pack which together would last at least 50 miles. But someone who rides that long probably doesn't need as much water as I do. I have found that as I get more and more fit, I can stretch those water bottles out over longer mileage.


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## dodgy (30 Jul 2020)

I stopped buying magazines when I discovered the Internet.


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## snorri (30 Jul 2020)

Rusty Nails said:


> I occasionally flip through these ridiculously expensive magazines on the store bookshelves, then invariably decide not to


I stopped buying mags. altogether, just got fed up of trying to fight through the silent mob of homeless page flippers who hang out in newsagents shops during the day.

Sorry Rusty.


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## Smokin Joe (30 Jul 2020)

Once upon a time the writers in cycling mags were lifelong cyclists who'd been there, done that, got the T shirt. Most now seem to be kids straight from college who happened to pick a cycling magazine to write for because it is the fashionable thing to do. They lack any depth of knowledge, have little idea of the history of the sport and write articles padded out with all the latest buzz words lifted from the sales brochures.

They could just as easily be writing about games consoles or table tennis, and probably will be if either of them become the next "New golf".


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## mustang1 (30 Jul 2020)

Magazines contain adverts. 
Magazine reviews are "sponsored" by advertiser's. 
They're all just one big advert and the purchaser partly pays for it (as does the advertiser).


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## Randy Butternubs (30 Jul 2020)

I like Bicycle Quarterly. Beautifully produced with great photos of gravel/touring rides and that sort of thing. Articles on bicycle history, testing of things like tyre pressures and such. It has genuinly interesting info that's hard or impossible to find elsewhere.

It is expensive though, partly cos you have to have it shipped from the states. A subscription works out at £9 per issue IIRC. Jan Heine puts quite a lot of content on his website so you can see if it's your sort of thing.


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## Rusty Nails (30 Jul 2020)

snorri said:


> I stopped buying mags. altogether, just got fed up of trying to fight through the silent mob of homeless page flippers who hang out in newsagents shops during the day.
> 
> Sorry Rusty.



No problem. I hate them myself. I'm just doing market research


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## Drago (30 Jul 2020)

Sharky said:


> "Cycling & Mopeds" was even more interesting - used to read my Dad's copy...


...of Razzle while he was distracted reading Cycling & Mopeds.


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## Rusty Nails (30 Jul 2020)

A friend of mine and his wife got seriously into cycling four years ago but then went on to horse-riding and golf. A great pity because they used to get Cyclist Magazine every month and pass it on to me when the next one came out. I quite enjoyed reading it except for the repetitive articles about great climbs all over the world. How many different cliches can you use to say a ride was steep and tiring, but coming back down was very fast?


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## Sharky (30 Jul 2020)

Smokin Joe said:


> Once upon a time the writers in cycling mags were lifelong cyclists who'd been there, done that, got the T shirt. Most now seem to be kids straight from college who happened to pick a cycling magazine to write for because it is the fashionable thing to do. They lack any depth of knowledge, have little idea of the history of the sport and write articles padded out with all the latest buzz words lifted from the sales brochures.
> 
> They could just as easily be writing about games consoles or table tennis, and probably will be if either of them become the next "New golf".


I'd love to see table tennis as the next "New Golf". I've been playing TT almost as long as I have been racing TT's. In my local league, when I started in 1971, there was 9 divisions, but over the years with small industries declining and firms shutting down and TT clubs closing, last year we were down to just 3 divisions. And with the current lockdown restrictions, there will be even less teams taking part in the forthcoming winter season.


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## Dwn (30 Jul 2020)

Most trade magazines are like that; packed with reviews of expensive items that people can't (or won't in some cases) afford to buy. It's about glamour and aspiration with an occasional sop to affordability. 

I like to read about these items on occasion, but I never have any intention to buy most of the stuff being reviewed or advertised.


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## Mr Celine (30 Jul 2020)

Cycling Weekly is produced on a thin paper which is not a popular material these days, but it's still such a good read that one's eyes simply don't notice. At this price point it represents excellent value for money. 

