# Call me tight but!!



## Cush (11 Jun 2011)

Yesterday I bought Cyling Plus mainly because of the free socks. It is the last one I will buy as it seems to me to be now aimed at the open credit card cyclist.
Though I have a good set of panniers that I use for touring and and a good catseye rear light and I get my bike serviced every year by the LBS. Most of my kit comes from Aldi and Lidl and the high street sports shops like Mountain Warehouse and JJB sports, maybe it is not the best but over the years most of it has proved to be good value, for instance my everyday panniers (the one's that do the Tesco and town shopping run) came from Lidl, the best shirt and shorts I have bought came from Mountain Warehouse, padded underpants from J J B sports and so on but there is no mention of this sort of kit in Cycling Plus but they do advocate Jeseys at prices that are two and three times what I would even think of paying and yes I have bought through the net because my LBS has not had the kit in that I want or it is over priced. 
I will pay the extra for kit that I think is good value but I will also look round for the kit will do the job for the price.


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## screenman (11 Jun 2011)

I would imagine that they have found the type of people who are likely to buy the mag and cater for them, nothing wrong with being careful with your money as not many people are. Personally I buy both cheap and expensive depending how the mood takes me.


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## Glover Fan (11 Jun 2011)

Cycling is an expensive hobby more regularly pursued by people in the middle ages who have a lot of disposable income to burn. Cycling Plus will make a large chunk of it's revenue through sponsorship and advertisement.

To be perfectly fair it is the same with any hobby, if you are into computers, most magazines have components that are silly money, although you do see special "budget" editions.

When I was into motorcycling it was the same. My leathers cost about £200 in Hein Gericke, but most magazines still jizz upon and thrust upon the latest Alpinestars kit which is worth nearly a grand.

This is why forums are excellent as you can speak to like minded people who don't have a ridiculous amount of money to spend.


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## Norm (11 Jun 2011)

That's exactly why I stopped buying C+ and moved to Cycling Active, as it seems aimed at more normal people.

For instance, when they review £1k bikes, they acknowledge that is a pretty high price point and they rate £30 jerseys over £70 jerseys because they are cheaper rather than being blinded by the bling labels.


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## Melonfish (11 Jun 2011)

Same with walking and bushcraft, everyone wants Swandri or some damned expensive super lightweight fleece that wicks moisture and insulates like the very devil or even worse Ventile... what a waste of money...

if i want a walking shirt, army surplus is good, i know it'll last, if i want to stay warm yet breathe i wear a wool jumper (charity shop or actually not that expensive online) if i want to stay waterproof then surplus MVP at £30-40 is miles better then a ventile at £300-400.
but you know, the mags like the shiney stuff and cater to those with more disposable income then sense...


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## pepecat (11 Jun 2011)

I emailed cycling plus about this a couple of weeks ago (i am that sad person who would do such a thing...) - like you i was annoyed that every ad and every product they featured was for ridiculously priced things, and in a recession of all times! I suggested they do a 'budget' issue and feature stuff from wiggle (cheaper end), evans cycles, halfords, aldi etc.....

The editor himself (Rob Spedding) replied and said.......
'Thanks for the email. We’re keen to ensure that we achieve a balance of ‘bling’ and not-so-budget-busting in Cycling Plus so we’ll be making sure that as well as the really expensive stuff we’ll also feature gear that is just plain good value in future editions.'

We'll see!.....


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## Fnaar (11 Jun 2011)

It's the same as you see in newspapers... look in the Guardian holidays bit... you'd have to be a flipping millionaire for most of the jollies the journos get sent on.
I'm middle aged, probably middle class these days too, but I don't have the kind of disposable income that papers/Cycling mags seem to think I should have... so I too get my kit in Lidl (if its good quality) and sales and try to indulge my hobby affordably.


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## abo (11 Jun 2011)

Thing is, it's like anything else; you won't see regular cars in 'Top Marques' for example.


