DBrown9383

My wife just got me a subscription. Is this a good magazine for a casual cyclist? or is it more racing oriented. I've only received a few issues but a lot of the stuff is over my head. Some very nice bikes are reviewed each month but they are all VERY expensive. Are there any other cycling rags anyone can recommend for a newbie?

jsjcat

I have a subscription also. They have a little bit of everything in there. Most I'm not interested in. You are right about the expensive bikes. On most group rides I never see anyone on those expensive things. Some of the articles about different characters and their love lives are hard to read. I still get the magazine because it is probably the best one out there. Probably didn't help much.

Jeff Wills

I stopped reading 20 years ago when I left the business. The last time I looked, it didn't have any relevance to just riding a bike.

mobilemail

I subscribe because I can get it free every year with leftover hotel reward points. If I had to pay for it...I wouldn't. It appears to be written for folks who are short on attention and really, really long on disposable income. The magazines I am actually willing to pay for a subscription are Adventure Cyclist and Bicycle Times.

Machka 

It was a good magazine. But maybe 20-ish years ago, it kind of went downhill. I remember reading my father's Bicycling Magazines back when I was a kid ... they were thick volumes full of information about all sorts of different cycling.

bruce19

I've had it for the past year after many years of avoiding bicycle, motorcycle, and car magazines. I will say it's more even handed than motorcycle and car mags. The latter are always trying to sell you cars or some such. There are some good articles but most of it is not relevant to me. It's truly a mixed bag for me. It may be different for you. I wouldn't call it race oriented. More like trying to appeal to a multitude of constituencies.

bikemig 

It is pretty bad. The articles used to be good many years ago but now there is really nothing worthwhile in it. You can learn a lot more on the web and not have to deal with a bunch of pablum designed to sell you junk.

jsjcat

Didn't say boo about the Tour de France while it was going on. What's with the "Greatest love in cycling"? Why can't they just show average cyclists and what they contend with? Always something out in left field. And then I still look forward to getting it in the mail because I hope they'll be something good in it.

Nermal

I recall an article reviewing hard tail mountain bikes that could be had for only $2,000 or less. Only $2,000? I did not renew.

Filerunner

It seems like it's mostly ads now like most of the photography mags, once in a while it would have a story to hold my interest but I gave it up.

Garfield Cat

One approach is to go to a Barnes & Noble store with a good size magazine section. It should have all kinds of bike magazines. Spend an hour or so going through them. That will give you an idea about each one. But you're right about the advertising and marketing. Most stuff is the higher priced models of even what is not considered cutting edge or "high end".

After a few months of visits to Barnes & Noble, you will get an idea of what you like to read up on.

big chainring 

"Bicycling" was a great magazine in the '70's. All kinds of DIY articles. Making your own handlebar bag. Panniers made from plastic gas cans. Twill tape handlebar tape. The touring updates from Ian Hibell. Fred DeLong tech articles. Great stuff.

It was like everyone was on the same page back then. The love of cycling. And doing it on the cheap. It had a certain purity to it.

Now, we have cycling forums on the internet and topics like, "best wheels for under $1500".

Ursa Minor

Bicycle Times is a much better magazine for a casual rider.

Charlie

FRANK CANNON

Bicycle Quarterly: About

StanSeven

I had hopes the old quality was renewed. About 6-8 months ago, it got much better. Then last month it had an article on pot smoking negatively impacting performance. The current issue is nothing but garbage.

sdmc530

I get it but its free. I probably wouldn't pay for it I usually go to book store twice a month and read my favorite mags then. Its fun to look at spendy bikes but never see them around here. Wish they did do more of a comon mans bike budget reviews.

DBrown9383

They seem to do some strange profiles and there are articles that have little relevance to me but I'm just a hack

Marcus_Ti

If you're a newbie, there can be some valuable stuff every once in a while. Also last I checked they tend to recycle stuff in a bi-yearly or so rotation.

I remember getting several winter trainer interval sets out of Bicycling.

no1mad 

I had a subscription close to 20 years ago, but very little content pertained to my needs. Pfft! We're like bi-weekly here .

Yeah, it does tend to get old in a hurry at times, but the search function doesn't always live up to its name, everyone's needs/wants/circumstances differ, and sometimes the ones providing the feedback have a change of opinion. Plus I tend to trust the product feedback here because I can typically weed out the shills- which I can't do on other sites.

gugie 

+1

"Back in the day" it had information in it. A decade or two ago I took a look, seemed to just be an industry mouthpiece.

They used to publish a secondary maazine, black and white, cheaper paper that was just technical bike stuff. I remember it having the first study of bald vs treaded tires, proving that bald tires are better in all conditions on paved roads.

Dave Cutter

I remember back decades ago.... my first wife and I would each get several different magazines a month. But I tend to lean towards digital content now-a-days.

gandrimp

Your wife is tolerating your(our) sport and gifted you with a subscription to support your sport, and you come here asking our opinion?
Thank your wife and read the damn magazine.

Jeff Wills

I have a couple issues of Cycling Science somewhere in my pile o' crap. Fun stuff.

jade408

It is likely at your library. When I am bored, I skim there. Too gear heavy. Weird training tips. Occasionally there are good profiles. It is really like any of those women's fitness magazines but focuses on bikes. 90% of the info is useless.

I really like Momentum Mag, available free at bike shops. They target casual urban/transportation riders.

Bicycle Times is good if you are bike-y and want to know more about gear and the cycling lifestyle.

catgita

Print magazines, especially bicycling, are outlets for industry propaganda. Bicycling officially abandoned research and technical testing decades ago, and fired their technical editor.

The only exception is Bicycle Quarterly, which is supported by readers, not industry. Hardly casual, and not general cycling. But the articles are fun to read and educate without you even realizing it. Start with the blog at Compass Cycles to see if it is for you.