On Your Bike magazine folds

OYB editor Peter Baker rang BikeBiz today to confirm the magazine currently on issue five would not have an issue six.

We had difficulty competing on that side of the market, said Baker.

The magazine had a settle down circulation of 16 000 and virtually no bike trade display ads. Instead the magazine contained ads from outdoor trade companies, who were enticed into the title on the promise of cross over cyclists who did something the magazine called trail biking, which was presumably a reference to EMAPs lads hiking magazine, Trail.

On Your Bike was founded by BikeBiz owner/editor Carlton Reid and was sold to EMAP in December 1999 after producing seven profitable issues. The magazine was sold via subscription, via IBDs and via Halfords. It was the only cycling magazine Halfords would stock and was accepted even before they saw the first issue, such was the need for a leisure cycling magazine.

The original On Your Bike was targetted at new and born again cyclists and families. The relaunched On Your Bike ditched this format against the advice of the founder, who was a paid consultant to EMAP for six months, although he was rarely consulted and pitched itself between MBUK and Cycling Today.

I sold the magazine to EMAP because they produce Country Walking, an entry-level magazine perfect for beginners and leisure walkers, said Reid. Instead, against the advice of myself and most of the potential bigger advertisers, EMAP turned it into a cycling version of Trail which is the part of the cycle market which is saturated with bike mags.

With the loss of Cycling Today and On Your Bike there is now no entry level news-stand cycling magazine that can talk to would-be cyclists, and encourage newcomers, in a non-techie way.