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## MacB (11 Jun 2011)

Yep, agree with the outraged majority here but I'm afraid the marketing bods 'sing' to me with bling. More than once my dismissive, and sneering, superiority has taken a tumble to shiny shiny.


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## gaz (11 Jun 2011)

Hi tight but.


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## lulubel (11 Jun 2011)

It doesn't really bother me, to be honest. I enjoy browsing the bling, even though the chances of me ever buying anything are pretty slim (I like going down to Marbella and browsing the designer shops too).

But I haven't seen a copy of C+ for a couple of years, so it may have changed since then. It's too expensive to get it over here


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## chewy (11 Jun 2011)

Its about value, rather than just price.

This week, I have been mostly buying Tenn Outdoors.........which was nice


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## supercooper (11 Jun 2011)

Aldi and Lidle , kings of cycleware


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## Cush (11 Jun 2011)

User13710 said:


> I read the thread title as "Call me tight butt"
> 
> 
> That's what cycling does for you I suppose


After a three weeks on the bike riding from Haltwhistle too L/E too Dover to Haltwhistle thats exactly what I had. a tight and slightly painful butt


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## fossyant (11 Jun 2011)

Now't wrong with window shopping.


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## slowmotion (11 Jun 2011)

User13710 said:


> I read the thread title as "Call me tight butt"
> 
> 
> That's what cycling does for you I suppose



Likewise. For a couple of seconds I thought that Pippa Middleton may have joined CC.


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## slowmotion (11 Jun 2011)

User13710 said:


> Damn - my cover's blown!



Excellent!


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## Spy (11 Jun 2011)

I also prefer Cycling active to some of the other mags. I find the gear they review much more affordable and their reviews also speak to the non-millionaire cyclist.


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## funnymummy (11 Jun 2011)

User13710 said:


> I read the thread title as "Call me tight butt"
> 
> 
> That's what cycling does for you I suppose



Me too...I opened this thread with one finger hovering over the 'back' button, just in case there were images my tender young mind couldn't handle


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## Bornagaincyclist (11 Jun 2011)

I looked at a bike for £1045 today. Couldn't afford it and didn't see the point of canti brakes when you could have vee's. 'Cause I had read about it in CA I could make a more informed choice, which is nice, but it does not make it more affordable. Never mind, I still like riding bikes.


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## Cyclopathic (12 Jun 2011)

For me one of the most attractive things about cycling is the afordability of it. After not very long your bike pays for itself in bus fares, petrol or whatever. I am still very much at the budget end of things but I know that enjoyable and productive cycling is easily possible.
A bike that cost £1000 is not nescessarily going to be twicw as good as one for £500 and the improvement per pound spent seems to get less and less the higher up the scale one goes so a lot can be said for finding the optimum of price and performance within ones own particular budget. I get a lot of enjoyment out of fixing up old knackered bikes and cobbling them together to make something serviceable but I still apreciate the higher end stuff and always hope to own some one day.
Cycling can be an expensive activity. Much like anything one could probably spend as much as one liked on it but it is by no means essential. However unlike other activites cycling does put the very highest end of things within the reach of a lot of people. Just think of the equipment and anciliaries one could enjoy if one spent say £10,000 on a cycle and cycling, especially if you were shrewd and shopped about. Ten grand is a lot of money but it wouldn'tgo far in Formula1 yet it would probably fulfil and surpass all but the greediest and most ambitious cycle nut.
I have no idea where I'm going with this or what my initial point was or was going to be. I apologise for this ramble. As you were.


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## Norm (12 Jun 2011)

Cyclopathic said:


> I have no idea where I'm going with this or what my initial point was or was going to be. I apologise for this ramble. As you were.


Wherever you were planning on going, it's pretty damned good reading to me. 

A good bike can be had for the same price as a decent set of tyres for my motorbike, and I could get a carbon road bike for the price of a dealer service on my Merc. 

Then again, the Merc (which I don't get dealer serviced) only needs that done every 10k miles, so, as with all sets of numbers, they need to be treated with caution.


