Cycling magazines?

[Jiffer]

What's your favorite cycling magazine? Have you tried more than one? Do they make any women specific cycling magazines?

Thanks!

[Starfish]

I will appreciate hearing from everyone on this, too. I have a love/hate relationship with Bicycling Magazine. I do enjoy a lot of it, and I have learned a lot from it. But, I have many, many gripes with it, too, which I won't list here because I don't want to just whine. :rolleyes:

I'm currently not subscribed to anything, but I probably will resubscribe to Bicycling, as I tend to pick it up in the store even when I've let the subscription lapse out of irritation. Ladies, what should I subscribe to, instead!?! :)

[Zen]

Unless you're a mountain biker it looks like Bicycling has a lock on the market.
Does anyone know a philanthropist who'd like to start a magazine?
here's a list (http://www.allyoucanread.com/index.asp?idCat=251) of some mags.

[RoadRaven]

Bicycling Australia is good...

My fave is probably RIDE
I keep meaning to subscribe to it as I am not always in at the shop when it arrives and it seems to disappear pronto!

[Kalidurga]

Cycling+ UK (http://www.cyclingplus.co.uk/) is my current favorite. I think I posted here before that I can read an entire issue of Bicycling mag in two 35 minute subway rides, but it takes me a week to read Cycling+. Each issue includes detailed descriptions of 2-3 ride routes (this month's issue had a ride through Ireland that made me wanna hop a plane), comparison tests of tons of bikes and products, and updates on what's going on in the UK cycling world. I've become a huge fan of Sustrans and wish we had something similar here in the US.

Dunno if I'm going to renew my subscription next year or not, though. The exchange rate from USD to GBP is a killer :rolleyes: I'll probably just start picking it up at the newsstand again.

[RoadRaven]

I haven't seen Cycling+

Can you give me some publication details? I might see if my local bookshop can get in a copy for me to look at

:)

[Kalidurga]

I haven't seen Cycling+

Can you give me some publication details? I might see if my local bookshop can get in a copy for me to look at

:)

Not sure what sort of details you'd need. Would they be at the link for the magazine website?

[crazycanuck]

I normally pick up Australian Mtn bike magazine & Mountain biking australia.

C

[nicole309]

Women's Adventure magazine. Most issues they focus on a particular sport and this month it was cycling, although this is not usually a cycling specific magazine. It is worth a recommendation.
I also love/hate Bicycling as well.
Do any of the Canada ladies have any suggestions? I see magazines while I am in Victoria that look interesting, but have never bought any.

[nicole309]

Oh my gosh, my favorite is Adventure Cyclist Magazine. Who can resist those Willie Weir articles?

http://www.adv-cycling.org/mag/index.cfm

Here's the link for Women's Adventure as well:
http://www.womensadventuremagazine.com/

[RoadRaven]

Not sure what sort of details you'd need. Would they be at the link for the magazine website?

Ummm... publishing details?

Home country?

Web site - DOH!!! just realised as i type this that you have linked your post!!!!

Road - ICanBeSuchADork - Raven

[ptenoid]

My favorite cycling magazine is Procycling. I also like Cycle Sport, though not quite as well. Both of these are magazines about racing, though, so I suspect they might not be what you're looking for.

Bicycling is pretty mediocre. They occasionally run an article that I find interesting or inspiring, but I haven't decided if that makes up for the issues that have no useful content at all. I would like the magazine a lot better if they talked more about riding and less about what to buy. I am currently debating whether or not to renew my subscription.

[pooks]

I love UK publications in general and would LOVE to subscribe to Cycling+ but --

Gulp!

That's almost $100 a year.

I'm going to have to think about this. Yikes.

[SouthernBelle]

There are a couple of new ones out. One is a big glossy rag called Road and another is Road Bike Action. Both are racing oriented but good reads.

[Jiffer]

Thanks for the replies. I might think about Road Bike Action. I put the links below to both for anyone who wants to check them out. Road Bike Action lets you look at several pages of an issue. You can buy a paper verion or an on-line version.

Road Bike Action
http://www.rbaction.net/

Road
http://www.roadmagazine.net/road/index2.html

Thanks for the warning about Bicycle. I had an advertisement from them that got me thinking about getting a cycling magazine.

[Deanna]

I was just going to post about Road Bike Action. This is a new mag from the publishers of Mountain Bike Action. My husband has been getting comp'd issues as a licensed racer. We both like this one a lot more than Bicycling. Outside of their mistake of picking their favorite to win the TdF too early (they chose Basso), it's a decent read.