Cycling plus is priced a notch higher, but features an enhanced groupset of articles. It's printed on glossy paper which has been the most popular frame material for magazines for a number of years. On starting to read it immediately feels noticably stiffer than Cycling Weekly but can still be read comfortably for an hour.

The Cyclist is the most expensive of our group test. Printed on a thicker semi- gloss paper frame it gives a luxiourous feel and delivers class leading stiffness and vertical compliance. The pages turn effortlessly almost by themselves as tedious product reviews simply fly by. Only those with deep pockets will know whether or not its worth the investment.


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## rogerzilla (30 Jul 2020)

Rouleur is ok but a bit niche. C+ was good for about its first 10 years. It's a joke now.

The Cycling UK mag bores me rigid these days. When CUK was actually a member organisation, it was a great mag (Chris Juden, practical stuff). Now it's too focused on the type of people CUK would like to attract, which is not the crusty middle-aged men who actually get the mag!


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## Drago (30 Jul 2020)

Sharky said:


> I'd love to see table tennis as the next "New Golf". I've been playing TT almost as long as I have been racing TT's. In my local league, when I started in 1971, there was 9 divisions, but over the years with small industries declining and firms shutting down and TT clubs closing, last year we were down to just 3 divisions. And with the current lockdown restrictions, there will be even less teams taking part in the forthcoming winter season.


You've been playing table tennis since 1971? You must be absolutely knackered!


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## Sharky (30 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> You've been playing table tennis since 1971? You must be absolutely knackered!


Nah - I've been riding TT's since 1967 - got 4 years to catch up.


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## FrankCrank (31 Jul 2020)

Next issue we'll be showing you the correct way to wipe your arse.
Some readers may already know how to do this, but others will appreciate an in depth demonstration. 
Many wet-wipe brands will be put to the test to find the ultimate klingon deterrent.


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## steveindenmark (31 Jul 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Next week.
> 
> How to cycle in hot weather


Ride at night. Is the correct answer


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## Blue Hills (31 Jul 2020)

Drago said:


> I don't know which magazine it was, but before the virus went, erm viral, I was reading a review in a mag at the Doctors waiting room. Carbon framed bike and the tester was trotting out every single cliche, and then some, about compliance, soaking up road buzz, etc. It was so treacly and sickening that I googled the reviewers name and lo and behold discovered that a year beforehand he had been writing for a model railway magazine from the same publisher.


Did you become suspicious about his attachment to journalistic flourishes like "corners like its on rails" ?


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## Blue Hills (31 Jul 2020)

Got back into adult cycling in the late 90s and for several years had a subscription to Cycling Plus.
Have several years bound copies.
Used to be a very good general cycling mag for folk from tourers to everyday to racers and always looked forward to it dropping through the letter box.
Then years ago it lost it - seduced by megabucks bikes and kit for wannabee Cavs. Boring in the extreme. I rather pity current subscribers - must be like being on a treadmill reading about all that flash stuff you are apparently supposed to be riding/wearing/flashing before you can go ride your bike and explore.


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## CharlesF (31 Jul 2020)

I get free emags from the library and the only cycling mag on offer is Cycling Plus. I download it every month with the intention of reading it, only to be put off on the first article. As many have mentioned, the recommended kit is always expensive.

The only bit I enjoy is the short section “How cycling helped me”. The stories are usually inspiring and remind me there are many with far bigger challenges that they overcame.


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## Milkfloat (31 Jul 2020)

Sharky said:


> Nah - I've been riding TT's since 1967 - got 4 years to catch up.


It looks like you only do sports with the acronym of TT/
I assume this is yours then?


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## CanucksTraveller (31 Jul 2020)

I used to like Snudgers and Snudgemen, but when that was absorbed into "Quumph!" it all went a bit celebrity, a bit "OK!" magazine, obsessed with Jonathan Ross's favourite scents, Kylie Minogue's BMX seat etc.


