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So off the back of the 'would you miss STW' thread, there's lots of chat about what people like or don't like about the mag. There's been the odd mention of classic articles from days of yore.
As a subscriber for less than a year I have only read a few, and suspect I've missed some belters. However I have access to the whole digital back catalogue. I've dipped my toe in and found some gems, but there's A LOT of reading material there.
What I am after, from the old sweats are pointers to issues which contain your favourite articles. Issue number please, article title and why it's worth a read. Ta muchly.
"A hard way to become a poet"
It was called something like that and was the first article I sent in that was actually published
The "Fish out of Water" article with pedal car racing.
I used to like the single page opinion pieces that there were a couple of every month. Jason Miles did one for a bit and there were a few others too. Always the articles I read first.
Also, during lockdown 1 where they weren't getting any test bikes in, the "head to head" between the cargo bike, Schwinn cruiser and another thing I can't remember, so I'd like more articles from not really MTB land. Don't remember the pedal car one, I'd have probably enjoyed that.
Things I'm not overly bothered with, pages and pages of descriptive writing about tours to odd places. There's been a few interesting ones, but generally not great for me.
The “Fish out of Water” article with pedal car racing.
Yeah, saw Mark mention that, any idea what issue?
WCA - I'll have a look, issue no?
tthew - I did read that one during lockdown, good article!
Waaaaay back. maybe issue10-12 something like that. There was a series of them, dirt racing, pedal cars, Indoor track...For some reason the pedal car one (a really down to earth set up at a school) really made some folks mad..No idea why really!
There was one, a good few years ago that really rung true with me. In it, the author talked about the joy of going on a muddy ride then diverting through the local town centre just to bask in the looks of horror from the shoppers.
I still do that.
Ha, I've done that too! I'll seek it out.
Obviously all the ones that I wrote (a few route guides and one about calling out Mtn Rescue to a mate who'd had a serious crash, that was one of the Long Read articles). 😉
The very first edition Long Read was a brilliant story about a guy in the US who'd been DQ'd from driving for a minor traffic offence thus forcing him onto his bike for all commuting and errands. Very funny, beautifully written.
And @samuri wrote a great little piece about commuting to work on a mountain bike and being caught and passed by two roadies, complete with military style radio calls between Roadies and their imaginary "central control" which allocated them easy MTB targets to destroy.
"Tuesday night socks". Very old article, took some finding when I lasted looked for it. But it's there and worth searching out.
If memory serves it was by Jenn of Jennride fame. This is part of STW heritage, and something you'll most likely stumble across at some point.
I liked the ones that the two girls (can't remember their names) did about their van and travels in it
I always really enjoyed Mike Ferrentino's pieces.
I've just had a look and his First one was in Issue 21. It was called 'Cultural Compression' about the culture shock of coming from the states to ride in the UK. A fantastic article on getting an outsiders opinion on what we all just take for granted
As I've said on a few posts The Jamie Hibbard story really hit with me, being a teen at the time and It brought back so many memories and nostalgia.
Back in, hmmm, 2005/06, that guy Rob who binned his job and went to live / work in Switzerland as an MTB guide / photopgrapher from memory. It described where i was at the time and what I wanted to do. So I did... Well, I got halfway through the plan and bottled it, but live in Scotland rather then Sheffield (nowt wrong with Sheffield) as a result.
But, I remember reading the article and it made me realise I didn't have to sit in the same boring job for the rest of my life at the ripe old age of mid-late-twenties.
These are all great recommendations and I'm definitely intrigued to seek them out but.... no one* is giving me any issue numbers! There are 144 to trawl through!
In the absence of a decent site search function, perhaps @Mark could add a magazine article database to his mahoosive to do list?
*Edit: apart from Binners - thanks.
I liked the ones that the two girls
OMG forgotten about that one, it was ace, really funny.
The Jamie Hibbard story was very moving, excellent piece.
I used to like the single page opinion pieces that there were a couple of every month. Jason Miles did one for a bit and there were a few others too. Always the articles I read first.
This.
They were pretty much the only part of the magazine that I ever read.
There's a lot to be said for articles by normal riders who can write about just riding bikes.
I always really enjoyed Mike Ferrentino’s pieces.
That's the bloke!
Great idea for a thread. I’d really appreciate a list of highlights from previous issues.
I always really enjoyed Mike Ferrentino’s pieces.
I’ve just had a look and his First one was in Issue 21. It was called ‘Cultural Compression’ about the culture shock of coming from the states to ride in the UK. A fantastic article on getting an outsiders opinion on what we all just take for granted
I just devoured that, thanks! A great piece of writing!
Jenn's report of her Great Divide ride.
I used to like the single page opinion pieces that there were a couple of every month. Jason Miles did one for a bit and there were a few others too. Always the articles I read first.