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## Cubist (12 Jun 2011)

It's the same in the MTB mags, but recently I have noticed that the reviews will feature a "best value" option versus "most blingiest" etc. There have also been a couple of recent articles say on a £2K wheelset which quite shamelessly says "Oh very nice, but that's a helluva lot of money!" 

I can't speak for cycling clothing, as all of my shirts and tops have come from Aldi, or TK, and my bibshorts from SPEG, but again, the reviews appear to ensure value options remain in the comparison tests. They will however continue to point out that a Gore wear top for £175 fits better, has better zips and pockets and will be three times as breathable as a Polaris waterproof for £40

You do, without doubt, get what you pay for. I have had Lidl shoes, but found them very heavy. I read reviews and shopped around and found a pair of Spesh Tahos. The difference in quality is marked, with cleat plates that are made of proper metallic metal in the Tahoes, and velcro tabs that stay attached to the shoe when you pull them tight. I have a horrible feeling a magazine review of budget kit would tell you just that. Cheap is OK, but it's cheap for a reason. Santa managed to find a half price pair of BG Carbon expert shoes last Christmas, and can I just say that they are worth every penny of their asking price, let alone the £70 that Santa paid.


All that said, when it comes to bikes, I love a bit of bling. I'm lucky enough to have a bit of disposable income so if I fancy a bit of an upgrade I can, on occasions, get a nice wide handlebar, or a new stem or pedals. I read reviews on stuff like that and yeah, you can get cheap black rubber grips for less than a fiver from Lidl, but you'll need a new pair as soon as they next stock them. Oh, and did I mention they look crap?!?!


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## Angelfishsolo (12 Jun 2011)

My biggest issue with most bike mags is that if you are new to the game you get the impression that a huge amount of money needs to be spent on the bike and associated equipment before you can venture onto the road or trail. As a MTBer it seems I need a minimum of 140mm travel fork to ride on anything my technical that a tow-path and to dress myself I need spend over £300 for a basic shoe, jersey, shorts and socks get up. Add in the price of gloves and helmet and the price is much nearer £400. (which is a load of bollox)


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## Rhythm Thief (12 Jun 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> My biggest issue with most bike mags is that if you are new to the game you get the impression that a huge amount of money needs to be spent on the bike and associated equipment before you can venture onto the road or trail. (which is a load of bollox)




Indeed. This is my beef with them too, and I think we may have agreed on this very point on another thread somewhere. 
For myself, I have no desire whatever to own a bling road bike or one of the modern breed of frankly fugly MTBs, which look to me like motocross bikes without the engine. Give me an ancient 531 road bike or tourer, or an old steel MTB frame with road tyres and drop bars on it, and I'm happy. If they're a bit scruffy, so much the better. Character and individuality beat bling hands down, in my book. 
I suspect I'm not the target market for C+.


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## biggs682 (12 Jun 2011)

there is nothing wrong with being frugal or tight


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## Norm (12 Jun 2011)

Rhythm Thief said:


> For myself, I have no desire whatever to own a bling road bike or one of the modern breed of frankly fugly MTBs, which look to me like motocross bikes without the engine. Give me an ancient 531 road bike or tourer, or an old steel MTB frame with road tyres and drop bars on it, and I'm happy. If they're a bit scruffy, so much the better. Character and individuality beat bling hands down, in my book.


By coincidence, this month's test in Cycling Active is steel MTBs. Although they are all around the £1k mark, they are also, IIRC, all British made.


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## Banjo (12 Jun 2011)

I bought some Karrimor cycle jerseys in a sport shop for less than a tenner. Do the job fine.


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## Davidc (12 Jun 2011)

Agree with much of the above, but the reviews of bikes at £1k + are useful - they're of the bikes I might buy secondhand for a few hundred £s in several years time when the present bike is worn out/ frame's bent/ it's too tatty even for me.

