Somethings Got To Go

CustomReign

Out of MBR, Dirt, WMTB, Singletrack and MBUK, something has to go.

I enjoy all landing on my doorstep, but can get pretty disheartened with the content of some. One in particular appears to be a mag of self importance of one of the staff writers where fashion and hair are all important as well as cover shots. Having bought one of them since the late 80's, maybe I'm a little too old for it.

Are any mags keeping your fire alight? If so, what do you look for and what lets you down?

I loved Dirt for it's raw content a while back. MBR has bloomed and is on top for me now it's got rid of the near glamour model shots from years ago and lost the Future Publishing chip on it's shoulder.

Just had two through the door which are closer to a comic and a thin magazine insert. I think maybe two need to be cut from the subs to assist in the battle for a new frame. It all adds up!

BenChaffer

I would get rid of MBUK...

welshkev

MBUK is going for me, been subscribing for years but it's definately aimed at younger and more fashionable riders than myself :shock:

P-Jay

I think Dirt has a sell-by age limit. I cannot fathom it, the words are all over the bloody page and it only speaks in really cliquey terms, not for me, which is a shame because the pics are good I'm just too old I think.

I've only ever read one singletrack and i quite liked it.

MBR is very worthy, they like OS maps and 'keeping it real'

WMTB...... Yawn.......

I prefer MBUK to the rest tbh,. I want to read about riding in exotic places and super trick expensive bikes and such.

YIMan

I like MBR and think MBUK is a lot better than it was - it's actually improved from what used to be a semi-bmx-kids volume.

I keep getting swayed by WMTB, but to be honest every time I buy it, it's a let-down - thin on articles, the same stuff at the back every months and it takes 2 minutes to read. So I'd drop WMTB.

I quite like DIRT for something different but don't really like the styling and much of the content is a bit off-topic for me. I personally would drop Dirt as SIngletrack is more interesting read.

It depends what kind of riding you're into I guess.

big_southern_jesse

I've never bothered with subscriptions. With most subjects that I've been interested in ( Bikes, Sailing, Windsurfing, Snowboarding, etc ) I've found that the two or three bigest magazines tend to have very similar articles at similar times. It might be a month later, but there tends t obe a lot of overlap. I certainly wouldn't subscribe to more than one at time.

I usually buy the magazine that has articles I want. I don't expect any magazine to be excellent in every field, in bike and kit reviews, techniques, trails etc.

But it's up to you. How can we tell you what mag you want?

TheNorthernTrain

I have started to buy MBR over MBUK. I love the ride guides and for me it just seems to be a bit more readable, i dont seem to manage to get through it quite as quickly, plus it has a lot more relevant stuff. Im not interested in dirt jumping and trials etc which can be quite heavily featured in MBUK.

I am yet to read singletrack, i might buy a copy this month.

allthegearnoidea

am an mbr subscriber mainly because i got a bit fed up iof the way mbuk was written, as a lot of others have said, mbr seems to be a good alrounder but havent tried Single track yet,
occasionally get mountain bike action for a view of whats on in america and the latest tech etc. but is very advertising based,

trouble is what appeals to me doesnt always appeal to others!!

Anonymous

i like mbuk although im confident im pretty far outside the intended market (an older fat bloke with no interest in fashion!) but i like the tests and i like the articles.

i cannot bear singletrack, i tried for a few months to enjoy it as i liked the idea of it as a mag and i like the way it looks but it is so websters and boring. i like my tests with a mark out of ten too which doesnt help in singletrack.

i like mbr too but im a bit less of a fan of wmb due to the section at the back being so repetitive.

Northwind

I think I'd ditch MBR, that's the one that most frequently annoys me. "We changed the bike to our control tyres and they didn't suit it at all, so we're marking it down for our idiocy" "The Inbred's designed for 100mm-130mm but we're going to do all the testing on 140mm, then complain that the BB is too high and the fork is too slack, because that way we can make the P7 win the test". And of course "This year's bike is .00005 degrees steeper and it TOTALLY REINVENTS MOUNTAIN BIKING". Plus the fact that next year they'll have to start marking the Orange Five in hexidecimal. "We give this E out of 10!"

