[Closed] Privateer...middle class middle aged MBUK

The Shaggy piece in the latest issue is worth the cover price alone.

9 pounds?

Always an interesting read from the gentleman......but 9 pounds

Only just seen the price.......still in shock

Don't like it, don't buy it

I'm priced out . . .

Thanks for this - just confirmed what I'd always suspected but didn't want to pay £9 for to find out for myself.

How many Kindle downloads for £9?

£9?

No thanks..

Looks lush, there's a lot more reading in it than most mags, way fewer adverts, and a lot of the features are on things that mags which focus on more "current" stuff ignore (Geoff Apps for example). I like it a lot.

If you want it in a digital format, it's only a fiver or so. Prefer having a real mag here, I spend enough of my day staring at a glowing screen as it is.

cheaper through itunes subscription, is it not owned by rapha?

another double post

Did not buy it bought for me.

Will not buy again but does seem to be MBUK from the day....tym manley et all.

Thank god the reprobate has come back ....... Better than ferrintino?

geoffj - Member

The Shaggy piece in the latest issue is worth the cover price alone.

That for me, has been the best piece, out of all the issues so far.

Not read my copy yet, but normally a good read and well worth £9.

I really must get round to cancelling my subscription as I find little to read in it and have even less time to do said reading. I cancelled my Rouleur sub a while ago for the same reason. They do smell nice though!!

I really must get round to cancelling my subscription as I find little to read in it and have even less time to do said reading. I cancelled my Rouleur sub a while ago for the same reason. They do smell nice though!!

I have a pile of both to get through. Privateer I'm not sure about.

Rouleur is great and, having a full set, I feel I have some sort of paper based mamil heirloom in my house..!

I like it and really enjoyed reading the articals, they seemed a bit more in depth. Seemed to be fewer adverts and I dont really need to read product tests.

I like it. £9 is cheap enough for me not to worry about the cost.

£9 is the very top end of what I'm prepared to pay for a magazine, and it needs to be pretty special to earn that.

One naff issue was enough for me to cancel my subscription at that price, but I'd still buy it now and again.

There's one lying around the chalet at the moment so I nicked it and read it. 😉

I thought it was very good actually, much more immersive reading than any other bike mag around. The Warner interview being one of the best bits...

nine quid is a lot for a magazine, but there is [i]far[/i] more than twice as much reading material in one as your typical magazine which has a cover price of what £4+ and is mostly adverts (or illiterate txt spk drivel in unreadable text/background colour combinations in the case of MBUK, or re-hashed press releases spiced up with "stem too short bar too narrow" in the case of MBR...).

They might cover 'old' topics, but a recent issue seemed tailor-made for me; the birth of 'freeriding' (I lived in the US at the time and it inspired my riding, must have worn out my Kranked video), the history of Ti bikes (always been a fan and had a Litespeed many many years ago), behind the scenes at Orange (recently bought and Orange) etc...

Like Rouleur, the articles are written by and for grown-ups and have room to explore the subject.

I'm sure it's very good.

But I'd rather be nibbled to death by an okapi than pay £9.00 for a magazine.

am happy to pay 9.00 GBP for it and in fact i pay more cause i get it delivered to Norway.

I like it. But i also subscribe to Rouleur

nibbled to death by an okapi

Ladies and Gentlemen....how do.... 😉

What is a okapi......does it write for mbuk

I like it. Very different from other mags, it's like the Ride Journal without the ADHD.

An okapi, yesterday:
[img] [/img]

I downloaded a copy on my Iphone. Rubbish IMO. may be it just misses something when digital though, still at £5.90 (or close) it should be better.

Will not pay £9 for the actual magazine now.

Stick with Singletrack BUT even that has gone downhill (pun intended) since the new look. Yes, it looks better but content is not as good. Where is Ed Oxley for instance? And that lass Jenny doing the Mega training, my mam can ride with more confidence - trust her review, do you? 🙄

I reckon Dirt is still worth the money.

