Mason Red

I'm starting to get the bug! My wife is also riding and we enjoy the time together. I'm looking to increase knowledge in several areas, general bike savvy, health issues, insight into the pro races and basic stuff newbies don't have a clue about. All of our riding is on the road. Which magazine and why do you think would be the best for us?

foxden

Keep your money and read the forums. There is more valuable information posted in a week than you'll find in any magazine in years.

Dewbert

I've recently purchased two magazines: ProCycling and Bicycling. ProCycling is all about, well, the sporting industry of professional cycling. I like to ride, but I'm not a big fan of racing, so it wasn't for me. Bicycling (gets some criticism on BF), however, was pretty good. It's a light read, has some very useful info (I'm new to cycling, so I have a lot to learn) and I liked the ads....maybe strange but true. I learn things from the ads.

My advice is if you decide on a subscription to Bicycling, look on ebay. I picked up a year's subscription for less than $4.00 (no shipping charge), which is less than the news stand price I paid for the original magazine.

Oh, and I agree with foxden, the forums are more useful than magazines, however, I still have a hard time seeing my PC from the bathroom....

Good luck!

Cyclist0094

Bicycling! is ok for getting you started but after you have some experince Bicycling can get boring and repepitive. Next time you are hanging out in a Borders check out a British magazine called "Cycling Plus" . It is mine and a few others here favorite bike mag

alanbikehouston

Buy the UK magazine "Cycling Plus". About nine buck an issue at larger "import" oriented magazine outlets. A bargain at the price. More FACTS about bikes, bike components, riding techniques, "test" reports, nutrition, and training in any one issue than in a year of any other bike magazine.

The Forum is a wonderful place to read opinions and debates about opinions. But actual "facts" are hard to find...most members are obsessed with silly stuff such as "how to make my bike lighter", "how to get more carbon stuff on my bike", "how to ride faster"...the Forums has a surplus of teen-age boys and of middle-age men who THINK like a teen-age boy...fun to read, but not a place where reality intrudes very often.

baj32161

I will throw in some more props for Cycling Plus. If you can get past the ride reviews (which are all in the UK), which I actually find very interesting, you will find about as honest a bike mag as you can get. The equipment reviews are first rate and there are many training tips for newbies as well as experienced riders. It can be found at Borders or B&N for about $8.00 per issue....well worth it IMHO.

These forums can be a good place too if you can ignore all of the immature nonsense from some of the curmudgeons and some of the newer, younger members...this time of year in particular when winter makes some of them particularly obnoxious. And there are some who are always like that. You will learn who they are.

Cheers,

Brian

Hartmann

More props for Cycling Plus, Excellent magazine! it is what Bicycling! used to be 10-12 yearsago My only complaint is that C-Plus is getting popular now and the Borders I go to often runs out of it now

baj32161

Yes I am having this problem too. But it is worth a trip out of my way to get it. I wish they would offer a US subscription option.

Cheers,

Brian

AverageCommuter

A laptop and WiFi would fix that problem. Guess that's a little more expensive than a subscription though.

Erick L

That's what magazines are good for nowadays, and that's why I think they should change the type of paper they print on. Make it double-duty.

KrisPistofferson

Another vote for Cycling Plus.

TitaniuMerlin

I get Bicycling Magazine. Trying to get an Internship there this summer, but doubtful (I am a Writing-Major). I'll have to keep my eyes out for Cycling Plus - sounds like a good one.

ephemeron

Amazon sells US subscriptions -- $76.28/year, which is enough that I haven't gotten around to it yet but a considerable improvement over $9/issue at Borders.

SoonerBent

I'll have to check out Cycling Plus. You could put the useful info. in an average issue of Bicycling in about 4 or 5 pages. When Bicycling had some competition from Bicycle Guide and Cyclist all three were pretty good. Much better than Bicycling is now. But that's history.

SS

webist

My renewed interest in cycling is only about 5 years old. I have subscribed to Bicycling twice. I find that it goes stale fairly quickly, but that looking in on it every other year or so is OK. Once again, I'll not renew at the end of this subscription. I also read VeloNews. It would be better if it had more content devoted to individual cycling and fitness rather than concentrating only on race results. I like all the info about the pros and the races though, so I'll probably keep getting it.

This forum remains my chief source of cycling specific information (and entertainment) but I also find https://www.roadbikerider.com/ to be a valuable information source. The site's forums are for the most part dormant, but their ebook and weekly new letters are great.

