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Mountain
Bike Action Magazine
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Submitted by
decamun
a Downhiller
from Friday Harbor, WA
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Some good articles. I like the trail grams. Thats about it | | Weaknesses: | The biasedness was something I hadn't noticed, but, I had been picking up a really bad vibe from reading the thing lately. I read about that and I realized why. The magzine really does subtly tell you to buy those bikes. My other issue is that the magazine takes itself way to seriously. It has this feeling that it's giving you orders, and telling you what to like, that I don't really like. I am a downhiller, so a lot of the stuff in this magazine I just don't identify with. | | Similar Products Used: | Bike, The IRS | | Bike Setup: | 08 custom Kona Garbanzo Primo, dee trax wheels, x9, raceface | | Bottom Line: | Really, Just read Bike | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
WalterN
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington, DC
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Avalon @ Patapsco | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Technical articles; reviews, etc. | | Weaknesses: | too many ads and biased reviews. | | Similar Products Used: | Dirt Rag, Bike. | | Bottom Line: | Reading through all of the negative reviews below, I'm pretty shocked that people are surprised that MBA (or almost any publication for that matter) bends their content to please their sponsors. Magazines and newspapers are dropping like flies, so don't be surprised when the publication hands out positive reviews to their biggest sponsors. Take this magazine for what it is: ENTERTAINMENT. DirtRag is a far superior mag.
That being said, MBA has some good points.
- Their "Garage Files" section contain some really good info. I have actually cut a few of them out for future reference.
- Their new bike reviews, while not the most unbiased, contain a lot of good information about the bikes like geometry, suspension details, etc.
- The Trailgrams section is pretty entertaining.
- The pictures (especially user submitted) are great.
During downtime and winter months, it really does get you psyched to get back behind the bars.
| Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cracker69
a Weekend Warrior
from Whitefish Bay WI USA
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Crystal Ridge | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | subscription | | Strengths: | it stinks | | Weaknesses: | it stinks | | Similar Products Used: | Dirt Rag and others | | Bike Setup: | Full Squish MC Zen, GF Tass, Redline Monocog, Redline Mono9 | | Bottom Line: | This is a repost of a comment I made some time ago elsewhere in MTBR. There must be a direct connection between MBA magazine and Specialized and Santa Cruz bikes. I just let my subscription lapse 'cause, amongst other things,I got tired of reading the constant stream of hype associated with these two brands. Another thing I've noticed is a real west coast bias. Moerover the last two years is significant negative reviews of GF and Trek products that ended abruptly and completely with a complete 180 about six to eight months ago and now its all smiles for both brands. In parallel were constant sniper comments about GF himself that evaporated into complete gushing by the same authors around eight months ago. Its all very odd.
BTW has anyone noticed that the photographs in this magazine are angled to make them seem more dramatic and daring. I clearly have too much time on my hands but if you follow the growth of the vegetation, they are often angling the photos by about 30 degrees.
Dirt Rag here I come. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Trek-6000
a Cross Country Rider
from Mantua, OH
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$5.00 | | Purchased At: | Eddys Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Great Articles on just about everything you need to know. Also in the back, there are pages of product and stores so you can just flip to the back if you need to purchase a new component for your bike. | | Weaknesses: | Would Like to Have a few more articles than what there is for the price of the magazine. | | Bike Setup: | Trek 6000 with Disc Brakes | | Bottom Line: | I will still purchase and subscribe to this magazine. It is one of the more popular ones in the US and has alot of good advise from a beginner to expert. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dug
a Weekend Warrior
from Anchorage, Alaska
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Rover's Run | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Subscription | | Strengths: | Trailgrams is cool. It is refreshing to read about people who ride and see pictures of where they ride. It is cool to see that they all aren't riding a Santa Cruz or a Specialized. | | Weaknesses: | After subscribing for two years I am sick of seeing nothing but advertisements. Yes, they do review a lot of bikes but they seem to focus mainly on Santa Cruz or Specialized. It is more interesting to read reviews from MTBR than to read the biased opinion of a tester who rode the bike one or two days. One thing Mountain Bike Action should know, "If I wanted a KHS catalog, I would call KHS". | | Similar Products Used: | Bike, Mountain Bike Magazine, Bicycling | | Bike Setup: | Huffy Pro Thunder 4 | | Bottom Line: | I have yet to buy a copy of Dirt Rag, so I will give it a try. MBA Subscription is HISTORY! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Howl H
a Weekend Warrior
from COS,CO,USA
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Falcon USAF CO | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Purchased At: | friend's house | | Strengths: | man they've got so many cool pictures! well i look at those mags only for the pictures(most of the time) unless there are tips about riding | | Weaknesses: | i remembered the latest i read which is April and March, they have suggestions about getting more riding hours(those of you who read knows what i'm talking about) and...they suggest waking up 4 in the morning? do all the riding before work (eat,ride,come home,shower,leave for work) man that is just crazy... | | Similar Products Used: | i like that one guy who said toilet paper, that was amazingly funny | | Bike Setup: | iron horse something PRO (green with RS team boxxer), gary fisher cake(can remember the model, pretty much built from scratch, except the frame) Mondraker(man i wish i know the model, its red with black rear triangle, its a all mountain fullsus), JBC Pro(its really light...no clue what the model is again...) and last my trial/street/dirt jump/wheelie/messin around bike, its from a frame company called Astro in Taiwan, its really awesome but kind of too big for me to do trial and DJ... | | Bottom Line: | oh i almost forgot this is talkin about MBA, i love biking and this mag really inspire me to go on a ride when i'm lazy, looking at all those sweet awesome pictures it just BAM! pull me out on a ride. sometimes i'm really disappointed to see bad reviews on the company i love, i trust, specially the SRAM nation. but sometimes their tips are useful, in those latest one i read they suggest:DO NOT TRUST THE ONLINE REVIEWS, READ OUR MAGAZINE FOR THE BEST something something, you get the idea, i wonder why... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom Smith
a Cross Country Rider
from Mission Viejo, Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: February 16, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | North Laguna secret stuff | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Purchased At: | subscription price | | Strengths: | Cool photos, every now and again a refreshing idea | | Weaknesses: | VERY BIASED REVIEWS TOWARDS BIG MANUFACTURERS, TREK GT, SPECIALIZED,GIANT, etc. are their cash cows and are always well taken care of. It is real easy for mountain bike action to beat up on the little guys. | | Similar Products Used: | DECLINE | | Bike Setup: | 08 Santa cruz Bullit, 07 Turner RFX, 08 IBIS Carbon Mojo, 05 Heretic 29er. Al are setup SRAM XO or XTR Fox 36 Talas's and a Marzocchi 66 ATA, oh and a REba 29er. | | Bottom Line: | The real problem with Mountain Bike Action is what truly makes The USA a great country, Capitalism. The all mighty dollar controls what is written in this magazine. It is crystal clear in the bikes that they review and the way they write their reviews. Big manufacturers especially SPECIALIZED never had anything negative written about them. There is never any mention of Specialized NIGHTMARE warranty policies where 6-8 week turnaround is common, or NO warranty is offered. It also doesn't mention how lousy these high production bikes ride in extremely technical and steep stuff. Our thrash tests have seen riders who own specialized bikes carry their bikes back to the truck, in pieces.
Where I have issues with MBA is when they self market themselves as the #1 tip for buying a bike in the March,2008 issue. These are the issues that you really have to look out for as they show you 80 bikes and their price ranges. The cover features pics of Specialized, of course, Giant, Haro, KHS, and Kona. $$$$$. They claim that their testing is the best way to buy bikes, and to stay away from online forums. They fail to mention that forums are a true UNBIASED opinion, but do say that forums provide wrong information. I have a problem with this as I have gotten a wealth of useful product info online.
It was also interesting to see an article on how to sell your old bike. No mention of the classifieds here at MTBR, this must be a competitor. They mention E-Bay and Craigslist, but do not mention this site, very interesting. It must be because MTBR offers a review of their magazine here, are they scared?
In summary, you always have to remember that MBA is a big magazine and their big dollars come from big manufacturers that pay big dollars. MBA will never bite the hand that feeds it, they are not that dumb. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tomislav
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins
Date Reviewed: December 20, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything RC rides! | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | try not to purchase | | Strengths: | Umm, it has text you can read if you're bored, and like bad writing. And pictures of bikes. | | Weaknesses: | It's completely amateurish, biased dreck. | | Similar Products Used: | shoprags, toilet paper, campaign mailings | | Bike Setup: | Ventana El Salt, other stuff | | Bottom Line: | My father-in-law insists on buying this poo. MBA has been exposing itself to me since the late '80s, like a molesting uncle. It is comparable to Fox News in the quality of info- you might see pictures but you're not getting the facts. The most annoying thing is Dick Cunningham (Ask R.C.!). He paints himself the world's most knowledgeable expert in all things mountain bike, but the bikes he had a hand in (Mantis, way back when) sucked resolutely. His personal opinions color all the reviews, and while there may occasionally be good tips or even some insight on a part or design, he never ever admits a mistake. He bagged on the DW-Link suspension design in its first appearance in MBA (I think it was an Iron Horse) and look now- DW-Link is one of the best-regarded designs in the sport. This mag is a cult of ego for the guy. Try Singletrack (UK) or Dirt Rag or Bike for some perspective. Mountain biking is more about the ride than what you ride, but MBA will never stop pimping new gear and recycling old tips. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Randy
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | More directed at my kind of riding | | Weaknesses: | Specialized, Santa Cruz and other So-Cal bike companies seem to get an inordinant amount of press from them. | | Bottom Line: | i wrote a letter a couple of years ago criticizing them on their choices of bike tests, as it seemed Specialized and Santa Cruz were featured waaaaaaay too much for my liking. They published it but unfortunately for me, I didn't make my point clear (I mentioned bike tests vs actual page space dedicated to certain brands.) So, in their rebuttal, they proved me wrong. Oh well, my bad,I guess. Anyways, i still read MBA, as my wife bought me a two year subscription for my birthday. I find it the lesser of all other evils since I do mostly XC riding anyways. I would love to see a wider variety of brands featured but they state they only feature what they receive from the manufacturers. While this may be true, it is obvious that Santa Cruz and Specialized have picked up on this marketing opportunity. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luke
a
from Detroit, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: May 18, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | unpretentious and fun to read | | Weaknesses: | Technical advice in their articles is not infrequently flat wrong. See below. | | Similar Products Used: | All mtb publications available in bookstores and online in English | | Bottom Line: | Letter to the Editor of MBA
I wanted to point out a few criticisms of the MBA article “Riding Tips That Don’t Cost Anything” (May 2007) that I feel are quite important. The most helpful educational tool for me has been “Mastering Mountain Bike Skills” by Brian Lopes and Lee McCormack. (If you like mountain biking, there is no reason not to own this book.) The lion’s share of this criticism is straight from that fine book.
On braking tips, the MBA article does not mention loading (pressing your bike into the ground). This is the best way to slow down fast and spend less time on the brakes. In their chapter, Braking Better to Go Faster, Lopes and McCormack say: “Really cram your tires into the ground.” (pp.47) Pro mountain biker Mark Weir says, “two fingered braking is bad braking” (Lopes and McCormack agree) – use one finger at the end of the lever (unlike your cover-featured demo rider).