[Jiffer]

Thanks, Deanna. It's great to get a good review from someone who's actually read some issues. Too bad it's bi-monthly instead of monthly, but I do like the $9.99 price. :)

[fultzie]

i'm a fan of Velo News (despite the price) for an occasional racing/ gear fix... they had a couple of pretty good articles on female racers last month (Georgia Gould and a woman from University of California who's name I unfortunately can't remember...).

I generally stick with Dirt Rag, however... I really love their reader-oriented format (it's a "forum" rather than a "magazine" ;) ) and I often see people in there who's names I recognize! While mtb is their main focus, they don't *just* cover dirt. They have some good "general cycling" articles, and always a lot of (real, not fake) inspirational articles and artwork. :cool:

[pooks]

Is there a place in the US where you can purchase Cycling+? I'd like to order an issue, just to see what it looks like.

[Cyclo Kitty]

Dirt Rag is the one American cycling mag we subscribe to and read, and re-read (DH commutes by train and this was one of his Xmas presents).

Cycling + is probably my favorite, for all the reviews, how-tos and training tips. I like the advocacy parts, and pretending I can actually go on one of the rides in the UK.

We got MBUK (Mountain Bike UK) last weekend, and it is published by the same group who publishes C+. The two share writers and reviewers.

I get the UK mags at Borders, but the LBS carries a bunch of mags, too. Haven't quite worked up to subscribing to C+, but I really should for the savings.

Online, I read/download Urban Velo (http://www.urbanvelo.org/) put out by some of the Dirt Rag folks, and then there's The Practical Pedal online and newsprint (http://practicalpedal.com/) which is free.

[SnappyPix]

Cycling Plus is probably my fave ...

http://www.cyclingplus.co.uk/thismonthsmag.asp?id=73


This month's issue has 170 pages.
They always include women in their bike tests (both reviewing and photo shoots), and always include WSD in their gear tests (ie jerseys and shorts).
They always cover women's racing (although not in as much details as the men's, unfortunately) and seem to have the perfect balance between being recreational and serious, serious racers.
Their workshops and reviews are second to none. This month's workshop is how to remove and strip down your cassette.

Good grief, sound like I'm on commission!

RoadRaven - they're huge fans of Ground Effect stuff, you'll be pleased to hear!

I'd scan some pages in, but the issues are so thick and eclectic, it's hard to know what people would want to see!

ProCycling and Cycle Sport are pretty good glossies, but more race specific, and not all encompassing like Cycling +

Will crawl back under my rock now!

[Fredwina]

Is there a place in the US where you can purchase Cycling+? I'd like to order an issue, just to see what it looks like.
Most Barnes&Noble's and Border's carry Cycling+, Cyclesport, and ProCycling. They're still on the pricey side (I think like $7-9/issue)

[pooks]

Cool, Fredwina. I can usually justify a few dollars at a time (cash) more easily than $100 on the MasterCard. At least until I see what it's got going for it. I can't wait. Thanks!

[pooks]

Okay -- back from B&N and am thrilled with my purchases:

Cycling Plus (UK -- with a nice long spread about the Prologue of the Tour)

This is a fabulous magazine. I've just skimmed the surface and it's packed with more real info and interesting articles than several issues of Bicycling.

The "how to" articles have lots of photo-illustrations, making it much easier to actually understand the instructions. The people in the photos don't look like models, but like real people.

$9.99 and I think it's worth it.

HEALTH & FITNESS FOR CYCLISTS, put out by Cycling Weekly (another UK mag)

Talk about fabulous. They are doing in their "real people" spread what we hoped Bicycling would do in its "real women" spread. It's actually about training, nutrition, etc. with recommended workouts, etc.

$12.99 and again, I think it's worth it.

ROAD - The Journal of Road Cycling and Culture (US)

Of the American mags, this one looked most interesting to me (despite the fact that it's oversized and I would prefer magazines to be more uniform for storage purposes)

But. I dunno. Very slick, glossy, ad-driven, and the articles seem to be more about product review than information.

$6.99

I would buy either UK publication in a heartbeat before I bought another US publication. I subscribe to Bicycling and look forward to it each month, but it doesn't hold a candle to these.

[Ebet]

I like the UK publications Velo Vision http://http://www.velovision.co.uk/ and A to B http://http://www.atob.org.uk/. Both focus on transportation and utility cycling, commuting, touring, folding and recumbent bikes, etc. They are available through US distributor Calhoun Cycle in Minneapolis: http://http://www.calhouncycle.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=6. Also enjoy Momentum, which has fun articles on the bike culture scene with a Pacific Northwest flavor: http://http://www.momentumplanet.ca/.