Cylcing plus does it again

[cyberknight]

Out of touch with reality and the pockets of many readers.


Lets have a wheel test , starting price? £300


I only had the magazine on sub for the free windproof that is dearer to buy than the magazine sub but its the same with most issues , they just cater for the higher end of the market all the time.

Any suggestions for a magazine aimed more at us penniless commuters?

 

[Steve H]

Cycle Active has more modest price point options. It's reviews are normally at the lower and mid end of the market.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

I find Cycling Active an all-round nicer mag to read. And more in tune with mainstream cycling. It does it for me, but then I buy both magazines. I take your point about the wheels as there are some nice hoops available for less.

Bill

 

[Banjo]

Out of touch with reality and the pockets of many readers.


Lets have a wheel test , starting price? £300


I only had the magazine on sub for the free windproof that is dearer to buy than the magazine sub but its the same with most issues , they just cater for the higher end of the market all the time.

Any suggestions for a magazine aimed more at us penniless commuters?

I signed up in December tempted by the windproof offer but havent received it . Did you get yours?

 

[yello]

I find Cycling Active an all-round nicer mag to read. And more in tune with mainstream cycling.

I must admit, I'm coming around to Cycling Active. It is more newbie focused than C+ which, at first, tended to make me yawn a little but I'm now seeing the benefit of that. The articles tend to be easier to read, somehow clearer and less bloke-ish. They don't assume you're a wannabe and seem to come more from a slant of enjoying your cycling (in whatever form that might take) rather than being better at it. Gosh, I may even re-subscribe when my subscription ends in June!

 

[cyberknight]

I signed up in December tempted by the windproof offer but havent received it . Did you get yours?

Yes i got mine very quickly , is it a 6 month sub as i was wondering how quickly i can cancel my sub ?

 

[Zoiders]

I would say what I think of the Cycling plus reviews section but it's probably actionable.

 

[dodgy]

One thing I don't get about Cycling Plus, why do they have massive winter gear/tyres/(insert item suited for winter here) tests in an issue released either part way through, or even towards the end of winter? This stuff should be in the September issue or something

I haven't subscribed or bought a copy for years, but am exposed to their marketing from time to time. Magazines are on their way out I reckon.

 

[PK99]

Out of touch with reality and the pockets of many readers.


Lets have a wheel test , starting price? £300


I only had the magazine on sub for the free windproof that is dearer to buy than the magazine sub but its the same with most issues , they just cater for the higher end of the market all the time.

Any suggestions for a magazine aimed more at us penniless commuters?

Cycling Plus is not targeted at commuters!

try:
http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/home,cyclecommutermag.htm

 

[Rhythm Thief]

C+ used to be a great mag, back in the days when it was full of articles about how to make your own dynamo light system and how to cobble a mudguard together using bits of old washing up liquid bottle and so on. Then it basically became a series of thinly - disguised adverts for exquisite and remarkably boring bikes that no one can afford and very few people outsode the pro peloton could actually do justice to and I completely lost interest.

 

[Will1985]

The cycling industry has recently hiked all its prices as material costs are increasing, and as more people are cycling the retailers are cashing in on the boom. What may have cost you £100 a couple of years ago when you last needed a replacement will clearly cost more now.

I bought a new TT bike recently which was a 2010 model reduced from £2750. The 2011 model, which is identical save for a different paint job, costs over £5000. This is a trend occuring right across the board.
It is the same with wheels - take a set of Campag Khamsins for example; this time last year you could get them from wiggle for under £90 but now they are £125. I happen to know that Hed Jets cost £800 in 2009 but now they are over £1150. Both of these represent a 40% markup in 12-15 months for a small reduction in weight or a different colour sticker....way above inflation.

How about a timeless standard for commuting handbuilt rims? I've built Mavic Open Pros over the past few years and watched the price of a rim increase by about £3 per year.

So it doesn't help the OP much, but inevitably cycling consumers are going to be forced to delve much deeper into their pockets in the future...

+1 for Cycling Active - I've only read it a couple of times but agree that it is more suited to budget and newbies.

 

[PK99]

.

+1 for Cycling Active - I've only read it a couple of times but agree that it is more suited to budget and newbies.

which is pretty much the target audience it set out when it launched, aiming at the new sportive rider

 

[roubaix murry]

I think its a good thing there are 2 mags that have different Target buyers and agendas. I have both in subscription, sometimes I prefer CA but then it can be a bit too simple occasionly.
You pay your money and take your choice........or read it all in newsagents without buying !

 

[cyberknight]

You pay your money and take your choice........or read it all in newsagents without buying !

That would involve
a, working in town
b, not working 10 + hour shifts + weekend work so out of the house for 13 hours a day
c, having a long enough lunchbreak to get to said shops
d, not hating going into town in the 1st place

Ah well looks like i will be canceling c+ sub asap .

 

[the snail]

Pretty much all magazines are like this (not just cycling ones). Most reviews are by people who haven't actually bought the products, obsessed with the latest/most expensive kit which you absolutely must have. If the journalists were living in the real world the reviews would probably read more like "this bike is pretty much the same as the others and you won't notice much difference on your daily commute/weekend ride" I think you learn more reading what people write on forums or even reviews on shop websites by people who have used the kit for months and tested it to destruction. You can end up spending lots of money on mags, ending up with a big pile to recycle. I found the same with motorbike mags, less and less useful info, more and more sexy pics of unaffordable kit, feeding the n+1 mentality - consumer porn