Mountain biking magazines - any recommendations?

[bridgy]

It's my Birthday ....

...and I've kindly been offered a bike magazine subscription for a pressie.

I have no idea what's out there as I've not bought a magazine for years! I'm wondering if anyone can recommend anything - either Mountain Biking specific or a good general cycling magazine - which might be worth a try?

Many thanks in advance...

 

[Panter]

STW (Single track World) is the best I've found so far, by quite some margin

 

[Cubist]

Yep, stw is the thinking man's mtb mag.

 

[bridgy]

OK chaps - thanks for that, sounds good to me!

 

[Cubist]

Now I'm finally back on my Desktop

Four titles spring to mind.
MountainBiking UK. Great Mag, showcases new stuff and has sections on various disciplines within MTBing. Target audience appears to be young riders, but reviews can be taken with a pinch of salt. Mint Sauce is its regular cartoon poetic mountainbiking sheep philosopher. Often has free gifts attached to it that you wouldbn't be seen dead wearing, unlike the garish check shorts worn by some of the testers without a hint of irony but hey-ho. Some readers would recognise an Orange Five.
Mountain Bike Rider Appears aimed at older,riders. Wealthy ones at that 'cos it won't flinch at recommending a rear mech for 300 quid or a 250 quid brake set etc etc. Appears to be obsessed with Orange Fives.
What Mountain Bike Good down to earth Mag with good reviews and an precis of what each bike does best. More for kit monsters or people shopping around. Best browsed furtively in WH Smiths just to confirm that the Orange Five is still voted a pretty good bike, and that the helmet you bought yesterday won't turn to cheese in the rain.
Singletrackworld. Well put together magazine with some stunning photos and a host of well-written articles. Not as review-based as the above comics, but beware the readership. half of them love Orange Fives (mainly the guys who ride , and I quote, "nothing but really technical descents all over Calderdale") The other half refer to Orange Fives as filing cabinets. The type of readership is utterly eclectic, and their online community is awe-inspiring in its ability to start intercontinental wars over some careless use of the words "Superstar Components" (it's a long story) However, the STW Hive-mind eschews trailcentres for organic rides on technical singletrack only they know about, and will ride over such routes on steel fatbikes, rigid On-Ones, singlespeed Cotics while the other half will be swapping and selling Yeti575, Ibis and 29er components in the hope of creating the ultimate long travel trail slayer.

 

[Globalti]

Singletrack also has a forum, which is a lot more amusing than this one but not as good on road cycling.

 

[fuji-stu]

i get mbr but always end up buying single track too ooh and cycling weekly oh and quite often cycle active and pro cycling no wonder im skint

 

[Cubist]

Singletrack also has a forum, which is a lot more amusing than this one but not as good on road cycling.

Master of the understatement GTi old boy......

 

[mickle]

BIKE magazine off of America is good.

 

[GilesM]

I quite like MBR, although Cubist is right about it's love of expensive kit, however, I quite like reading about the top end stuff, even if I have no intention of buying it, bit like a car mag, I'd rather read about Aston Martins than Toyotas, although I have no chance of buying an Aston.
Dirt Moutainbike is also pretty good, although aimed more at the knarely dude downhill type of riders.

 

[Cubist]

But you do own the MBR bike of the year for the last five years.....