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## rogerzilla (31 Jul 2020)

CanucksTraveller said:


> I used to like Snudgers and Snudgemen, but when that was absorbed into "Quumph!" it all went a bit celebrity, a bit "OK!" magazine, obsessed with Jonathan Ross's favourite scents, Kylie Minogue's BMX seat etc.


Snurglar International is still pretty good, even if you have to get it through specialist shops.


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## Blue Hills (31 Jul 2020)

Is that a sister publication to Splosh?


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## Mo1959 (31 Jul 2020)

I gave Cycling Plus another try for a year as the free gift was a base layer  Won't be renewing.


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## Paulus (31 Jul 2020)

I used to get Cycling Plus, did so for many years. In the end it kind of left me behind and didn't have my kind of cycling included. So I gave up my subscription. I still get Cycling weekly, but I'm not sure for how much longer.


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## Spartak (31 Jul 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Next week.
> 
> How to cycle in hot weather



Week after next. 

How to cycle in wet weather


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## rogerzilla (31 Jul 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> Did you become suspicious about his attachment to journalistic flourishes like "corners like its on rails" ?


It was when he started going on about the incredible slow speed running and the cab lighting that you realised he'd rejigged his 2017 review of the Scotrail Class 37?


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## matticus (31 Jul 2020)

Spartak said:


> _Next week.
> 
> How to cycle in hot weather_
> 
> ...


Badoom tish!


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## matticus (31 Jul 2020)

I'm on my 2nd year of Cyclist subscription. It is mainly glossy articles about places I haven't been to, or people/companies/teams I will never meet. (I haven't tried the other glossies.)
I think this is what printed press is good for. The internet has replaced all the news and tips sections.

(and another vote for the CTC mag - it has a unique purpose and does it well. Not very popular on the CTC forum though  )


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## Sterlo (31 Jul 2020)

If you like reading them but don't like the price, I got a Readly subscription for £7.99 a month. They have a few cycling mags on there so you can get them all for the one price, plus there are thousands of others. You can cancel at any time and use it on (I think) 5 different devices.


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## Tom B (31 Jul 2020)

matticus said:


> (and another vote for the CTC mag - it has a unique purpose and does it well. Not very popular on the CTC forum though  )



Not much is. They're a bit stiff and hard-line for my liking.

Another vote for readly. I think MBR is about the same price as a month of readly.

If anyone is thinking of signing up for readly drop one of us readly subscribers an message and we and you get a month free if we recommend you.


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## simon the viking (31 Jul 2020)

I subscribe to readly app... all the magazine you could ever want or need at around the price of one and half paper ones. but even then I dont often read the cycling ones as there idea of budget and mine are at least a few hundred or even a grand apart

Edit beaten to this advice by sterio


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## Juan Kog (31 Jul 2020)

I'm puzzled why anyone would continue to buy cycle magazines, when we have this fantastic resource of reviews advice and opinions that is cyclechat . All with added sarcasm and P taking when required and deserved.


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## MichaelW2 (31 Jul 2020)

Would a glossy magazine for everday cyclist on a tight budget ever make money? Would "BSO Weakly" ever sell?


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## Drago (31 Jul 2020)

Juan Kog said:


> I'm puzzled why anyone would continue to buy cycle magazines, when we have this fantastic resource of reviews advice and opinions that is cyclechat . All with added sarcasm and P taking when required and deserved.


And Y fronts! The traditional printed cycling press is devoid of functional classic underwear.


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## HMS_Dave (31 Jul 2020)

Magazine media is struggling full stop. Modern Classics magazine is shutting this month after 34 years, a number of others has disappeared of the past decade. A friendly tip, if you're thinking of printing a new magazine in your chosen field of interest, don't... Sorry Drago that you're idea of Alien sex toys magazine weekly would be a 'flop'...


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## vickster (31 Jul 2020)

MichaelW2 said:


> Would a glossy magazine for everday cyclist on a tight budget ever make money? Would "BSO Weakly" ever sell?