BTW - they're selling the Klunkers DVD on Privateer website, a few on here were trying to get hold of a copy.

ski - Member
The Shaggy piece in the latest issue is worth the cover price alone.

geoffj - Member
That for me, has been the best piece, out of all the issues so far.

It was a hatchet job I tell you! Its all lies! 😉 Glad you liked it.

Regards stw...... Like it more recently....yes jenny blog I liked honest and truthful.....It reflects what most riders go through.....not ye riding gods......
Stw really like
Steve worlands column esp on age and riding
Jennifer Hopkins trip to france
Chipps 6 under ben

Privateer seems retrospective and aloof......dirt is good but only now and then....stw hits the balance

Must admit, the last two mags have been fantastic, actually, so was the one with Helen Mortimer in it too - incredible interview and really hard hitting.

Steve Peats interview was amazing, as was the insight on Shaggy.

It may be 9 quid, but it's worth it [i]if you can afford it[/i].

[i]Privateer seems retrospective[/i]

Broader in outlook, certainly - it's not intended as a contemporary record.

Equally, a lot of the good stuff in stw is not 'of the moment' - it's descriptions of rides that could have been done any time, how riding makes people feel etc

Took out a sub using a special offer code from CRC; first one arrived last week and I am rather impressed - told myself that I'd cancel if I didn't like it.

Minimal adverts, [i]proper [/i]articles, good photography and seems to be more in common with what I like than many other magazines. Think I'll be ditching my Dirt sub.

Rusty Spanner - Member
I'm sure it's very good.

But I'd rather be nibbled to death by an okapi than pay £9.00 for a magazine.

Have you ever paied £4.50 for a average at best magazine?

Yes, occaisionally.
Only the once or twice for each title - MBR springs to mind, Mojo, Uncut.
Used to buy MBUK for Mint Sauce, but just read it in Smiths now.

I sometimes get Guitarist, Bike or Car and always used to get (The) Word.
Great mags, can usually read them cover to cover, decent value, lots of editorial content.
None cost more than £5.50.

£9.00? no thanks. I can buy a decent book for that, something I'd want to keep for years.

One of my favourite articles of evar is the Peace Race one in Rouler a while back, fantastic.

but normally a good read and well worth £9

more.money.than.sense.

£9 for a magazine??? I'm out

just received this

Hi rOcKeTdOgUk!

Andy Waterman has sent you a message on Flickr.
Subject: Privateer
Date: 18th September, 2012

Hi, Andy from Privateer here, just saw your contribution to the latest Privateer thread on STW. I'd like to send you the latest issue of the mag - we've just gone through a bit of a redesign and imo, it's awesome. Email me your address - and I'll get one posted out. And be sure to let me know what you think.

Cheers

Andy

i wasn't knocking your mag Andy, any mag at £9 wouldn't be on my shopping list, I've read a friend's copy and it's good, but i still wouldn't pay that amount. thanks for the offer though.

Dear Andy Waterman,

I already have a copy of the latest issue, but would accept a bribe of £9 instead.

I will have it then, free £9 magazine with potential for proper articles in sound interesting. I have dabbled with MBR, MBUK and a couple of others including of course STW. Too much it would seem industry bias appeared in both MBUK and MBR but STW also seemed to vere away from the earlier days of some inspiring photography and interesting articles as well as real world kit/bike tests.
I dont do books as I have the attention span of a gnat so only read magazines in short bursts.
I may have talked myself into trying a a copy anyway-is it sold in the likes of WHSmiths or direct marketing only?

If anyone from Privateer is reading please stop with the factory tours, booooring. Does anyone actually like them? Singletrack take note.