Mags (bike or anything else) need adverts to pay their way, and their reviews will always be of things in the same market as their advertisers. That's life, doesn't mean you have to buy the stuff.


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## Chris S (12 Jun 2011)

Call me tight but? That's the sort of double-entendre that Julian Clary would come out with!


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## fossyant (12 Jun 2011)

The main thing is about getting something that is good for the job at a reasonable price.

I do have a fair bit of bling, but it's a good few years old, and has worked out pretty cheap in the end.

£2k wheels, on our roads ? Saw a guy on last year's Cheshire Cat with a pair of Lightweights, on the roads we have round here, crikey ? I'm a big advocate of quality handbuilts.

Always worth shopping about for getting some good kit, at low prices.


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## Bluebell72 (12 Jun 2011)

I also opened the thread expecting to see before and after pics of someone's buttocks. Pff.


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## festival (12 Jun 2011)

Tell me if i am wrong but a lot of comments so far (and in general on this forum) is about stuff that does a job and being happy with it. 

And if your happy that the product is serviceable(if that's the right term ) then that's great.

If Contador rode the TdF in lidle kit (forget bikes for the moment) I reckon he would still win it, but I bet he would say it made life difficult. 

Is a pair of top of the range assos bibshorts at £ 175 better than say, endura fs260 pro,s at £60. Yes.

But are they £115 better. No.

Are the endura all of £45 better than a pair of lidles at £15 (i am guessing the price here) Yes. I may not have used them but i have seen enough to be sure.

Its got nothing to do with snobbery, there is a level of quality & performance in a product that will not only make you more comfortable but will allow you to perform better, and while it wont turn you into a Contador you can benefit, whatever kind of cycling you do.

I know this will be taken wrongly by some, I don't mean to offend, but even with the better kit you sometimes have to try different makes before you find the one for you. 
I believe its a bit like having a high performing, breathable rain jacket, if you wear a cotton t-shirt underneath its not going to work and you will feel uncomfortable to say the least. I am sure no one here would do such a thing but in a more subtle way getting a combination of high performing kit makes a big difference. You don't have to spend big to get things right but, if you have never experienced the right kit you wont understand what you are missing . 

You may be happy with what you use but please accept top of the range kit is better.

I do however think in general a lot of cycle kit is slightly over priced, but believe me the margin for the retailer on a lot of products is not that much. 

Having said all that, if your happy, great, enjoy.


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## Nebulous (13 Jun 2011)

festival said:


> Is a pair of top of the range assos bibshorts at £ 175 better than say, endura fs260 pro,s at £60. Yes.
> 
> But are they £115 better. No.
> 
> Are the endura all of £45 better than a pair of lidles at £15 (i am guessing the price here) Yes. I may not have used them but i have seen enough to be sure.



For you maybe - but not for everybody. We all draw the line at different places, depending on what we see as affordability and value. Otherwise Lidl wouldn't get any trade at all - instead of selling out of the most popular biking items on the day they come into stock. 

Probably my most popular item of biking wear is my Lidl sleeveless baselayer. It's a compression top, which holds my heart rate monitor strap in place, and just feels very comfortable and right. At the same time the thing that has caused me most grief since I got my bike is my Lidl computer. It's just about impossible to get it working consistently and it has let me down on two of the most important rides I have done to date, including my first TT. 

I'm reluctant to spend money on clothes, either on or off the bike, yet people here keep complaining about the cost of sports drinks and my High 5, 4:1 powder is something I absolutely don't grudge at all. 

That's me though - but the world is all the same. Some people ride a cheap bike and believe themselves rich beyond all dreams because they possess a bike at all, other people pay thousands for a bike as a toy for when they aren't driving one of their stable of cars.


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## al-fresco (13 Jun 2011)

The thing is that few (possibly none) of these companies actually make stuff - they just buy it from factories that do. I used to live near an outdoor clothing factory and I could buy an un-badged fleece jacket for about £15. But if I wanted a Berghaus badge on the _same fleece_ the price would have been £90. 

