Bike magazines

Now that Momentum has been sold and all the staff fired and the magazine completely changed to pabulum... I need a new magazine. (I cancelled my Momentum subscription. Yes, I paid for the freebie, because I believed in it. Not enough of the rest of you paid, so they went under. Feel guilty yet?)

For various reasons, I do not have any desire what so ever to subscribe to "Bicycling." Ever. Never. No. Way.

But, any other bike magazines y'all can recommend? I'm looking for something like the original Momentum; aimed at the daily rider, kind of off the radar, a little low-key.

Anyone have any suggestions?

I've never heard of the one you mentioned. It may not be what you're looking for, but I love Adventure Cycling's magazine. I am a member because I believe in what they're doing. But - the magazine is a nice bonus:)

I got a free subscription to Bicycling with my LAB membership. Would you take it for free? Because I don't want it ... :p (I should let LAB know)

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

Now that Momentum has been sold and all the staff fired and the magazine completely changed to pabulum... I need a new magazine. (I cancelled my Momentum subscription. Yes, I paid for the freebie, because I believed in it. Not enough of the rest of you paid, so they went under. Feel guilty yet?)

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That's not what I heard unless you have more recent scuttlebutt:

Amy Walker had been trying to withdraw from the Momentum for awhile. She is the original brain behind it. She has written a book to be released on the market this fall.

I believe Tanya Lo and Mia Kouhut are still there. Have you heard something different?

I know all 3 ladies, not in a close way. But we have chat up for awhile and vice versa.

Sarah Ripplingler is the managing editor. She has been there for at least 2 years or more.

I believe they had been offering internship placements for journalism students or similar.

Terry Lowe who handled Vancouver and Victoria news, died suddenly much to the shock of many people who knew him.

I know that most people don't know these folks personally. I'm just laying out what I do know.

It's hard producing a magazine with the cost of it too. There has to be sufficent ads sold to make it viable. Frankly I don't know how they have hung in for so long... I guess I have some knowledge --I was part of core organizing group for an Asian-Canadian magazine on the arts and social issues for 5 yrs. We had a paid subscription list of 300 people across North America.

Great times, great thought leaders.. but it was expensive and hard to produce it. above all we didn't have a succession plan to hand it over to next mentored volunteers.

Take a look at the two most recent issues.

It's very sad.

Yes, Mia and Tanya are still there, but all the writers are gone. The holding company that bought it has changed it utterly.

Did you have the 3 year subscription, or the lifetime subscription?

Neither. I got it free from the local bike store down the street.

I went to some of their sponsored events. I link them through some of my blogs below on home pages.

Heck I even wrote 2 articles for them. http://momentumplanet.com/articles/duet-bike-program

Maybe Urban Velo magazine is what you want.

The reality is that the more mainstream cycling becomes, then the readership becomes broader, more generic.

I think one day hipster cyclists, in terms of edginess or whatever...will lose that edgy marginality.

One's identity no longer relies on the cycling identity. Which is ok.

Bicycle Times.

Oh man, I could go on about bike magazines all day.

Bicycle Times, as mentioned above, does sound like what you might be looking for; it's transportation oriented, and low key as far as their approach to cycling. My only complaint is that it can get a little preachy on the political stuff. Last month's article on hand built bikes was awesome, though.

A little more off the beaten path, I'm a fan of both Bike Monkey and Boneshaker. Boneshaker is 1/3 bike, 1/3 creative writing, 1/3 art. Bike Monkey has a little more bike, but still the emphasis on art. Bike Monkey occasionally touches on professional cycling, but not in a (ProCycling, Velo News, insert favorite magazine here) way.

I agree with you about Bicycling; I don't mind reading it now and then, but I'd never pay for it.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I got a free subscription to Bicycling with my LAB membership. Would you take it for free? Because I don't want it ... :p (I should let LAB know)

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I did tell the League to stop sending it to me. All I ever did with it was dump it in the recycling. Such a waste of good paper. I read the League's magazine, American Cyclist, cover to cover. I wish I'd known about Momentum. Sounds like one I'd have liked.

I just bought an issue of Bicycle Times. I really liked it... actually I bought it because of the political article :), but I read every single thing in there. It's edgy, like Momentum, but doesn't feel quite as, well, off the deep end.
I like to read a variety of cycling magazines. I enjoy Bicycling, too, even though it seems most people here disparage it. You learn different things from different magazines. I am not really a utility cyclist, but I like reading about it, even though I am not commuting now. I enjoy reading the fitness stuff and about the products in Bicycling. Sure, it's geared toward roadies, but since that's mostly what I am, it's fine.

I never heard of Momentum. Maybe that was part of the problem. I like Adventure Cycling. I have not seen Bicycle Times.

I like Spokes a lot - but it is geared to the Mid-Atlantic area. It's a tabloid newspaper format, comes out 8-10x year. You can see it online. Nancy Clark has a regular column in it.

http://spokesmagazine.com/

Oh, and TE is a regular advertiser.

Bicycle Times is a really good publication that covers day-to-day, utility-style cycling. Another good one, oriented more toward mountain biking, is Dirt Rag. Other than the club pubs, these are the two bike magazines I like enough to actually subscribe to.

I also like Urban Velo... (http:www.urbanvelo.org), a e-magazine devoted to urban-style riding. Good articles, the photography is pretty cool, and even the "bike porn" in the ads is a lot more relevant.

American Bicyclist, the LAB's bimonthly magazine, is pretty good (and improving), and I really like Adventure Cyclist. I belong to the ACA for a host of other reasons, but it would be worth the price if all I got out of it was the magazine...

I hardly turn the pages in Bicycling that much any more...

Leave it to Knot to make me feel guilty for not buying something I've never heard of... ;)

I like Adventure Cyclist, but I'll vote for Bicycle Times being along the lines of what you're looking for, I think.

I do more reading online for bike stuff.

Several mentions of "Bicycle Times." I got a copy at the big PNW bike shin-dig, and liked it. Might have to look into that one again.

I will look into Urban Velo as well, an e-magazine can be fun. I am searching for an actual paper magazine, too.

The other magazine I subscribe to is "The Bark." http://www.thebark.com/ It's as love-a-mutt oriented as my ideal bike magazine is velo-love oriented.

I don't subscribe to magazines in general because they just end up as clutter in my small house. But I will take a look at some of these mentioned.

Hmmm...Urban Velo is pretty cool. Thanks for the link!

(I just ordered some "Ride a F-ing Bike" stickers from them. Hilarious!)