General Cycling Discussion - Canceling subscription to Bicycling

I’ve come to realize Bicycling Magazine is not about the enjoyment of cycling but selling products to newcomers. It spends too much time reviewing thousand dollar bicycles and fad diets that will cost you a whole lot of money. Every week there’s more information on nutrition and what product you need to buy along with its website. Then there’s a monthly insignificant human interest story about a group of heavy guys who are losing weight with bicycles or some retired racer who started a youth club. Wonderful. Did I mention the constant discussion about Bike Town and how they are converting dozens into the world of cycling. Great. But this is now what I want!

I’m at the stage where I don’t need to read another Lance Amstrong article or bicycle review on the incredibly expensive Atlantis. Other than the articles on bicycle maintenance, I really haven’t learned much at all from this magazine. There was a small article on GPS in the June issue but it focused more on product features than how to use the thing for actual ENJOYMENT! Lets not forget the constant bombardment of SUV’s and other four wheel drive cars that take up page after page in Bicycling. As a result, I’m going to let my subscription run out and I’ll pick up a copy every now and then.

I was looking at Backpacker magazine and it seemed like a breath of fresh air. Seriously. The motorcar advertisers were there but they actually listed places where you can hike with GPS coordinates and all! Needless to say, I was envious. This is what we need as cyclists for it seems like there’s a never ending discussion on these forums on safe routes. I’ve never seen Bicycling provide this kind of specific information at all yet everyone seems to be looking for safe roads. When Bicycling does have a feature on a particular vacation destination, you’re usually given the name of a costly tour guide who can show you around. I don’t know why there isn’t a bicycle magazine that’s more focused on destinations (with GPS coordinates) instead of selling the newest carbon road bike?

Anyway. I’m done with Bicycling. The latest issue devoted several pages to bicycle racing, Lance Amstrong, dieting and new bicycles. I went through the whole issue in fifteen minutes and didn’t learn a thing.

maybe we need to start a thread with just gps cords of good places to ride

Just how long did this take you? I noticed a pattern after three issues, and I've never renewed.

Unfortunately most cycling mags treat us all as Lance wannnabes - not there's anything wrong with racers, but that's such a small slice of the cycling pie.

Don't you just *love* all those car ads????

I canceled my subscription back in the '80s. :eek:

I flipped through it the other day, and they were running a special section for fat cyclists, recommending parts and such for the large and in charge. I noticed that instead of being helpful, it simply recommended the most ludicrously expensive parts. Yeah, every overweight rider needs a Shimano Saint crank to deal with the extra weight, gimme a break. That magazine sucks.

I canceled my subscription back in the '80s. :eek:

I let my subscription lapse in maybe 1984 when the mgazine dutifully informed me that the new bike I had bought six months earlier was essentially obsolete. I still regularly ride that bike.
:)

Unfortunately most cycling mags treat us all as Lance wannnabes - not there's anything wrong with racers, but that's such a small slice of the cycling pie.

But it's the slice that drives the industry! Companies who spend lots of money on ads in bicycle magazines rely on guys who buy new multi-kilobuck bikes every couple of years.

i agree the focus of the mag does not fit the avarage cyclist, mtn bike action is just as bad only focusing on extreme downhill bikes

I think it's more like we are seeing the end of hard copy magazines in general. There are so much more information when you need it on the net.

I have dropped other subscriptions too. It started looking more and more like unnecessary paper waste.

i agree the focus of the mag does not fit the avarage cyclist, mtn bike action is just as bad only focusing on extreme downhill bikes
You got that one right.

I used to like Mountain Bike Action a lot, but I picked up a copy last week to read at the airport, and 75% of the bikes in that magazine were super downhill machines with the bars 6" above the seat, and super slack angles on everything. What ever happened to x-country bikes?

Anyone remember Road Bike Action? I was in love with that mag, but they cancelled it after something like 4 months.

Sheldon Brown needs to start publishing a cycling magazine. I'd rather re-read his old literature and technical essays than waste my time with 95% of the irrelevant drivel in Bicycling.

The Rivendell Reader is a good mag., yeah, Sheldon Brown would write one that even kicks more ass but until then....