On cornering tips, the MBA article does not mention loading or leaning the bike – the two of which in combination are the key to turning fast. “You can dramatically increase traction by pressing your bike down while you carve your turns.” (pp.56) Lopes and McCormack spend many pages describing how to lean properly in corners. Leaning is treated as paramount.
The MBA article says: “Unless you’re launching a huge double-jump or riding through a rock garden, you don’t need to have a death grip on the handlebar,” and that in rocks riders should “…brace your arms and shoulders…. let you bike’s front suspension punch down the trial.” In the chapter on jumping and the section on rocks, Lopes and McCormack emphasize over and over the importance of staying loose and relaxed – no bracing, punching or death griping. Jumping and rocks are NOT the time to tighten up. (Look at a photo of a confident rider laying their bike flat in the air – most of the time they are barely holding onto the bars at all.)
“Jumping is easier said than done.” This statement is unhelpful and perpetuates a misplaced, awe-struck fear that many XC-focused riders have of jumping. Jumping is (or should be) a fundamental part of trail riding. It is not outside the ability of the average mountain biker to learn and feel comfortable with the basics of jumping.
“Any rock that meets your tire at or below the axle can be safely rolled over.” Rolling axle high rocks or logs is a bad recommendation and with any speed, potentially dangerous. Lopes and McCormack say: “…try to unweight, wheelie, hop or jump over the obstacles. When you stop crashing into things, you’ll immediately increase your speed and control.”
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Johnny
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Decent technical tips and techniques | | Weaknesses: | Intellectually, very weak. | | Similar Products Used: | Most other bike mags - bike, mountain bike, velo, mountain biker, bicycling. | | Bottom Line: | This mag seems pretty dumbed-down but they do go into a lot of detail on components and the tire reviews are somewhat helpful. They also make an effort to cover all genres of mountain biking which is difficult.
However, by quoting their weights in pounds and ounces they are losing a lot of credibility and come across rather obtuse and foolish. It's offensive to that they think it's readers are unable to understand the metric system which is the standard in the bike industry.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Prescott, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: February 10, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Clark Springs | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Strengths: | Good Reviews, good columns, very good magazine. | | Weaknesses: | Seem to like every bike they test. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | 06' Rocky Mountain Switch S3 | | Bottom Line: | This magazine is very informational. They do plenty of testing on higg quality bikes. They give you information about upcoming events, what the pros are doing. They give reviews of products, like tires and jerseys and other stuff, overall it is a very good magazine that I would recommend to any real mountain bike enthusiast
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lee
a Cross Country Rider
from Clearwater
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Bike reviews and tech stuff | | Weaknesses: | Starting to get some lame editorial columns which I skip anyway. They seem to like every bike they test. | | Bottom Line: | This is the best mag for reviews of bikes and equipment but mostly bikes. Full suspension bikes are always evolving and this mag gives you the most reviews. I'm not interested in cycling culture tell me about compression damping, leverage ratios and cuncurrent shocks and forks. The only negatives is that they like every bike that they test. In 4 years I've only seem them rip a bike 2 or 3 times. I know it's bad for the industry but damm they can't all be great. Also they are in bed with Santa Cruz and they like to test the same Cannondales all the time. I wish they had more reviews of trails and riding destinations like Dirt Rag but other than that it's the best out there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard
a Weekend Warrior
from Glen Rose, TX
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Dino Valley | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$18.00 | | Purchased At: | online | | Strengths: | Pretty cool reviews and articles. Pics are decent. Tech articles are good. | | Weaknesses: | I would like to see a bigger variety of bike brands reviewed and written about. Comes across like they are just promoting certain bikes. | | Similar Products Used: | Mags | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel ex6 | | Bottom Line: | I grabbed this one because I couldn't find any others on stands in my area. I liked it alright, so I kept it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Minda Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Adelaide, Australia
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | The Winter/Chambers Gully/Wine Shanty/Hornenell Gully Track Loop | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$9.00 | | Purchased At: | selected news agencies | | Strengths: | emphasis on NEW products, and old favs. richard cunningham & ned overend are mtb gods! 8D | | Weaknesses: | sometimes the 'reviews' seem little more than paid advertisments: i guess mass media has gone this way so i should just get used to being lied to and generally co-erced into mass-consumption. | | Similar Products Used: | all of the aussie mtb mags, and US mags also. i tend to avoid the UK ones. i find the poms annoying turds, and they're always talking about the rain and slop which i just don't relate to; it doesn't rain anymore in the temperate regions of australia because of global warming. | | Bike Setup: | Hecker, 36's, X.0 (gripshift is back baby, yeah!) | | Bottom Line: | i've been riding for more than 15 years but couldn't afford a bike initially, so i had to borrow my mates 21" full-ridged Shogun. after school we'd head for the hills, come home at dusk, roach some billies, and pour over new and old issues of Mountain Bike Action magazine, always MBA... i think it was the only mag out there in '90-'91. we'd read all the reviews: "hey man, check out these Mag 21 forks. dude, like who the f*&k would ever need 3" of travel?? man, mtb is going spastic with this long travel already, where will it end?! pass the dutchy to the left hand side mofo, lol" we'd read all the ads, like irvine bike source etc. eagerly doing currency conversions on all our dream components. things like XTR V-brakes (later Formula discs), Paul deraileurs, White Bros triple clamps or even Hi-5's, and of course, King headsets (some things don't change).
i've virtually followed the evolution of the modern sport through the pages of Mountain Bike Action. MBA always seems to have first access to the very latest kit & caboodle. why read about it in an aussie mag in six months, when MBA have a well written review now, ready to devour.
over the years i've come to know some of the MBA crew, like richard, through his editorial, and have a real respect for their opinions. after many years of lust, largely inspired by MBA, i finally committed to a Heckler (VERY expensive in australia). glad i did! it's the coolest thing i've ever owned, so much more fun than my Rocky Mountain hardtail. if not for MBA, i'd never have got it. thanks MBA.
in summation, i've read 'em all at some time or another and without any doubt MBA is by far THE superior mtb mag, hands down! GET IT!! SUBSCRIBE NOW!!
"Happy Trails!" | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kirk s
a Weekend Warrior
from bay area
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Good advertising... and lot's of it, if you want to look at advertising. Easy layout and easy reading. Nice bikes if you want xc full suspension. | | Weaknesses: | Every bike is good, great, or the latest greatest. No weaknesses, no true commparisons. boring photos. | | Similar Products Used: | all. Europe does mags generally better. Most USA bike mags do photos better. | | Bottom Line: | I still read it, but it all blends together from one issue to the next as same old, same old. May be that it is the best the USA has to offer, at least if you want to read about primarily full travel xc bikes. But still, would be nice if a really good mag came along and blew it out of the water. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kirk s
a Weekend Warrior
from bay area
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Good advertising... and lot's of it, if you want to look at advertising. Easy layout and easy reading. Nice bikes if you want xc full suspension. | | Weaknesses: | Every bike is good, great, or the latest greatest. No weaknesses, no true commparisons. boring photos. | | Similar Products Used: | all. Europe does mags generally better. Most USA bike mags do photos better. | | Bottom Line: | I still read it, but it all blends together from one issue to the next as same old, same old. May be that it is the best the USA has to offer, at least if you want to read about primarily full travel xc bikes. But still, would be nice if a really good mag came along and blew it out of the water. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek
a Weekend Warrior
from Carnation, WA
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Mine | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | subscription | | Strengths: | they review some cool/unique bikes | | Weaknesses: | all of the articles are lame
they test some of the same bikes every year (santa cruz, specialized)
they almost never test Canadian bikes or other small brands
poor customer service
boring pictures | | Similar Products Used: | Decline (the best magazine ever for freeriders/DHers). Decline has cool pictures and good articles. However, they are more for freeriders and downhillers. | | Bike Setup: | '05 Jamis Dakar XLT with an X9 rear derailler | | Bottom Line: | The magazines get really boring. "The Mac Attack" and RC's articles always suck. They are the perfect sleep aid. I can't wait untill my subscription is over (so I can extend my Decline subscription). Also, they have too much race coverage. I lost interest after about a year. Within one year, I saw 3 Santa Cruz Superlight reviews. And the next year, 2 Santa Cruz Nomad reviews. There riding tips guides suck. It took me 10 minutes on my first ride in 7th grade to figure out more than what they tell you. There weight savings tips are stupid. Who is actually that obsessed over a few grams anyways. The only tips you need to know to lighten a bike are to look at the weights of the following: frame, fork, wheels, and cranks. The rest doesn't make any noticable difference. Trust me, just try Decline. Their magazines are quite a bit more money, but they are worth it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Old Man Mountain
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins CO
Date Reviewed: March 15, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | The One I'm On | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1.00 | | Purchased At: | I Subscribe | | Strengths: | Lots of reviews and advice | | Weaknesses: | A Santa Cruz or Specialized in every issue? | | Similar Products Used: | I read 'em all | | Bike Setup: | I have 3 Santa Cruz... Blur, Heckler and Nomad on the way... I am a victim of this magazine's reviews... | | Bottom Line: | After working in the industry for years, I receive comp issues of every mtb, bmx, velo and roadie rag published. This one does the best job in it's genre. And for you nonbelievers, RC can ride. Trust me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Old Man Mountain
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins CO
Date Reviewed: March 15, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | The One I'm On | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1.00 | | Purchased At: | I Subscribe | | Strengths: | Lots of reviews and advice | | Weaknesses: | A Santa Cruz or Specialized in every issue? | | Similar Products Used: | I read 'em all | | Bike Setup: | I have 3 Santa Cruz... Blur, Heckler and Nomad on the way... I am a victim of this magazine's reviews... | | Bottom Line: | After working in the industry for years, I receive comp issues of every mtb, bmx, velo and roadie rag published. This one does the best job in it's genre. And for you nonbelievers, RC can ride. Trust me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Old Man Mountain
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins CO
Date Reviewed: March 15, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | The One I'm On | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1.00 | | Purchased At: | I Subscribe | | Strengths: | Lots of reviews and advice | | Weaknesses: | A Santa Cruz or Specialized in every issue? | | Similar Products Used: | I read 'em all | | Bike Setup: | I have 3 Santa Cruz... Blur, Heckler and Nomad on the way... I am a victim of this magazine's reviews... | | Bottom Line: | After working in the industry for years, I receive comp issues of every mtb, bmx, velo and roadie rag published. This one does the best job in it's genre. And for you nonbelievers, RC can ride. Trust me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jeremy
a Weekend Warrior
from Texas
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Strengths: | Great reviews, best assortment of bikes on Buyer's Guide Issues, | | Weaknesses: | NONE by far the best OVER ALL mountain bike mag. | | Similar Products Used: | All of the rest | | Bottom Line: | This is the mag to get if you are the average mountain biker (cross country and all mountain) which is nearly 90% of MTB riders. If you are a big hit or slalom rider then go get another mag, but for the rest of us this is the only option. Oh for the panzy ass below that won't renew his subscription because of the way that the editor decides to portray weight in referrence to components, you are a sissy and don't deserve to even ride a mountain bike or live in the greatest country in the world! If you want a state side mag to use the metric system then get your ass over seas! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
murray
a Downhiller
from calgary, albeta, canada
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Strengths: | really great reviews, good and honest, not to many advertisments | | Weaknesses: | talks about trail biking and cross country | | Bottom Line: | best bang for your buck. I fyou want honest reviews this is the magazine | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Francis
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$5.00 | | Purchased At: | Bufini | | Strengths: | i find their component reviews good and unbiased. Nice helpful riding tips. The advertisements gives me a good idea of the going rate of parts and components | | Weaknesses: | none for me | | Similar Products Used: | bike magazine | | Bike Setup: | Jamis XLT 3.0 frame, Shimano Hone Group Set, Marzocchi All Mountain 1 Fork, Thomson Stem and Seat Post | | Bottom Line: | I like reading the magazine and i would recommend it to people who's into mountain biking. especially beginners | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Downhiller
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | chapters, indigo, corner store, wherever has it | | Strengths: | Colorful pictures and moderately decent but not that credible reviews | | Weaknesses: | I think this magazine really isn't that great. I generally find that all the product reviews focus way too specifically on actual components as opposed to how the whole bike feels. I understand that the bike is a sum of its parts and all, but for the most part, for example, in a year's worth of reviews, I've heard almost 10 to fifteen times how a manitou swinger 6 way works and that it's the greatest thing alive. Or a Boxxer Team for that matter. blah blah blah. Oh and how about those 100 useful tips. I find a good chunk of them completely useless in which if you had some common sense, you'd know these things. This is from the 05 feb issue: "Keep toenails and fingernails clipped close." ??? or how about this one: "61. Grabbing a guy's jersey pocket on a climb gives you instant horsepower. 62. Grabbing a guy's jersey pocket on a climb loses you a friend."??? how about this? Grabbing a MBA editor's jersey pocket on a climb makes them fall down and hopefully think twice about writing such useless "top tips". Brutal, absolutely brutal. Soaking with water and hurling at other people is such a better use of paper than this garbage | | Similar Products Used: | Bike, Decline (really like this one, you actually get articles written by pro riders that are funny and inciteful, just grabbed this one for the first time and was really surprised), Mountain Bike Quarterly, MB UK | | Bike Setup: | Norco Shore | | Bottom Line: | This magazine is filled with advertisements, bias, and sometimes useless facts. Be experimental with magazines. Go look at other ones and flip through them before you buy them. This is the first mag that I'd encountered and now that I'm reading a bunch of other mags, I'm realizing that there is so much better mags out there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Evergreen,CO
Date Reviewed: April 1, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Strengths: | Good technical information and product comparisons. | | Weaknesses: | Too much emphasis on twinkies build “air parks” in their parent’s back yard and jumping off buildings with 50-pound bikes.