My Aldi jerseys aren't stylish (bloody ugly in fact) - but they function exactly the same as my Endura ones that cost 3 times as much. My £5 Aldi computers ars clunky - but they work better than my friends Cateye Strada Double Wireless which after £90 and 2 replacement sensors got thrown in the bin. 

But when I bought a Surly Cross Check I definitely paid more than I should have for a bike of that spec - and it was made in a factory in Taiwan that probably makes loads of bikes for other companies. The thing is, I wanted one, I could afford one and now that I've got it I love the damned thing more than any other bike I've ever owned. Pretty much the definition of a successful purchase.

So while some stuff is more expensive for a reason, it's better designed and made to a higher spec, some stuff is more expensive just because of the badge they put on it and sometimes cheap stuff functions as well or better than more expensive stuff. None of this matters at all. If you like it and can afford it that's fine but it's your money and if you'd rather spend it on something else that's fine too.

(Though I'm amazed that anybody spends money on energy drinks when there's beer!)


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## festival (13 Jun 2011)

To the last 2 posts, al-fresco & nebulous, I agree with your sensible and considered comments in the main. e.g. under vests, factories etc

I would pay extra to look stylish though,(not fashionable )but that must always include function & performance. 

Working in the the cycle trade means I am not well off. 

Question... how do you make a million in the cycle trade ? Answer... Start with 2 million.

Lastly, if you can fit into the better (higher priced) stuff it does generally work better IMO.


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## Cush (13 Jun 2011)

When I buy clothing wether it is intended mainly for cycling, walking or to be used in the gym I look at how functional it is. I will often wear the same vest in the gym and then after it has been washed as an undershirt for walking or cyling and I will use the same jacket for checking a footpath as I will for a twenty mile ride. As for popular fashion and style I give that up years ago. I am my man (with the permission of SWMBO) and I wear and do what suits me providing it is not offencive. And it is the same for branded clothing, if it is at a sencible price and does what I want I will buy it.


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## VentureBikes (11 Jul 2011)

I'm sorry but as "Cyclists" how can you not understand that the cycle industry must produce new product and new innovations whether you agree with them or not (or more to the point want to open your wallet to buy them) in order to keep the industry alive and bike shops afloat etc. If every cyclist was happy enough to ride round on "an old 531 frame" and cheap kit, the industry would be done for. At least the leisure market would be!


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## Alembicbassman (11 Jul 2011)

When I see £1000 bikes discounted to £450 I assume the profit margins are too high.

It's even worse with clothes that are knocked out in the Far East for pence per garment and sell for £50-£100

Decathlon seems to offer best bang for buck. Their stuff is guaranteed for 2 years and their warranty is no quibble. Their 5 series cycling garments are superb.

I've had stitching fail on some Aldi stuff, never on a Decathlon garment.


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## lulubel (11 Jul 2011)

Nebulous said:


> For you maybe - but not for everybody. We all draw the line at different places, depending on what we see as affordability and value. Otherwise Lidl wouldn't get any trade at all - instead of selling out of the most popular biking items on the day they come into stock.



The other issue here (for some people) is how long you're going to be wearing it for. My Aldi cycling gear is great for an hour or so, but if I'm going to be on the bike for half a day or more, I want something that keeps drier (regardless of how much I'm sweating) and doesn't leave me suffering from soreness and chafing for the next few days. That tends to be more expensive gear that uses higher quality materials.

However, to agree with some other comments, a few years back, my OH and I bought matching zip-up hoodies in Primark for less than a tenner each. We still have them and, apart from being faded, they're just like new in every other respect. A few weeks after we bought them, we saw the same fleeces, with a different dye job and a bit of extra trim, for £60+ each in Fat Face.


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## avalon (11 Jul 2011)

No Aldi or lidl around here, although I am still using gear that I bought from them a few years ago. No longer buy the magazines as they are too expensive and there is more than enough information on the internet. If I need bike parts I can compare prices online and most of the time get them at a good price either from e bay or from one of the online bike shops.


