Cycling magazines?

[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.

[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/p...p?idCategory=6. Also enjoy Momentum, which has fun articles on the bike culture scene with a Pacific Northwest flavor: http://http://www.momentumplanet.ca/.