Insistence on quoting weights in ounces and pounds - ridiculous!
| | Bottom Line: | I have been a subscriber for a couple of years but unfortunately will not be renewing. One of the main reasons for my decision is the editors insistence on quoting the weights of bike components in pounds and ounces. That is absolutely ridiculous and out of touch with modern bicycle terminology and semantics to use the “Old English” system to quote weights.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
surkerry childers
a
from Carmel
Date Reviewed: March 22, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere Ft. Ord/ S.C. Demo | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | local bike shops | | Strengths: | well rounded mag that can mix it up and deliver knowledge in all realms of the sport wether it be mechanical, nutritional or yes, political! | | Weaknesses: | none from my viewpoint. I recongnize that they are running a business and seem to be doing the best with their resources. | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Biking, Bicycling, Bike, Flow, Decline, Dirt Rag and more | | Bike Setup: | which one? | | Bottom Line: | MBA is the best magazine for North America period. You don't get near the diversity in ANY other mag. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tyler dan
a
from waukesha, Wi- USA
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | The John Muir Trailhead | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Purchased At: | I subscribed to it by a sheet in the magazine | | Strengths: | Full detail on bikes, events, equipment, etc.
I love the reveiws on bikes
| | Weaknesses: | It could work on the effort to reveiws local trails. If they have reveiws on bikes, they should have reveiws on trails. | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Biking
Mountain Bike | | Bike Setup: | N/A | | Bottom Line: | I love this magizine period | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a
from PA
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Compared to other bike mags:
-somewhat detailed product reviews
-entertaining
-lately, more focus shifted toward the "hardcore" trial rider | | Weaknesses: | Almost ALL product reviews are written by riders testing products on West Coast buffed, dry, smooth trails. I'd sure like to see more articles submitted by those riding on the East Coast. I know that sounds like a sweeping generalization but riding conditions here are quite different.
A bit too much time spent on the fringe, "extreme" circles of riding. For example, disproportionate amount of coverage on events like Red Bull Rampage. DH,FR, all mt., xc, great. I do them all. I'm just not sure that's it's healthy for the sport as a whole to have a mag excessively publish photos of people with "push bikes" doing "extreme" riding (ie. sailing 50' in the air on a 50# bike you can't even pedal) It's kind of embarrasing and IMO ranks up there with other "extreme" sports like monster truck racing. | | Similar Products Used: | Other bike mags. Any bike mag is better than no bike mag. I subscribe to MBA and Dirt Rag and both are good for different reasons. | | Bike Setup: | NA | | Bottom Line: | I will continue to subscribe.
Just my opinion, but I'd like to see a column called "Trail". Sure, I like to read the nice reviews on bikes, but I'd love to see reviews on local trails. What's the sweetest bike without a nice trail to ride. Included would be interviews and pics of locals who build, maintain and ride the trails. Tools the trail builders use. Pics of the trails. Skills a given trail builds or requires. Bike design, set up, equipment, tire pressure, (yada, yada,) that works well on the trail being reviewed. I digress.
Oh, BTW, ads with pics of vehicles "off roading" are not cool. IMO, nothing is more contrary to concept of being "in the woods" or "nature" than a 3/4 ton, fume spewing, motorized vehicle "off roading" in a forest.
Mike | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hui Chuen Chuang
a Weekend Warrior
from Penang, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Near my house. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Subscribe | | Strengths: | Lots of learning skills, bike tests, racing news, and up to date. | | Weaknesses: | Too many repeated advertisements. | | Similar Products Used: | Decline, Australian Mountain Bike | | Bottom Line: | i like the "ask RC section". tells you most of the things you want to know. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
voodoo chile
a Cross Country Rider
from LI,ny
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | dupont,pisgah nat forrest,nc | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | bicycle planet | | Strengths: | lots of riding tips | | Weaknesses: | just came in contact with several people from cali, who know the trails that mtb action uses to test bikes. i was told by all of these guys that the test trails are "SUPER SMOOTH". I REPEAT "SUPER SMOOTH". this is the jackass of a mag that talks as if people didnt or i should say couldnt ride of road until f/s was invented. we laughed like hell when they told me but afterwards i felt angry. angry that thes punk @ss stay puff marshmellows are misleading people into thinking fs is the ONLY OPTION. when they are riding "manicured trails" that dont require any type of suspension. richard countryham, your a joke!!!!!!!. | | Similar Products Used: | toilet paper, bounty to be exact. its soft too. | | Bike Setup: | voodoo bizango (e gads!! a hardtail!!!)xt, gripshift z2bam | | Bottom Line: | mr softie has been exposed. this mag is obviously in the back pocket of the manufacturers, especially specialized.
richard countryham is like the wizard in "the wizard of oz". "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!!" he says. uh, too late. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
smokey
a Cross Country Rider
from gilliam mo usa
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | the one i'm on | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Purchased At: | subscribe | | Strengths: | Lots of bike and product reviews, thumbnail thrash tests every month, not afraid to point out bad products, arrives on time, more content per $ than many other mags, good photography. | | Weaknesses: | Bike reviews are sometimes contradictory, as are how-to articles (i.e. bar ends- one issue says they are dead, the next puts them on a good buy list). WAY too much emphasis on full suspension bikes, also expensive bikes. How many of us will spend $4,000 on our next bike? Too west coast oriented, the midwest, south, and east coast have mountain bikers, too. | | Similar Products Used: | Dirt Rag (the best), Bike (great photos, very little content otherwise), Mountain Bike (has really gone downhill in the last year or so), British mtb mags (great, but hard to find and EXPENSIVE). | | Bike Setup: | not relevant here. | | Bottom Line: | I reviewed this magazine back in 2001 and gave them 5 flamers overall. This time I'm cutting back, mostly because they are forgetting about the average mtb'er who doesn't have a fortune to spend on a new bike. They also emphasize full suspension too much, around here you still see more hardtails than anything else. They still do have a lot of content compared to some of the others on the market, however, and the subscription price is not too bad. Bottom line, the only 5 flamer mag for me now is Dirt Rag, MBA has dropped a notch. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Smeg 958
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Blanket's Creek, Bull Creek | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | B&N | | Strengths: | Pictures/Articles somewhat about mountain biking. | | Weaknesses: | Who is R.C. and what makes him so righteous? Have yet to hear a bad review. | | Similar Products Used: | BIKE, DirtRag | | Bottom Line: | Save your hard earned money for some better quality bathroom reading material. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hucker Berry Finn
a Cross Country Rider
from Fontucky
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | - Has all the mail order ads
- Great for bike geeks like me to look at parts and bike pictures in the reviews | | Weaknesses: | - Seems to have political agenda
- Strange bias towards Santa Cruz and Manitou
- That renaming of "freeriding" to "black diamond riding" was super lame
- RC stands on a soap box and pulpit
- Won't publish products names like the KHS Witch Doctor or Evil Bikes.
- Riding photos often show big no-nos in terms of trail etiquette like rear wheel skidding. | | Similar Products Used: | Toilet Paper | | Bottom Line: | A good magazine for checking out the lastest products and shopping through the tons of mail order company ads. But as an editorial staff, I don't like their writing style and I don't trust them. They seem biased towards Santa Cruz and Manitou products for some reason. They keep reviewing the Santa Cruz Superlight for example. Many product shot that are meant to show tires or a wheel happens to be on a Manitou fork. I think it's lame how they tried to rename freeriding as black diamond riding. RC stands on a high soap box and dictates stuff down to people in his advice section. They photograph too many riders doing rear wheel skids, bad for trail conditions and other trail users. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek Manuge
a Weekend Warrior
from Elmvale, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Citizens Property | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$5.00 | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | hmm, long magazine -good reviews -ask rc rules | | Weaknesses: | ask rc has questions only revoolving around fs bikes and not enough freeride hardtails- too much of a xc mag and not enoughpics of huge hucks and jumps - also needs ways to clean and maintain yor bike at least one article in each issue- For Example:( article = chain) | | Similar Products Used: | bike, mountain bike mag, dirt rag, etc.. | | Bottom Line: | well is the best mag out there but still less xc and more drops and jumps no one likes a picture of a guy riding his bike up a hill , they rather see a guy flying down a hill about to hit a huge jump! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from chicago, IL, USA
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | New product reviews, riding tips for newbies | | Weaknesses: | They rarely give a bad bike review. Inconsistencies in their recomendations. | | Similar Products Used: | mountain bike | | Bike Setup: | f/s | | Bottom Line: | They have much more content than other mags i've read. Reading their reviews is tricky. Nearly all bikes get a good review. You really have to read between the li(n)es to figure out if the bike would be good for you or not.
They recently did a reader survey and have made changes to the mag to include shootouts and bikes that fall more in the price range of the "average reader". Hopefully that will break them away from being a big hit, downhill oriented mag (or whatever the trend of the week is) and back to a broader range of riding, which is why I started reading it originally.
I give it 4 flamin' p**hs for value because it has much more content overall than the other mags I've seen, but it loses one for being pricey at $4.