BSO weekly might


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## byegad (31 Jul 2020)

I haven't bought one since Velovision changed hands. I didn't buy the few the new owner published having read on a forum, just prior to the takeover, him sounding off about helmet use being essential. 
As a recumbent trike user most 'standard magazines' are as useful as the ashtray* I fitted to one of my trikes, along with a side stand!

*I'm a life-long non-smoker!


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## matticus (31 Jul 2020)

MichaelW2 said:


> Would a glossy magazine for everday cyclist on a tight budget ever make money? Would "BSO Weakly" ever sell?


How about
"I appear to have spent considerably more on my vehicle than yow." Weekly.


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## Ajax Bay (31 Jul 2020)

Not on paper, but:
"laterally stiff yet vertically compliant"
Try avoiding to laugh at/with this article : bikesnob-2008-dream-bike-shootout,
"this bike climbs like a monkey with a set of crampons, descends like a monkey in a set of crampons being dropped from a helicopter, handles corners like a prostitute, and accelerates like a particle in a particle accelerator that itself is just a tiny particle in a giant particle accelerator."
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/carbon.243931/page-2


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## Juan Kog (31 Jul 2020)

As it appears all the current glossy cycle magazines are aimed firmly at the MAMIL market . I Thought a publisher could launch a magazine aimed at SOCC's like me ,that's stingy old club cyclists. It would fail of course, as we would all be waiting for a mate to pass on there old copy.


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## matticus (31 Jul 2020)

"_laterally stiff yet vertically compliant_" 

It is quite amazing how many ways the journos can rephrase this simple cliche in bike reviews. I wonder if there a special award at some industry annual dinner for the best one?


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## Drago (31 Jul 2020)

MichaelW2 said:


> Would a glossy magazine for everday cyclist on a tight budget ever make money? Would "BSO Weakly" ever sell?


I don't think so. "_Ride Home From Work at 2am With a dirty Fluorescent and no Lights_" monthly only lasted 2 issues.


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## avecReynolds531 (31 Jul 2020)

Brandane said:


> Cycling Plus used to have some useful content in it,


+ 1
Used to be a varied & interesting magazine, I stopped reading it maybe 10 years ago


Sharky said:


> The only mag I read now is the one from Cycling UK. Has a few interesting articles that you wouldn't find in the internet.


I get this because of the CUK membership and it's good in my view. They have some of the magazine content on the website.
I also receive the V-CC magazines which are fabulous but definitely niche

The only publication I'm considering subscribing to now, is Jan Heine's Bicycle Quarterly: https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop/print/issues/last-four-issues-bq/


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## rogerzilla (31 Jul 2020)

I think my bike reviews would be like:

"A bit lighter than the last one. Steering feels the same. Gears and brakes work. Harsh on rough roads because it has skinny tyres. Annoying rattle from internally-routed brake cable. Nice colour. White bar tape was bad choice."


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## Blue Hills (31 Jul 2020)

avecReynolds531 said:


> + 1
> Used to be a varied & interesting magazine, I stopped reading it maybe 10 years ago
> 
> I get this because of the CUK membership and it's good in my view. They have some of the magazine content on the website.
> ...



Is Dan Joyce still editor of the CTC mag?
He was editor of Cycling Plus through much of the period I thought it worth reading.

(I was a member of the CTC for a fair while, left when I came back to London)


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## Drago (31 Jul 2020)

@biggs682's career as a journo for Cyling Weekly didn't last long...

"In summary, our £3000 carbon bike group test was won by...a 1976 Flying Badger 531ST"


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## rogerzilla (31 Jul 2020)

To get away from boring swoopy Taiwanese CF frames and relentlessly black Shimano kit, they should review some readers' creations, the kind lovingly cobbled together from eBay purchases with idiosyncratic kit, like fixed-gear Moultons, racing bikes with SA 3-speeds and hipster singlespeeds with lots of tan leather and tiny handlebars. The fact that all of these exist in my shed is purely coincidental.


