Mags!?

sophsoph
sophsoph Posts: 24
edited June 2010 in MTB beginners
Hey all! Got my birthday coming soon and am thinking of asking for some bike mag subscriptions! I am fairly new to MTBing but love it already was hoping foor some recommendations from you veterans!

Ideally want tips on riding, gear and places to go! :D

Thanks! xx
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Comments

  • MBUK (mountain biking uk) is the one that this website is run by, and thats pretty sweet, ticks all of the boxes mentioned above, and is written by people who speak proper english which is nice (cause theres very little BS)
  • jairaj
    jairaj Posts: 3,009
    I quite like What Mountain Bike but magazines are a personal choice why not buy a handful and read them. See which one you end up liking?
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    I'd say What Mountain Bike, or MBUK. The former is aimed at a slighter more mature audience and less gravity fueled antics, the latter covers more ground and scenes within the sport.

    Oh, and I write for WMB :wink:
  • phoenixliston
    phoenixliston Posts: 112
    I'd say printwise you'd be hard-pushed to find one cooler than MBUK.

    I know a couple of free ones too that act as a good supplimnet. I'll try and remember their names and let you know..

    Good luck! 8)
  • phoenixliston
    phoenixliston Posts: 112
    OK i'm back!

    ..couldn't remember the free MTB mag off top of head - so had to ask a mate to remind me / send a link!

    Here it is, well the website anyway.. http://www.imbikemag.com

    latest issue is this: http://www.imbikemag.com/issue5/

    its a digital glossy so looks like print but u read it online, pretty great actually (had vids too). Should keep you occupied until you get the subs sorted. Def grab MBUK and maybe Dirt Rag too.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Just for the record, this website if run by Future Publishing, not MBUK.
  • mrfmilo
    mrfmilo Posts: 2,250
    MBUK for the younger audience, althought that's not always the case. Or there's WhatMountainBike which is more about the bikes and reviews, whereas MBUK covers the current MTB scene and ''fashion'' (aswell as reviews).

    Then there's also Dirt which is mainly for DH riders. I read mostly MBUK, and buy Dirt occasionally. :P
  • sophsoph
    sophsoph Posts: 24
    Dirt just has an awesome name!
  • Cferg
    Cferg Posts: 347
    MBR anyone?
  • sophsoph
    sophsoph Posts: 24
    OK i'm back!

    ..couldn't remember the free MTB mag off top of head - so had to ask a mate to remind me / send a link!

    Here it is, well the website anyway.. http://www.imbikemag.com

    latest issue is this: http://www.imbikemag.com/issue5/

    its a digital glossy so looks like print but u read it online, pretty great actually (had vids too). Should keep you occupied until you get the subs sorted. Def grab MBUK and maybe Dirt Rag too.

    Yo phoenix (nice handle!) cheers for the recommendation, checked it out this morning, once you get used to reading it on screen its totally rad.

    Gonna grab a sub to MBUK i think.

    I definately also recommend IMB http://www.imbikemag.com/
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Cferg wrote:
    MBR anyone?

    Ssssh.
  • Cferg
    Cferg Posts: 347
    Forgot this was MBUK/WMB fanboy central, sorry :oops: :wink:

    Just had a look at that IMB online magazine, looks really good from what I've seen, signed up nice website, good content, free. Only downside is I like having a good copy of MBR/MBUK lying about for my general perusal and the classifieds are always a bonus in mountain bike magazines

    :)
  • stumpyjon
    stumpyjon Posts: 4,069
    MBUK - young more rad riders (rad to the power of sick).
    What Mountain Bike - Future Publishings more mature offering, prides itself on high quality testing and reviews, does route features etc. as well.
    MBR - IPC medias answer to WMB, less emphasis on reviews (still does a lot) more articles.
    Dirt - got that once, won't be buying again, aimed at people who like pictures more than words.
    SIngletrack - Independant mag, aimed at the more mature rider (allegedly the average reader profile is white middle aged mid life crisis IT worker). I like this one, fits me perfectly, I don't work in IT but I do have two PCs at work though.

    Other magazines are available. MBUK, WMB, MBR and Singletrack tend to be the ones most readily available. Best bet is go a buy one of each, see what you like. Personally I hate MBUK but then many of the people who read that will loathe Singletrack which I like.
    It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

    I've bought a new bike....ouch - result
    Can I buy a new bike?...No - no result
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    MBR's reviews are consistently bo****cks frnakly, the fact that they don't even bother to hide their bias annoys me. Highlights include "The Orange 5's wheels are cheap and too fragile and narrow, and the brakes don't work, and it's too expensive. 10/10! Bike of the year!", "We changed the tyres, and discovered it didn't work very well with the ones we fitted, so we took off a mark even though it rode brilliantly with the ones it came with" and of course "We ran the Inbred with a 140mm fork, and the BB was too high, the head and seat angle too slack, and it felt ponderous and bargelike. Other than that it was the best on test but because of this, we give hte win to the P7. Oh, the Inbred is only built for up to a 130mm fork? Oops" But a lot of the articles are pretty decent. Rant over!

    Anyway :lol: Quite like MBUK and WMB, they both carry interesting articles and reviews, bit inconsistent but when they're good, they're good. Annoying photography policy (take every photo and turn it through 30 degrees so the trails look steeper) but otherwise decent. WMB's more about bikes, MBUK's more about riding bikes.

    Singletrack is a bit beardy and very inconsistent but when it's good it's the best by miles IMO.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    That bias is also very obvious in other magazine markets. Just recently, I was reading a photography magazine's lens reviews, and whilst a Canon lens clearly had a better image quality based on their actual scientific, indisputable facts, they still gave the Nikkon lens the win, claiming it was miles better than the competition :roll:
  • Muddy1182
    Muddy1182 Posts: 146
    MBR anyone?
    +1
  • Stu T
    Stu T Posts: 127
    Prefer MBR more routes less pictures of the writers in really really crap clothing.