And 2 p**hs overall for inconsistency in recomendations and seeming to jump on the bandwagon alot. Plus 1 p**h for doing a reader survey and making immediate improvements.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
edouble
a Cross Country Rider
from LI,ny
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | dupont forest,nc | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | borders | | Strengths: | lots of tips to help riders get better. good ads. | | Weaknesses: | worship of specialized and f/s as usual. no pimp has ever had a ho as loyal as this mag is to f/s and specialized. i ride a hardtail because i like the added challenge, not because i cant "afford" a f/s. i got my wife a sugar 1, and when i get really old(im almost 40)ill probably get one also. but not now. | | Similar Products Used: | all the american mags, the u.k. mags still destroy everything we have over here. especially "mountain bike rider". that mag is the sh*t!. | | Bike Setup: | voodoo bizango, z2bam,xt,valiants etc. | | Bottom Line: | some things never change. reviewed this mag 1.5 yrs ago.
not much difference, oh well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tyler Stevenson
a Cross Country Rider
from California
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Downieville | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3.00 | | Purchased At: | Subscription mail-in | | Strengths: | Good reviews, awesome race coverage,stories in almost every issue that helpout the average rider in some way. | | Weaknesses: | More biased towards the trail/downhill section of mountain biking as opposed to the xc part of it (for some people this would be a strength). Constant testing of extremely expensive bikes. | | Similar Products Used: | bike, Dirt Rag | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Hardrock Uno | | Bottom Line: | The botom line is that this magazine has its strnghts and weaknesses. For instance, an issue I just recieved had awesome coverage on the Sea Otter, and a couple of issues ago it had a great sectionof crash photos. Reviews are good to, but having more bike shootouts would definitely be a good thing. This mag is a somewhat biased towards full suspenpsion, but every other issue they will review a hardtail or two. And also, this mag focuses a lot on trail riding, downhill, and complete racing, with not as uch XC. So, don't just say that this "mag sucks" or "there is nothing better". Just poick it up at a newstand and look through it. If you don't like it, fine just put it back down and get another one, but it isn't really necessary to immediately come here and chew the mag out. One last thing: this mag has a great amount of content in between its covers; some mags put a few pages of words a few advertisements, and sell it for more than it's worth (I'm not pointing fingers, however). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hoon
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Maria/ San Diego, CA , USA
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | anything with dirt | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | bookstore | | Strengths: | Lots of pics. Riding and maintenance tips | | Weaknesses: | Seems biased. Some of the reviews were crap. I just didn't care enough to read them and I'm a consumer WH0RE. | | Similar Products Used: | Bike, Mountain Biker a long time ago | | Bottom Line: | I've been away from mountain biking for about 5 years now due to getting a car. (I'm only 20 now, so I'm sure everyone can understand the adolescent joy of cars) anyway, I've been itchin to get back on the trails. I started doing my research for a new bike on mtbr.com and some magazines... like this one. The magazine leans more towards f/s, which I can understand. They are more comfortable. But I still love my old school gary fisher Mamba hardtail even though I'm converting after trying out the new sugar. The point is I still love my hardtail as does many people because that was our first love. I wish this mag just wouldn't talk so much sh!t about em. other than that, great pics, articles are weak, no one cares about the interviews. at least I don't. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul Marra
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | 'Nam | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$17.00 | | Strengths: | Good industry connections and insight into what is going on. | | Weaknesses: | Objectivity, consistency. Bandwagon mentality on recommending new products that often dissapear without trace. Product reviews are often little more than press releases. This publication seems to be run at the whim of Richard Cunningham. Reading through the archives of ask R.C., you will want to suggest he get some help for multiple personality disorder. He offers recommendations without explanation or reason, they often conflict with what he has said, even recently. He is clearly spreading the wealth to the bike manufacturers. You often wonder why they are reviewing the bikes they do, some with relatively little interest, other than assuming they are pandering to the manufacturers. Comparative reviews are few and far apart. If Road and Track can get six car companies to loan them $70,000 sedans for a shootout, why can't MBA get a handful of $2,000 bikes and offer some real help to buyers? The answer is they would lose ad support if they did this consistently. Believe me, this hurts us all in the long run. If the BMW M5 gets slaughtered int the test, you can bet they will raise the bar with the next model. I don't get the sense that these Bike companies are equiped to do the same. If these manufacturers were called out for their questionable designs, you bet we would all be getting better bikes in the long run. | | Similar Products Used: | Dirt Rag. | | Bike Setup: | Jamis Dakar XLT 2.0. Stock. | | Bottom Line: | This magazine could be a whole lot better. Unfortunately, it is a necessary evil if you want to know what is going on. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Terry
a
from Edmonton
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Bottom Line: | I am updating my rating from early 2003 a little because I have found that the reviews have improved a fair bit. It appears to mostly be RC, but there is more being said about products with yay/nay reasons being given. I liked the stable platform review issue a fair bit (epic, blur, vt, spider....) I am also starting to appreciate the "Ask RC" which gives some good points, and is nicely archived in their website which is a handy companion to the mag...
I would still call the magazine 'fair' but at 2 out of 5 chilis that seems more like 'poor' when one reads this. Let's say 3 and 3. The odd mag is quite good, and the odd one is pretty empty, with variations in between. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ned
a Cross Country Rider
from Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | too many to decide on just one | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$17.00 | | Purchased At: | subscription | | Strengths: | Reviews, new products, buyer's guide | | Weaknesses: | slanted toward freeriding and downhill, full suspension, and high-end rigs. | | Similar Products Used: | Bike, Dirtrag, | | Bottom Line: | This is a good magazine if you want a review of a particular bike or new accessory, or the annual bike buyer's guide. The editor has really been around the industry for some time, and really knows what he's talking about. I've been reading it for over ten years, and subscribed off and on. Most of the reviewers thus far have good points. They (MBA) definitely seem to be pimping some products, and have gotten away from XC riding. Racers, freeriders, and downhillers are their bread and butter. Not the way it used to be several years ago. I will probably let my subscription run out-again. If you want to be up on the latest products, these guys will fill the bill. If you're a hucker and/or really into gravity, they're pretty good. If mountain biking is all about the experience to you, then this is an awful choice. Read Bike or Dirt Rag. In fact, after I'm done with this review, I think I'll subscribe to Dirt Rag.
This is only my opinion, so pick up a copy and see what you think; I've been an XC/singletracker for the last ten years and my opinion may be biased. I'm givin 'em 2 chilies for value(single copy price is way too high for a mag w/so many ads), and 3 overall because it still has some qualities | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate Secaur
a Racer
from Gainesville, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | the one I'm on | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | book store | | Strengths: | The magazine employs people to ride and pimp bicycles. | | Weaknesses: | No one writing for the rag is writing. The writers are advertising copy writers. Spineless. | | Similar Products Used: | Dirt Rag | | Bike Setup: | LeGeNd tI fIgHtEr, www.legendbikes.com, ti custom hard tail. | | Bottom Line: | If they changed their title to downhill bike action I would take them more seriously. I believe there is something in a title. I disagree with their opinion that hard tail bicycles are obsolete/poorly designed/generally bad. And their zealous insistance that expensive dh rigs are the pinnacle of biking only shows how much they want the advertising dollars of the manufacturers. Every magazine must pay the bills, everyone else seems to be able to get some integrity into their pages. Seems MBA is in the biking segment for the short haul. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bjorndoggie Cruiser
a Weekend Warrior
from Sacramento CA, USA
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Forresthill Divide Loop | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | American River Bicycles | | Strengths: | You know... I just like it. | | Weaknesses: | Oh my god! They actually have an opinion! | | Similar Products Used: | Most of 'em. | | Bike Setup: | Yes, I have a tricked out Stumpy FSR. But, I rode a hard tail when I started reading the Mag and switched to full supension for back relief (I ride cross country/trail). | | Bottom Line: | Man I can't believe how vicious the hard tail riders are toward this magazine! Can't we all just get along? Yes, they (MBA) are biased in favor of full suspension but you know what? They're friggin' right! I rode hardtail 'til I couldn't take it anymore. Made the switch and what a difference! Not only does my back feel a hundred times better but I'm a better and faster rider. In addition, some people think MBA is being pimped by Specialized. Guess what? The big S makes great bikes and they own the patent on the Horst Linkage (that really pisses people off for some reason). I've read all the magazines and I always like MBA the best (even when I rode hardtail). I think they're greeeaaaat and should keep up the good work. And that is my opinion which coincidently is just as valid or off the wall as anybody else's on this website! Have fun and get out and ride whatever it is you prefer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike S
a Cross Country Rider
from Spokane
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | Borders? | | Strengths: | Bike porn of f/s bikes (if you're into that sort of thing) | | Weaknesses: | Written for 14 year olds, by writers with the intellect of 8 year olds, who are slave/whors to the industry. | | Similar Products Used: | Dirt Rag, SingleTrack (the only 2 good mags I've read) | | Bottom Line: | I'll only buy a copy of this mag if it's the ONLY thing on the shelf. The magazines' "reporting" and "writing" in no way reflect popular mountain biking. Might be useful to those who want to keep up with the latest full suspension designs, but have no interest in actually riding. This is basically an industry advertising mag; it might be worth the money if it were free. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Genital Apparatus
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Etobicoke Creek, Urban Trials | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$8.00 | | Purchased At: | Humber College's book store | | Strengths: | Looks nice, has lots of pictures of pretty looking bikes in it. | | Weaknesses: | "Hardtails are dead." Ummmmm... Nope. | | Similar Products Used: | Bike Magazine. | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Specialized Hardrock Pro, RaceFace handlebar and stem, Shimano drivetrain. | | Bottom Line: | The writers of this magazine really try to sell the readers on this whole "full suspension" thing. It's okay if you're into that stuff, but I get a little bit turned off when I go out to ride trials and then read somewhere that "hardtails are dead". Anyone who has the audacity to say that needs to get his/her head checked by an expert. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Some Guy
a Cross Country Rider
from Pacific, Washington, USA
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Skookum Flats | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | subscription | | Strengths: | good reviews, good pics, plenty of things that interest me | | Weaknesses: | hmm? | | Similar Products Used: | bike mag (primarily freeride), mountain bike mag (goes for the racers) | | Bike Setup: | SC Blur | | Bottom Line: | are all you guys crazy? yes, they DO primarily go for the f/s bikes, but thats because no one is really excited about hardtails anymore. Why would they publish a mag focusing on hardtails if the majority of people have full suspension? ... and to you who say "f/s sucks, get a hardtail" ... well, i think you just want a f/s and cant afford one or something like that... EVERYONE who has started with a hardtail and has switched to full suspension has NEVER said they liked thier hardtail better... including me.... also, i have never found thier reviews to be faulty, or pictures to be wrong, i have only found very minor errors in this mag... its my favorite mag out there that ive had a close look at | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from S. Cal.
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | subscribed | | Strengths: | Great variety, good resource for "what's happening now", good inside stories of racer and freerider, a lot of information in one single issue (although not all of them are accountable) | | Weaknesses: | Product review: don't trust any of their review before you check with mtbr.com, I bought a Lizardskin carbon chain guard per their good review but found it's a total trash. | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Bike Mag (worse), Bycling Mag. | | Bike Setup: | Sugar 3+ | | Bottom Line: | This mag. was a big promoter for FS bike, until lots of complain then you see some hardtail article lately. It's generally fun to read and an easy resource to collect knowledge/ information for anyone new to this sport.