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## matticus (31 Jul 2020)

And this month in "What's in your shed?" we're off to Swindon. Let's see what we find ...


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## matticus (31 Jul 2020)

_"How much have YOU saved on eBay this week? Why not write in and let other readers share your joy!"_


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## rogerzilla (31 Jul 2020)

Or..."how much more than original RRP have you just paid for a small widget made in the late 1970s?"


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## avecReynolds531 (31 Jul 2020)

Blue Hills said:


> Is Dan Joyce still editor of the CTC mag?
> He was editor of Cycling Plus through much of the period I thought it worth reading.
> 
> (I was a member of the CTC for a fair while, left when I came back to London)


Yes, that's right, still Dan Joyce editing at the CTC mag. 

(As an aside, we have a family membership: the incorporated 3rd party insurance & legal support is something we've found valuable & reassuring. 
...i.e. when a drunk driver crisply shunted a car in front, sending it into my bike. The back wheel didn't look like a wheel anymore & CTC were great dealing with that.)


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## Ming the Merciless (31 Jul 2020)

Next week

The physics of why red bikes go faster. Why helium filled balloon tires are the next secret weapon. Ten of the best water bottles tested.


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## matticus (31 Jul 2020)

Artichoke shakes vs nepalese nettle juice - which will stimulate your red blood cell count best??


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## Drago (31 Jul 2020)

"And in next weeks episode, we see how far we can ride while staring dead ahead"


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## Ming the Merciless (31 Jul 2020)

Next weeks head to head - Butchers bikes tackle the Hovis hill.


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## MntnMan62 (31 Jul 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> Next issue we'll be showing you the correct way to wipe your arse.
> Some readers may already know how to do this, but others will appreciate an in depth demonstration.
> Many wet-wipe brands will be put to the test to find the ultimate klingon deterrent.



I'm most interested in reading about the various different techniques of arse wiping. Love those articles that really do an in depth analysis and pick apart all the different angles, equipment and trajectories of arse wiping. I'll be standing by my mailbox waiting for that next issue. Can't wait.


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## matticus (31 Jul 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Next weeks head to head - Butchers bikes tackle the Hovis hill.


that would actually be good fun! But it is on the slippery slope to Top G**r style challenges 

(we sent Jeremy the long - but smooth - way round on the new Pinarello Smegma... etc ... )


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## Nomadski (31 Jul 2020)

Mo1959 said:


> I gave Cycling Plus another try for a year as the free gift was a base layer  Won't be renewing.



haha I did the same for a free Lusso Merino jersey. Actually quite a nice top too.

I tend to find more entertaining articles in my free weekly Bikeradar email on a friday tho than the mag itself.


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## Rusty Nails (31 Jul 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Next weeks head to head - Butchers bikes tackle the Hovis hill.


I remember a French TV programme a few years ago that showed a race between a village postman who normally rode a heavy bike on his rounds and a professional cyclist. They had to swap bikes for the race, and I am so frustrated that I cannot remember who won.

Edit: Just found it,


View: https://youtu.be/j7SGbHxJ9Y8


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## avecReynolds531 (31 Jul 2020)

Rusty Nails said:


> I remember a TV programme a few years ago that showed a race between a village postman who normally rode a heavy bike on his rounds and a professional cyclist. (Italian or French?). They had to swap bikes for the race, and i am so frustrated that I cannot remember who won


Edit: posted before seeing the Rusty Nails edit.

I remember something like this too, & reckon it may be the Philippe Gilbert feature on RTBF? French language Belgian tv - they swapped bikes at some point: 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7SGbHxJ9Y8


I also remembered this one from Dutch tv: 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN54oOMVrXQ


...but this one is my favourite - Francois/ aka Jacques Tati, overtaking the peloton in the beautiful film Jour de Fete;

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xj4owAPp8k


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## Reynard (31 Jul 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Next week
> 
> The physics of why red bikes go faster. Why helium filled balloon tires are the next secret weapon. Ten of the best water bottles tested.