I like 'em

I like 'em

The Nicolai one was excellent

I like them too. The roleur ones are often better mainly because of the historical nature of the manufacturers

Sucker for marketing me :lol:, just placed the three month subscription as it is less than £9 an issue and seems like it may be what I may enjoy looking at and reading at my time and status in life 😛

I'd never heard of, nor seen it till i wandered into whsmiths for the first time in years recently, Picked it up and immediately thought it was a Ride Journal spin-off so off i toddle to the cashier and just about choked as she asked for £9....I sucked it up as there were a few folk behind me and of-course, £9?...to a person of my means?....Pfffft...I could buy the print works if i so desired. Walked out the shop mumbling & muttering under my breath "stupid****ershouldvesaidstickitarsesundon'tshine9****poundscouldaboughta****bookforthatalmost1andahalfhrsbloodyswages****wastedbetitsshiteaswell" but on getting home and actually reading it i though it was great, Warner interview was an insight, Seb as always can come up wi a good article and Dans pics just inspire me to see more of the world, Charlie Kellys musings are different from the norm and steeped in mtb history so yep...i'll read that. Oli's article regarding the olympics was timely, Cycles within Cycles article informed me bout shore stuff, interesting reading bout the early shops etc and Sterling's photos, especially the rooty one on page 65 are awesome dude!. Jason Miles face on page 91 summed up 24hr racing for me - to understand the suffering you didn't need to read the article but i did anyway, and then again in the bath later as i remembered what early morning laps felt like.....and thought to myself?.....might do one next year...just the one....to see if i still can abuse my body that way for 24hrs and get away with it. I always did like reading bout bicycle companies or bicycle component companies (must be the engineering geek in me) and Santa Cruz has a history worth repeating, up one minute...then down...then up again, MTB to road cross-over article was interesting as i know a couple of local riders that can do either disciplines very well to championship level (flash gits!) and finally Biff's pics, outstanding, and i liked the quotes, gotta praise a Coupland fan eh?.

Overall i thought it was well worth the £9, i read every article, and re-read most of them again whilst admiring the pics and thinking....that wasn't taken on an iPhone, I'll be buying a subscription for myself as there's nowhere local that stocks it.

i like the factory tours.

what somafunk said plus 1 - have all the editions of Privateer. I really did try hard to buy STW this month but in the end the decider was that the Jo Burt picture in STW didn't quite compare with the Jo Burt stuff in Roleur (plus the article on Indy Fab) so Roleur won the day - never bought it before but an exellent read.

Just me then, I get some measure of vicarious pleasure from reading mags and the like, going to places and events where I'd love to but may never go. The SRAM factory is not one of these places. I'll admit though that I do enjoy seeing in some builders workshops but when it gets a bit corprate I turn off.

I'm of the "£9 buys me more than twice the entertainment of a £5 mag" opinion.

Wasn't happy spending that much unseen but saw one in the Smiths at the Chunnel knowing I had a long journey ahead. Read it cover to cover and will re-read in the future.

Someone above said they wouldn't spend £9 as they could get a book they'd want to keep long term. Without sounding too gushing I think I will keep these long term. The content isn't all about the "now" and rendered irrelevant in a month like MBUK/WMB etc.

intresting marketing from Andy at privateer........i was knocking the mag and no free offer.

Cpntent is not ...to me..... re readable...pics from north shore from the day, old enough to have the original articles, warner no sirry...nepal maybe.

in all honest glad there are still magazines out there for people to read rather than someof the comics claiming to be magazines

rough count...

MBUK is £4.35 and about 45% advert

Privateer is £9 and about 14% advert

£9.00? no thanks. I can buy a decent book for that, something I'd want to keep for years.

+1

well I ain't middle class, and i'm not middle aged. The ones I've read have been really good. Actually things worth reading rather than some contrived sh1te to keep the advertisers happy. TBH the only cycle related publications I would read are privateer and the outcast (I use the term "publication" very loosely "ace shonky bollox" would be more apt for the latter)

MBUK, MBR, Silltrack, just dull dull dull

and with regards to the price of £9.00 if that keeps the advertising reduced then that's ace. I hate picking up a cycling mag having a flick through and thinking the [u]actual content[/u] in this would just about last one hefty dump when reading on the bog.