Product review isn't that true and I was very unpleased for some purchase which they praised about. Another example: bike set up suggestion in this month's Sugar 2+ review geared toward Freeride/ trail riding, and didn't give a fair consideration for XC riding, which I found unbalanced. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stark
a Cross Country Rider
from CA
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | one with dirt | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | grocery stores and LBS | | Strengths: | When it's good, it has plenty of good reviews of bikes and components i might want to ride (CC with plenty of suspension). You can usually find it at any supermarket/newstand if you need to waste some time and want a bike fix. | | Weaknesses: | When it's bad, it's just RC's view of the universe with reviews I don't care about. Who came up with "black diamond" riding? It's called FREERIDE. Like FREE Surfing or FREEstyle sports. | | Similar Products Used: | Not as good as Dirt Rag, better than Bike. More mtb articles than Bicycling. | | Bike Setup: | a couple of fishers | | Bottom Line: | The writing is ok, but it's all RC, all the time. He knows a lot, but I check mtbr for my reviews and trust the community more than one guy. He really seems to like specialized. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Racer
from Portland
Date Reviewed: August 24, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | A-Line | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Browse at the rack only | | Weaknesses: | Is RC is a right-wing wacko?
The magazine's testing is more akin to a belief in some bizarre SoCal religion than anything to do with empirical sciene. IF you happen to be someone who doesn't ride fire roads exclusively, than the opinions they express in their bike tests are totally useless. | | Bottom Line: | Mountain Bike Fiction: Your number one source for for stupid $hit that people actually believe. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
alex silva
a Racer
from natal
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | everything going uphill | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | nice photos | | Weaknesses: | all others except the photos | | Similar Products Used: | MTBinternational | | Bike Setup: | spz stumpjumper m2, chris king, thomson, eggies, sid wc.... | | Bottom Line: | well, i really dont know why people still buy this magazine. this people get paied by companys like specialized just to tell how great their bikes are!i know most magazines does the same but this one is way out of control! they only tests fs bikes, dh bikes..they dont know sh#@t about saving weight and a reall light mtb!spz epic the ultimate race machine??? thanks god there are sites like mtbr.com ! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex
a Downhiller
from Santa Cruz, Ca, US
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Dead Camper | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Well-written reviews, good points, and nice features such as
ask R.C. | | Weaknesses: | Not enough variety like street and trials. | | Bottom Line: | This mag is great. They have excellent writers and good reviews. They test many types of mountain bikes from the all-racer, to the full-blown freeride machine. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean McNair
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | high torque | | Strengths: | I don't know since they won't send me my frickin magazine | | Weaknesses: | CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS!!!! | | Bottom Line: | Don't ever buy a subscription from hi-torque or MBA. More than 5 months ago i sent them money. still no magazine. I have called (they don't answer phones and a busy signal ALWAYS comes on) I have sent numerous emails that were ignored. I am now filing a complaint with the internet fraud complaint center to get either a refund or my magazines.
They had no problem cashing my money order but seem to have a serious problem delivering what i bought. Fortunately, I kept all my records. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert Fish
a Weekend Warrior
from Simi Valley, Ca
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | ones with dirt | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | SUBSCRIBE | | Strengths: | Magazine is about mountain bikes. | | Weaknesses: | those which can be attributed to most magazines, example: highly influenced by advertising dollars. | | Similar Products Used: | read 'em all | | Bike Setup: | This is a magazine review. | | Bottom Line: | The appeal of a given magazine is highly subjective to the tastes of the individual reader. I appreciate that this magazine is about MOUNTAIN BIKES. No road bikes, no cyclocross bikes. Opinions are generally labeled as such. All magazines are beholden to their advertisers, as this is their main source of revenue. Fortunately, we have forums such as this website for a more objective review of products. I also appreciate that they tend to not espouse extreme political views, and/or esoteric "hippie" b.s. There are other publications for that, and good for them. Everyone is entitled to there opinion. Appropriate activism relating to MOUNTAIN BIKES is stuff like trail access issues, etc. There is also some validity to the complaint of being "west coast oriented". This is easy to understand, given that is where they are located, and the cost of travel is high. But they could work on that. Overall four & four flaming turds today. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Walter Guan
a
from Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$7.00 | | Purchased At: | bookstores | | Strengths: | Great reviews, nice photos, ...etc | | Weaknesses: | pages fall out, expensive. | | Similar Products Used: | mbr, mountain bike (all crap) | | Bottom Line: | This mag is truly gr8. They follow up with their readers and do bikes which readers want. They used to do loads of XC, then ppl started complaining. Then DH/FR. Then readers complain again. What do you expect them to do? Make a 1000 page mag? They have tested almost all the bike brands there is and many many products. And their reviews are gr8 and they know what they are talking about(they all ride). They test bikes which bike company sends them. If Dean does not send, then they can't test it. Also they test new products(or technology)b'cos most readers want to know about them. If u want an old product(or technology), get an old mag.
Overall, I think this is the best mag there is. Period. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from LV, CA
Date Reviewed: March 15, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Marshall Cyn. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$5.00 | | Purchased At: | Sav-On | | Strengths: | Training tips. | | Weaknesses: | Everything else. | | Similar Products Used: | All the mags. | | Bike Setup: | Stock '02 Trek Fuel 90 Disc | | Bottom Line: | The training tips are all I buy it for. They are all about hype of new products; in my book they have no credibility in reviews. The mags are basically a big Supergo ad. They are so biased in their reviews. They hate Trek(pointing out billions of non valid dislikes for a bike and leaving out many poisitve aspects) and for some reason and love Santa Cruz, Intense, Ellsworth, Specialized,etc(pointing out useless dislikes such as the price or the color). It's a great mag if you can't see through all of the hype and it's trash if you can. In the march '03 issue they said to refer to their ads to find out the weights of bike parts in the weight weenie article. I couldn't believe it. It's like saying "The best place to buy parts from is Pricepoint.com because they paid us the most money to say this." | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Terry
a Racer
from edmonton canada
Date Reviewed: February 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Bottom Line: | I've just read through the march 03 issue and feel motivated to write a review. I've finally come to the conclusion that this magazine just isn't all that credible or useful. It gushes over specific things like the specialized epic, (a favourite to balance out Mountain Bike's love for the blur?) citing how it's extra couple-few pounds is no big deal, then ironically publishes an article about cutting cable ends and using foam grips to save weight. Reviews of brand new bikes (like the s-works epic) that cost thousands will probably interest people with a high degree of bike knowledge that want input on whether this is the bike for them, but the copy is full of useless things like charts on how much air to put in the rear shock(!) and questions & answers sessions that are very dumb. I never come away knowing or trusting to know whether a particular fork or bike was really that good. The odd stinker of an issue has made my friends ask if the bike really was ridden, which is a crime. Their filler/"buyers guides" always have the odd incorrect photos matched with data. MBA has had the odd okay issue and i appreciate that because i'm a bike nut and i buy the stupid things anyway, but they could do so much better in offering credible and opinion, and have me think that was $6+ canadian well spent. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
K. Fritz Lehr
a Cross Country Rider
from Carrboro, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Chapel Hill High | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Great reviews of expensive and inexpensive bikes, good tunning tips, I agree that they do more f/s bike testing like the guy below, but that is the undeniable direction bikes are heading. | | Weaknesses: | I wish they posted race schedules in their magazine, more products tested back to back and ranked, long-term reliability test updates, $4 is kind of expensive, but I think they all cost about that much. | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Bike | | Bike Setup: | '03 SC Heckler, Fox Vanilla 125R, XT disc, cranks, BB, shifter, hubs, XTR R. Derailler, Thompson Stpst, Azonic Riser bar, Kore stem, Race Face Hdst, Sun Rims | | Bottom Line: | They test more products back to back than any other magazine, but it is still not all inclusive. For instance, they will test high end f/s XC bikes in one issue and mid priced ones in another issue. But they will not stack the winner of the two against eachother or rank all of them. This is aht I don't like about any of them. This magazine is great for reviews, comparisons and product opinion. This magazine is not perfect, but it is the best one out there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
edouble
a Cross Country Rider
from wheatley heights,ny
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | da'wiss in philly | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | borders | | Strengths: | great ads, test's some of the best bikes | | Weaknesses: | shameful worship of f/s , r.c.'s lack of objectivity when it comes to all things specialized. i dont get it, where is the fun in riding bikes that turn the trail into the road????????????????????. i guess they need to build paved, smooth paths through the woods then all the f/s riders can just get road bikes!. | | Similar Products Used: | dirtrag, mb,bike, the u.k. mags which absolutely positively blow the doors off ALL the u.s. mags! | | Bike Setup: | voodoo bizango,fsx,xt,bontrager valiant w/xtr hubs,salsa post/stem,avid,truvativ stylo,conti,time a.t.a.c. | | Bottom Line: | this mag sucks much f/s c@ck. to make matters worse, there in cali on smooth trails no less!. WHAT A BUNCH OF PUNK @SS SISSES!!!!. WHAT WOULD THEY RIDE IF THEY LIVED HERE ON THE EASTCOAST?, WHERE THERES ROOTS AND ROCKS GALORE!! A MISTER SOFTIE TRUCK THATS WHAT! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ilakano
a Cross Country Rider
from Walnut Creek, CA
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Wall Point | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | In the past year, I have seen a big improvement in the content of MBA. The articles on destinations are well written and helpful. The reviews are honest and the tech help sections are good. I've given up on Mountain Bike and Bicycling. I read this one, Dirt Rag(subscriber) and MBR, the UK mag. | | Weaknesses: | Would like to see even more articles on places to ride. Otherwise, non. | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Bikin, Mountain Bike, Bicycling, MBR and Dirt Rag. | | Bike Setup: | Giant NRS2, Monkeylite/Easton EA50, Avid mechanicals, Thompson seatpost/SelleItalia gel flight saddle, python tubless tires. | | Bottom Line: | A much improved magazine that I hope the readers here give a second chance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
weather expert
a Weekend Warrior
from damn does that matter
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | subscription per year | | Strengths: | good article once in a while.
nice catalog. | | Weaknesses: | hype hype hype. hardtail is dead, full suspension rule, everything points downhill in hope everyone gets shuttled back up, nobody should have a tube inside their tires, blah blah blah. | | Similar Products Used: | bicycling, bike, dirtrag | | Bike Setup: | xc hardtail and hardnose! | | Bottom Line: | major hype mag. tubeless? yeah! hardtail? full sussies are the only way to go! freeride and dh? the only manly thing on this planet!
scru that. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MTBr
a Racer
from San Pablo, CA
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Any and All | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Good reviews on full-suspension bikes and parts; color photos; some good articles and "How To" sections; updates on current bike technology. | | Weaknesses: | Not enough info on some bikes and parts; not enough bike porn and eye candy - I need more :) ; black and white photos. | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Bike; Mountain Biking; Bike; Dirt Rag; etc. | | Bike Setup: | Intense | | Bottom Line: | Out of all of them, this is my favorite mag. I can't wait 'til the new issues come out (I really need to subscribe). Overall, a good mag! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Evan
a
from Austin tx
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | subscription | | Strengths: | umm it rules. Lots of articles. Good reading.Lots of dif. bikes and varrying articles | | Weaknesses: | none maybey black and white | | Similar Products Used: | mountain bike, dirt rag all crap | | Bike Setup: | freeride hardtale | | Bottom Line: | its a kick ass mag. all the people complaing about them only testing expensive bike it because they test what the companys send them.People are complaining about them doing to much xc then the very next rieview they say there is not enough downhill.
they cover both eqaully!!!!! 20 times better then all the other mags. the only thing bad is not any trials and not much northshore. so go out and buy the damn mag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Cant wait to get my next issue | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jaggi
a Cross Country Rider
from Finland
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | subscription | | Strengths: | Good tips and info about new products.
