bargainguy

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/indu...ion-magazines#.

Mountain Bike Action is still in business, but it looks like RBA & EBA are about to go.

smd4

Considering Road Bike Action turned into Gravel Bike Action, it doesn't surprise me.

I'm not even sure why I subscribed. Modern bikes are really unappealing on many levels.

I'd say there was an opening for someone to publish a magazine devoted to classic and vintage bikes/components. Until then, I'll content myself to perusing my old issues of Bicycle Guide and Bicycle Rider. Much more enjoyable and relaxing.

George

I’ve been trying to renew my subscription with RBA and I can’t get anybody , but some young girl that wanted my banking information. I asked why she needed that and she said ok forget it. . Before we got to that point, I gave her my charge card information and I told her, that’s all you have to know.
Anyhow, that was about 3 weeks ago and checking if there were any charges on my card, there wasn’t . Oh well. I glad you posted this.

Darth Lefty 

Without advertising, who's going to pay them enough to write it?

smd4

True.

livedarklions

I'm trying to remember the last time I had any kind of magazine subscription.

masi61

I’ve been a subscriber for at least 3 years. I think I pre-paid for a few more years.
I wonder if they will refund me? I enjoyed the editorial by “Zap” each time & have learned about tubeless, gravel and current model bikes from big & small manufacturers. The racing photos & interviews with up & coming racers were good. I will miss this magazine!

2old

I subscribed to EBA from the beginning, but the content barely provided enough reading material for a quick snack. As above limited ads killed it, but it was basically useless except to get the weight of whatever they were testing.

masi61

They made semi-annual visits to Italy and had some brief articles about Italian made apparel, shoes, helmets, wheels, components, bike frames etc that was pretty cool. Also I even liked Zap's connection with motorcycling and how it connected with his cycling.

Maelochs

Given that paper publishing is almost defunct and more of an adjunct to electronic even where it survives ... you could do your own "Classic and Vintage Bike Action" magazine. If you are part of the community, enlist people around the country to take pics (nowadays everyone has cameras) and do whatever .... get people to go to swap meets, write about their bikes, research old companies, look up parts sources ... all the stuff they already do ... and either write or video about it (you can always add voice-over to video.)

Do it all in your spare time. No need for monthly editions, or if you want to you can .... or run it like a blog and encourage a lot of feedback and reader submissions. Start an onsite forum. Any ads you do sell will be gravy ... unless it takes of (somewhat) in which case you might be able to pay for the mice and keyboard you wear out. Best part is you can claim space as a home office and run the thing for several years at a loss and a tax loss.

If you can get folks to go to C&V events ( L'Eroica" is the only one I know of but I assume there are others) and send back pictures from before during and after, maybe you could eventually raise enough to pay for your gas and get a media entry and participate as a journalist .... that alone might be worth the effort.

You can charge for access if enough people show interest, or start off with "Three Months access FREE!" and then offer a variety of very affordable payment plans, because the money would be gravy .... until you either burned out and closed up shop, are really started selling ads.

if you think there is a demand ..... or just an interest .... I mean, You are interested, maybe you are not alone .....

Repack Rider

Zap Espinosa is a great guy, but a terrible fit for RBA, since he had zero road bike background.

TiHabanero

I subscribe to Bicycle Quarterly, rather my son gifts a 3 yr subscription to me every 3 years. The writing is high quality and not written on an 6th grade level. It is the only rag I have delivered to the house, and the only mag I read.
Gave up on all the cycling rags around 1990, they just were not cutting it anymore. Quality of writing and articles of interest shifted and no longer appealed to me.
Tough luck for RB and EB mags, I'm sure those that read them will miss them.

big john

He's a decent road rider. I've seen him and some people I know have ridden with him. I remember when he used to race mx and write in to the guys at MX Action.

I like his writing going back to those letters to the editor.

The last magazine I subscribed to was Bike until it vanished.

Nyah

The Curse of the Action name. Publish under it at your own peril!

badger1

Bike was, quite simply, one of the best around outside the UK, certainly up to and -- especially -- throughout Minnigh's tenure as editor. Excellent photography, of course, but more importantly it was literate and always contained very well-written feature articles.

It then fell apart -- lost its identity -- before being destroyed by its owners. Sad.

big john

It was bought by David Pecker (his real name) and the group that owns National Enquirer.

badger1

Thanks -- explains a lot. I renewed my sub. even after Bike went quarterly, but shortly after received a notice that Bike was shutting down. I was offered either some awful thing called Men's Journal or a refund. Took the latter. The corporation actually did send the little cheque!

At least Minnigh is back at it with Freehub. Some of the people from Bike's last phase tried to re-start with Beta, under the 'Outside' umbrella, but it was never really very good at all, and died after only a year or so iirc.

big john

I don't recall being offered a refund but they did start sending Men's Journal. I think I received 6 issues and it just wasn't interesting.

t2p

yes - I recall Zap back in the MXA days - and followed him to the bicycle mags

liked his stuff ; he was a fav among many of us east coast throttle twisters and bike riders

but Rick Siemen - ‘Super Hunky’ - was the #1 dude - bitd got great grades on creative writing papers (etc) thanks to Super Hunky

big john

Yep. I met Super Hunky at Indian Dunes around 1982. Local track which is long gone. He was with Wolfman Webb and I approached to say Hi and his first words were "You don't read that crap, do you?"

t2p

really looked forward to (those) magazines bitd

different world now

big john

Dirt Bike was my favorite. I still have the copy with the test of the 1984 YZ490 which was the last moto I owned. I did the mods they suggested to the fork and the carburetor. Helped a lot.

2old

I was a dirt bike advocate for about 15 years beginning in 1970 until they started legislating against it in socal (and I discovered MTB). Rick and Dirt Rag were great.

NJgreyhead

I hope Zap lands on his feet. A good dude, he has a genuine passion for bikes and bike-riding, and is not too cool to let it show.
His interview by Diane Jenks on The Outspoken Cyclist podcast is a keeper.
I will miss RBA.