Cycling Magazines/what do you subscribe to?

[KnottedYet]

Yeah!!!!! Oh, now I gotta write one, too. Mine will just be short. Your letter is great, especially that you give concrete examples and numbers! Yes!

[KnottedYet]

P.S.

Look how quickly TE moved up the ranks at BikeJournal when we all got involved.... Imagine if we all wrote a specific letter about the content of each issue of Bicycling as it came out?

I didn't even think about the fact that every time the mag uses a pic to illustrate some new technique or something, the biker in the pic is always a man. (unless it's women specific, the default is always male.)

Now I gotta go get an issue to write about so I can be specific with my comments to the Bicycling staff. Is June out yet?

[Trek420]

KnottedYet

"every time the mag uses a pic to illustrate some new technique or something, the biker in the pic is always a man."

....and white. I mean it's a pretty specific audience.

What Brandi said, there really is nothing like TE. Is there a publisher in the audience?

I subscribe to Bicycling and think of canceling from time to time. I mainly now keep it for educational reasons. Really!

I've become the building bike SPOC (single point of contact). When they toddle over to my pod "how do I....what's it mean when....why does....." since my work doesn't give me time for a long explanation it's "here, read this".

[Grog]

I didn't even think about the fact that every time the mag uses a pic to illustrate some new technique or something, the biker in the pic is always a man. (unless it's women specific, the default is always male.)

... unless they draw a "wife" having "picnic" with her riding husband (of course she drove the car...).

And I agree with Trek about the whiteness thing. They had a black guy on the cover recently though... but drawings, never.

Please, ladies, DO write. If not about the illustration or anything specific, just a comment. I'll start paying more attention and finding the addresses for advertising companies too.

I also wrote to Assos (see the Bibs thread), I wonder if I will hear back.

I wrote to Air Canada to complain about something this week and I got a really helpful message back, so I think it's worth it.

So do something. It has some effect, more than we think...

[stella]

I no longer read Bicycling magazine. I enjoy RoadBike Premium site and occasionaly VeloNews. (they, at least, usually have a small blurb of the women's pro road and mtn biking races).

I agree with what has been voice already about the male-centric "performance--not about the bike" (Lance's new book?? sorry...my sick sense of humor) theme going on.

It would be nice to not always see us portrayed as eye candy or mom's in cycling mags. just my 0.02. o.k., rant over. Thanks for listening!

with all that said: I really like this forum, very helpful and supportive.

[Tuckervill]

Please, ladies, DO write. If not about the illustration or anything specific, just a comment. I'll start paying more attention and finding the addresses for advertising companies too.

From long experience with legislative battles on certain issues, don't write unless you have something unique and legitimate to say. Don't write because everyone else is. If Bicycling magazine read this thread, they would discount a large influx of letters about the latest issue as just an anomoly spurred by this thread.

What would be better is if subscribers wrote promptly about their opinion of the latest issue and they did it every month--not a coordinated effort but honest feedback.

That's not to say a large influx of letters couldn't make a difference. They just need to be genuine complaints.

Karen

[Grog]

From long experience with legislative battles on certain issues, don't write unless you have something unique and legitimate to say. Don't write because everyone else is. If Bicycling magazine read this thread, they would discount a large influx of letters about the latest issue as just an anomoly spurred by this thread.

What would be better is if subscribers wrote promptly about their opinion of the latest issue and they did it every month--not a coordinated effort but honest feedback.

That's not to say a large influx of letters couldn't make a difference. They just need to be genuine complaints.

I am quite certain there IS a genuine complaint here.

Besides, Bicycling is NOT a legislating body. It's a magazine trying to sell copies (and advertising space).

If all letters are the exact same (petition-like) of course it can be discarded. At the same time, I know, as someone who has worked in retail and politics, that when I receive a letter from someone who has taken the time to actually write a note and send it, it does have some impact on me, as I keep thinking about it for a while, and may change my actions in consequence. For example, I can imagine a woman (or a man) on the sales team at Bicycling having new ideas about how to pitch her stuff to potential ad buyers. Or the illustrator of Bicycling realizing: gosh, have I really been drawing only men? I doubt that this is a totally conscious strategy on their part. Or maybe it is, but certainly not for all. And if the illustrator starts drawing women instead of men say one out of four times, I don't think the editor will stop him from doing so. And if there already is a woman (or man) on staff trying to change things, a few letters will give her (or him) further weight on the editorial board.

So it's worth trying.

[Tuckervill]

No, I didn't mean the complaints weren't legit or genuine. Only that it will have less impact if there are a bunch of letters all saying basically the same thing in a short amount of time. Sustained complaints over current issues will be more effective, in my opinion.

Karen