Reviews.
Cheap!! | | Weaknesses: | Black and white photos!?!
Too much fullsus. bikes(i have a hardtail)
| | Similar Products Used: | Mountain bike,maximum mtb,mountain biking,mountain biker international | | Bottom Line: | Second best mag i've read(Maximum mtb was the best).
If only they drop the black/white photos and get more thicker/high quality paper,it would be great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
rOb cHuuNkY
a Weekend Warrior
from Babaloosa
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | The cement jungle & anykind | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1.00 | | Purchased At: | Subscription | | Strengths: | EVERYTHING:
GREAT TIPS AND INFO AND TESTS FROM BIKES TO FITNESS GREAT CONTESTS TO WIN GREAT STUFF | | Weaknesses: | NOTHING, its not free | | Similar Products Used: | BICYCLING (CRAP) MOUNTAIN BIKING,BIKE,DIRT RAG,ALL OF THEM | | Bike Setup: | SPECIALIZED HARDROCK W/ MARZOCCHI Z3..... | | Bottom Line: | THIS MAG IS GREAT!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
george washington
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | USA | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$16.00 | | Purchased At: | annually | | Strengths: | Very technical no personal bull**** about life. | | Weaknesses: | same | | Similar Products Used: | mountain bike, mountain biking, mountain biker | | Bike Setup: | the best | | Bottom Line: | I am probably on the minority here but when I buy a magazine about mountain bikes I expect to read about mountain bikes not about life and personal stories. Yes one here one there is OK but when it becomes the driving force behind the magazine its not worth it to me. This is by far the best mountain bike mag out there lot's of bike reviews concize analizyz of equipment and a little life just enough. now if they could only lower the price it would be perfect | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ziggy Stardust
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | Convenience stores | | Strengths: | Good coverage, some interesting but ocasionally strange editorial reviews. Richard Cunningham seems like a kewell dude, but where is that cartigan and Adam's apple I recall so fondly? | | Weaknesses: | Heavy on the ads. Tends to review pricier rides ($2k and up), and appear obsessed (if not paid off by) with Specialized, Giant and Santa Cruz. Too much coverage of races and events-would gladly exchange races and events coverage with unbiased Mountain bike and products reviews. | | Similar Products Used: | Dirt rag | | Bike Setup: | Zaskar Team, XT/XTR, Mavic 517, Sid SL, CatEye Stadium III, RockShox Susp seatpost, WYB Laser saddle | | Bottom Line: | This is a good magazine overall. Its not just one fat advertisement that costs 5 bucks like Mountain Biking magazine is. They offer good reviews and the writers appear to know what they are talking about. But, as usual this magazine is Southern California-centric. With reviews always viewed through the sunny, rain and mud free lens of the So-Cal folks. We nor-easters would like to see more coverage about how to keep your bike going through the cold, wet, slog that we deal with every season (especially in the Spring).
They should trim their coverage of races and events and replace it with more product and bike reviews. Personally I don't really care who won the whatever National race at wherever USA...I do care about knowing if its worth the extra bucks to buy an XTR derailleur over an XT etc etc etc.
They also seem obsessed with Specialized, Giant and Santa Cruz. Great bikes all, but I've yet to see reviews of the awesome smaller frame manufacturers; like Litespeed, Dean, Weyless et al. Sometimes I think Specialized and Giant may even own a chunk of this mag...I think the editor is employed by Specialized actually.
Overall though its a kewl mag. There's room for improvement, but I'd say it's worth 4 clams, or 13 skins for a year. I give it 4 fecal flambes! (yay)
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: February 9, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | The one where I don't hurt myself | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | Borders | | Strengths: | Good articles, good tips, nice explanations, Nice photos, Richard Cunningham. I like that they don't use foul language at all. That's Professional. KHS makes a bike called the, "b!tch". In MBA's newest buyers guide, they listed it is the "KHS B." I like that. I hate companies that name their products like that thinking that it will sell better. | | Weaknesses: | Too many ads. I waish it had more pages with more content. Also, they test many bikes that are in the $4000 and up range. Let's get real folks: not many people can afford or buy that kind of bike. | | Similar Products Used: | I read all of the bike mags every month at Borders. I subscribed at any given time to Bike, Mountain bike, Bicycling and others. | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Homegrown 4-Banger full XTR with X-Vert Super | | Bottom Line: | I don't know why everybody is so harsh on this magazine. If you actually read it, you'll see that the reviews are good and the articles and tech tips are informative and useful. I don't like when they say that the, "Intense Uzzi SLX with 5th element shock and Titanium Spring w/ full XTR might be one of the best mountain bikes." Any bike that costs over five thousand frikkin' dollars better be 1000% awesome!
Anyway, try all of the other bike mags and you'll see that none of them are very good. Please don't tell me that "Bike" is the best magazine b/c it's not. it has great photos but the writing stinks.In the end, it's all personal preference. I think that overall, MBA has more useful mtb information then the other bike mags. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from austin tx
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | book store | | Strengths: | Lots of info for xc racers. | | Weaknesses: | Bizarre editorial style. Black and White photos? Lack of bylines, Cruddy photo quality | | Similar Products Used: | All the others | | Bike Setup: | XC setup | | Bottom Line: | Fun to thumb through and look at. Not much in terms of in- depth writing. It is very hit and miss. Basically, very simplistic. Just the facts maam. The look of the mag reminds me of the skateboard and car mags I looked at in the '70's. Kind of cool for a minute but it get old quick. It is probably time to update the printing presses there at MBA.
The censorship is strange. I don't read the mag enough to know the reasons for these decsions. Did they really ban Voodoo bikes? Why, because of the name? I do see the occasional censored black box in the ads.
Definitely a west coast xc racer feel. Not altogether bad, does provide some nice tips and technical info.
Mag seems to be in bed with the manufactures more so than the other mags. It is all about money but hard to guage MBA's objectivity.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Silver23
a Weekend Warrior
from Amsterdam
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Lago di Garda, Italia | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | subscription | | Strengths: | Nice articles and pictures. | | Weaknesses: | too less scientific background in the reviews
nationalistic rather than global. | | Similar Products Used: | UK Bike magazin, UK
Das Bike, german
Fiets , dutch
Mountain Bike Plus. dutch
Velo, french
Mountain Bike, german. | | Bike Setup: | Frame: Ghost Dual Slalom
Wheels: Hugi Hayes/Mavic D521 rims
Fork: Rock Shox Psylo Race 2002
Brakes: Hayes Hydro Disk Brakes FH
Shift dept.: full XTR
Handlebar: Answer Protaper DH
Tyres: Rear 2.35 IRC V-Claw/ Front 2.1 Ritchey ZMax
Saddle: Terry Liberator, very Good
Stem: Azonic ORC
Crancks: Shimano LX with Rock Ring
Pedals: Shimano 636 SPD's / Wellgo B36 Platforms | | Bottom Line: | I enjoy reading this magazin, but actually it strikes me as kind of nationalistic. There are not much global reviews and most test are about American brands.
I rather read the German magazin "das Bike" which is more global orientated, has better reviews with scientific profound explanations. The reviews on locations are better and they go further then their country borders.
The only drawback ofcourse is its language, it is in German and not in English. The photo material is also far superior than most magazins around. Their magazin has a great lay out and is indeed very professional. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Johnny C.
a Weekend Warrior
from Christchurch, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Lava Flow | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$6.00 | | Purchased At: | Some Bookshop In Hokitika | | Strengths: | Lots Of Good Photos and technical info | | Weaknesses: | Half the mag is ads (literally, no joke)
too much xc info and training tips, wheres the DH, freeride and trials?? | | Similar Products Used: | Australian Mountain Bike, Mountain Bike | | Bike Setup: | Does it really matter???? | | Bottom Line: | Ok reading, there are heaps of better mags out there, this is only good for tecnical/fitness/training advice | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike b
a Cross Country Rider
from Sodom in the North
Date Reviewed: December 14, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | boggs | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$3.00 | | Purchased At: | the place i find bad porno mags | | Strengths: | it is a magazine about mountain bikes, it is better than the other LA/glam magaizine, what did they call themselves, "mountain biker"? you know, the one that has the "bike of the year" contests. chirst, what a joke!!! | | Weaknesses: | they do not allow voodoo cycles to advertise.
they removed the condom from the specialized fsr enduro ads.
almost everything else. | | Similar Products Used: | all of the other major magazines about cycling on the market. this includes (god forbid) "outside" and "dirt rag" as well. | | Bike Setup: | 2002 sc superlight xtr and the like, 25.5 lbs
99 ibis alibi basic xt package. | | Bottom Line: | who do these people think they're fooling?
why am i constantly reading sentences like "this bike will be perfect for you if you don't plan on racing at the pro level"? what makes these liver lillied hair-head chuck nut simps think that even half of a percent of the fools who pick up this magazine even race, much less have the balls and talent to race even in the EXPERT class?!?
hey, do bike companies even make hardtails anymore? go on a ride sometime at a place populated by a wide spectrum of mountain bikers--tell me what percentage of the bikes are dualies. that's right--some, but not most. treating hardtails as quaint throwbacks to another era (like the brodie piece) is a DISSERVICE to those riders who might want to read about and are thinking about buying a hardtail.
great god alive, i could go on on and on and on.
how long do they test the stuff they're writing about?
why is almost EVERYTHING they test a great product?
what makes the staff of MBA believe that they can use such a condescending attitude towards their readers?
why do the letters to the editor seem to have all been written by half-wits?
why am i dumb enough to buy one of these magazines from time to time? it must be those pretty pictures.
good lord. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a
from L.A.
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Lots of pictures. Good tips on bike mantainence. Product reviews are honest. | | Weaknesses: | Not enough coverage on XC. Too much emphasize on downhillers. | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain biking | | Bottom Line: | Mountain bike action is definately better than mountain biking...it doesn't talk about who has the best looking legs or do stupid polls. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dennisd
a Cross Country Rider
from Cornwall, Ont.
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Well, the paper is of reasonable quality... | | Weaknesses: | Overblown sense of their own importance. | | Bike Setup: | I actually own three MTBs including a suspension bike which I ride so I know what the f#$k I'm talking about. | | Bottom Line: | If you like to watch a bunch of has-been weenie racer types embarrassing themselves, then this is the rag for you. I've noticed lately that some of the "wrecking crew" have actually started wearing designer downhill shorts. Which is supposed to be a long overdue concession to the real world but just ends up making them look even more insulated and out of touch with reality.
Mountain Bike Action? Call it Mountain Bike- Missing in Action. Geez, where the hell have you guys been for the last two years? There was a time when the writing and the reviews actually had some balls. Now we're regaled with useless musings from on high by Cunningham (who was once great) but now sounds like a babbling idiot. Is there any editorial direction left in this Mag? Well if there is, I can't find it. It's inconsistent and it's all over the place.
Two chilis overall for entertainment value. It's fun to watch a Mag self destruct. which is why I buy it. God, this thing is so irrelvant nowadays. C'mon guys! Get your heads out of your assh%*#@s!
OOH! An entire article on a Brodie single speed!
