[Closed] Mark's subscription change email

Aaaannd wrong forum... sorry.

I'm happy with the shift to 6 mags but more content in each one. The quality is a big reason i still get the print mag. Plus having even more to read when on the trap will be appreciated

Same here, no complaints. Looking forward to seeing the evolution and I'm glad they are going the way they are.

Hopefully 6 larger copies will be higher quality content wise than 8 normal. But no complaints here.

On balance I think I'm fine with the change. As Mark and the others have probably concluded, a substantial price hike to account for the increased production costs would probably have been more likely to make me consider the future of my subscription. Reducing the number of issues but increasing their size while not changing the overall price (I'm hoping) works better for me.

I'm not so happy about the "Premier Edition" box appearing on the cover though!

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Can't beat a nice bit of print.

Keep up the good work fellas & ladies.

What happens the next time there's a big increase in print costs; a switch to 4 issues a year?

More content per issue but fewer issues per year sounds fine to me, but it also appears from the email/ forthcoming editorial that each article will be longer. I bought the first issue of Cranked but didn't buy any more issues as I found it too 'wordy'. Current ST articles I find are just the right length. I don't think I'd like a move to longer articles but happy to be pleasantly surprised.

Don't read the mags, i only pay the subs to get rid of the adverts on here.

What email?

Sounds fine to me.

I struggle to find the time to sit down and read the magazine as it is and am forever to'ing and fro'ing about cancelling and going digital only, but I just HATE reading magazines via digital methods. Always worth it when I do find the time.

So how do th3 changes benefit digital subscribers?

sounds perfectly reasonable for me..

One thing puzzled me though.. Doesn't the printing two different length magazines for subscribers and news-stand not create an extra cost?

What email?

I suspect they are sending them out in batches depending on your subscription number, mine has just arrived (sub no. 2800-ish). Either that or it took the pretty way round the internet to get to me.

Happy with that. Really enjoying reverting to Print subscription. I wont notice the 6 instead of 8.

Happy with the change. More concerned about the additional premier content. Tom Richey interview = good. A nine page advert for Endura by dressing Wil in winter clothing read like desperation.

I'm not against this, less often with more content seems a reasonable compromise. Conversely, the quality of the paper is not a big deal for me.

no complaints from me.

Not being a subscriber, this is the first I've heard of this, but I'm probably more likely to subscribe with this new format.

nine page advert for Endura by dressing Will in winter clothing read like desperation.

This and some serious repetitions in content....First aid again?

That I recognise is partly being old and been reading since issue one but some of the articles are feeling tired.

Happy with the change, insofar as I can be.

I really look forward to the print edition, so fewer issues isn't ideal - but this is a well-explained and balanced decision by the Singletrack people as far as I can see.

I keep having to remind myself that the subs pay towards the forums, too - from which I gain daily advice, laughs and so on.

Two different length and covers. I know the theory is us subscribers get a bit of extra value, but tbh I can only think of a couple of the articles that I found decent. Most tend to be pretty photo heavy. Surely the premier content could be moved to digital only, without losing much experience.
Like many have said, I prefer reading articles in print but photos are the same online.

I've subscribed for a long time ( sub no 201) and have bought every issue and think going back to fewer yearly issues is a good idea. There have been a few issues recently where some articles have definitely been there just to fill pages.
Also, having recently gone back through the issues, I miss the opinion articles. Used to be 2-3 per issue but have all but disappeared. I know it must be difficult to find interesting writers to commit to every issue but it was a big part of the early days.
Lastly, no more Ride guides to the dark peaks. Do you guys realise how many you've done? I know it's your back door but come on. Also some new parts of Scotland would be good i.e. Not Aviemore, Glentress or Fort William.

Doesn't the printing two different length magazines for subscribers and news-stand not create an extra cost?

It does because they have to make the press ready again to print the extra 16pp section. Binding an extra 16pp into the book isn't difficult and depending what type of binder it's done on can be changed over fairly quickly.

I've never come across magazines that add extra pages for subscribers though, usually it's just a different cover. Some publishers use thinner paper as well because it saves on postage costs so less issues with more in seems better than making the magazine feel cheap.

I'm not so happy about the "Premier Edition" box appearing on the cover though!

