Cycling Mags...

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

Josh, if you want some hard hitting commentary on cycling, you may find my brief foray into editorial writing thought provoking.

Jeeze, that was 7 years ago... time flies.


As far as magazines, can't help you. Leisure reading is not something I have time for at the moment.

Always been a fan of your writing, Matt. I'll check it out

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

hate to say it but most cycling mags are just ads. You shake the mag and 300 pieces of paper fall out.

There used to be an old joke:

"What's the difference between Bicycling magazine and Car & Driver magazine?".

"Bicycling magazine has more car ads."

[Hawker]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

For some good writing you may want to try Roluer.

What's the most cost effective way to try a one year subscription? Ever any sales or special on-line offers? Is it fairly British-centric?

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Hawker

What's the most cost effective way to try a one year subscription? Ever any sales or special on-line offers? Is it fairly British-centric?

Very few sales or online offers I've seen other than direct through their site.

Writing skews British but plenty of perspective on the sport worldwide. Interviews with notable names from across cycling, on-scene features from races in the far flung corners of the world, some historical features (though less so recently) that truly were stellar and save for the bookshelf kind of stuff. Herbie Sykes did a four part series on the history of the Peace Race and racing within the GDR that interviewed many of the key people still alive, including Täve Schur, which was just outstanding.

There's less of that these days and more factory tours, which I find less interesting.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

Josh, if you want some hard hitting commentary on cycling, you may find my brief foray into editorial writing thought provoking.

Jeeze, that was 7 years ago... time flies.


As far as magazines, can't help you. Leisure reading is not something I have time for at the moment.

Matt -

That was stellar! Top notch! You took an usual angle, and made it really interesting. The title "Courage Concealed" was fantastic. The two lede paragraphs took us right into the meat of the story. The second one was brilliant.

"I challenge you to find a cycling photograph of the last ten years in which you can identify a raw emotion that a rider is feeling."

"Exhaustion can be both mental and physical. As can determination. To capture both aspects, in a photograph, is a rare treat. Sadly, we won’t see many more photographs like this. And it is because of sunglasses."

My only quibble: I wish it had been a little longer. ***

I wonder why we can't find more writing like this in mainstream bike mags. I suspect its threefold:

1) We live in an attention deficit plagued society. See Jim's (echappist) NYT crossword puzzle post. Emails, Twitter, and Facebook haave made it so that we just can't concentrate for more than five or ten minutes. This is a crisis, frankly, and the ramifications are just beginning to unfold.

2) Too many cyclists that write, rather than writers that cycle. I liked the recent posting on the epic 500 mile bike ride through the French/Italian border. Some of those rides are on my bucket list. But why do we need three essays like that in every issue? How many of us are actually going to do a ride like that?

3) Oh yeah, it's because of advertising. Many of those "epic" rides are actually prosier adverts for the clothing company, bikes, and hotels mentioned in them.

*** One last note about your article, Matt. Are you sure Cancellara wasn't wearing sunglasses to conceal the look on his face that said "*** is my motor doing?"

[lavi]

I don't worry about print products. I WANT to hold them in my hand. Short rotation tree plantation is a real industry entirely aimed at what we hold and what we wipe our asses with. No one is cutting down old growth trees to make magazines.

I like to have a few subscriptions just to have something to read on planes and weekend mornings.

Bicycling Magazine is like cotton candy. It's a cheap, guilty pleasure. I can usually consume an issue in a single sitting. You can find subscriptions for $10/year. Why not. I also think Bill Strickland is a stud. His writing is great..and I just like him. His book: Ten Points, is one to pick up. Don't be confused, this magazine is really aimed at Freds and their ilk. "Serious", oh so serious, folks may think the magazine is below them. Whatever. It's a fun mag.

I also currently have Peleton. I like it to. More "substantial" for the serious.


Both have lots of ads. So what. The ads are nice to look at.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by lavi

I don't worry about print products. I WANT to hold them in my hand. Short rotation tree plantation is a real industry entirely aimed at what we hold and what we wipe our asses with. No one is cutting down old growth trees to make magazines.

I like to have a few subscriptions just to have something to read on planes and weekend mornings.

Bicycling Magazine is like cotton candy. It's a cheap, guilty pleasure. I can usually consume an issue in a single sitting. You can find subscriptions for $10/year. Why not. I also think Bill Strickland is a stud. His writing is great..and I just like him. His book: Ten Points, is one to pick up. Don't be confused, this magazine is really aimed at Freds and their ilk. "Serious", oh so serious, folks may think the magazine is below them. Whatever. It's a fun mag.

I also currently have Peleton. I like it to. More "substantial" for the serious.


Both have lots of ads. So what. The ads are nice to look at.

Agree 100%. I'll read anything he writes.

[MattTuck]

One other point, for better or worse, is that other forms of content have come so far in the last 15-20 years. Documentaries, podcasts, photo-essays and (if guilty pleasures are your thing) instagram pics of bikes and rides are so much easier to produce that there is just a lot more (still pretty good quality) content available.

This video about a pair doing a ski and bike touring trip was great, I thought. Such an interesting story. And there's a ton more out there telling new stories.

[Matthew]

I get Road Bike Action and Mountain Bike Action. Covers it all for me. Lots of ads? Sure. But I don't care. It's bike stuff. Isn't that why we're here? Hell, my newest bike is a 2009. But I love looking at and reading about the new stuff. Maybe a little too much gravel and e bike coverage for my liking but that's ok. Got a decent deal by subscribing to both.

[Hellgate]

No offense but Bicycling blows. Here's where it belongs, in the recycling bin! I only get it because it comes with my USAC License.

[morrisericd]

I'll add one - Mountain Flyer. If you like the longer editorials like Rouleur and the pretty pictures like Peloton (articles are too short), then Mountain Flyer is for you!

[fignon's barber]

Originally Posted by Hellgate

No offense but Bicycling blows. Here's where it belongs, in the recycling bin! I only get it because it comes with....

Hah!!!. You're right. Bicycling comes free with a USAC license. My ritual is to walk to the mailbox at the end of the drive, remove said magazine, thumb through it as I walk back up the drive, and throw it in the trash can in the garage as I walk back in. Literally cover anything interesting within 30 seconds, and it's never made it into the house.

[cash05458]

Originally Posted by fignon's barber

Hah!!!. You're right. Bicycling comes free with a USAC license. My ritual is to walk to the mailbox at the end of the drive, remove said magazine, thumb through it as I walk back up the drive, and throw it in the trash can in the garage as I walk back in. Literally cover anything interesting within 30 seconds, and it's never made it into the house.

Classic!

I don't know...a little harsh perhaps...I always enjoy the rank your kid's trike reviews and that silver sneaker fiber column...seriously, the AAA mags they send out to everyone each month have more interesting articles...or the Aarp ones for that matter...

[Matthew]

I am curious as to what they thought were the 10 best bikes ever though.

[Hellgate]

Originally Posted by cash05458

Classic!

I don't know...a little harsh perhaps...I always enjoy the rank your kid's trike reviews and that silver sneaker fiber column...seriously, the AAA mags they send out to everyone each month have more interesting articles...or the Aarp ones for that matter...

After "growing up" on Winning, Bicycling blows chunks. Well, it blew chunks back in the day too. It's a mag for old ladys under the hairdresser's drier...