Pathetic. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kip schlinker
a Racer
from idaho
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | any | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | store | | Bottom Line: | lots of godd info tons of product demos lots of great of deals on parts | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
coach joe finley
a Weekend Warrior
from nc
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | the one i havent ridden yet | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Purchased At: | my freind stole it from a magazine stand | | Strengths: | decent pictures ,i guess, a good variety of bikes reveiwed | | Weaknesses: | the writing really sucks. reviews seem like the manufacturer wrote them. boring. all tips and such seem obvious. it just doesnt seem well done. the magazine seems to be about mountain bikers and not for them | | Similar Products Used: | mountain bike, dirt rag | | Bike Setup: | '98 yeti fro, z2, turbine lp (2 rings and bash gaurd), hayes hmx, primo tenderizer platforms, and stuff | | Bottom Line: | not really even worth stealing | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tomby
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | lewis river | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Gotta admire any operation whose mission statement is "Hire the handicapped -- it's more fun to watch them work!" | | Weaknesses: | English appears to be second or third language for most writers; syntax as a form of dadaistic impressionism; lack of bylines (other than Cunningham's) and general disregard for fundamentals of basic journalism; insanely low rent photos that are endlessly re-run; grade-school layouts; repeated poaching of manufacturers' marketing copy that's promptly cut n' pasted into, ahem, "reviews"; SoCal-centric mindset that is occassionally interrupted by coverage of riding areas that everyone knew about 10 years ago; Lolita-like infatuation with 1/2baked new products that turn out to be crap (they should all have AMP forks lashed to their front ends for eternity); startingly compleat lack of soul. | | Similar Products Used: | toilet paper | | Bike Setup: | ti hardtail | | Bottom Line: | This publication should apologize to trees for wasting valuable natural resources | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tomby
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | lewis river | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Gotta admire any operation whose mission statement is "Hire the handicapped -- it's more fun to watch them work!" | | Weaknesses: | English appears to be second or third language for most writers; syntax as a form of dadaistic impressionism; lack of bylines (other than Cunningham's) and general disregard for fundamentals of basic journalism; insanely low rent photos that are endlessly re-run; grade-school layouts; repeated poaching of manufacturers' marketing copy that's promptly cut n' pasted into, ahem, "reviews"; SoCal-centric mindset that is occassionally interrupted by coverage of riding areas that everyone knew about 10 years ago; Lolita-like infatuation with 1/2baked new products that turn out to be crap (they should all have AMP forks lashed to their front ends for eternity); startingly compleat lack of soul. | | Similar Products Used: | toilet paper | | Bike Setup: | ti hardtail | | Bottom Line: | This publication should apologize to trees for wasting valuable natural resources | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
PAUL HOTALING
a Cross Country Rider
from MIAMI,FLORIDA,USA
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | OLETA STATE PARK | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Bottom Line: | BASICALLY A WEST COAST MAGAZINE.I'VE NOTICED ANY TIME THEY LIST A GROUP OF BIKE COMPANY'S THERE ALWAYS WEST COAST COMPANYS.JUST TO TEST A EAST COAST BIKE TOOK A SPECIAL "EAST COAST" TESTS ,A COUPLE OF ISSUES AGO.THEY ALSO PUSH THE FULL SUSPENSION WAY TO MUCH.I MEAN THEY TESTED THE TREK 9.8 AN ISSUE OR TWO AGO AND EVERY OTHER STATEMENT WAS HARDTAILS ARE DEAD .FUNNY THE EUROPEAN'S KEEP BEATING OR ASSES IN THE WORLDCUPS ON MORE OFTEN THAN NOT ON AN OLD FASHIONED / BUT LIGHT HARDTAIL. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jamie
a Cross Country Rider
from huntsville
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Bartram's Trail, Tuskegee Ntl Forest | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | bookstores | | Strengths: | Mail Order Ads | | Weaknesses: | Brand Preferences | | Similar Products Used: | BIKE, Dirt Rag | | Bike Setup: | Nuke Proof Stealth Frame, Sx-R, WTB wheels, XT d's, X-rays,
Syncros stem, Ritchey bars, Top-Line Cranks, a real frankestein | | Bottom Line: | I tuned into MBA 10 years ago. Back then, they're fave ride was Cunningham's Mantis full-susp unable to obtain bike.
In fact, I was so enthralled with how they praised Richard, that I purchased a Nishiki Alien. I managed to break both the first frame and replacement. Then when you read the lawsuit notes that he was involved in concerning the whole Alien line, you start to wonder about his credibility. Of course, that was a long time ago, and since then, all is good. I wasn't surprised that he replaced Zap as editor, and when I do read it at the bookstore, I find Richard's words far more credible and merit filled than Zap's rants.
But you know what? That's what makes the mtb community so cool. I'd love to go riding with those cats, and let them totally kick my butt. At least I could say that I'd ridden with some of the most prominent figures in mountain biking history, who have done their part to make our sport exciting, fun, accepted, and ever challenging.
The main point is, MBA is a resource, and like all resources, should be viewed with a critical eye. Read all the rags, and then make your decide. After all, it's you that will be riding whatever product and whatever trail.
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Submitted by
Anak Muda
a
from Yogya Yk Indonesia
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Bottom Line: | 347 | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TT Boy
a Cross Country Rider
from Hollywood
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | RC Tech Talk | | Weaknesses: | The same weird looking guy with the LG helemt always in the pictures or posing with a bike like he is gods gift to mountain biking. Also latest issue reviews the trek 9.8. talks about the beautiful frame design, how it has won NORBA titles, It climbs great and is very very fast. Then under climbing gives it a D and frame design gets a C or something like that. Then they talk about how the future is full suspension. It doesn't make sense. they need to review the bike for what it is. A hard tail racing bike. they say it themselves for what it is.. its a great bike. and then they rate it poorly. i hate that! | | Similar Products Used: | UK Mag others don't know the names | | Bottom Line: | quality of magazine is poor. bk white photos are ghetto. some good things but im tired of their rating system and the guy who is always in the XC test pioctures. he frwaks me out | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joshua
a Cross Country Rider
from Osborne, KS
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Definitly RC. product reviews. Don't use 4 letter words | | Weaknesses: | Same test riders in pics. need to show more technical riding shots. | | Similar Products Used: | mountian bike | | Bike Setup: | 98 TREK 930 | | Bottom Line: | A good mag. need more shootouts. need to test more low end bikes | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
UberClyde
a Weekend Warrior
from Manila, Philippines
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Bushy Aeta Bonecrusher | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Richard Cunningham | | Weaknesses: | Shlock and gloss, cheese factor | | Similar Products Used: | All major mags | | Bike Setup: | Isis, XTR, Thompson, Monkeylite, Z1, Kenda, Race Face | | Bottom Line: | Richard Cunningham is the ray of light in an otherwise totally commercial mag. Some race coverage, zero ride coverage. Reviews are really weird because they'll give a bike a bunch of Cs and Ds in the summary, but the text will be glowing, or vice versa. The three part section on the physics of the most common rear suspensions designs was awesome and put a lot of debates to rest. But I still get through this thing in one or two squats and that just ain't good enough. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jamf
a
from az
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | fun to read | | Weaknesses: | bike reviews are based on how big of ad bike company buys. bigger the ad the better the review. for example they diss the suspension design of santa cruz but say they make great bikes. not much integredity, but that can be said about all magazines. | | Similar Products Used: | bike, mountain bike | | Bottom Line: | read all the mags at borders books or barnes and noble. dont buy any mag. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rudi Riet
a Cross Country Rider
from Middletown, CT
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Bobsled/Agony Escalator/Dry Creek, UT | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | bike shop or grocery store | | Strengths: | Good technology assessments; decent racing coverage; good reviews of mid-high to high-end bikes; good training and nutrition articles; Richard Cunningham's editorials are great. | | Weaknesses: | Loud, discordant layout (seems very juvenile); emphasis/bias toward west coast (esp. SoCal) scene; few "for the rest of us" reviews and shootouts; few "tell it like it is" reviews (used to be more); travel guides/reviewers seem to be stuck on Mexican food as the only kind of food on the planet; too many shots of the same folks riding in irresponsible ways (e.g. getting air, skidding). | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Biking, BIKE, Mountain Bike, Bicycling, Mountain Biker | | Bike Setup: | 1997 Marin Indian Fire Trail; XT drivetrain and brakes; White Industries crank and front hub; Manitou SX fork; Mavic 217SUP rims; WTB Velociraptor K tires; Specialized SpeedZone Comp computer; Easton no-rise bar; | | Bottom Line: | MBA did, indeed, pave a lot of ground in the early days of off-road cycling. They reviewed all sorts of bikes, and were especially good at separating the low-end and mid-line wheat from the chaff. They also had wonderful shootouts: bikes, tires, components, etc. Reviews were honest, and the writers were advocates of good riding practices (even if the photos could easily be used by anti-access groups - too many aggro riding shots). While they were certainly a SoCal mag, they did travel a bit to explore the scene across the U.S. and Canada. Their layout - very scattershot and noisy - was tolerable for a start-up magazine. Most of all, they were willing to stand up for quality bikes, quality bike parts (I recall their anti-RapidFire stance when they heartily endoresed Suntour's [R.I.P] simpler, more durable goods), and access issues. They were willing to draw lines in the sand and challenge the industry and the public to action.
These days, MBA seems to have lost some of their edge. As other reviewers have said, they now lean more upscale in their reviews and glom on to any new technology - proven or not - as "the next best thing." If anything low-end or mid-range is reviewed, the review is almost done in passing, or as a novelty piece (e.g. Huffy vs. Pacific in the battle of the dept. store bikes - c'mon!). While they still have a lot of good technical info and racing coverage, they seem to have left their origins behind. The only remaining vestages of their roots lie in the still-amateur layout of the mag, dominated by *awful* ads (some ad agencies just don't belong in the ad industry!).
Richard Cunningham is one of the few bright spots these days. If MBA would return to the shootouts and not worry about pissing off an advertiser or two, they'd be much more legitimate, IMHO. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kendrick Carroll
a Racer
from Algonac, Michigan, St. Clair County
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | urban | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | Barnes&Nobles | | Strengths: | The mag is pretty good. You can't complain too much, because there isn't much to choose from when it comes to mtb mags. I like the trails they cover in every issue, and the reviews are ok. Excellent pics if you are into that visual stimulation thing. | | Weaknesses: | Mucho advertiso. Too much in fact. Need more nekkid chicks. | | Similar Products Used: | MBA | | Bike Setup: | Red River Rider Big Wheel with plastic shotgun. Had to replace front wheel a few times. Front-to-back adjustable seat is awesome. | | Bottom Line: | In one word- Competent | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Weaknesses: | Not enough hardtail reviews | | Bottom Line: | I've only read the last 3 issue's and I can think of only one review of a hardtail bike. The reviews seem a little "wishy washy" like they're afraid of pissing off their advertizer's(big bike companies). Come on guy's take a stand. No bike is perfect, tell us what you would change on it and why. And throw some Hardtails in there too!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
smokey
a Cross Country Rider
from gilliam, MO USA
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Purchased At: | subscribe | | Strengths: | lots of bike and product tests. arrives on time every month.
tests more affordable bikes, not just the high end stuff. hasn't forgotten about the hardtail riders. richard cunningham's columns are usually good and he is very familiar with the mountain bike industry. | | Weaknesses: | needs more midwest and east coast content. some of their tests seem more like ad copy for the bike in question. need to get some fat old guys(like me) for test ride opinions. | | Similar Products Used: | dirt rag(my favorite), bike(great photos), mountain bike. | | Bike Setup: | fisher hardtail set up for 235# clydesdale. | | Bottom Line: | MBA is a magazine that i look forward to reading every month. i don't always agree with everthing they have to say,
but it is usually entertaining. i wish they would do more fun riding and average rider type stuff, like dirt rag does.
i'd also like to see more stuff on single speeds and other less common types of mountain bikes. sure would be nice to see some test riders in baggies who look like they've knocked back a few beers and cheeseburgers, instead of all those guys with the 6% bodyfat.(on the other hand, more pictures of the little blond with the NICE BUNS in lycra would be great!). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan
a
from Salt Lake City
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | None of your business | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | Supermarket | | Strengths: | OK tech stuff. If you're looking for a bargan this rag is filled with internet bike shops. | | Weaknesses: | The photos are weak. Basically I'm sick of seeing the same SoCal bleached blond dude and pack of women on FSR's. The reviews are also equally as weak. I don't know how many times a year this rag reviews a Specialized or Cannondale bike? If they do review another "off" brand like Cove, they compare the bike to the likes of Cannondale. Hmmm, Cdale advertises in MBA and Cove doesn't. Guess who gets the better review? They need to fire the entire staff, find some people who can write anything other than material found in instruction manuals and who know a little bit about photography.