I don't mind the move to 6 copies if it keeps the print edition available. Will need to find something to read in the interim....

A good move considering the difficulties they outlined.
I like it that they're not afraid to experiment to try and find something that works to support them as circumstances change, there's been a lot of change in the mag and website over the years. Probably helps that (I'm guessing) there's a fairly laid back subscriber base.

They probably could have changed it to an annual as far as I'm concerned- I'll read it when it arrives, (and appreciate the work in it!), but I've never sat at home twiddling my thumbs wondering when the next issue's going to drop through the door.

Seems like a sensible move to me and one that I'm happy with.

vondally - Member
nine page advert for Endura by dressing Will in winter clothing read like desperation.
This and some serious repetitions in content....First aid again?

That I recognise is partly being old and been reading since issue one but some of the articles are feeling tired.

One of the reasons ive let mine lapse. I would like to hear peoples thoughts on the next mag release and if its a lot better than the last one as this would encourage me to return as a subscriber.

I was happy with fewer issues in the past… time seems to fly between issues… it must be even worse for those sorting the meaty content for the mag.

I'm not so happy about the "Premier Edition" box appearing on the cover though!

The cleaner the covers the better. Already feels "special" and "premier" without the headlines.

Seems like a shame, whatever offers the most stability sounds fine by me though.

Tragically I'd just resubscribed after xmas via a gift sub, yet to receive an issue. I'm hoping 25% less issues equates to a partial refund on these accounts and not a 25% price hike.

I'm all for it, but only subs for digital and on here.

BOL fellas.

Your work is appreciated.

Is this why I've not received a paper mag in ages?

they probably have an old email for me.
TBH i had thought the mag got thinner again about 4 issues after the 're-launch'. the number of pages appeared to drop by about 25%. just an observation.
i can't build much enthusiasm to open mine these days and they tend to wait until i have to travel for work. i only opened the recent one to get the calender out.

Thanks for the heads up, just grabbed the email from my junk folder.

I'm happy with this and, as a result, have just changed by sub from digital only to print. I just realised that I miss print.

I quite welcome the reduction in the number of issues. I used to love it when the quarterly issue dropped through my letterbox. The time between issues just made it all the sweeter when the next mag arrived. The last year or so though, I've seen me finding the mag a month or more after it arrived, still in its wrapper under a pile of other stuff. There was even a couple of times when I seriously contemplated cancelling my subscription!

So yeah, less is better in my opinion. It'll hopefully bring back the heady days of wondering if that thump on the front door mat was my lovely new bike magazine....rather than yet another whopper of a credit card bill!

C. 🙂

they probably have an old email for me.

I'm happy to have 6 issues instead of 8 it'll make me look forward to them more

Hi all. If anyone has questions relating to their subscription, can you please email subs@singletrackworld.com with your questions. Thanks.

I was expecting the usual level of this;

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You've let me down people.

fwiw, I'm happy with the change.

It's a great mag & for me, nothing in the UK comes close.
Whatever they need to do to keep it in print is fine by me.

Works fine for me though I do wonder what effect it might have on new subs- I read a couple of less regular mags and it puts them into "pick up when you see it" territory.

Still, forward the print magazine, there's no such thing as a digital magazine, just badly formatted websites

They probably could have changed it to an annual as far as I'm concerned- I'll read it when it arrives, (and appreciate the work in it!), but I've never sat at home twiddling my thumbs wondering when the next issue's going to drop through the door.

+1, I'd actually quite like an annual. Something book length and really worth reading.

Ride guides*, travel stories*, opinion pieces and maybe a small selection of really good (and good value) kit they've tested rather than a full write up of every pair of socks.

*If they're well written, I'm sorry but some simply read: We arrived at the car park and unloaded the bikes and that industry guy showed up with something news o we cooed over it and eventually set off because it was raining up the first hill which was hard work because it's a hill and it's the first one and we'd not warmed up just like last month and the view at the top was worth it but it was cloudy so it wasn't and we ate fig rolls and rode down the hill which too 34 seconds longer than usual because someone was being retro and using a fixed seatpost which we'll bang on about for the rest of the article and then we ate cake and drank tea from pint mugs whilst posing for photographs in the cafe and then rode back again.

