Call me an old soul, but I still love the tactile feel of my favorite magazine in my hand while reading (obsessing) about the latest updates in mountain biking. Don’t get me wrong, I do cherish the ease and availability of web-sites and e-zines, they just don’t carry that nostalgic feel for me quite yet. So for all my fellow paper form holdouts, I curated a list of
BIKE
BIKE magazine is one of the most beautiful and visually stunning print magazines out there today. The photography alone is enough to make a person snatch up this rag. But that’s not all they have to offer. Knowledgeable product reviews, bike hacks and of course the venerable annual Bible of Bike tests. The Bible of Bike tests, or just ‘Bible’ for you efficiency freaks out there, gives readers the opportunity to hear real-world bike reviews from great contributors such as Nicole Formosa, Ryan Palmer, and Travis Engle to name a few. Every year a new mountain biking destination is chosen to test the current stable of the hottest mountain bikes on the market.
If you just can’t get enough BIKE mag., they have a spectacular website and YouTube channel that are filled with even more content including round table style discussions of each individual bike tested in The Bible, more product reviews and bike hacks. The production value of their videos has increased dramatically over the years and proves to be a great supplement to the print edition. Though Bible will never quite be the same without the oratory ninja that is Vernon Felton, BIKE mag. continues to be on our short list of favorites.
DirtRag
Another great visually stunning experience with this one, though not quite on par with BIKE mag. Having been first published in 1989, DirtRag offers some really great in-depth articles for all my fellow detailed learners out there. Still, to this day, I have an old issue of DirtRag from _______ sitting on my nightstand that featured a very detailed suspension setup and tuning guide, that I’m sure I’ve read no less than ten times. It’s a great referrence.
DirtRag magazine also offers additional content online, in a blog style web-site as well a YouTube channel. Though the YouTube channel currently has only 10 videos available, most of them being posted over 4 years ago, their website seems to command more of their efforts, as it has much more content available and is being constantly updated.
Dirt Mountain Bike
Dirt Mountain Bike Magazine claims to be the first periodical published specifically for the downhill segment of mountain biking. With race coverage, bike tests, & interviews they are a great source for info if you’re looking to get your DH fix.
Having dodged the axe in 2015 when DIRT Magazine stopped publication, Dirt Mountain Bike supports it’s periodical with an online presence as well. Where you can find loads more of additional content.
Mountain Bike Action
Mountain Bike Action is published under the Hi-Torque powersports magazine umbrella. If you’ve ever picked up Dirt Wheels, Motocross Action, or BMX Plus, then MBA should feel right at home to you. This magazine shares a boat load of information including riding tips, reviews and event coverage of our favorite sport.
Though the issues tend to be pretty advertisement heavy, which I completely understand from a business standpoint, I still grab an issue now and then when I need to get my MTB fix.
Freehub
Now I can’t claim that I’ve put my hands on one of these quite yet, I wanted to feature this magazine as I’ve got my eyes on it, an am excited to open one up. Coffee table quarterly more accurately describes this publication as it’s geared (pun intended) more as a conversation piece or collector’s item. As
“And there you have it”, our list of goto print style magazines. When online reading just isn’t scratching that itch to ride quite good enough, run out an pick up one of these and give it read. Who knows, you may just run into Vernon Felton himself. 😉