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dawnrazor
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 05:33 am |
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Let me say straight away that I can't pinpoint it, can't put my finger on it, can't say for sure - but something has changed at BIKE HQ and it is showing in the mag. At least that what it feels like, over the last few issues, something has been missing, and I don't know what exactly. Maybe its a bedding in period, new editor means new... editing. But BIKE has had plenty of editors and format changes and that has never been a problem before for me.
Maybe its having a huge lump of advertisments slapped in the middle of the mag cutting it in half and making it feel like two mags instead of one substantial whole.
Maybe its missing Mr Walsh. Maybe its just winter, post christmas blues. Maybe the font has changed, but something is missing.
Just my humble like... thought I'd mention it, just renewed my subscription so its not that bad then!
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Animal
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 10:46 am |
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I was just reading my latest copy of bike and I have to say I kind of agree with you.
Let's get this straight, the content is all there.
But, what I think has happened is that the pages are over busy. As a designer myself I constantly am distracted by multiple things happening on one page. The articles, little pieces etc don't feel like they have the space that they used to. I almost feel rushed reading it. I like to take my time reading the mag, savouring every word, every image.
The pages need to breathe more in my opinion, seems like BIKe are forcing too much onto the pages.
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karTER
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 02:54 pm |
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Constructive criticism? That's a first. 
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PaulR
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 03:02 pm |
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I think the magazine would benefit greatly from some material written by a bearded freelance journalist of a certain age based on the South Coast.
Would broaden the appeal. 
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Animal
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 03:07 pm |
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PaulR wrote: I think the magazine would benefit greatly from some material written by a bearded freelance journalist of a certain age based on the South Coast.
Would broaden the appeal.
And a 20 year old.
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Breva750
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 04:29 pm |
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| And an antipodean eccentric.
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Animal
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 04:30 pm |
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Breva750 wrote: And an antipodean eccentric.
Scott you could have a page like Cyril and write about your dreams...
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karTER
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 05:20 pm |
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| And a Global International Traveller- GIT for short.
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Breva750
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 06:21 pm |
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| No NOT like Cyril.....
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Chiara
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 08:03 pm |
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PaulR wrote: I think the magazine would benefit greatly from some material written by a bearded freelance journalist of a certain age based on the South Coast.
Would broaden the appeal.
Hmm...
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dawnrazor
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 09:29 pm |
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Animal wrote:
I was just reading my latest copy of bike and I have to say I kind of agree with you.
Let's get this straight, the content is all there.
But, what I think has happened is that the pages are over busy. As a designer myself I constantly am distracted by multiple things happening on one page. The articles, little pieces etc don't feel like they have the space that they used to. I almost feel rushed reading it. I like to take my time reading the mag, savouring every word, every image.
The pages need to breathe more in my opinion, seems like BIKe are forcing too much onto the pages.
Yeah content seems to be up to the unusually high standard as expected by the heaving masses. The writing is on par, with more analogies and witty similes then you can shake the proverbial at, and yet its like something is being held back.
As I say its probably a northern hemisphere winter thing at odds with an antipodean summer of glorious sunshine, warm dry roads and nothing to distract you from a good blast, other then rampant revenue collecting police, road detritus in the forms of the sizable and gutsy possum, continental European tourists forgetting what side of the road to point their motor-home of death.... Happy riding folks roll on spring and may autumn never happen!
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wallywinker
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Posted: Fri Feb 15th, 2008 06:12 am |
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I have to say that your observations ring true for me as well. When I first started reading bike in 1993 I used to voraciously read every word in every sentence throughout the magazine. That continued until recently and I had thought that maybe it was just me? Now I read only the articles that I think will interest me and just briefly scan the others or leave them altogether. In fact, for the first time I have considered actually not making my monthly purchase at the newsagents.
Like you I can't put my finger on exactly what it is that's missing. I always look out for entries penned by the poet laureate of biking journalism, Dan Walsh. Sadly, that is becoming a rare event nowadays as that alone justified the cover price of the mag. Not that price is at all an issue, it's just that I've been thinking 'why don't I try one of the other mags that I haven't read for ages?'. And recently I have noticed that I have been pleasantly surprised when I have. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping ship just yet but if things carry on like this then who knows?
I don't know exactly what's wrong or how to fix it, maybe it's just 'that time of year' but I sincerely hope things will start to improve shortly.....
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dooley
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Posted: Fri Feb 15th, 2008 06:32 am |
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i was flicking through a piss speckled 4 yr old copy i found in the shitter yesterday, the one with the engine destruction test, middleweight shootout, and dan doing something stupid somewhere. i found it more interesting than any recent copy i've bought.
sorry
actually i think i know what it is - i like articles where the people are as important as the bikes. let's face it, no matter how good you are as a journalist, inanimate objects really aren't that interesting. Last edited on Fri Feb 15th, 2008 06:45 am by dooley
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dave1450
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Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 02:10 pm |
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It may just be that we are all suffering from the severe lack of Global Warming type weather. Personally I am fed up with the winter and need the summer.
Try adding a monthly dose of MCS&L to the medication.
Last edited on Mon Feb 18th, 2008 04:33 pm by dave1450
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kraftwerk
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Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 04:27 pm |
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| Funny, but I moved a load of back issues in to the garage yesterday, not before having a bit of a pore, of course, and noticed how many more pages the mag had, even as recently as a year ago.
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Animal
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Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 04:32 pm |
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kraftwerk wrote: Funny, but I moved a load of back issues in to the garage yesterday, not before having a bit of a pore, of course, and noticed how many more pages the mag had, even as recently as a year ago.
As I said earlier, it seems like the content is there but its all being squashed on fewer pages.
BIKE mag *loves* trees!
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dave1450
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Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 04:34 pm |
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| Maybe they are not getting the same number of advertisers?
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Steve Rose
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Posted: Thu Feb 21st, 2008 04:07 pm |
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Interesting thread chaps. And as the bloke responsible for BIKE (this week at least), especially so, for me.
There's a massive internal debate going on in the bike press right now. Sales are down by 10% on average - much worse if you're a sports bike mag, much less if you do classics.
So we're all looking to change. To adapt to a world where some of the stuff we've always done can be done so much better online. The truth is that carrying on doing the same things we've been doing for years isn't going to reverse the decline.
BIKE is in a good position. We've always been a broad church and are able to be more flexible. We're also built on solid foundations. 'Original and best' wasn't just a strap line - BIKE meant it then and, to me, it still stands true. You can't edit this magazine without understanding what makes BIKE special and you can't fake it either.
BIKE is currently undergoing a thorough rethink, the results of which you'll see in a few months time. The process has been fascinating, the work in progress even more so. Some of what's on this thread is the stuff that's being looked at. All the values that have made BIKE so flipping brilliant for the last 37 years will be there, I want everyone who reads it, makes it and has any contact at all with this mag to feel part of what we do and better about motorcycling when they put it down.
No promises (unless all 81,579 of you demand the same thing), but all suggestions welcome.
Steve
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PaulR
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Posted: Thu Feb 21st, 2008 04:57 pm |
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A bearded freelance journalist of a certain age based on the South Coast waits by the 'phone in eager anticipation.
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Mav
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Posted: Thu Feb 21st, 2008 08:30 pm |
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PaulR wrote: A bearded freelance journalist of a certain age based on the South Coast waits by the 'phone in eager anticipation.
That would get my vote (and get me to renew my subs too)
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