Touring mag (lack of)

fill_d

Getting into touring for the first time lead me to my local WH Smith thinking there must be a dedicated cycle touring mag - couldn't find one. Does anyone know of one? or is there a gap in the market as it appears?

I would be a subscriber of a mag the features reviews of the various bits you need when touring- all the mags seem to be about MTB or road racing.

tatanab

I think the market would be too small.

The CTC review parts in their magazine, and of course with a touring emphasis. They have expand that to MTB and "lightweight day ride only" stuff as well as the taste of modern cyclists changes.

Much touring kit these days is MTB kit - e.g long arm rear mechs, chainsets with small rings. All this stuff existed before MTBs came along, its just that the MTB market has swamped the niche touring market.

My advice - join the CTC, ride with the local group, learn from their experince and your own not what some magazine hack who is paid to do the job tells you is good or not.

So - what sort of information are you looking for?

orienteer

There's a magazine called Cycling World, not readily available in shops, but you can get a sample and subscribe on line, currently offering 3 issues for £1.
http://www.cyclingworldmagazine.co.uk/

andymiller

I agree. I come primarily from an MTB-ing background and my perception is that MTB/ATB touring is growing in popularity but you wouldn't think it from the magazines.

Also IIRC there has been a huge growth in the numbers of people going on cycling holidays. so yes there's a definite gap in the market.

I think the nearest thing to what you're looking for is the Adventure Cyclist magazine produced by the US Adventure Cycling Association. You can have a root around on their site - plenty of articles in the archive.

The nearest equivalent in the UK is the CTC's members' magazine. It's worth joining the CTC anyway, but you might find their magazine useful too.

chill888

http://www.cyclingworldmag.com

seems pretty annoying

No links to articles - I guess you have to pay the 33 p an issue.

Seems a bizarre model.

vernonlevy

chill888 wrote:

http://www.cyclingworldmag.com

seems pretty annoying

No links to articles - I guess you have to pay the 33 p an issue.

Seems a bizarre model.

There's not a lot of evidence that anythinbg has been printed after July 2007......

john holiday

Cycling World is probably the nearest thing to a touring specialist magazine. It tends to do articles in a more traditional way & is almost a throwback to the days when so many people cycled for their holidays before the war! No less a pleasant read for all that!
The American Adventure Cycling is good, giving an insight into their views on equipment & touring. Mostly covers USA & Canadian trips , but often Europe & elsewhere too.

Brains

'Cycle' The CTC magazine is touring biast.

You get it as part of your CTC membership, which if you are more than occasional cyclist you should look into joining as there are other benifits such as insurance, groups you can join, downloadable route maps that cover everything from a 10 mile local pootle to multiple LeJog routes, you also get discounts on things like the ferry routes etc

paul_bhoy

Cycling World is a decent wee read.

I pick up my copy usually a month late from a magazine stall at Tonbridge Market for the pricely sum of 75p. She doesnt always have it but its worth the trip every so often, on my bike of course the 10 mile to check.

SJLcp

Cycling World is a real blast from the past - haven't seen it for years - thought it had gone long ago!

Would also recommend joining the CTC, the magazine is quarterly and excellent, latest copy arrived this week and is very touring focussed - its a great magazine - you also get to join the CTC which is worthwhile for the insurance alone (and it gets you 10% discount in Evans)

ut_och_cykla

A second for american Adventure cycling as a good read - tho' USA focus can seem a bit 'distant' the 'feeling' it captures - issue after issue - is worth the membership. Not an in your face 'this is how you do it ' mag. Cycle has more member content/contact but does still have a little 'nerd' feel about it or it did a few years ago. Cycling news runs occasional big features on touring kit but much non-cycling stuff can be read about in other outdoor mags.

Crapaud

There was a touring mag several years ago. I think it was called 'Bicycling', but it only lasted 4 or 5 issues, so I doubt that there was much demand.

There was a free waterproof wallet, with a velcro fastening, with the first issue (the main reason I bought it). It disintegrated after 6 months.