That Magazine About Bicycling

[bikemonster]

Hi Guys

 

 

 

I used to subscribe, but I reached a point when there didn't seem much point in renewing because there were three articles that seemed to be on repeat:

 

Lance is God

 

Climb Hills Easily

 

12 week training programme to your best ever <name of race>

 

 

 

So I was interested to see if I was missing anything when there was a freebie in the Burger race pack. Now, what follows is NOT a complaint that I wasn't getting the current issue free. But there are some things worth complaining about:

 

 

 

1. I thought the magazine was thinner than a ramp model looking for work.

 

2. The editorial quality was rotten. There were spelling errors, grammatical errors and mis-labelled pictures.

 

3. Lance is still God, it seems.

 

 

 

Do you buy the magazine? Was this just one poor issue that I happen to have read?

 

 

 

James

[Eldron]

Ah yes THAT magazine.

 

Personally I don't subscrube any more and only buy the occassional issue if there is an article or two I really want to read.

 

My gripes:

You have to page through at least 7 pages of adverts before you get to any real info.

More than 60% of the mag is ads.

Articles are "localised" - all the editors do is replace the word "Dollars" with "Rand", USA with RSA, Jerky with Biltong etc.

Repitition "12 weeks to you perfect xxx race"

 

Bicycling mag is the old scope mag of the bicycle world - full of glosst nothing.

 

 

[Kansas]

Still buy them, some is good some is not. Just the info inside is more than never useless advice. They give advice as if we all are rookies in the cycling world. Get better advice on the Hub. But neverless I still buy the mag every month (my choice)

[Iwan Kemp]

There have been several threads like this. Doesn't look like the guys are listening to what readers are saying out there (here?) and it does spell the beginning of the end if they don't turn things around. I hope they do. Times are tough.

 

 

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=50002&KW=bicycling

 

 

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=47644&KW=bicycling&PN=1

 

 

 

In this one the new ed makes a guest appearance of page 9:

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=61311&KW=bicycling&PN=1

 

 

 

...never to be heard of again.

[Eldron]

Thanks for the links Crow!

After some research I think I have the answer - in my opinion any way...

 

Ride caters more for cyclists and Bicycling caters for riders. Here on the hub most people are avid cyclists/serious cyclsists/racers and prefer to read about local bikes/local riders/local races. Off the hub I reckon weekend riders and part time riders out number "us" by a HUGE margin.

 

Which is why Bicycling out sells Ride.

 

People outside the hub want to see shiny bicycles, posed shots, advertsing and YOU CAN LOSE 5KG AND RIDE FASTER BY TAKING THIS SHORT CUT type rubbish.

 

If you want an air brushed, shallow veneer of cycling then Bicycling is the mag for you. If you want the real cycling world in SA then Ride is the mag for you.

 

Personally I'm a Ride kinda guy.

 

 

[mtbN00b]

buy a tread mag

[bikemonster]

About 5 years ago I used to buy Ride.  At one point I was in the market for a pair of Ksyriums, and it just so happened that Ride was carrying a review of a whole bunch of different wheelsets.  The "review" of the Ksyriums was word for word, punctuation mark for punctuation mark a copy and paste of an online review that I had already found and read.  An open and shut case of plagiarism if ever there was one.

 

So I wrote a letter to the editor.  And sure enough it was mentioned in the next issue's editorial.  Alongside a glib comment along the lines of "you don't mess with" somebody who rides as much as whoever the fcukwit was who had done the copy and pasting! 

 

So, no thank you, I won't be buying Ride either.

[funjunkie]

Im brand new to cycling and decided to take out a subscription. (Fortunately only cost R100 for 12 issues through Discovery). Ive only received the 3rd issue and am already finding the magazine repetitive and full of adverts with not much content. Was hoping that maybe its just the DEC issue that is a bit "Light" but it seems that i dont have much to look forward to for the remaining 9 issues.   

[Cassie]

@Eldron - do yourself a favour and get hold of a copy of TREAD magazine...that's if your'e into MTB...great read!!  ONLY pity is that you have to wait so long before the next edition is out... only 4 issues a year..

[Eldron]

@Eldron - do yourself a favour and get hold of a copy of TREAD magazine...that's if your'e into MTB...great read!!  ONLY pity is that you have to wait so long before the next edition is out... only 4 issues a year..

 

Been there done that!

 

Oddly enough I rode 90% mtb this year but am still more interested in the roadie scene so Ride is attractive to me than Tread. They are doing fine work though...

 

 

[parabola]

This magazine about Bicycling got thinner and thinner leading up to the time when the new editor took over, then miraculously was back to normal amount of pages. I then discovered that it had become even more of a glorified advertising catalogue, as the extra pages are just adverts.

Its not about size, its about quality. I would rather buy a thinner magazine with less adverts, and more unique, well written articles, relevant to our own cycling scene.

I think the rehashing of old articles is not something unique only to this magazine, but to most of the others as well, such as the one about Healthy Men.

 

[Willehond]

The one about Healthy Men is published by the same people who publish the one about Bicycling and Runners, so they all have the same 'light' and advertorial feel.

[Kansas]

According to them the Dogma weighs in at almost 34kg impressive for a R140 000-00 bike.

[S-Car-Go]

How many of you have actually paid for your subscription? I did once and now whenever I get to the end, I manage to "win" an extension. The last time it happened I actually told them not to bother.

 

 

 

To me it seems that they "give" out subscriptions to get their reader numbers up and then quote these figures to prospective advertisers.

[gremlin]

According to them the Dogma weighs in at almost 34kg impressive for a R140 000-00 bike.

 

Was actualy wondering about the 34km for a bike, just imagine putting that onto a roofrack.

[gremlin]

How many of you have actually paid for your subscription? I did once and now whenever I get to the end' date=' I manage to "win" an extension. The last time it happened I actually told them not to bother.

To me it seems that they "give" out subscriptions to get their reader numbers up and then quote these figures to prospective advertisers.[/quote']

 

With Discovery you even get it for R89. And curently they are actualy sending 2 copys, I get then up to a week appart.