    Biggest problem with MBUK is that although it can be a brilliant read It's obsesed with giving away Stickers and being friends with Steve Peat :?
    I wear Lycra because I like the way it feels
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Stu T wrote:
    Prefer MBR more routes less pictures of the writers in really really crap clothing.

    Biggest problem with MBUK is that although it can be a brilliant read It's obsesed with giving away Stickers and being friends with Steve Peat :?
    You do realise that Steve Peat has had a very lont relationship with MBUK, right? He used to ride on the MBUK team as a youngster.
  • kaytronika
    kaytronika Posts: 580
    Always bought MBUK in the past... But I was always young in the past.

    I would miss Mint Sauce if I moved on.

    I could do with 'What Ageing Bloke's Cheapo Mountain Bike, Dodgy Lycra and 'It was all cantilevers in my day' Magazine'
    --
    '09 Carrera Fury
    '94 GT Timberline FS
    '89 Saracen Tufftrax
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    kaytronika wrote:
    I could do with 'What Ageing Bloke's Cheapo Mountain Bike, Dodgy Lycra and 'It was all cantilevers in my day' Magazine'

    Singletrack then :lol:
    Uncompromising extremist
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I think we could do with less dodgy lycra in general :lol:
  • Stu T
    Stu T Posts: 127
    Stu T wrote:
    Prefer MBR more routes less pictures of the writers in really really crap clothing.

    Biggest problem with MBUK is that although it can be a brilliant read It's obsesed with giving away Stickers and being friends with Steve Peat :?
    You do realise that Steve Peat has had a very lont relationship with MBUK, right? He used to ride on the MBUK team as a youngster.

    Fair enough but c mon it feels like they take a picture of him, write a caption saying how cool he is then write a fatuous article around it in which they try to bask in his glory.

    I personaly got up to watch the worlds and think he' a great rider but I don't need to read about him EVERY month.
    I wear Lycra because I like the way it feels
  • Dan_xz
    Dan_xz Posts: 130
    Northwind wrote:
    MBR's reviews are consistently bo****cks frnakly, the fact that they don't even bother to hide their bias annoys me. Highlights include "The Orange 5's wheels are cheap and too fragile and narrow, and the brakes don't work, and it's too expensive. 10/10! Bike of the year!",
    .

    Sounds like some of the gear reviews here on bikeradar!!

    Actually I like MBR for mostly for the graded mapped routes. It's nice to go of and follow some new (to me) natural circuits than get stuck in trail centre traffic all the time. Also they aren't trying too hard to keep 'street' and don't over emphasize the jump scene over all else. Although there is a rather naff article on XC racers this month which makes it clear from the opening paragraph that they consider XC racing some wierd persuit outside of thier readership.

    Bring back the 90's when mags didn't try to segregate mountainbikers into such tight "them and us" groups!!
  • ExeterSimon
    ExeterSimon Posts: 830
    MBR
    Whyte 905 (2009)
    Trek 1.5 (2009)
    Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp (2007)
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    Dan_xz wrote:
    Although there is a rather naff article on XC racers this month which makes it clear from the opening paragraph that they consider XC racing some wierd persuit outside of thier readership.

    Oh, that bugged me... "We don't like XC bikes so here's a guy that races with something more like a trail bike, we'll talk about him rather than the 99% of guys who don't."
    Uncompromising extremist
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I haven't seen or read that article, but it strikes me that it could be potentially interesting to read the thoughts of someone who races XC on a trail bike.
    The Marin Mount Vision was a revelation when it started winning XC races, sometimes people stick to the norm because it's what's accepted.
  • MacAndCheese
    MacAndCheese Posts: 1,944
    Currently have a subscription to MBR but their reviews are rubbish - the recent Mount Vision review was what put the final nail in the coffin for me - they basically gave it a relatively poor 7/10 because they didn't read the manual and set the shock up properly at first, then they basically said the suspension was too good so it took the fun out of the riding(??)

    What Mountain bike reviews are also a bit odd -can't think of an exact product but along the lines of "this stem is great ..would recommend it" then it gets 3/5 stars (?) So is it good like the text says? Or average like the star rating says? confusing and annoying if your flicking through.

    Quite like SIngletrack, and Dirt occasionally.

    MBUK aimed at younger readers (under 18s) IMO.
    Santa Cruz Chameleon
    Orange Alpine 160
  • Kubase
    Kubase Posts: 17
    My fave is MBR, but I don't read MTB mags primarily for reviews. I find MBUK too downhill/freeride/theonethatslikebigBMX orientated, and I only bought WMB once before I chose a bike. I'll buy any mag that has a freebie attached to the front though - more socks please!
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    can't think of an exact product but along the lines of "this stem is great ..would recommend it" then it gets 3/5 stars (?) So is it good like the text says? Or average like the star rating says? confusing and annoying if your flicking through.

    Yup, they did exactly that with the Gusset Staff. Lighter than Hope or Thomson, half the price of Hope or Thomson, looks great, just as strong, comes with loads of options and works with 3 different sizes of bars... 3 stars. WTF?
    Uncompromising extremist
  • GHill
    GHill Posts: 2,402
    What Mountain bike reviews are also a bit odd -can't think of an exact product but along the lines of "this stem is great ..would recommend it" then it gets 3/5 stars (?) So is it good like the text says? Or average like the star rating says? confusing and annoying if your flicking through.

    Under the new rating system, isn't three stars good? Something that you would recommend to a friend.

    For the original question. Buy a couple of issues of each of the popular mags to figure out which one appeals most to you. I personally like the more beardy mags (WMB and Singletrack), but that doesn't mean you will.