I have five red bikes. Or bikes that are mostly red... And I'm sloooooooooooooow. 

Anyways, can't comment on the cycling press as I don't buy cycling mags, but the motorsport press is going pretty well much the same way - glossy, aspirational and with little useful content.

Autosport is a case in point. Used to be a good read with interesting tech articles, all the news, race results and reports, book reviews etc. Mostly printed in black & white with the odd colour shot. Gradually it's become more and more glossy, with more photos and less text, and far less "grass roots" material than there used to be. There was a marked downturn in the quality when they changed publishers from Hazleton to whatever it is now. Speaking from varied experience here, as I bought it religiously every week from the late 80s up until fairly recently, but I was also on their books as a photographer for nearly a decade.

I'll only pick up the odd copy these days if there's something in there that interests me. I'm now much more likely to browse through it in the shop and put it back on the shelf, much like what I used to do back in the day when I was a skint schoolgirl and my pocket money wouldn't quite stretch to a copy.

They tried to double the cover price last year, but that went down like a lead balloon and the the publishers had to back down.


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## tyred (31 Jul 2020)

I won't take any of them seriously until they do an article discussing the benefits of pie and chips and a pint of Guinness as post ride recovery fuel.


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## rogerzilla (31 Jul 2020)

Or a list of cafes that don't give you the extra jug of hot water so you can eke six cups from one tea bag. The robdogs.


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## Smokin Joe (31 Jul 2020)

I'd like to see an article questioning the effectiveness of helmets and pointing out that the head injury problem didn't exist till they were invented.

And another one saying that £300 for a pair of shoes is money P'd up the wall.


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## classic33 (1 Aug 2020)

MntnMan62 said:


> I'm most interested in reading about the various different techniques of arse wiping. Love those articles that really do an in depth analysis and pick apart all the different angles, equipment and trajectories of arse wiping. I'll be standing by my mailbox waiting for that next issue. Can't wait.


Have you tried "frosting a rock" of late.


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## MntnMan62 (1 Aug 2020)

classic33 said:


> Have you tried "frosting a rock" of late.



I am not familiar with that "phrase" but my imagination tells me it's not something I'd like to try.


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## FrankCrank (1 Aug 2020)

When I was working in the UK, many moons ago, a girl in my office came in one day with a magazine dedicated to soaps, ie Corrie etc.
I also recall one dedicated to mobile phones/pagers - I'm sure there are many publications for this now.
I did used to get a monthly mag on scuba diving, nice to read I guess, but that hobby has long gone for me.
As for cycling, any old klunker will do me. Speed - just enough to stop from falling over. I'm obviously not the targeted audience


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## matticus (1 Aug 2020)

Smokin Joe said:


> I'd like to see an article questioning the effectiveness of helmets and pointing out that the head injury problem didn't exist till they were invented.


"Cold day in hell" springs to mind. There seems to be a journalist union rule about this.

This sort of dishonesty adds up to my negative view of the profession in general :-(

( A writer in Cyclist did once make a risky reference to T_he Company Line_ during a ride report - reading between the lines, he wasn't keen on the mag insisting on helmets for all photos and articles.)


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## Johnno260 (1 Aug 2020)

My wife brought me a subscription to a cycling mag, it was a nice gesture and I thanked her but also told her to look at the prices inside haha.

If I need shoes I get what’s in my budget and more importantly what’s comfortable, same with all my kit really, I buy things out of season so it’s cheaper and it’s usually a few seasons out of date as well.


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## Hover Fly (1 Aug 2020)

I stopped reading mags after one comparison between a hub-geared an a derailleur bike, in which the Hubbie couldn’t keep up with the chain-bender, because... not as efficient, weight bla-de-bla.
No mention of the rider‘s mass or fitness then?


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## Drago (1 Aug 2020)

I'm looking forward to the first edition of _Cyclecam Vigilante_. Apparently it picks up where the old _Abuse Shouting Fistwaver _left off.


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