Bike magazines

Dunno how accurate this is, but....

Average age of Bike reader: 43

Average age of Superbike reader: 17

Which may make it hard for SB to get advertising - its readers aren't
going to be buying Ducatis and the like, really.

Incidentally, seems there's a shake-up likely. Only three monthlies are
doing well. Bike, Superbike and Classic Bike.

Personal viewpoint: the readership pool is shrinking. Expect casualties,
as if you care.

 

So cancelling my PB subscription won't help?

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, The Older Gentleman amazed us all with this pearl
of wisdom:

So cater for the people in between you fucknugget.

It's not exactly rocket science, is it?

 

On Fri, 3 Jun 2005 20:01:01 +0100,

I do enjoy flicking through Bike Magazine. I may even subscribe and
get a free woman with a tight vest on and a tyre pressure gauge.

Did I notice you name credit this month in the Budget Second Hand
Tourers article?

 

Looking at it from the advertisers viewpoint I'd cater for the people
with the most disposable income. This is probably why bike magazines
are utter shite.

They have some nice pictures though.

 

SWMBI got me this month's edition and I nearly said "Why did you waste your
money on that?.." but have really enjoyed flicking through it and reading
Dan Walsh's exploits.

At my local bike shop [1] they keep a stack of ancient bike mags by the free
coffee machine - mostly around the 1980's. It was good to see Tailpipe Tina
again.

[1] www.shrewsburyhonda.co.uk

 

Can't say I am remotely surprised. I used to buy a wide range of the
magazines and MCN. Now I buy Bike and that's it and even that annoys the
hell out of me at times. It would be nice to read a bike magazine that
was well written instead of being a blend of imagined trendy youth speak
and forlorn middle age rambling.

I think some of the magazines need to go - the market is overcrowded and
there is little variation or originality that makes one stand out over
another.

 

<snip>

Ah, there you are Paul.

You disappeared without trace from your thread re good photography books.
Did you find any useful books?

 

well I like TWO. There have been rumours that it will fold but itnever has.

 

Did I say that it would? I simply described the current situation.

 

I'm working hard to ensure I stay out of the monthly "I post too much"
stats.

Not yet as there a split in the views as to what is best. I think I have
a reasonable eye for a picture so for now I'm a bit more concerned about
technique than composition. I guess I owe an E Mail following your kind
offer in that thread.

 

Not at all - but the offer's still there.

 

Paul Corfield emerged from their own little world to say

So, I'll put you down as a contributory factor to my first ever appearance
then.

 

"How romantic."

 

There's an article on falling levels of adult literacy among motorcyclists
to be done there.

 

# it's my party and I'll flounce if I want to

 

But you've got nothing better to do - well apart from revision, exams
and papers to write. Oh and trying to find a suitable way of doing no
meaningful work for the next 3-5 years ;-)

 

There's always here... errr.. forget it.

 

Yes it has. Or rather, Haymarket bought it as it folded.

 

I wouldn't argue. I still think Bike is way better than the others -
that Fazer re-tune article recently was superb - but I do get tired of
seeing the same 600cc shootout, the same GSXR1000 vs. R1 vs. ZX10 test,
the same Ducati vs. Aprilia, etc etc etc roadtest in all the bloody
magazines, often at the same time.

Trouble is, it's a fragmented market and ditto readership base. This
makes it extraordinarily difficult to produce a magazine that covers
all, or even most, of the bases.

Anyone who thinks it's easy, or says: "They ought to do this....", or "I
could do better", hasn't usually got a clue.