Hi all,
I am a real newbie to cycling. The last time I rode was when I was a kid... a long time ago. A couple of months ago I started spinning at my gym and was hooked. Now I want to get outside and ride.

My question to you all is; any recommendations on some good cycling magazines to check out?

Thanks,
Sendy

Heh... wrong place to ask. The only folks who'd normally reply to, well, anything else around here consider bike magazines somewhere between Shylock and the Devil himself. They all consider themselves be-all and end-all, and f-all who think otherwise. You have to live with/sell a bike for three years before you're qualified to even have a notion of passing judgement, "wtf-are-all-these-idiots-doing-with-dura-ace", "in-my-day-it-was-two-triangles-of-steel-and-we-were-lucky", etc.

Me, I've only been in the hobby about six months, and am a slow f-er to boot, so I'm nowhere near as "leet" as the majority of repliers. To me, Bicycling is a good start, and from that point you just visit your local bookstore and browse. Whatever speaks to you is what you pick up.

And hell with anyone else! :D

Heh... wrong place to ask. The only folks who'd normally reply to, well, anything else around here consider bike magazines somewhere between Shylock and the Devil himself. They all consider themselves be-all and end-all, and f-all who think otherwise. You have to live with/sell a bike for three years before you're qualified to even have a notion of passing judgement, "wtf-are-all-these-idiots-doing-with-dura-ace", "in-my-day-it-was-two-triangles-of-steel-and-we-were-lucky", etc.

Me, I've only been in the hobby about six months, and am a slow f-er to boot, so I'm nowhere near as "leet" as the majority of repliers. To me, Bicycling is a good start, and from that point you just visit your local bookstore and browse. Whatever speaks to you is what you pick up.

And hell with anyone else! :D

I like Velonews for racing (demestic esp) and I like Bike magazine for photos/mtb only stuff. I used to read Cycle World but I found it a bit too light for my tastes. There are two good websites for coverage (velonews.com and cyclingnews.com). Start there.

Ask lots of questions here too. MOstly we're helpful.

BT

Of course there had to a be a sarcastic answer to your question of someone who evidently felt scorned, but in all seriousness there is a negative feeling toward a lot of the bike mags here on this site. This is due to the feeling that they've sold out to the advertisers, articles are consistently centered toward the beginner, and are focused on oddball things like looking sexy, how to get the perfect jersey fit, etc. I have to agree with them on most of this. But for a beginner, the basic bike mags like Bicycling are fine to read. Do not pay too much attention to their reviews though as they almost always avoid being negative as they depend on the advertising revenue. You'll get a lot more info reading the reviews or asking questions here on the web. The bike mags will provide some basic tips and whatnot though. Read everything you can on this forum and on the complete bikes forum and you'll get a feeling for what is out there. Just ignore the negative, sarcastic, and sometimes bitter comments around here. You'll get used to them soon enough. I think the stress of the world comes out through their replies or something. Also, you'll get a lot more answers to your questions if you're Title is a lot more specific such as "What bike magazines do you recommend for a beginner?"

Hi all,
I am a real newbie to cycling. The last time I rode was when I was a kid... a long time ago. A couple of months ago I started spinning at my gym and was hooked. Now I want to get outside and ride.

My question to you all is; any recommendations on some good cycling magazines to check out?

Thanks,
Sendy


trolling on this site, asking questions, reading reviews, and reading velonews.com and cyclingnews.com (all of which are free). the ParkTools website has great wrenching advice and techniques. honestly, why waste paper? :)

and yes, there are those on this site who will try to shoot down everything anyone says about a technical question (most of them are 19 year old engineering students who have a complex anyway and, if you do the simple math, haven't really been riding that long), and there are those who's asinine and seemingly obvious advice is to take a sh*t before you ride if you want a lighter bike. the fact is, they're not professional riders and never will be.
they're no better than anyone else, just more experienced and forgot what it was like to fall over the first day with clipless pedals.
welcome to the sport, if it is one you stay with it will treat you well. be safe. wear a damn helmet, your family doesn't want to feed you with a tube the rest of your life. ride like you own the road, but always remember cars will kill you. and as someone once said, riding never gets easier, you only get faster. there's truth to it.

trolling on this site, asking questions, reading reviews, and reading velonews.com and cyclingnews.com (all of which are free). the ParkTools website has great wrenching advice and techniques. honestly, why waste paper? :)

and yes, there are those on this site who will try to shoot down everything anyone says about a technical question (most of them are 19 year old engineering students who have a complex anyway and, if you do the simple math, haven't really been riding that long), and there are those who's asinine and seemingly obvious advice is to take a sh*t before you ride if you want a lighter bike. the fact is, they're not professional riders and never will be.
they're no better than anyone else, just more experienced and forgot what it was like to fall over the first day with clipless pedals.
welcome to the sport, if it is one you stay with it will treat you well. be safe. wear a damn helmet, your family doesn't want to feed you with a tube the rest of your life. ride like you own the road, but always remember cars will kill you. and as someone once said, riding never gets easier, you only get faster. there's truth to it.


Amen, brother.