Also, during lockdown 1 where they weren’t getting any test bikes in, the “head to head” between the cargo bike, Schwinn cruiser and another thing I can’t remember, so I’d like more articles from not really MTB land. Don’t remember the pedal car one, I’d have probably enjoyed that.
Things I’m not overly bothered with, pages and pages of descriptive writing about tours to odd places. There’s been a few interesting ones, but generally not great for me.
+1
The one page columns from Charlie, Jason etc are usually a highlight.
As for the tours/rides, some are good, some are less so. I suppose the difficulty for the writer is that you come up with an idea, pitch it to the editor, go for the ride, and unless something interesting happens it's just 500-1000 words of "we rode up and down some hills, so and so was fast, the descents were rough, it was exhausting, we made it back just in time for tea/darkness" but by then you're committed and there's a publishing deadline. Doesn't matter if it's Snowdon or Slovakia.
Anything out of the ordinary is good, because I can go for a ride in Wales, the Peak, the Lake District, North Yorkshire / Dales, etc and have a better experience than reading about it 2nd hand. What I probably wont do is the Silk Road, or BC Bike Race, or a whole season of National XC races so those experiences are intrinsically more interesting.
A bit like picking up a surfing mag or BMX is usually 80% photos, 10% anecdotes of what they got upto between sessions, and 10% reviews. Blow by blow accounts of another ride up Hellvelyn just ......
An ongoing (very loooong task I've set myself) is to slowly convert every published article into an online, members only, post - the sort of thing bigger companies would condemn interns to do :-). The point is obviously to let you guys find and discover all the articles we've published without having to leaf through a big PDF file. The work to-date is here https://singletrackmag.com/singletrack-magazine-online-article-index/
The newer mags are easier to convert as we generally have all the assets as digital files but the early mags are just PDF files - The master files have long gone and in those days lots of the images were taken on film. But it will be done! 🙂
Cheers Mark, I suspected it would be a mammoth task to do that.
The newer mags are easier to convert as we generally have all the assets as digital files but the early mags are just PDF files – The master files have long gone and in those days lots of the images were taken on film. But it will be done! 🙂
Oh God, I remember getting a load of slide film for an article about riding in Spain. Really quite pressured to be out in Spain, taking a load of pics you know are required for publication in about 2 months time and you won't see the results of until after you're back!
Yeah, I took loads of photos!
Oh, 70% of them are shit... 🙁
This might be actually from MMB or whatever it was called, they rode some bikes relay style for over a weekend / 24hr(?) to see what would get broken or worn first. Could be interesting to condense few months of riding to small time frame. With modern bikes there might not be massive failures but who knows what might happen.
I recall they chose some bike park for this and this contributed to very minor wear on things.
Have to check my garage, I have too many old magazines stored there.
Also I have almost full collection of STW magazines, I think I missed one early number as I started subscribing after a year or two but older numbers were still available on backorder.
"Scenes", where Chipps would go out riding with local groups. Mostly because I was in one and it morphed into the MNPR.
The MTL on a £100 bike and Ed O's "Man and Boy" spring to mind also.
binners
I always really enjoyed Mike Ferrentino’s pieces.
I’ve just had a look and his First one was in Issue 21. It was called ‘Cultural Compression’ about the culture shock of coming from the states to ride in the UK. A fantastic article on getting an outsiders opinion on what we all just take for granted
That was the one piece I remember the most, some really good B&W pictures of post ride exhaustion and grime IIRC. Or was it just the happy space of the pub stop?
Just checked & it was from the same issue but Chipps article "Riding Local" which had them sat in a back yard including Mike Ferrentino
I have almost full collection of STW magazines, I think I missed one early number as I started subscribing after a year or two but older numbers were still available on backorder.
I've recently found my early days collection, we're keeping a few as each has something that relates to us (usually somemthing we featured in), but if you let me know which issue you want I may well be able to help...
OK found it. "The Tuesday Night Socks". Issue 45, page 86. Not by Jenn as I'd thought.
Interestingly, very different read to last time. Which, if memory serves, was very different read from the time before that. And probably the time before that too!
Actually makes me want to do some more group rides, which I've not done since pre-pandemic. And, also makes me want to dig out, fettle, and ride one of my mountain bike collection, which I've not done in, well I can't count the years.
Interesting on a very different note too. The first time I searched for that article, I opened up each mag individually and searched each for it. Took ages. Just found out you can search a whole directory of pdf's in one go, easy. Every day's a school day.
Oh God, I remember getting a load of slide film for an article about riding in Spain. Really quite pressured to be out in Spain, taking a load of pics you know are required for publication in about 2 months time and you won’t see the results of until after you’re back!
Easy life. Wait until you're the other side of the world with three riders, a literal ton of gear you've flown there and are shooting the tests for the next three issues whilst also shooting technique articles and a travel story or two. And the weather isn't right and the clock is ticking as you're only onsite for 12 days.
And as you say, you don't know if the metering on the camera is right until you process the 40 odd rolls of film.