What about a retro mtb magazine??

[Blackadder]

Please forgive me if this has been done before but I just thought how great it could be ....I have noticed that smash hits oooops! sorry MBUK now and again do bits on retro rides with it 9/10 the article ending in how rubbish that particular bike or era was :cry: . Now I know a lot of it has got to do with the magazine being run by 14 year olds and that means all bikes/parts etc, etc post 2002 must be crap but obviously not, I mean look how popular this site is I have been on here 5 Min's and already feel like one of the old boys . So I cant help but think this would be a corking idea? I wrote to MBUK some time ago and sent them pictures and a little story behind my rides and the caption they printed on the picture was and I quote "Jason's Cannondale looks gorgeous but retro bikes just aren't that much fun to ride" and the caption at the end of the letter read "They really are beautiful to look at though as long as long as you don't have to ride them anywhere!" :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :x Yes I was somewhat pissed so that's what got me thinking I know if I saw a retro bike mag in WHSmsmith I would pick it up and love it what about you guys?. Basically it could do something like what we do here or even like what Back street heroes does with its features etc, etc just a thought lads

 

[mikee]

as a comparison th BSH i think you got it right ,remember the first street fighters supplement (still got is somewhare)
it would need to be done this way or web based
maybee one of the smaller publishing houses would be the first port
of call ,the hobby enthusiast mags publishers,mortons media or myhobbystore ltd ,but i wonder if they'd have the journalistic staff
it would be do-able but weather you'd sell enough copy to keep it going is
a doubtful
advertising is the other thing ,kinda the lifeblood of a magazine
and this is still a fledgling ....err thing

but yeah ,build it they'll come, sort of thing

 

[Blackadder]

I understand that it would be a small thing at first but I could see this just turning into a huge thing I have no idea how many active members are on this website but we are all here for one interest (mountain bikes) new and old and the love of them with the main interest being old/retro

 

[stewlewis]

I just think magazines are on their way out, we have the internet, 3G screen readers will be the norm over printed material, for advertisers and revenue too.

These guys have the rich media think done really well.



http://www.imbikemag.com/issue3/

 

[Tad]

There is a small yet significant flaw in your plan. Any magazine would go bankrupt if there was no advertising inside, none could survive purely from sales.

Magazines for new bikes get advertising from new bike manufacturers, new component manufacturers, bike shops that sell new stuff and so on. Who is going to advertise in a magazine that specializes in old, no longer available stuff? How many manufacturers or retailers do you see advertising on the forum?

Classic car magazines I hear you say, I don't think it's fair to compare classic bikes to classic cars simply by the virtue of the number of people involved in the industry and the money spent. There are many specialist firms that make huge ammounts of money (and therefore have it to spend on advertising) from automotive engineering or restoration.

Yes Retrobike has a following but look at how many active members we have, probably a couple of hundred or so. The majority of people join up to ask how much their Giant Bumgrape or Kona Wannalayme (copyright chris667) is worth before vanishing never to get too involved in the forum. Then look at how much voluntary work goes on to making Retrobike work from John and the modding team.

I don't believe a magazine would work to be honest though I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.

 

[hamster]

I doubt that classic car repair and engineering firms make huge amounts of money :? but people are prepared to pay enough for the good ones to survive.

How many people would be prepared to pay say an £20 pa subs for an electronic magazine? Sadly too few I suspect.

 

[oldschool]

it would be good though could it happen

 

[Blackadder]

There is a small yet significant flaw in your plan. Any magazine would go bankrupt if there was no advertising inside, none could survive purely from sales.

I don't think it is impossible to be honest....I know John and all the mods work very hard to make this site as good as it is but I believe that if you are passionate about something and there is a following (and there is without a doubt) then anything can happen the proof is in the pudding thanks to all who run this site.
Everyone that runs this site and makes it a success is because they are united in a passion that we all share. World wide there must be thousands of us all united because of the love of cycling so I think it could work. Yes I know there is a problem with adds but I truly believe that all companies that use the likes of MBUK would love to put adds in a retro bike mag. Lets be honest not all of use use retro parts to build complete retro rides and I myself still ride modern as well as retro so why not a mixture of the two?

 

[mikee]

i suppose in some ways this site is an online mag as john and the guys
put intresting articles up there on a regular basis
i suppose if members submitted copy that could be posted it would
evolve somewhat

 

[Blackadder]

i suppose in some ways this site is an online mag as john and the guys
put intresting articles up there on a regular basis
i suppose if members submitted copy that could be posted it would
evolve somewhat

I think you could be onto something there.............God knows I would love to see it happen, and lets be honest why not? whoever ran the mag could say go out to see owners/riders and do features on them. Photo shoots, interviews competitions etc, etc even like what is done on here with the B.O.T.M. comp. I am not saying it had to be identical but something along those lines? I mean who's to say that this actual site could not develop into a magazine it certainly has the following