Dirt has almost no relevance at all to my riding but I still like it. Then again, I buy car magazines and I don't have a driving licence, so what do I know?

Singletrack and WMB would be the last to go.

biff55

theres so much info and articles available for free on the internet that one could say
do without magazines completely.
save a feckin fortune in the process.

supersonic

Erm...

bails87

I buy WMB regularly and have just started buying Singletrack. MBUK seems to be focussed on "gnarly" and "rad" dudes, so not for me! Singletrack feels like a better quality mag, but for a simple read, and a big load of product reviews I really like WMB.

Duffer

Singletrack always looks like someones A level photography coursework - loads of artistic pictures, but somewhat lacking in content. WMTB and MBR for me.

stu8975

I stopped buying MBUK years ago, occasionally buy MBR, but mainly WMB (subscriber), but i don't think there is a need to fill up 20+ or so pages every month with the same buyers guide (it rarely changes).

scale20

I'm in the same dilema.

I subscribe to Singlrtrack, WMB and MBUK.

Singletrack is a different read from the norm so I enjoy that. At 33 I think I'm too old for MBUK, I flick through it and If Im lucky there's an article that interests me, I tend to find it all a bit fashon orientated and 'look at my lovely hair!' No-one ever seems to be dirty like they have actually ridden anywhere. Ok if your into DH Dirt jumping, jeans that don't fit and mahooosive baseball caps.

WMB seems to cater for my type of riding but I always get a sense of dejavu with it. Ive just dug out a few back isues and the cover pic is always the same, a bloke riding down some singletrack in the attack position Half of the mag is taken up and wasted by the Buyers guide at the back. I often use it for reference however I think it could be featured every quarter in the mag instead of every month, then that space could be used for other features.

It's looking like I will be ditching MBUK and possibly giving an MBR subs a go.

marcaudsley

Having just had the new MBR through the door and read the recent WMB i have cancelled my subs to mbr and prob wont buy wmb again either.
Like others have said there is a sense of deja vu reading them and the content is getting tired.
Think i will stick with Singletrack as i like the articles and the sense of humour, plus they are just down the road in Tod

dave_hill

marcaudsley wrote:

Having just had the new MBR through the door and read the recent WMB i have cancelled my subs to mbr and prob wont buy wmb again either.

Couldn't agree more. MBR have lost the plot. It used to be the best of the bunch but they're obsessed with racing, trail centres and bikes that don't cost any less than £3000.

What was all that crap about the Hammerschmidt bikes in the new issue? Not one less than £3500 grand and within the first paragraph more or less they slated Hammerschmidt for being too heavy, too innefficient (sp) and too expensive. So what's the point of testing FOUR bikes fitted with it???

Yep, my subscriptions' going down the pan. Trouble is, there's nowt else worth having other than Dirt and I only buy that for the pictures. That's not been the same since Billy stopped writing. And I want to give Josh Bryceland a slap for abusing Volvos.

allthegearnoidea

dave_hill wrote:

Couldn't agree more. MBR have lost the plot. It used to be the best of the bunch but they're obsessed with racing, trail centres and bikes that don't cost any less than £3000.

thats pretty much spot on!! love how the middle ground bikes all seem to be £3k+ now, even the Budget bikes test seems to come in at under 1500!! budget kit starts at £75 etc. no one seems to review the kit i buy (true Budget stuff lol! branded but the i can afford it kit!), would it harm to give them say £75 and tell them to get a pair of longs, a jacket and a jersey for instance, (quite possible through ebay or big sale deals on last years kit etc.) so those of us on a tight budget can see what you can get with a bit of seqrching rather than this month weve been sent all this top line kit! that said, without mbr i'd not have the altura jacket nor the 661 knee pads that are due through the door!!! so it has its perks!!

pops has 4 sailing mags a month through, and like the bike ones, they are all Very similar! same kit, same tests, maybe a month or so different but its all in there, one of them is brilliant for money no object boats and pictures (yachting world) but the other end its all about gentle cruises along the coast and useful repair guides, on a recent clear up int he kitche we found 3 mags from 2006 still in the wrappers! yet he still insists on having all 4 every month! mind you, like me, he sees who';s offering what gratis at the boat shows and takes out a new sub from them!!
i guess its what we get from them!!

supersonic

WMB goes through an update every few months - we listen to ideas and opinions (post in the office section).

