whitestone wrote:

redefined_cycles wrote:Is it any good?? Is it gonna help in our pursuits of mtb and biviying??

If you've ever read a copy of Cyclist then the style and feel is very much the same but obviously aimed at "gravel", unlikely to be a flat bar in sight. Very aspirational in that the bikes and kit are top end - the bike chosen for their Highland trip is priced at £8750 Some bivy kit in the gear section, the Raffa pied d'elephant and duvet and the MSR Pocket Rocket stove for example.

I thought he was referring to the Oreo cream egg...
In which case, yes. Comforting, filling and an energy burst

redefined_cycles wrote:Is it any good?? Is it gonna help in our pursuits of mtb and biviying??

As above it's very nicely produced and they are mainly drop bar bikes but the locations are inspirational.

The 'gravel' riding that's recently been 'invented' is the riding I've been doing on my mtb for 25+ years and I expect is the same for most on here. I've never been to a trail centre and I don't wear fluoro pyjamas when I ride so I don't really count as a mountain biker to the media, hence I don't exist which I guess is why they think they've come up with a new type of riding #gravel

I can conform the oreo cream egg was good, it's got a crunch as there's biscuit inside

Biscuit? Oooh.

The 'gravel' riding that's recently been 'invented' is the riding I've been doing on my mtb for 25+ years and I expect is the same for most on here. I've never been to a trail centre and I don't wear fluoro pyjamas when I ride so I don't really count as a mountain biker to the media, hence I don't exist which I guess is why they think they've come up with a new type of riding #gravel

Sorry, going a bit off-piste here but if I recall you used to trial/comp. safari? Same here and I got into MTBing as an alternative to green-laning/trail riding which was very useful because I seem to have acquired an extensive mental library of drovers roads, old highways and byeways over the years
Sorry, back on topic the rest of you..!

Ok... its been very thought provoking and I've managed to drag the 4 year old. (The next gen of gravel/mtb/bivying riders) to the WHSmith... theres a Holland/barrett next door so will grab a biscuit and mull it over

grabbed a copy yesterday (not had a chance to read it yet)

thanks for the heads up

While waiting for some van tyres to turn up at the depot, I had ample opportunity to give this a good coat of looking at - a few things struck me.

It's very well produced and written.

It's written like a one-off publication and has an almost 'handbook' feel to it. This makes me wonder quite where they could go if they produced a second issue.

It's a magazine written for roadies - certainly not bikepackers, although that doesn't mean things aren't of interest, especially the route articles.

They've tried very hard to draw attention to the fact that they are roadies and not mountainbikers - at times, too hard.

There seems to be quite a bit of 'look at us doing this rough stuff, aren't we cool / special / tough. They also seemed very surprised that a loaded bike was somewhat more taxing to ride.

They have very little interest in discovering what life might be like without home comforts or on developing their skills beyond pulling out a credit card.

They seem to be a little obsessed with brands / labels / expense.

Contrary to how the above may sound, I'm not knocking it. Those points are simply things that stood out while reading through it in a single sitting.

I read it over the weekend whilst travelling.

Loved the pictures and layout, nice and inspiring. But I found the writing a bit dry and boring. I wanted to get dragged into the stories of the routes but never really felt it. It's a very personal thing though and Stu's right the roadies will love it.

ps. should I mention a picture of a fire in the Scotland article?

Lovely looking magazine. I read my copy cover to cover, which is the 1st time I have done that in a very long time.

Lovely images, nice locations...

However, all the bikes, equipment and clothing mentioned are at the upper end of the market. One of the bikes listed was over £8k. I don't think that's a typical bike choice. Not unheard of, but not common.

Despite the spendy bias, I liked the mag and found the pictures inspiring, which in turn made me want to go out exploring more. So that is a good thing.

Si

should I mention a picture of a fire in the Scotland article?

I clocked that early on but noticed it was on shingle so didn't bother to put a contract out on anyone

Obviously, the big advert on the inside cover featuring extreme mug dangling can't be forgiven so easily - the CEO of Silverfish should be crapping himself about now and checking under his car before he leaves work

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Mon Apr 08, 2019 3:39 pm

should I mention a picture of a fire in the Scotland article?

I clocked that early on but noticed it was on shingle so didn't bother to put a contract out on anyone

Obviously, the big advert on the inside cover featuring extreme mug dangling can't be forgiven so easily - the CEO of Silverfish should be crapping himself about now and checking under his car before he leaves work

A slight redefinition of the verb "mugged"

But I found the writing a bit dry

Very much so. I thought it was like reading a digestive without a brew. Perhaps a sign that the author didn't know their subject very well or perhaps wasn't that passionate about it? Dunno.

Overall an interesting mag. I get the comments about the writing though. I guess ideally you would like fresh eyes on the subject, rather a road or MTB focused journo being asked to try it out (which it felt like imho).

Not sure I was the target market in terms of looking for a new scene or niche to join. However, the bikes are looking more and more fitting for how I actually ride.

Finally managed to find somewhere in London selling it.

Not quite what I expected. I liked the rides section, but not really interested in the bikes and gear review bits.

Target audience is obviously roadies who want to experience the rough stuff.

For those that enjoyed issue 1, I believe issue 2 is out. Not seen one but I'll be interested to see what direction they head in.

More gravel, mugs and camp fires

Cover shot location, any guesses? (IDK)

jameso wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2019 8:26 pm Cover shot location, any guesses? (IDK)

Woods behind the Nationwide in Swindon?

Woods behind the Nationwide in Swindon?

It's a good angle on it, can usually see the magic roundabout from there

Picked a copy up yesterday, it features:

Iceland - always a topic of interest here.
RSF - kind of a trubite which is nice.
A rather long article (which I imagine was paid for) about Komoot.
Sussex?
Dirty Kanza.
Italy.
Battle on the beach feature.
Lots of bikes I'd neither want or afford.
Some kit, I'd not be seen dead in.

Thanks for the reminder. I went to look for Issue 2 some weeks back but had no luck. Today's trip to W H Smiths was a success. There were no Oreo eggs this time though so I bought a cadbury monster egg thing, basically a cream egg repackaged with a Frankenstein face on the wrapper. My only regret is that I only bought one, I seem to have regained my appetite since the BB300

I've yet to spot a dangling mug or campfire - happy days.*



*now awaiting someone saying 'what about page 52?' etc.

Page 33

You just had to go and spoil it for me didn't you?

How many Jetboil/Brukit type stoves? That seems to be another recurring theme in bikepacking at the moment.