Monday, March 28, 2011

Bicycling magazines

Popular: Bicycling

Contemporary: Bicycle Times

Local flavour: Cycling Asia
I've been reading and buying bicycling magazines for quite some time.
My preference is pretty much biased to the North American publications like Bicycling. These are sold at RM14.50 an issue and is available at most bookstores and magazine stands.
What I like about specialised journals as such, is the wealth of information it provides. So, here's the rundown.

Bicycling (published monthly)
This magazine covers a lot of industrial news in North America. Mostly catered to roadies, there's quite a lot to read about cycling personalities (not relevant here), new products, gear reviews, columns and short stories.
Occassionaly, some of the articles like the '12-month bicycle maintenance schedule' does ring a bell and is relevant of you own a road bike.
As far as quality is concerned, Bicycling is in the forefront.

Bicycle Times
I came across this title while browsing at a back-issue magazine store in Amcorp Mall.
What surprised me was the content, which is catered towards commuting, town riding, touring and occassionally, road biking.
While its not as serious as Bicycling, Bicycle Times offers a unique perspective on urban riding, commuting and custom town bike makers.
There's even articles on folding bicycles which struck my raw nerve.
And since these are pretty rare on the shelves (published once every two months), I was lucky enough to score a few copies.
What I like about this magazine - is the humble approach in tackling issues like bike lanes, cyclist's rights and so on...

Cycling Asia
At RM15 a pop, this publication is a premium item.
Its pretty localised with plenty of news on events, columns, gear reviews and articles lifted from foreign publications.
Best of all, I know the present Editor of this journal.
After flipping through the pages, I don't think I would be a regular reader as pricing is a factor.
For what's worth and the information given, its simply overpriced.

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