Asphalt Magazine

[roadie7]

Does anyone know what happened to ASPHALT MAGAZINE? I signed up when it started and it is/was a terrific publication for road riders. I was so impressed that after the first 4 issues (it's a quarterly) I subscribed for multiple years and I have not received any issues. By now they should be on issue 6. I called and e-mailed them twice (4 total communications) and they have not responded. Their website shows issue #4 so I'm wondering if they are still in business.

[BillyBear]

me too...good question. :argue:

[drbob]

I ordered the back issue that featured the Ottrott a few months ago and have corresponded with them, but as of yet, have still not received the issue.

[hypnos]

I subscribed for one year starting with the second issue. Still have not received the fifth issue.

[JEK]

Same here, got issue number 4 and no more. No reply to e-mails and the web site looks distressingly static.

[Needs Help]

I went to Borders and Barnes&Noble looking for it after it was mentioned here, but I never saw it offered there.

[LegendRider]

I just emailed the editors to ask about their status. I'll post something if I get a reply. I sure hope I didn't pay $34.95 for two magazines!

[Serotta PETE]

They have a web site and a e-mail - - - but no replies.

I have also not received any copies past #4.

PETE

[Climb01742]

you don't think kenneth lay is behind asphalt, too, do you?

[Bruce H.]

Sounds like a bankrupcy to me.
Bruce H.

[Wood]

I recieved the copy featuring the Ottrott ST ( :) )a couple months ago, but haven't recieved another issue since. To be honest, I wasn't expecting another issue for a couple more weeks but after reading this thread, I'll certainly keep my eyes out for it and won't hold my expectations to high :crap: . Wood

[dnovo]

"The best laid plans of mice and men . . . " I suspect that this latest attempt at a 'high concept' bike mag has gone the way of all flesh. The first few issues had some merit, and the article about Dave Staub was itself worth the price of my subscription, but given what must have been the cost of the slick paper, and its 'high brow' approach, I would assume that they have now gone belly up in red ink.

Too bad, but not unexpected. I keep getting BICYCLING mag (or 'rag' to be more precise) for free a year after I dropped my subscription when I realized that I was more likely to find the wall in the john better reading material than this garbage, but they survive because of their advertising, not their reader's subscription payments. ASPHALT never had the advertising base to stay alive and support its higher inherent cost.

That leaves us with only a few English language road bike mags, the principal one still CYCLING PLUS, which goes from strength to strength. Oh well, sic transit indeed.

Have a good Labor Day weekend, all. Dave N.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Nice to see you here again!

I am not surprised that ASPHALT may be gone. I remember way many years ago in the magazine class I took in college the professor gave us some stats on how many startup magazines there are and how many actually last for the first year and it was amazing--something like only 1-2% got past the first 12 months.

But I have to disagree with you somewhat about BICYCLING . . . They did a redesign after getting a new art editor--I suspect he moved over from Men’s Health, given the approach. Yes, they really looked like S*** for a few months, with too much slickiness and way too little copy, but they have moved back the other direction lately. More copy, more written substance. Still not a life-chamging read, but that’s obviously not what they are after.

Cycling Plus, though remains the ultimate authority for me on reviews. No trace of partiality whatsoever. It’s the Consumer Reports of bike mags--always full of useful info and always scrupulously honest.

BBDave

[LegendRider]

I received the following email yesterday. I wish him the best - it's a worthy endeavor as far as I'm concerned.


We have had a number of setbacks since the last issue came out. We are here and going forward. I'm in final proofing for the new issue. I am also aware that we have a number of outstanding e-mails that we need to respond to.

The short story: We all have full-time day jobs and I have been the only person doing the administrative stuff and still overseeing all the editorial (along with the ad sales). I basically checked out from contact about 10 days ago to try to finish the issue. It would be different if there was more help.

I heard from Richard Sachs yesterday about the Serotta thread. We will respond to everyone and everyone will get every issue they paid for, bottom line.

We're not going anywhere and I am in the midst of negotiating an agreement for some help with the administrative stuff so that I can concentrate on what I do best, and what no one else can offer: the editorial.

Thank you for your continued support. Feel free to send this on.

