Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A review...
BIKE magazine
In the mid 70's a bunch of hippies loaded their Schwinn paperboy bikes into the back of someone's pick-up and drove to the top of a mountain. They unloaded the heavy beasts and bombed down the gravel roads and trails of Mt.Tamalpais outside Fairfax California. Originally just one-speed cruisers, their machines slowly evolved to include multiple gears, front and rear hand brakes, and knobby tires. A new sport was born. It was not just riding a bicycle on dirt that was new; people had been doing that for near a century. It was the idea of specializing a bicycle for just this type of off-road cycling. Mountain biking was born, and a whole new culture emerged.
In 1980 Fat Tire Flyer came on the scene, and until 1985 was the only
magazine for mountain bikers. Soon many magazines came on the scene,
Mountain Bike, Dirt Rag, Mountain Bike Action, Spoke, Decline, just to
name a few. And while each publication had something to offer, they each
were missing something…enter Bike. Bike was different. It had more
soul, and sometimes some funk too…They were the wild ones, irreverent
and full of crazy (often beer induced) hi-jinks. Early issues had
off-beat tests and odd comparisons, done by interns in lab coats.
Once
they threw some wheels off rooftops to test for strength. They used
the same roof to throw more wheels off, but this time they had inflated
tires on them, the tires bounced like super balls, and one made several
bounces and made it over a nearby chain-link fence, and rolled away, never to be seen
again.Then there was the time they rolled tires down a hill to see which
one went furthest (and therefore was the best). Another time they
tested the effectiveness of suspension by strapping a bottle of beer to
the bike, riding down the trail and then opening the bottle. By
comparing how much beer was left in the bottle after foam-over, they
declared a winner. Well, not really. The tests were inconclusive, but
they really enjoyed drinking beer and riding bikes for science.
As a ‘lifestyle magazine’ they had many helpful articles…
Comparing Jolt vs Red Bull-Just what a growing child needs, sugar and
caffeine times two.
“Hunting Season Don’ts and Do’s” (A public service
announcement from your friends at BIKE)
DON’T DO
Wear a furry brown jacket Wear
colors NOT found in nature
Use a white fuzzy under-the-seat bag Use a whistle AND a bell
Ride a camouflage bike Ride
a bright colored bike
Pictorial how-to’s were popular in some other cycling publications, so BIKE would do parody versions, that looked just like the others, but with ridiculous suggestions, and bizarre props. They wanted everyone to know, they were the bad-boys of bicycle publishing…
While their humorous essays made for good reading, it was often
the photos that readers went for first. BIKE re-defined what mountain biking
looked like. Up to 8 pages, smack dab in the middle of every issue “BUZZ”
contained some of the most awe inspiring photographs any mountain biker had
ever seen. A guy ‘hucking’ off a drop in Moab, or a scenic panorama with no
rider in sight, they could all speak to us. Every photograph captured what
mountain biking was, the rush of a downhill, or the peacefulness of being
surrounded by a forest of trees and ferns. The photographs were so popular; an
issue dedicated to the year’s best photos became their best selling issue. It
is now an annual year-end tradition. Other cycling magazines have followed suit
and feature more prominent photos, but none do it as well as BIKE.
Other interesting features that regularly fill the pages: “Fighting Words”. Don’t worry; it’s not
as rough as it sounds. Just a point-counterpoint discussion on topics a
mountainbiker would be interested in. “Is the latest technology really
necessary to enjoy mountain biking?” Of course
the answer is no, but early adopters (like me) have to argue for it so we can
justify buying new toys. Another issue asked “Is it O.K. to shuttle?” The
modern cross-country purist in me says no, but the sport did start with
pick-ups and flatbeds driving riders and bikes to the tops of mountains. “My Trail” is a half page photo with a
half page interview of a rider explaining their favorite local trail. The “Splatter” includes short bits of news,
trends, gossip or interviews. “Grimy
Handshake” is an essay by longtime contributor (listed as ‘Random
Juggernaut’ in the front information) Mike Ferrentio. He writes on anything
from the flow of riding single track, to the mundane details of a European
press junket. Mike writes like a regular guy, and loves riding as much as the
rest of us, he speaks for the reader, not at them. “The Grind” gives details about long term product tests. Readers
trust BIKE to give them an honest review of a product, and not just re-print
the makers press release. “Ask Chopper”
is their version of an advice column, but of course the advice is direct and
not always helpful. “Endo” takes an
odd or random picture and ads a humorous caption. And at the end of every issue:”Pump”. Editor-at-large Rob Story bats
clean-up with a half page essay set in a full page picture that makes you want
to put down the magazine and go ride.