DataJunkie

I was looking into subscribing to Cycling Plus. They do have an option to select your delivery nation. I did not complete the subscription process but the charge page also allows you to select a nation of origin for the billing. I'm assuming the charge would be converted to dollars from pounds using visa or what not.

alanbikehouston

Thanks for posting the link to the "Cycling Plus" subscriptions. I'm a bit hesitant though...getting CP from London to Houston would give the post office in three different countries (UK, USA, RT) a chance to rip, shred, or destroy each issue.

I've been buying it from a neighborhood family-owned magazine store. Mom and Dad stock the shelves while their kids study, do homework, or play. During the Holidays, the owners put up a tree covered with "wishes" from children living in homeless shelters. Very specific requests: size four blue sweater, size two white tennis shoes, or a Hispanic Barbie doll. They hoped that customers would take one of the "wishes" off the tree and bring in the requested items. But, the customers brought in very few gifts. So, the owners spent two days buying dozens of very specific gifts for each child...they spent a small fortune to make sure each child got a gift.

So, although it stings to pay $8 or $9 for a magazine, supporting that magazine shop makes it a bit less painful.

mpearson76

Magazines are in the business of selling magazines, not providing information. As such, they tend to enormously overstate the significance of the information they provide. For instance, fitness and bodybuilding magazines will have "articles" on how to "rip" or "tone" this or that, which is basically the invention of some trainer or writer who thinks it works, or wants to become famous. What we actually know about fitness based on scientific study would not fill a magazine every month and would be unremarkable and uninteresting at best. The body of knowledge on exercise physiology progresses much more slowly than magazine editors would have you believe in order to sell you a subscription, and much of that information is freely available here (along with just as much speculation as the magazine, so be careful). I am not saying don't read the magazines, but if you do, do it for entertainment, not information. You may soon find that the actually informative articles are recycled from time to time, because the knowledge contained in them is not actually new or cutting edge, they are just very adept at making them sound that way.

One thing they are good at, however, is keeping you abreast of new products. But you must also be careful of this because it can make you dissatisfied with the perfectly good equipment that you already have. A lot of the marketing is gimickry and the possible milliseconds of improved performance do not justify the cost for all but the most elite athletes. Sorry, don't mean to sound like a curmudgeon here; I just have a bit of experience and disillusionment with the magazine industry, and I have wasted many a dollar on some piece of shiny new gear that I just had to have after getting bike envy reading a magazine. For stubborn folks like me, it is difficult to cultivate contentment, but worth the sacrifice.

MMPC

Bicycling is worth it for the "Sex Issue" if nothing else. I also find that - while it can get repetitive and too commercial, it also has some good information and is typically an entertaining read.

MerckxMad

I've been a subscriber for a few years now and have had no problem with delivery. It comes packaged in a rip-stop bag and is always on time. You can subscribe directly from Future Publishing in the UK. Just google the name and it will link you right to the site. You get an extra Christmas issue when you subscribe that it is usually unavailable in bookshops. Currency conversion is taken care of by your credit card.

P.S. I'd still find a way to support your local mom & pop shop for their good community service.

joeprim

For the record I like Bycling. Look at Bycling.com and see previews of what's in it. I got an offer in the mail for a trial subscription to Bike for $8. I sent in in but haven't seen the mag yet. I also really like Adventure Cycling. Ok so I like to read.

Joe

FarHorizon

Hi Dewbert!

I agree with all your post except for the quoted sentence. I, also, used an e-Bay ad to subscribe to Bicycling. After 9 months, I still had yet to receive my first issue. I finally went directly to Bicycling's web site and subscribed there. I like e-Bay for lots of stuff, but magazine subscriptions isn't one of them. I'm glad for you that your experience was better than mine.

Thanks!

Fangu

Another +1 for Cycling Plus

Angus

+1 C+

Walkafire

https://www.dirtragmag.com/

I have a lil Girl Scout (11 yr old)... I have to buy magazines from her when she sells them! LOL Course they never have the ones I want...

So I bought Bicycling and BIKE... (I think?) LMAO Between Girl Scouts (Mags and Cookies) and Cub Scouts (popcorn) Yikes... Cookies and Popcorn I buy for the people at work... just throw them out on a table at work, and "POOF" they are gone.

Now what the hell was I talking about?