General Cycling Discussion - Is "Bicycling Magazine" on a Roll.

Picked up my December issue from the mailbox today...Maybe because it is the December issue..It excells? But three articles I thought to be either timely, interesting, or good information...
The Pantani piece was interesting and well written..Winter temperatues and
'BiIcile riding,' timely, and the article on Honest Mechanics good advice..
Anyone else impressed with Bicyliing's December issue..So often so many of us like to dump on Bicycling...I am often disapponted..Thought the December issue a nice surprise..

Well the USPS hasn't brought me mine yet (guess Lance isn't delivering the mail anymore) so I can't really comment yet.

I usually only pick up Bicycling in the airport before a flight. I don't remember which issue I bought last (something about Bush vs. Kerry as cyclists printed on the top) but I can tell you that it had lived up to its less than stellar reputation. I read the thing from cover to cover before the flight left the ground and it was so memorable that I just left it in the pocket of my seat. I bought that issue two weeks ago. Maybe they've turned around with the December issue but I'm not holding my breath. Unfortunately, I'll probably still pick up an issue tommorrow (yet another business trip) as that's about the only cycling magazine I can find in the airport newstands.

A mention about bikeforums.net too with the breaking of the kryptonite story...

I saw an issue a month or so ago where they had a reasonable article about a guy in NYC who decided to ride his bike exclusively for a month. What was surprising is the guy rode an old Panasonic bike. I would have expected Bicycling would have the guy to go out and buy $5000 of brand new bike and gear to push their advertisers' products.

Maybe the management is attempting to make the magazine more relavent.

Well I think the January issue will be extremely relevant! :D (since I'll be in it! w00t!)

The Pantani piece was well done. The writer obviously spent a lot of time researching the subject and travelled to Italy and Cuba to gather information. I could have enjoyed it more without the flowery prose-like writing style (that too often infects Bicycling human interest stories).

Well I think the January issue will be extremely relevant! :D (since I'll be in it! w00t!)

OK. I'll ask it. Why are you going to be in it?

The "What kind of Bike should I buy" feature. I had asked them about one for a short person but sturdy for 3rd world and lots of abuse. :)

MsMittens,
uhm, I wouldn't exactly call Toronto third world (having been both to
Canada and a third world country).
you might get all the other cannucks upset :D

Marty

Uh... you're making an assumption that I'd only be biking in Toronto... ;) I do want to bike through China, India and parts of Africa/the Middle East. Last time I checked, there were "3rd World" countries there.

I think you were missing Lotek's subtle sarcasm

It was incredibly subtle (and he probably shouldn't quit his day job). ;) That said, there are some parts of Canada that might be like a 3rd World (Artic areas or Newfoundland). ;)

That piece was ok, but he lost me when he started going off on how he could have died exactly like Pantani. Yeah, except for the fact that you are a nobody and Pantani is a legend.

I like it a lot. I used to read a lot. There are a lot of bad magazines out there, hundreds of them. Bicycling is actually pretty good.
I love Mike's articles whether he's getting hit by a truck or touring wine country. I keep seeing neat stuff in it. I can understand that many of you don't like new bikes, or the idea of touring California's wine country, or finding about handy stuff you didn't know about (Like Serotta's titanium headtube extender). But I do like those things.

I too like touring wine country..Appeals to me...Just hope the diversions don't interfere with the riding, too terribly much.

Yeah, I was wondering what a long ride with a hangover was going to be like :cry:

Over the last 6 months, each issue has had 1-2 excellent articles, between the usual junk that "BM" is famous for. Lately, the "Useful Tips" section has provided some excellent humor. Recent examples include: "Trim your nose hairs before a race, you will breath better." "On race day go with pumped air in your tires rather than CO2, air is lighter." "It is easier for men to pee out the bottom of the leg hole on their bibs rather than over the top, but neither works for a #2" (got to be a rookie to have legs that skinny). You can't get that kind of advise in any old magazine!

well considering i get it free each month (from my bf who gets it from a friend:)) i like it lol. i mainly like it for the info on new bike products and the mechanics section. keeps me up to date about stuff i would otherwise be clueless about. but yea i must agree it usually does have a lot of fluff and is a real quick read

There's always some tidbit that makes it worthwhile considering it's pretty cheap. What I hate is hearing about the current issue long before I actually receive it. It's usually at least a week or 2 after I've heard the scuttle before I get my issue.

And, I never see it at a newstand - certainly not in any of the airports I pass through all too frequently - PDX, SFO, BUR and lately - Denver.

55/Rad

And, I never see it at a newstand - certainly not in any of the airports I pass through all too frequently - PDX, SFO, BUR and lately - Denver.

Odd... you must have not been looking hard enough. I remember seeing it at PDX while I was there to pick up a coworker so we could go visit a customer. I had driven down from Seattle and she was flying up from the Bay Area. While, I was waiting, I went to peruse the "newstand" near the Alaska/Horizon gates and leafed through Bicycling. That issue was particularly memorable because a friend of mine had just gotten into the goth scene and a bunch of us were ribbing her on goth cycling apparel. Then I noticed in that issue of Bicycling, an article about that very topic.