I really like it. I was a big MBUK fan back in the day but find very little that interests me in MBUK now - I'd far sooner pay £9 for an issue of Privateer that I read cover to cover and and drool over the stunning photography - than a simillar amount for 2 x MBUK mags (or simillar) that are, frankly, a bit rubbish.

Perhaps it's my age - there's a lot of 90's nostalgia in Privateer and, to me, each issue [i]is[/i] a book I want to keep.

Oh yes and it [i]does[/i] smell nice 😉

tazzymtb : Agree wi you regarding the amount of adverts in the vast majority of the cycle mags, I like Dirt, not because i'm a jumpy rider or owt, in fact i'm so far removed from the jumpy/downhill crowd over that side of the room that i'd be way across the opposite side, hiding in the corner, under the table, wi a blanket over my head, talking to myself....it's ok...they haven't spotted me....no-ones going to ask me to launch my bike, no one knows i'm a mincing jey xc'er who wears lycra. Anyway...Dirt? - every 2nd page seems to be a full page advert to such an extent that whenever i buy it (coz i enjoy the riding articles interviews, pics etc) and finally get to sit down wi a cup of tea and read through it i seem to end up disappointed as it doesn't take as long as i expected due to the amount of adverts, I'd be happy to pay an extra couple of £ for it if the ads were reduced by 50% but i still buy it, not every issue but a fair few a year when i see it.

I guess it comes down to economies of scale :

Do they increase the cost and reduce the ads and possibly reduce their readership coz of the cost increase?
or
Do they drop the price, increase the ads and possibly increase their readership coz of the cost reduction?

Or would it have the opposite effect?........a big chance to take either way i guess.

It's that old chicken n' egg situation and i for one don't envy them as there's always someone moaning (what?...moi?) bout something so it's a tricky rope to balance on.

Used to get Rouler free, straight in the bin. Found it either old hat or uninteresting.
Though

One of my favourite articles of evar is the Peace Race one in Rouler a while back, fantastic.

[i]Used to get Rouler free, straight in the bin. [/i]

You'll be pleased to hear the early ones go for more than a £100 now then 😉

[i]Which Peace race?[/i]

all of them. have a rummage through the bin maybe?

£9 is not much more than a packet of fags or a couple of pints!

I have all the issues and TBH I still have plenty to read and re-read when time allows and as for the book comparison, I very rarely read a book twice!

It would be a funny old world if everyone liked the same thing but IMO Privateer has captured something different and is good value, for me anyway, compared to some other mags which are read in 1/2 hour then binned.

Mrs O picked up a copy last week and brought it home - I'd never read it before. Halfway through it now and thoroughly enjoying it - I'd sooner pay more for a quality read than less for a poor read, so yes I will buy it again. The Nepalese article was particularly good, a very thoughtful angle. I personally found the Warner one somewhat annoying, though.

Each to their own - whilst there are those who would dismiss it entirely on the cover price, there are others who would spend hundreds of pounds on TVs and channels, which I personally find odd.

And yes, I love factory tours.

Im glad its £9 and people view that as expensive. Perhaps that means they can focus the articals on an audience who are happy to pay more.

You do seem to get more in it artical wise and fewer adverts.

But at the end of the day its your own choice, Im just glad there is a broad choice.

It's a great mag. It's refreshing to read about mountain biking without being bombarded with adverts and adverts masquerading as thinly veiled reviews. I really need to sort out a subscription one of these days.

It also helps that they've printed one of my photos in the last issue 🙂

I've been a subscriber for the last 4 issues, i find it nice to have, to pick up and browse through, look at the amazing photos and not have pointless reviews of bikes for middle aged men with lots of money who never actually ride them, but like have what the magazines suggest

Let's be honest, none of us are buying jazz mags anymore so why not spend the money on bike porn, if privateer didn't exist I doubt very much that ST mag would be in it's new current format.