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## sadjack (11 Jul 2011)

I subscribe to cycling+ and have for a while now been considering cancelling. My last issue is under the coffee table looking sorry and neglected 

There is a place for expensive kit, and there is a place for value for money. But I am finding more and more that flicking through cycling+ and other mags for that matter, that the content does not reflect my outlook.

I would love to find a mag that is a bit more "general" in its outlook.

I am a lard a*s* and I cycle for fun, I think of myself as a rambler on a bike, we ride out dressed in Aldi and Lidle gear to some place through great countryside. We don't tear about trying to see how fast we get there. 

Now I have read this thread I must really get round to cancelling that subscription


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## bigjim (11 Jul 2011)

Our local library stocks cycling plus so I always have a good read for nothing. It was me suggested they should stock cycling mags as they had walking mags. car mags etc.


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## Oxo (11 Jul 2011)

My wife recently returned an expensive branded waterproof walking jacket which, after five years of regular wear, had started to let water through when caught in a heavy downpour. The shop immediately offered her a replacement coat, her choice of any item in the shop up to the value of the original jacket, or her money back. A result for buying branded goods where the retailer has a reputation to maintain.


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## VentureBikes (11 Jul 2011)

You will never find a mag on which supermarkets to find cheap garments or second hand bikes, as mentioned before...this outlook will kill the industry thus it has no interest in advising the public to do so. generally speaking you do get what you pay for and just like the motor industry the hight end/competition side of the market is what eventually filters down to what the leisure cyclist uses. its very much necessary to keep it all alive and well for all sectors of cycling, therefore this is whats pushed and advertised....it makes sense when you think about it.


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## sadjack (12 Jul 2011)

I don't think it will kill the industry to review cheaper kit. After all people can only buy what they can afford.

I would expect a mag aimed at racing to push top dollar gear. A mag supposed to reflect general cycling should have, in my view, more general reviews including cheaper kit. There does not seem to be a mag that does this.

But should there be room for both areas?


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## Norm (12 Jul 2011)

sadjack said:


> I subscribe to cycling+ and have for a while now been considering cancelling. My last issue is under the coffee table looking sorry and neglected
> 
> There is a place for expensive kit, and there is a place for value for money. But I am finding more and more that flicking through cycling+ and other mags for that matter, that the content does not reflect my outlook.
> 
> I would love to find a mag that is a bit more "general" in its outlook.


I'd suggest Cycling Active but I'm a bit unsure because the last issue was all about £1200 bikes and £200 helmets. 

I'm hoping that's an aberration, though, as they are more usually looking at the £500 bikes.


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## Boragaincyclist (27 Jun 2016)

Rhythm Thief said:


> Indeed. This is my beef with them too, and I think we may have agreed on this very point on another thread somewhere.
> For myself, I have no desire whatever to own a bling road bike or one of the modern breed of frankly fugly MTBs, which look to me like motocross bikes without the engine. Give me an ancient 531 road bike or tourer, or an old steel MTB frame with road tyres and drop bars on it, and I'm happy. If they're a bit scruffy, so much the better. Character and individuality beat bling hands down, in my book.
> I suspect I'm not the target market for C+.



As an avid off road motorbike enthusiast, I love the look of the modern style MTBs. Back in the late 90s/early 2000s as a teenager I always had second hand rigid MTBs with the old fashioned inverted "U" shaped front fork which I hated the look of and pined after the new fangled MTBs that looked like motorbikes.

I am surprised how someone can find them "fugly". Also, congratulations, your post got me to register to this website just to reply to it


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## Jody (27 Jun 2016)

and quite an epic thread revivial you managed.



Boragaincyclist said:


> I am surprised how someone can find them "fugly". Also, congratulations, your post got me to register to this website just to reply to it



Your'e right that modern MTB's are far from Fugly.


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