Singletrack

[glueman]

Just bought my first copy of Singletrack MTB magaine. It's not bad, certainly a cut above the usual stuff but two things niggle. One is the language which seems to be aimed at 23 year olds - or people who would like to be 23 - the other is the bikes which are nearly all full suspension jobbies at about two and a half thou.
There's nothing wrong with aspiration so long as it's balanced with some reality. You can get nice off the peg road bikes for £1000 (actually a lot less) so why is the equivalent MTB 2 1/2 times that amount? There's a credit crunch on, will the magazines start to cut their cloth?

[dmiller]

Ask them

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/

David.

[glueman]

I was hoping long-term readers might tell me if the current issue was an aberration as there's a review of 2008s best kit, or whether £2k+ bikes are typical of the mag and, like C+, I can save myself the trouble of buying future issues.

[squeaker]

You can get nice off the peg road bikes for £1000 (actually a lot less) so why is the equivalent MTB 2 1/2 times that amount?

Suspension - which costs if done well for MTB sales volumes.

[Si]

I've not read it for a while now.

the kit that they used to review did seem to be toward the higher half of the market, which was strange as many of them (the full timers and single article writers) seemed to ride rigid SSers back then.

In terms of just writing about riding (rather than about bikes) I think it is (or at least was) one of the best British mags. To me the tests of expensive kit didn't always sit well with this, ditto all the road-trips to exotic places.

nonetheless it still beats the opposition.

[ransos]

Their core readership is probably a little older than for the other MTB mags (in particular, MBUK is aimed at teenagers), and consequently budgets for new kit are higher on average. So I guess they are just targetting their demographic.

What MTB carries reviews of cheaper bikes fairly regularly.

[Dave Ross]

Ransos,

You beat me to it - 'What Mountain Bike' is a pretty good read for lets say the more mature rider (Over 25).

There's routes with pull-out maps and .gpx downloads, good reviews of kit and of bikes, sub £500 to Superbikes. Plus normally a good 'how to' section.

By far the better magazine and better buy than MBR, MBUK and Singletrack - IMHO. (Though you can read MBR on-line, in magazine format free of charge - which is novel....... ).

Dave.

[glueman]

Thanks for the replies. I'm always wary of the relationship between magazines, their advertisers and readers. Singletrack (World?) isn't the only mag guilty of aspirational reviews but there's an implicit suggestion bikes should cost those amounts to be any good. My knowledge of road bikes suggests that isn't the case.

[downsman]

I've bought copies of Singletrack, What Mountain Bike, and MBR. I agree that Singletrack reviews very (ridiculously so in my opinion ) expensive bikes, and the others review a much wider selection.

After a few months I bought a Rockhopper and I am happy to use it until it wears out, as it's perfect for my offroad riding . Consequently, now I don't have any great interest in any bike reviews.

I soon lost interest in What MB and MBR, but I find Singletrack is generally much more of an interesting read and I'm now on my second year of subscription

[ransos]

Thanks for the replies. I'm always wary of the relationship between magazines, their advertisers and readers. Singletrack (World?) isn't the only mag guilty of aspirational reviews but there's an implicit suggestion bikes should cost those amounts to be any good. My knowledge of road bikes suggests that isn't the case.

In fairness, road bikes don't have hydraulic disc brakes and full suspension, and to implement these technologies with light weight and good performance is always going to cost.

Having said that, you can buy a high quality hard tail MTB for well under £1k.

[ChrisButch]

Having said that, you can buy a high quality hard tail MTB for well under £1k.

[/quote]
Maybe so, but the habit now seems to be well entrenched among the mainstream manufacturers that if it's a hardtail it's rarely if ever fitted with the best quality groupsets, wheels etc. The marketing implication is that hardtail = lower end of market, which is as illogical as volume car manufacturers' habit of only fitting the most comfortable seats to the models with the biggest engines.

[pq]

Singletrack have established a nice little niche for themselves. It's aimed at 30 something riders with money to burn - which is a really good demographic if you're trying to sell advertising space in the magazine. That's why they review expensive gear.

[workhard]

Maybe so, but the habit now seems to be well entrenched among the mainstream manufacturers that if it's a hardtail it's rarely if ever fitted with the best quality groupsets, wheels etc. The marketing implication is that hardtail = lower end of market, which is as illogical as volume car manufacturers' habit of only fitting the most comfortable seats to the models with the biggest engines.

Very pronounced this year too, compared with last year. I suspect it is to do with price points, weakness of the £ against the Yen, and the fact that nearly all the hardtail riders I come across with £1K- £2K to spend seem to go for custom builds rather than off the shelf bikes. I think bike2work is probably also responsible for an artificial bulge in the market just below £1000 and bikes are being built down to a price not up to a spec as a result.

Your car analogy is a good one after all - I always used to wonder if a four cylinder jap 500cc motorbike really actually cost that much more to build than its 650cc 750cc or 1000cc brothers.

[glueman]

Our local MTB event, a course with some serious off-road, consistently has the few cyclo-cross riders among its top placed finishers. So either cyclo cross riders are extraordinarily talented or full-sus money pits are unnecessary for going fast.

[cycleruk]

Having bought and read magazines over a good number of years, I stopped buying them.
3 magazines = 1 chain.