The Best Bike Mags and why?

[dereksmalls]

So what bike mags do you like to read? What is it you like about them and don't like about the others? Just interested to see what people spend their time readin gother than WW and other stuff on the web.

[shadwell]

I have to say RIDE magasine in Australia...
It has a great balance of current events, race reviews, rider reviews, excellenet tech reports (approaching tour mag levels of detail), and product reviews.....
For amusement and the pro road side it has to be cycle sport with broomwagen making me laugh out loud on a regular basis..
After that I reckon pro cycling (future publishing) is a decent read.. nice history and classics contents..

Tour magasine I appreciate for the engineering content, however sometimes you have to wonder on the test winners logic...
Its regulalry a german product, sometimes i agree other times I think its sus.....

[Porschenut]

I've purchased a wide variety of magazines but Road Bike Action and Mountain Bike Action are the only ones that I pick up every month. Being that I'm a techno weenie and I like all the gear, the focus on product reviews that the above magazines prioritize fill my needs. I always find that the other magazines have too much travel, training and cycling feel good topics that I find boring.

[howler]

have to say RIDE as well. Just an all round great publication. Great race coverage- well written and detailed articles. Great bike reviews- very detailed build report noting any problems with frame/components, info on flex of frame/fork, (recently) info on vibration dampening of frames, and then write-up of impressions based on fairly long term test.

From the one english issue i read, TOUR looked pretty good too though for all it had in stats and tests, it lacked some of the subjective impressions that a good, experienced reviewer can convey. Id be very keen to read more tho.

Personally dont rate any of the generic bike mags which just use teh tired old mag format thats used in everything from fashion to homewares to bikes/fitness- self improvement article, token 'culture' article, generic vague positive gear review section, etc.

[HammerTime2]

Who needs bike magazines? That's so last millenium. Just read WW*.

* and follow the occasional link to free online magazine articles and pictures

[prendrefeu]

I concur with the above, and I'll add Peloton to the list for their high standards in photography and writing. Their editors are doing a fantastic job, and their designers produce a magazine that is sophisticated.

[Wingnut]

RIDE is the most complete magazine on the market today...there's something so much nicer about reading from a book or magazine than online...IMO

[Arky]

You ask will have to admit that Bicycling has striped up their game while still appealing to a larger audience. I like the new editor.

RBA and Peloton are tops.

[prendrefeu]

We should also give a WW-nod/shoutout to Caley of VeloNews, who is a member here.
Judgements of VeloNews itself aside, Caley's tech-articles have been a recent highlight.

[Tapeworm]

I also say RIDE. If, like me, you can't watch a lot of the big races then there is no better summation of the event, resplendent with glorious photos.

Not to mention their bike reviews are continually being improved. I haven't seen anything that comes close.

[Ozrider]

Ride is really good, stopped buying other mags. Latest issue is 260 pages. Bike tests are the most thorough of any magazine, going as far as weighing all components and giving a build/quality/finish overview with nice detailed pics.
+1@ Prendefreau, Caley does some really good articles. Nick Legan as a pro mechanic also does some good write ups. Usually have a quick look on Velonews online most mornings over my coffee to check latest race results.

[airwise]

Le Cycle in France and Tour in Germany.

If only I could find magazines of such quality and depth in the English language. Maybe one day.

[diegogarcia]

The lamentable cycling weekly or sportive weekly as it has become to be known is best avoided !

[me]

RIDE hands down, especially for Aus based magazines. I got sick of reading Bicycling Australia and picking up the spelling mistakes, the crap and always positive buike reviews and incorrect riders names in the captions of photo's.

I also got sick of picking up UK mags and having Lance on the cover with some headline of an article then when you read the article it was a reporters opinion on something Lance related and a bunch of photo's and not an actual interview in sight.

I also like ROAD, especially for the training articles by Hunter Allen

[KB]

Cycling Weekly is truly lamentable. I've been reading it for over 40 years, but the last few years it's gone down the nick. I don't have a problem with them covering sportives, but covering the actual racing side they are rubbish, with people who have no real history as they often get dates and facts wrong.

I looked up Peloton after Prendrefeu's comments. Didn't realise they now had John Wilcockson on board. My favourite all time reporter. From the back end of 'Sporting Cyclist' 1967 to 'International Cycle Sport' in 1968. Some of his reporting on races on ICS is the best I've read and I still have most of the ICS mags: 68 Tour of Lombardy; 69 Tour; and 69 Tour De L'Avenir are memorable.