Cycling Active

[smutchin]

Thoughts on the new look?

 

[gavroche]

what about the contents thoughts?

 

[Aperitif]

I saw the ad after the Stage 5 in CW...wasn't it a reasonably 'accessible' magazine when it first arrived, with content suitable for the lycralatti to absorb, without too much 'pro' input? The pic of The Alps looks great but...(I spent a couple of weeks in Annecy and..ugh!...not even on a saddle.) Essentially, any publication trying to promote the 'vibe' that is cycling deserves an audience.

 

[smutchin]

what about the contents thoughts?

Yes, that too.

 

[vickster]

Dunno, my subscription finished....

 

[wheresthetorch]

Editorial says something about it has grown up like its readership - originally catered for beginners, but now wants to cater for that same readership who are now on their third bike and into their Lycra. Seems a reasonable marketing approach.

 

[Foghat]

Now it just looks like a Sunday supplement cycling special edition, whereas the previous incarnation had a distinct identity that set it apart. 8 fewer pages too - and no doubt it's not the advertising pages that have been reduced.

Contentwise, it seems to want to be in the middle of the triangle with Cycling Plus, Cyclist and Bikes Etc at the three corners. As a sales strategy, it may seem to make sense, but I'm not sure the market can sustain it. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong.

Moving from quality Ordnance Survey-based route maps to the new dismal format is a heinous sin, though, and along with the reduction in content pages probably a sign that cutting costs in an increasingly competitive arena is a key part of the change.

 

[Rustybucket]

It's just another cycling plus now, don't think I like the new format. I will give it one more issue before I cancel my subscription.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

It has my annual new buff as the freebie of the latest edition and the bloke on the front looks like John Bishop.

More than that, meh. They're all much the same.

 

[StuAff]

Haven't seen it, but judging by the preview online......why? I bought it a couple of times early on, not bad, then I'm not really a beginner and the stuff that interested me, I felt others did better....They've lost their USP. IMHO, C+ does what it does well (happy subscriber for some years). Road, racing, CX, commuting, rides at home and abroad, sportives, audax, tech, history, the occasional feature on recumbents/Moultons/folders, so on, it aims to cater from beginner on small budgets to experts on anything but..jack of all trades, but master of a few of them. Trying to ape it is not a good move by IPC. Cyclist goes for the higher-end of that market (something akin to Peloton, the US mag), Bikes Etc for (mostly) lower. Both, like C+, do what they do well, Bikes Etc is probably closer to C+, but is definitely not a clone, and all the better for it. I might well end up subscribing as I've bought the last three issues. Now CA has decided that there aren't any beginners and it's (to quote the FB page) 'dedicated to serious road cyclists'. Said FB page has multiple comments indicating they've shot themselves in the foot.

 

[User32269]

My subscription lapsed last month and never renewed it. Bought new look edition to check it out. Can see no discernible difference from cycling plus. I understand from editorial the direction they are taking, but would have preferred a move in the opposite direction; aero carbon and strava mania are already well catered for. Not all cyclists aspire to own £5k carbon stealth fighters but enjoy cycling all the same. Seems nothing in the market place with a mix of interesting stories and advice that don't require power zone measurements et al.
I find online articles that are really interesting and inspiring and will no longer be buying mags as I can get bike catalogues free if I want to look at bikes I can't use or afford.

 

[Foghat]

Well the revamp didn't work:

http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/time-inc-uk-consolidating-road-cycling-portfolio/019746

 

[smutchin]

I'm not sure the market can sustain it. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong.

Alas, you were proved right.

 

[ColinJ]

I was a bit shocked when Cycle Sport suddenly stopped with the current issue - I didn't see that coming! I get the impression that the staff didn't either ...

I hope they refund the unused part of my subscription. I'll have to check how many issues I have received since I last paid.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I honestly thought Cycling Active had packed up years ago.