The state of cycling media

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Broad topic here, those of us who have followed cycling media for a long time have seen it go through a very rough patch in the last 5-10 years. Consolidations, ill-conceived NFT schemes :rofl:, etc.

But now seeing some very interesting things these days. I have been a member of Escape Collective since the beginning. Like a lot of what they do, and they seem to be responding to member feedback to improve.

What is even more interesting to me, is what is emerging on substack. Writers separated from their overloads, producing very interesting content, often feels a little more insider look. I like Beyond the Peloton for some moneyball type analysis of racing. Daniel Benson’s substack for a little behind the curtain rumors and action. And today James Huang has announced N-1. Should be good for tech content.

I like the direction in that it seems to provide more intimate, and in my view better, more interesting media to consume. My concern is cost. I certainly want to compensate these folks for their work, but I also don’t want to have 4, 5, 6 different substack subscriptions - feels like I will be bled to death at $8 a month or whatever.

Just interested in your thoughts. What other media are you liking these days. What are you willing to pay for, and how much?

4 Likes
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I have nothing to add here, but thanks for the tips. Will check out those substacks.

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This will probably end up like tech did, just 15-20 years later.

CNET, PC World, PC Mag, etc., had their hey-day, now it’s dominated by YouTube channels, that are smaller in scope and practice, but give similar content.

In the end, the same dynamic will exist, smaller channels will have to give way to the manufacturers so they have a steady stream of review units to bring in, while the larger channels can be a little more honest.

Hopefully there will be enough out there for people to make a living, I remember when Outside reposted all those Cyclingtips jobs after the exodus, and they were exceedingly low paying.