And for travel guides the same, but repeated 3x times to cover the trip and bookeneded with a rant about budget airlines and how much you hate airports but on balance it's worth it.

I went digital only (adding a digital grit.cx sub at the same time) a while ago, but honestly can't remember when I last read it. There were a few issues that I skimmed through, but haven't read any of the last three or so.

At the moment, the monthly cost is small enough that I can't be bothered to cancel and the lack of adverts on here is worth it, though I don't know how long that will continue.

Started reading Chipps' doom n gloom about print and thought, oh no here we go.. then 6 issues a year. Jolly good! I never finish them in time for the next one anyway. 😆

[i]I went digital only... a while ago, but honestly can't remember when I last read it.[/i]
Would be the same for me. I stare at a damn screen all day at work, so the last thing I want at home is to read stuff on a screen. (reading the forum is different, of course!)

Would be the same for me. I stare at a damn screen all day at work, so the last thing I want at home is to read stuff on a screen.

I read on screens at home all the time.

My attention span is better when I'm reading something in print rather than on a device. My Kindle is an exception to this probably because it's single purpose, but a Kindle edition of Singletrack would suffer when it came to photos.

Having a physical magazine also reminds me that it's there and I could read it. Digital only would disappear into the big virtual pile that consists of all my unsorted emails and my browser's enormous random collection of bookmarks.

I switched to digital after not reading the paper magazines.

I'm already anxiously waiting for the new issue since it seems like ages since the last one, so I'm a bit disappointed about the move to fewer issues. Reading the mag is what inspires me to ride my bike and I need regular inspiration at this time of year.

I said it before on a previous thread, I would have preferred to see more issues but on lower quality paper than fewer issues on high quality paper. As the price of an individual magazine goes up, I feel less inclined to recycle it as it feels less like a disposable item. I understand that's what some people love about the mag, but I find it a pain. I still have copies of Privateer lying around the house that I can't bring myself to putting in the recycling bin, nor can I give them away. That's not what i want from a magazine.

All this will be promptly forgotten if, as Chipps suggests, the quality of the content gets better. That's the true measure for me.

A question for Mark or Chipps if they're on this thread: what magazines *are* doing well and why are they successful? I love Top Gear magazine, for example. It's not fancy paper, it's full of adverts, but the articles are - in my opinion - very well written and there's plenty of variety. Is that an example of a mag where car makers are willing to splash the cash on adverts still?

seems like a great solution to me too

I think that 6 fatter mags will suit me better. I'm never sat by the letterbox waiting for arrival. Kind of will make it more special, like a periodical journal than a straight up magazine.

Personally I wouldn't mind if they went back to " ordinary " paper , wouldn't that be cheaper ? I'm not bothered about thick smelly paper .

All for less in theory of better quality and a return to quality articles, as there has been a decline. STW standards were incredibly high, just feels it has dipped.

Personally I will keep subscribing as it is about the whole package of STW especially the website.

Feeling left out now - where's my e-mail 🙂

Ha, yup no email here either. TBH less copies for increased content is fine. Just don't end up like WhatMTB which is now just cr#p.

Been getting ST since issue 1. Quality in the last year has been distinctly up and down. Low point was the recent Howgills article, covered many times before and dragged out to something like 10 pages. Mostly photos, but not one photo that actually captured the essence of the place (big brooding grassy dinosaur clump of hills).

On the other hand, the recent Tom Ritchey article was great and deserved more detail.

No problem with 6 monthly, just keep the content good.

Another happy chappy here. Seems a sensible solution to the problem. I hate digital reading, love a nice quality magazine.

I suspect Cyclist may go the same way

Slab like six ok with me too

No email here either.

I remember chatting with Chipps after a Sideways Cycles night ride around the time of issue 6. He said they only produced a new issue when they'd done enough riding and stuff to write enough interesting articles to justify a new edition.
I thought that was a fine principle.

Whatever works for the magazine. Print publications are really suffering and as long as we can keep STW going in print form the better.

Was wondering why this year's calendar didnt have the issue dates on them (really liked this feature on previous copies) so guessing this has been a while in coming. Was also wondering why this issue has a 2 month gap. I guess as long as the content is good I'll still be happy with the publication, i could go without the fancy paper but this feature also makes it stand out a bit. Good luck with the new format STW