How do you become a...
 

  You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more

[Closed] How do you become a kit tester?

11 Posts
8 Users
0 Reactions
85 Views
 DT78
Posts: 10064
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Maybe for a magazine or website? Must be people on here who do it? How did you get into it?


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 1:48 pm
Posts: 43345
Full Member
 

I know some folk that are now sent equipment to review on the back of a successful blog. Otherwise, try getting into journalism.


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 1:52 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Brown envelope stuffed full of £20 notes?


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 1:54 pm
Posts: 3999
Full Member
 

Get friendly with some bike journos, it worked for one of my mates.


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 1:56 pm
Posts: 20675
 

Get friendly with some bike journos, it worked for one of my mates.

This. Or get friendly with our lbs and their distributors. (What I did, don't do it anymore though.)


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 2:03 pm
Posts: 1442
Free Member
 

I was a test mule.
"want to come for a ride?'
"you mean you need somebody to ride the other bike for you to make it easier to swap and ride the same trail?'
"you could put it that way"
🙄

it's a job though so why would you want to do that? for all the riding nice bikes there's riding crap hard tails and copy deadlines.

stick to the day job and enjoy riding your bikes.


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 2:11 pm
Posts: 13594
Free Member
 

You'd need to establish your journalistic skills first, eg writing free reviews for random MTB websites / magazines like STW.....


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 2:21 pm
 DT78
Posts: 10064
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Don't want to do it full time, maybe a bit of freelancing, a few articles here and there. I might even be tempted to do it for free...not about making a living out of it, more that I'm interested and fancy writing stuff up, but buying lots of stuff to compare is a bit prohibitive.

I've been riding long enough and seriously enough now to notice differences that I never used to, and I know what I 'like'

Maybe there is a niche for Top Gear style commentry on kit!? 🙂


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 2:26 pm
Posts: 13594
Free Member
 

Pretty much any bike related website will accept half decent reviews for free.


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 2:29 pm
Posts: 43345
Full Member
 

There's loads of folk out there who will happily do it for nothing. The first thing to do is prove your writing and review skills. Get a blog together, review the stuff you already use.

The other thing to think about is how independent you are prepared to be.


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 2:32 pm
Posts: 3349
Free Member
 

hard to get in to and either needs a lot of luck or to know someone in a mag already who has enough influence to suggest hiring new freelancers.

a decent style of writing, flexibility and willingness to get paid relatively little are a must.

online would probably be easier to get in to, however.


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 2:38 pm
Posts: 3349
Free Member
 

oh, and you'll have to get used to the millions of pounds you'd get paid in back-handers, cos all the bike testers i know are minted... 🙄


 
Posted : 21/02/2014 2:39 pm

6 DAYS LEFT
We are currently at 95% of our target!