I get it free without the free tag I would not subscribe

Anyone remember Road Bike Action? I was in love with that mag, but they cancelled it after something like 4 months.

I knew that one was in trouble when every cover had a picture of a road bike catching air. They seemed to have missed the point.

I wish there was an American equivalent to Cycling Plus. Those folks do it right with information about reasonably priced bikes, places to ride, clubs, racing, randonneuring, audax, commuting, AND expensive bikes.

But it's the slice that drives the industry! Companies who spend lots of money on ads in bicycle magazines rely on guys who buy new multi-kilobuck bikes every couple of years.
And that's why the bicycle "industry" in North America is virtually non-existant. Except for the product (manufactured in the Orient) sold at the big box stores, the industry ignores the majority of its potential customers and has done so for at least three decades. Bicycling Magazine caters to those racer wannabes who might purchase the overpriced "industry" products available at boutique bicycling shops. And those who purchase SUVs for hauling their high priced bicycles to places where they might use them.

Rivendell Reader is great, and so is Adventure Cyclist. I got Bicycling from the League of American Bicyclists membership, but I never read it anymore.

I agree that Bicycling magazine is seriously lacking in so many ways. Have you ever read Runner's World? I think it's a pretty good magazine. Even though I'm not a runner I find more interesting articles in RW than Bicycling. The strange thing is they are published by the same company in the same building.

You can read through the content in 20 minutes. The rest is just oversized pictures and advertisements. I do like style man though...

You want to hear something a bit ironic? Runners World & Back Packer, 2 other magazines mentioned in this thread, are both published by Rodale Press, if I am not mistaken. Rodale also publishes Bicycling Magazine. So it makes one wonder why a company like Rodale would publish 2 very good magazines & 1 crappy one. The only reason I read Bicycling is because it comes free with my membership to the League of American Bicyclists.

I reccomend dirtrag magazine. Hoinest reviews, they have regular literature and art contests, It's a great mag.

They also have beer reviews if that's your thing. :p

Howdy,
I find RBR the on line mag to be pretty good about addressing the kind of riders a lot of us are....

M.R.

Rivendell Reader is great, and so is Adventure Cyclist. I got Bicycling from the League of American Bicyclists membership, but I never read it anymore.
My impression is that the LAB is industry captured, too. Their goal seems to be to help the bicycle industry sell bikes, not to make the roads safer for the cyclists already there.

What we really need is a Consumer Reports for bicycles--no ads, and they have to buy all the stuff they test.

It seems all my favorite RAGazines that I once subscribed to have,too, become this way.

Bicycling ran a feature, recently "Bike Town" where they gave free bikes to people in communities experiencing hardship, and watched to see if it improved their quality of life. I really liked that article. In a subsequent issue they reported on doing it again, but when I saw that this time they had given free bikes to Microsoft!! employees I just about puked.
Robert

Someone has probably already said it but why not just go to your local Barne's and Noble and read your magazine of choice over a cup of coffee?

Take a look at Climbing Magazine, also Rock and Ice.

And that's why the bicycle "industry" in North America is virtually non-existant. Except for the product (manufactured in the Orient) sold at the big box stores, the industry ignores the majority of its potential customers and has done so for at least three decades. Bicycling Magazine caters to those racer wannabes who might purchase the overpriced "industry" products available at boutique bicycling shops. And those who purchase SUVs for hauling their high priced bicycles to places where they might use them.
There's nothing wrong with buying a $50 bike at a big box store, but would anyone buying a fifty-dollar-big-box bike pay another $20 a year for a subscription to a bicycling magazine?

On an unrelated note, are you capable of writing a post that doesn't insult someone? Are there any cyclists (other than yourself) whom you respect?

Unfortunately most cycling mags treat us all as Lance wannnabes - not there's anything wrong with racers, but that's such a small slice of the cycling pie.

ever been to Barnes and nobles? They have some cycling mags that are not erally lance focused. Theres a mag called cycling(? not completely sure) But for a 100 bucks you can get it for a year, and its def. not lance focused.

procycling is a good mag focused on the Euro pro scene. Bicycling is just like most other specialty mags (Acoustic Guitar, Outside, Canoe, etc, etc). They're interesting for the first few issues, but by then you've seen all the regular tech features and realize that the product reviews never call anything a piece of crap, etc, etc. All of the articles are of pretty good interest to the newbie with little knowledge base, but after a few issues, it's just S.O.S.