The buyers guide is currently being reviewed, as is the Fuel section.

What I like, and not just because I do some work for them lol, is the bike tests - this month has 4 entry level hardtails, 5 AM full sussers and another 5 'first rides'. Is a lot in this months issue!

Post your ideas!

bike-a-swan

I prefer wmb. I like some of the variety in MBUK and I'll buy it occasionally if they've got something that interests me. I've never really got on with MBR, although I'm not sure why, because they always seem to have something I like in there. Singletrack has never got beyond the 'maybe I'll buy something different this month' stage, and I've never even picked up dirt.

But to echo some comments, please, please please drop the buyers guide. Or condense it. Or anything so it doesn't take up half the magazine! Then either replace it with something or just chop the pages altogether, drop the price and save some trees somewhere by not printing the same thing every month...

Mancunianfightingcat

I've been a subscriber to MBR and MBUK for the last few years (top tip - use your Tesco club card points, works out at about £2 a mag)

Anyway, both have run out this month, I won't be renewing MBUK because it seems to be written by people who think a 20 minute loop in the local woods is a proper ride, and they all dress like they're wearing pyjamas!

I might renew MBR although, I'll probably wait until there's a good freebie for doing so! That way I'll feel like I've bought a new helmet or jacket or pedals and got 13 free mags!

Northwind

I'd rate MBUK a lot more if they'd stop tipping the camera at 30 degrees all the time to make things look more impressive, in the big glentress feature I remember thinking "Where's that, looks a lot bigger than the jumps at Glentress" then realised it was one of the smallest jumps on spooky woods, but with the shot rotated so drastically the near-flat landing was about 45 degrees. Fairly pathetic IMO.

Torres

I quite like dirt, and when i can find it (which isn't that often ) i get it. I like how a lot of it is written by races or ex-pro's, which is refreshing over the other's i've read (like MBUK.)

The pictures are also better and more creative (in my opinion) compared to the other 3, and it takes a bit longer to read; so at 40p cheaper, makes it quite good value for money.

crimsondynamo

I'm a bit squeamish, so the "readers injuries" section of MBR really turns my stomach. I've stopped buying it because of that.

Singletrack is awesome, I love its sense of adventure. I love the slightly amateur literary style which adds authenticity and credibility. I feel that it's a mag about riding, rather than shilling the latest gear (here's lookin' at you MBUK).

Of course Rouleur, is the king of mags. When you can nonchalantly hand over £9 for a magazine, you know you are a man of style, substance and refined taste!

Northwind

crimsondynamo wrote:

I feel that it's a mag about riding, rather than shilling the latest gear

To put it more kindly, WMB is mainly about bikes, MBUK is mainly about bikes and riders, Singletrack is mainly about riding.

crimsondynamo

To put it more kindly,

Sorry, didn't mean to overstep the mark. I just get a bit cynical about it sometimes.

dave_hill

crimsondynamo wrote:

I'm a bit squeamish, so the "readers injuries" section of MBR really turns my stomach. I've stopped buying it because of that.

That feature is LAME. They've been running it for years now and just ceased to be funny about 20 minutes after the first one was published.

CustomReign

Right, my mind is made up after a bit of a read of the recent mags.

It seems to me that whatever Steve Worland touches usually turns out to be quality. Great man a interesting views, but WMTB has slipped loads in my opinion and MBUK is just too childish for a chap of 32. Having purchased it since I was about 12, it's just been a routine that's hard to break.

I'm sticking with Dirt (although I hope they get rid of the wacky scribbling) and MBR as a all round decent magazine. Singletrack doesn't hold my attention a great deal, but it's nice to have a look now and again.

It's been interesting to see what we all have to say.

joshtp

i buy MBUK, but thats only becouse i cant cope with the idea of braking my unending colection.... and cuz it sometimes has a good article....
personaly i like MBR best, singletrack is also OK, and dirt has good pics, but is a bit thin....

CustomReign

Just had a laught today as I read the Letters page of Dirt. Someone was fed up of seeing the staff flaunt themselves as superstars on the front cover of 'another' magazine. Wonder who that cound be?