Rouleur's usp in the realm of cycling periodicals is that it is primarily good quality photo-journalism, so longer well researched articles supplemented by professional photography. They don't chase news events or do road-testing of equipment like other magazines but look for more substantial stories and get above average cycle journalists to write for them. Still, around 20% of it is explicit advertising and I bet the manufacturers don't mind having 10 page articles written about them.
If you are looking for the best cycling magazine with writing, this is probably it but the writing in general isn't in my opinion strong enough to stand up on its own outside of a cycling magazine. The best written article about Lance Armstrong I saw was published in the London review of books I think. It didn't come from within the cycling press. Despite the allusions to literature and history which suffuse the average Rouleur article, there is a stylistic vanity and frequent reliance on nostalgia that I fear makes it akin to the Rapha clothing marketing strategy. You do feel good about your purchase but you feel you're joining a smug club of ponces too.
I continue to subscribe despite this suspicion of guilt.