Best regards,
Patrick Brady
Co-Publisher
Asphalt Magazine

[dbrk]

Asphalt is only a few folks so these may be premature speculations of demise...I hope. I like the pictures. I could care less about the "articles."

I have given up on the magazines and plan to let all the subscriptions expire except The Rivendell Reader, Jan Heine's Vintage Bicycle Quarterly, and whatever is sent to me from the Confreire 650b. From these I actually learn something. What a thought.

The unmentioned quantity is the publication of the Veteren-Cycle Club of the UK (look here: http://www.v-cc.org.uk/). While this looks "retro" the magazine actually discusses bicycles and rides rather than more pro racing and zooty nonsense that costs too much. I suppose this sounds all too grouchy but I've gone even further than pal dnovo: the last issue of CyclingPlus is still acceptable but they too pander to industry trends.

To me it's all of a piece: narrower choices (how many more short reach calipers do we need? or more costly cranks with more proprietary bits?), higher costs (prices have finally defeated me), more and more devotion to racyzooty latestgreatest (frankly, I am waaaay underimpressed with...well...I dare not say). When the new Ultegra comes out with a near-30% price increase we'll just buy it and tell ourselves it's 30% better.

Pro cycling is like baseball for me. Once upon a time I really loved to watch the pro game but I've lost interest. Somehow it seems spoiled, _too_ professional, too techy, doing something that doesn't do what I do at all. Maybe it's just being older but I think not, I think it's about how everything nowadays is directed towards a niche, a narrow demographic approach to marketing. I'd rather play wiffle ball with the dog just like I'd rather go for a ride in these beautiful hills without pretending I'm in a race. To each his own. The magazines aren't even that much fun on the fabled Seat of Ease.

dbrk

[Andreu]

"Somehow it seems spoiled, _too_ professional, too techy, doing something that doesn't do what I do at all. Maybe it's just being older but I think not, I think it's about how everything nowadays is directed towards a niche, a narrow demographic approach to marketing. I'd rather play wiffle ball with the dog just like I'd rather go for a ride in these beautiful hills without pretending I'm in a race. To each his own. The magazines aren't even that much fun on the fabled Seat of Ease."

If you were here I would take you for a beer and we could have a right old rant.
:beer:

[Kevin]

I am glad to see that the guys at Asphalt are giving it the old college try, but it sounds like it is over. If it show up at my front door it will be great. Otherwise I will stick to the UK mags mentioned by Dave N.

Kevin

[FierteTi52]

Any news regarding the status of Asphalt mag? Looks like I paid $34.95 for my single April issue featuring Dave Kirk and the Ottrott. Kinda a bummer.
Jeff

[FlaRider]

FierteTi,

Why don't you write Patrick Brady and demand a refund? Asphalt has no right to keep your money and keep you in limbo until they get their act together. Just my two cents.

[FierteTi52]

Hi All,
I Emailed Partick Brady and here is his reply.

Hi Jeff,
We are still here. Each of us has a day job; we're not employed
full-time by any of the big publishing houses. As a result, we have
encountered some very serious delays. Some of them had to do with work,
one had to do with switching printers; it cost us two months. We do
apologize for them and are working to improve the magazine's production
schedule.

The new issue is here and is shipping this week.

I'm committed to putting out Asphalt on an ongoing basis; I'm not doing
this to get rich, I'm doing it because I need to. While the money is
tight, we are growing and there is business enough to continue to grow.

Again, I'm sorry for the delay, but we deliberately chose to wait and
put out a great magazine than put out junk on time. We will continue to
make that choice.

Thank you for your support!

Best regards,
Patrick Brady
Co-Publisher
Asphalt Magazine

[Frank]

but let's hope not.

[roadie7]

If you look at the 9/3/04 reply on this thread, you'll see a similiar response. So now it's a few months later, same reply and we are waiting. I hope they can get Asphalt out again.

[wgp]

Reviving this thread to see if anyone has any issues they'd be willing to sell me? I collect cycling mags, and never did find a copy of this when it was being published.

BTW, also interested in copies of Rouleur too!

Thanks!

[Hawker]

Reviving this once again to say....that to please my wife I recently threw out all of the Asphalt issues. I had them all, sorry.