Dear Chopper…“I have been trying to wheelie
for two months now, and still nothing. Can you help?”
Response: If you aren’t able to wheelie after
two months of practice, you will never learn. Sorry for the buzzkill, but its
true. (he’s right, without the ‘wheelie gene’, its hopeless).
Dear Chopper..."I have a dusty race coming up, when exactly should I trim my nose hairs?"
Response: "Are you crazy ? Would you remove your cars air filter before driving Baja? you need those babies, just trim the ones that try to merge with your man-stache"
Another constant feature of BIKE has been its travel writing.
EVERY issue has at least one article on riding someplace amazing. That can be
in one of the 50 states, or a far, far away country you’ve never heard of. The
list of places BIKE has visited and written about could fill a book, and maybe
someday will. Trips to Norway (20,000 miles of singletrack!), Bolivia, and
China’s Yunnan province, New Zealand, Israel, parts of
Africa and even Russia are nothing new to these guys and gals. When they visit
these (sometimes) developing countries, they spend as much time learning about
the locals and their issues, as riding the terrain around them. The great
photos make it feel a bit like National Geographic ‘Travel’ magazine. The
pictures and descriptions transport the reader to that place, and the people
there seem just like you. Despite the exotic locations, these road trips are
not glamorous. The author is often they are sleeping in flea-bag hotels, or
under the stars, but that’s what mountain bikers do. Some articles are even specific
to traveling BY mountain bike, or bike-packing it’s often called.
It’s this “we’re just like you” feel that set
BIKE apart from the other bicycle magazines. Most other magazines before BIKE came
off as a bit snob-ish. They had a ‘we-are-professional-journalists-and-therefore-smarter-than-you”
tone. Or “we-get-paid-to-ride-bikes-you’ll-never-afford” attitude. BIKE was the
everyman’s magazine, down to earth and rough around the edges. Even the photos
that accompanied product reviews always showed the product post-review. The dirty,
scratched or worn down part, showed the reader they really used it, and did not
just take it for a spin around the parking lot. This magazine was made for mountain bikers, 'grunge' mountain bikers.
Obviously everything has to change over time, and BIKE is no exception. A few years ago they were purchased by Grindmedia, publishers of titles like Surfer, Powder, Skateboarder, Dirt Rider, Snow Boarder and SUP (Stand Up Paddle), the magazine shifted a little more mainstream. Maybe more ads seem to fill the pages than before, but at least they are mostly ads for bike products. One bicycle publication, 'Bicycling', has ads for everything from Michelob Ultra, the new V8 Ford SHO, Tempur-pedic mattresses and the adult 'toy store' Adam and Eve. Nothing wrong with any of those products, but if I wanted those types of ads, I'd read Maxim. BIKE focuses on stuff mountain bikers would really use and would want to know about. Advertisements in BIKE include: mountain bike tires, disc brakes, suspension forks, cycling shoes, sports sunglasses, and of course many different brands of mountain bikes.
Despite these changes, BIKE is still the #1 circulated mountain bike magazine in the world. It still has the best articles and full page photos.It speaks to its readers and relates to them. These days it just has a bit more content of young adults in full face helmets jumping off things that looks a little crazy to someone like me that has been mountain biking for 20 years. Despite its new younger voice, BIKE still rules because of the way it draws the reader into a world of possibilities. On your local trails, or the jungles of Borneo, adventure and the promise of beauty can be around every corner.
Like many print medias, BIKE magazine has developed an on-line presence. The BIKE website of course, allows you to watch videos of riders in action. This is something the magazine can not do. Luckily, true to their love of photos, a "photo of the day" link gets readers their 'BUZZ' fix between printed editions. A new 'beta' version of a trail-finding search engine allows riders to type in names of cities to find new trails. And a "community" link on BIKE takes you to a website called 'Ride Monkey', it has a mountain biking forum that has been around for years. With this on-line forum, mountain bikers can share opinions and help each other out. Smart move by BIKE, teaming up with an established community forum, rather than trying to start their own.
In conclusion:
- · BEST photos. Created a new look for bike magazines.
- · First “lifestyle” mountain bike magazine, not just focused on gear or racing.
- · Carved a real niche for themselves.
- · Has changed a bit over time, more ads, less wacky business.
- Has new website version of magazine, includes videos.
A few of my saved issues...some are from the mid 90's.