Oh yeah, MBA subscription prices are the highest. | | Similar Products Used: | BIKE, the beloved Mountain Biker, Mountain Biking, etc. | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Instinct, Z1CR, Grimeca, Azonic, Race Face, XT and Sram, Sun Rhyno Lites w/Tioga DH tires. | | Bottom Line: | The only time I ever buy this rag is when they come out with their annual Buyer's Guide. I don't understand how they justify the prices charged for their product when they have more advertising and higher subscription prices than any of their competitors. Bottom Line, read the rag in the store and when it comes time to leave buy BIKE. Hell, you can even subscribe for under $10.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Racer
from Canada
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Great mag period! Has everything you want in a mountain bike mag! | | Weaknesses: | None! tell ya what you want to know! | | Similar Products Used: | Bike, Mountain Bike, Mountain Biking | | Bike Setup: | 00 Kula XTR/XT, Sid XC, Hayes, Mavic CrossLink, Race Face stem, thompson stem, easton ries bar. | | Bottom Line: | Great mag and anyone who doesn't like this mag has something wrong with them! Great mag! Tells me what ever i want to know!
Five flaming chilis for this mag! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dh'er
a Downhiller
from me
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Bottom Line: | Well i myself love this mag, not one issue that was bad outta my over 3 years to subscribing to it. Why? well because it appeals to my kind of riding and the bikes i ride. MBA is the "dupont registry" of mtb magazines, they test mostly high end products and parts, and on occasion they test lower end stuff, so if all high end bikes and parts test's and reviews dont appeal to you, well then go read another mag. 5 chillies for MBA | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Larry Foley
a
from Sterling Heights, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Island Lake | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | subscription | | Strengths: | Sometimes writes good insightful reviews - but not often. | | Weaknesses: | Too bland and not enough valid comparisons. Very little insightful writing. | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Bike, Mountain Biking | | Bike Setup: | Curtlo HT w/Manitou SX-R 3" travel fork, XTR/Sachs drivetrain, Avid Arch Surpreme brake setup, Mavic rims with White Ind hubs. | | Bottom Line: | Although some of the writing is ok, I find most of the articles in MBA fail to offer any real insight into the different products. I'm left wondering at the end what the point is sometimes. It lacks 'edge'. Very disappointing. The reason I dropped my subscription to MBA but am keeping Mountain Bike is that Mountain Bike has excellent analysis of the products, very pronounced judgements - which is what I'm paying for, and Mountain Bike seems to be consumer oriented. While others may not agree with the positions, yet I feel they state their positions with authority. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
The One That Got Away
a Weekend Warrior
from Upstate NY
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | -It has a lot of good technical info on products
-A few decent photos
-Good race coverage and trail advocacy articles
| | Weaknesses: | -Too obsessed with status and the newest overpriced gadgets/fashions
-CLOTHING MODELS?!In a bike mag?What a bunch of trendy crap!
-COMPLETELY,TOTALLY sold out to full suspension bikes--or any bike with a price of $2000+!And then they have the nerve to call it a "good value!" Right,sure...
-Too much censorship and political correctness(although it does avoid using the juvenile language used in Mountain Bike Magazine...oooh,I HATE ZAP!!!!)
-Complete B.S reviews and an overall lack of REAL content
-Dry and overly technical
-FAR TOO FOCUSED ON THE WEST COAST!!!!!The only magazines that I have seen that actually publicise the East are Dirt Rag,and maybe BIKE
-Blatant pandering to big-name advertisers | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Bike Magazine(most juvenile writing I have ever seen),BIKE(pretty good),Dirt Rag(very good,but sometimes a bit too hippy,and WHAT ARE MUSIC REVIEWS DOING IN A BIKE MAG?!),a few others(Bicycling,etc.)that didn't really stand out | | Bike Setup: | Yes.. | | Bottom Line: | The title "Mountain Bike Fiction" applies well to this trendy,image-concious,politically correct,dry,and slickly contrived glossy bike mag.Its staff is a bunch of wacked-out racer geeks who beat their chests over the latest $4000-tricked-out-21-lb-full-suspension-piece-of-unobtanium,shave their legs,model the latest megabuck riding fashions,and couldn't care less about how their mag fails to relate to the average rider--instead,they flood us with articles of gram-counting,useless nutritional data,and other stuff that only the die-hard racer would care about.C'MON GUYS,get with the program!
...Now if they wrote decent,bullsh!t-free reviews,this might be a halfway good mag...but they don't even do THAT!These clueless writers would rather pander to the big companies(who do you think fills their wallets,anyway?!)than produce an honest review.Nowadays,all this magazine reviews are full-suspension bikes over $1500.Where are bikes that the "little people" can afford?
Okay,true,they do occassionally produce some good articles on trail advocacy,which is relevant to all riders,and some good race coverage.It also has plenty of products data.But the good doesn't outweigh the bad here.
MBA needs a lot of work and a serious reality check before it becomes any kind of "real rider's" magazine.If you are looking for a good mag,try Dirt Rag,or maybe BIKE.
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Submitted by
orchid
a Weekend Warrior
from illinois
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | this is probobly the best do it all mag. xc, dh, ds, freeride and even singlespeed (on occasion). unbiased opinions and doesnt catogorize its readers. | | Weaknesses: | costs a little more. | | Bottom Line: | they rule. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Walter
a
from San Jose, CA
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Excellent technical explanation and background of products/bikes/new designs
Good low-to-medium priced bike shootout comparo articles | | Weaknesses: | Too in love with the latest gadget to submit honest long-term test reviews | | Similar Products Used: | Mountain Bike
BIKE | | Bottom Line: | If you are interested in why one wheel design is stronger than another, or want to get the full product background on a bike or bike part, MBA is your rag. Sometimes to get the full story you really do have to read everything the manufacuturer put out, the devil's in the details. May look like one big advert instead of an article, but some of us are interested in the details. If you want to look at some laughable tech articles, try BIKE magazine - really pathetic.
Only MBA really still does the low/medium price bike shootouts between brands. I learn a lot from these. Their biggest failing is the consistent rooting for the latest & bestest. The Pro-Fix bikes are the biggest example - every year Garvin/K-2 would come out with a new re-design or new swingarm construction and that would be the 'best' available. Then next year another would come out and last year's model was known for several significant shortcomings. Not really fair to the reader.
I give MBA a good rating because it still fulfills a definite need not taken up by the other mags yet.
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Submitted by
joel bockhahn
a Downhiller
from pismo beach california
Date Reviewed: December 25, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | shooters canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | shopping center | | Strengths: | its ok how it does the shootouts and stuff and tips you should buy it if you like to read about what other people have or are a beginner and would like some good tips or want prices on stuff to buy | | Weaknesses: | i dont need beginner tips and im not sure what you people are talking about there is too much downhill stuff they talk about most of the stuff xcers use trickled down from downhill bikes | | Similar Products Used: | many other mags that are simmular | | Bike Setup: | intense uzzi with marzocchi jr t
k2 beast with noleen
specialized fsr | | Bottom Line: | mba action is not a bad magazine but it does need to lay off trying to make us feel like our stuff isnt good enough and we always sumpthin new it also needs to include stuff for more experiensed riders | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shawn Sr
a Cross Country Rider
from So Cal
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | SuperMarket | | Strengths: | Tells Ya about the latest stuff comming out. Once in a while they tell you about great places to ride. This is My favorite part. | | Weaknesses: | Too much focus on the latest Downhill Technology | | Similar Products Used: | Dirt Rag, Mountain Bike, Mountain Biker, Bike and the Internet (the Best) | | Bottom Line: | The internet is a much better source of accurate and detaied information than any of these Mags. I used to buy 3 or 4 of these a month but since I got a computer I dont buy them anymore. If you are reading this now your on the web so stay there for more accurate info on the sport of Mountain biking. My favorite part of this Mag is the articals on the places to go. These usually have great photos with good info on food or lodging.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Perry
a Cross Country Rider
from Bend, OR, Guess
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Scarlet Ridge | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$3.95 | | Purchased At: | Super market | | Strengths: | They test products, parts and stuff that I use (or would like to use). | | Weaknesses: | There is too much downhill stuff--but if I was a downhiller I suppose I'd say there was too much cross country stuff.When I buy a magazine, I buy it for the parts that interest me, and like most people I skip the stuff that doesn't interest me. | | Similar Products Used: | I have read all the bike magazines (except that Mountain Biking garbage) | | Bike Setup: | Turner Stinger | | Bottom Line: | I'm tired of all the whiners in mountain biking. Snap out of it! The whole mountain bike world owes MBA a vote of thanks. When I first started riding off-road, the average mountain bike was barely adequate for the job, MBA changed that. They wrote real hard-core reviews for the first time. They made enemies. They criticized what they didn't like. They started wars with Shimano. They fought for better mountain bikes. The MBA editors, from Zap to Richard Cunningham, are characters. Zap is both popular and unpopular for his politic diatribes, but he has personality. When he left, Richard Cunningham took over-- he is a mountain bike genius, a famous frame builder, a Hall of Fame inductee--Cunningham knows more about welding, metallurgy and handling than all the bicycle editors in the world combined. All the other magazines should kiss MBA's feet for showing them what to do.
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Submitted by
Jim
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Surveyors Ridge | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Sneak peaks at next years products. Cute chick models used once in a while.
Used to be one of the few, if only, mags that actually had the guts to compare similiar products (say, hardtail racers under $1500), score them, and pick a winner (or loser) --- instead of just having pretty good/average reviews about everything (if you like....then the ... might be worth considering) | | Weaknesses: | Full-suspension shoot-outs. Jumps on the newer=better bandwagon too often before a product or idea is really proven. Too trendy and "LA" like (says it all). Dry SoCal focus. | | Similar Products Used: | Go to magazine section as bookstore once in while and read just about everything. | | Bike Setup: | Bontrager | | Bottom Line: | Mag for equipment nuts, who spend as much or more time talking about parts and building their dream bike as riding.
Fun to read, but do not take it too seriously.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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