I picked up a copy in an airport a few months ago. I enjoyed it, but it seemed to be an American rather than a British mag. Maybe it was just that edition though. I'll probably give it another go.

If £9 is the price to pay for fewer adverts that's fine by me. It's not so much that I object to seeing adverts in a mag though. It's more that any magazine that is heavily dependant on advertising revenue is hardly going to be unbiased. If £9 means that they can say what they think and not just what they think the advertisers want them to say then it's worth the cover price to me.

Cheers,

Andy

Speak for yourself rewski, you can't chug one off to an ipad in the bath.

Joking!

I love it and I love the factory tours.

Keep up the good work chaps.

you can't chug one off to an ipad in the bath

if privateer didn't exist I doubt very much that ST mag would be in it's new current format

Understandable conclusion but actually wrong 🙂

. If £9 means that they can say what they think and not just what they think the advertisers want them to say then it's worth the cover price to me.

what controversial views/ articles have they published?

Understandable conclusion but actually wrong

reduced available time, realisation of same, and in the end lack of interest in majority of the latest issue - resulted in cancelling my subscription, which I've had since Ed 1. Shame, but there you go..

Mark - Resident Grumpy

if privateer didn't exist I doubt very much that ST mag would be in it's new current format

Understandable conclusion but actually wrong

Thats what Samsung say too.......imitation and all that.

I like Privateer, grown up, nice pics. WMB bless it really doesnt have a lot in it these days for example....

STW not only appears to have moved to look similar in size and quality to Privateer, but the cover photos are very similar in style as well (the last one was almost identical).

Personally I think it's a good thing....

I like Privateer, I'm middle-aged but class, dunno about that. I certainly don't have much of it ) It's a good mag to take on the train or as a post-ride tea and cake on the sofa kind of read. No reviews is a good thing, I know what I want, only buy it when I need it and don't want a mag to be full of new kit sections. That's what the internet's for. Some issues are better than others but that's to be expected. Privateer's features on people behind the products or pioneers of riding scenes are excellent - much more intersting than a wheelset grouptest.
If STW or Privateer are reading - more on the adventurous types and the places they ride please.. the more epic and remote the better. Can't get enough of that inspiration these days.

But the articles on people are from back then......MBUK associates Santa crux/ellsworth/warner and so on.

Stw has gone to the same size but content is different......for me more encompassing on biking and associated world....kids and bikes there will be repetion 10 years ago the did a backpack test.

Choice is good

Don't get me wrong, Privateer is a lovely mag and comparisons between ST and Privateer are natural and expected, but it's absolutely not the case that we decided to relaunch as we did, when we did because of Privateer. I can say with all honesty and respect to Privateer that ST would have relaunched when we did and look as it now does with or without Privateer existing. The driving force was the publishing industry, the growth in our subscriptions outstripping that of newstrade sales and the explosion in digital publishing.

We are actively scaling back our reliance on the imploding newstrade sector and focussing much more on subscribers, which is where we started. If anything we are moving away from Privateer as they have just recently launched into the newstrade (On the very same day we relaunched Singletrack in March in fact - What are the chances eh? 😉 )

but STW also seemed to vere away from the earlier days of some inspiring photography and interesting articles as well as real world kit/bike tests.

Don't know when you last bought it, but IMHO since the format change things have got back to the 'good old days'. Can't expect to like everything every issue but on the whole it's great value.

Nice to hear Mark that subscribers are the driving focus......for me keep up the good work.

But the articles on people are from back then......MBUK associates Santa crux/ellsworth/warner and so on.

Not always though, recent issues had the current tyre designers at places like Specialized and WTB, a host of past and present ti bike designers, Whyte bikes in the new issue. That plus different riders and places, it's a good mix. The articles on bike scene types from the past are always interesting to me.

On the new format STW, I think it's spot-on. Best it's been sinc ethe start. Both mags reflect graphic design trends for a clean layout, beyond that I don't see them being that similar really. Aimed at many of the same riders but with a wider general appeal I think.