What we really need is a Consumer Reports for bicycles--no ads, and they have to buy all the stuff they test.
There is such a magazine. It is called Consumer Reports.

They do periodically test the type of bicycles bought by a large slice of the American public; but not the high priced specialty products found at boutique bicycle shops featured in Bicycling Magazine and so admired by cycling afficianados.

..... That magazine sucks.

Agreed. Stopped reading it since the late 80's. (btw that Bruce Lee clip: pwned! is way cool!) :lol: :beer:

Instead of car ads, bicycling should be promoting alternate means of transportation like bicycles.

But it's the slice that drives the industry!

Ohh ya? I see a shytload of Boomers touring, and pleasure riding.

While your at Barnes & Nobles, check out Cycling Plus , and English mag. Not bad.

maybe we need to start a thread with just gps cords of good places to ride

Holy Cow..

I didn't think this thread would strike a nerve since most of my topics hardly get looked at. I struck a nerve!

I think we should have a thread with just GPS coordinates and those of us with GPS's can contribute each week. You're recomendation is the best I've seen in a long while.

Unfortunately most cycling mags treat us all as Lance wannnabes - not there's anything wrong with racers, but that's such a small slice of the cycling pie.

There's nothing wrong with the racers either. I know it fuels the sport but there are already two or three magazines devoted to this topic. If I want to know about racing, I'd buy Pro-Cycling or Cyclesport buy dedicate precious space to this topic in a magazine with limited space.

I think it's more like we are seeing the end of hard copy magazines in general. There are so much more information when you need it on the net.

I have dropped other subscriptions too. It started looking more and more like unnecessary paper waste.

Agreed. I've learned more on these forums in the past 3 months than in 3 years of Bicycling.

I wish there was an American equivalent to Cycling Plus. Those folks do it right with information about reasonably priced bikes, places to ride, clubs, racing, randonneuring, audax, commuting, AND expensive bikes.

Cycling Plus is better than bicycling for they actually use compare bikes against each other! Unfortunately, Cycling Plus is too expensive and many of the bikes are not sold in the U.S. They also spend too much time on new products instead of CYCLING which is what it's all about in the first place.

On a side note...Does anyone have an April Buyer's Guide they could send my way? I could return the favour by sending you an Urban Male Magazine if you want it, or wait for my new next magazine as they usually go straight to bathroom readers and thus, look crappy.

I just like looking at the products as it's hard for me to do online.

I agree though, the articles are generally awful however I re-read the Editor's choice section over and over again from one of the two trial issues I have as I like looking at the products.

Thanks

Instead of car ads, bicycling should be promoting alternate means of transportation like bicycles.

- instead of the insipid sexual performance drug ads, there should be more of a news hole for good articles...

- i'm letting my subscription lapse to this piece of trash flash, obviously laid out and designed by ignorant 'tweens' without a clue about bicycling, its history, or real meaning to people who actually ride (and buy) bicycles and bicycle accessories...

- this putrid editorial effluence's headline writers should be flogged in public...

- a disgusting experiment in exploitation, IMHO... Bicycling Magazine has no editorial or advertising integrity as evidenced by its last three issues... (i subscribed in June 2005)....

There is such a magazine. It is called Consumer Reports.

They do periodically test the type of bicycles bought by a large slice of the American public; but not the high priced specialty products found at boutique bicycle shops featured in Bicycling Magazine and so admired by cycling afficianados.
They test such a tiny slice of even the low-end market that they probably shouldn't bother. It would be helpful to have something that tests, for example, Tiagra, 105, Ultegra and Dura Ace cassettes to quantify exactly what you get at each higher level (other than weight and price).

In all hobbies and sports, there are some people who are happy to stay at the entry level. There's nothing wrong with that. Even the roadies you love to hate stay at the entry level in some activities (home maintenance, cooking, etc.).

But what those of us who want to go beyond the entry level in cycling need is a magazine that gives as much attention to bicycles and bicycle equipment as Consumer Reports gives to cars like Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW.

But what those of us who want to go beyond the entry level in cycling need is a magazine that gives as much attention to bicycles and bicycle equipment as Consumer Reports gives to cars like Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW.
Really? How many cyclists besides yourself and whomever else is "us" do you believe exist with this unfullfilled "need" for equipment reviews? Apparantly few (i.e. ZERO) entrepreneurs agree that there is any profit to be found servicing this alleged "need."

Is this "need" related to the "need" to educate/train "entry level" (whatever that is) cyclists who have yet to attain the exalted status of "those of us" who consider themselves superior to lowly "entry level" cyclists?

I get the mag for free and since im in team performance they gave me a free year just a while ago.

Consumer Reports..

I used to subscribe until I realized they just wanted my money to fuel their Suzuki Samuri lawsuit. While I do give them credit for some of the work they do, some of it is pure rubbish. Some of their comparisons completely miss the mark to the point that it makes me wonder.

I almost laughed when they rated the Jeep Wrangler.

Really? How many cyclists besides yourself and whomever else is "us" do you believe exist with this unfullfilled "need" for equipment reviews? Apparantly few (i.e. ZERO) entrepreneurs agree that there is any profit to be found servicing this alleged "need."

Is this "need" related to the "need" to educate/train "entry level" (whatever that is) cyclists who have yet to attain the exalted status of "those of us" who consider themselves superior to lowly "entry level" cyclists?
Given the number of threads in this forum started by people who want very specific information about what products work best, it's clear that your desire to remain in the dark about the products you use is not shared by all. My guess is that a lot of the subscriptions to "Bicycling" and other cycling magazines are from people looking for information on what products are better than others.

Finally, I'm not an expert or serious amateur carpenter (and never will be), but I won't call a carpenter a snob for wanting technical information on what tools and techniques work the best. Why do you do the same for cyclists? That leads me back to the question I asked earlier, other than yourself, are there any cyclists you respect?

Given the number of threads in this forum started by people who want very specific information about what products work best, it's clear that your desire to remain in the dark about the products you use is not shared by all. My guess is that a lot of the subscriptions to "Bicycling" and other cycling magazines are from people looking for information on what products are better than others.

Finally, I'm not an expert or serious amateur carpenter (and never will be), but I won't call a carpenter a snob for wanting technical information on what tools and techniques work the best. Why do you do the same for cyclists? That leads me back to the question I asked earlier, other than yourself, are there any cyclists you respect?
Your irrelevant text about carpentry and equally irrelevant and smug "personal" questions notwithstanding, it is equally clear that this unserved market of curious "serious cyclists" with unanswered equipment questions carries little weight in the information market place. IMO, few cyclists give a dang about this "missing" info, except for a handful of those perpetually curious about the latest and greatest gizmo from the Bicycle Boutique Industry.

While I do give them credit for some of the work they do, some of it is pure rubbish. Some of their comparisons completely miss the mark to the point that it makes me wonder.

Although I wouldn't call even their worst reviews "pure rubbish," I agree that Consumer Reports (CR) often has priorities that don't match mine. For example, they seem to rate loudspeakers by how much bass the speaker can reproduce - not my priority at all.. However, even when CR's priorities don't match mine, CR usually does a good enough job of stating their biases that I can tell whether the review is of use to me or not.

On the other hand, reliability is reliability. If I'm buying an appliance (or a car - which is an appliance to me), reliability and safety are my top priorities. I find CR most useful in those circumstances. I'm not interested in CR's opinion of how quiet the car is, how comfortable the car was, or how CR rated the car overall - only the safety and reliability. For this reason, CR is useful to me, even when I disagree with their overall assessment of a product.

I still subscribe to CR even though I disagree with about a third of their overall assessments. It isn't that they did a bad job on the review - it's just that my priorities are different than their reviewers.

Given the number of threads in this forum started by people who want very specific information about what products work best, it's clear that your desire to remain in the dark about the products you use is not shared by all. My guess is that a lot of the subscriptions to "Bicycling" and other cycling magazines are from people looking for information on what products are better than others.


Sometimes it seems that reviews in magazines are too sterile. I prefer to post questions on sites like BikeForums asking for experiences with specific products.