Well, I am happy to have ANY magazine that includes the bikes we love.
I did sort of have a sinking fear when, a few issues ago, VBQ tested a production Trek. I was momentarily overwhelmed by evil forbodings of Treks, Kleins, LeMonds and other hand mades. Ugh.
If I had my druthers, I would prefer to have exactly what the current title of VBQ says- "Vintage" ... But if Jan has to broaden the scope to make ends meet or whatever, I can take it because the alternative is worse!
Dale Brown Greensboro, North Carolina USA
-----Original Message----- From: heine94@earthlink.net To: pjourdain@yahoo.com; classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Sent: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 6:32 PM Subject: RE: [CR]VBQ becomes Bicycle Quarterly
At 2:35 PM -0700 9/18/06, Peter Jourdain wrote:
>VBQ, no matter how broadly it tries to >cast its net, is still a MICROBREW, appealing to a >certain, "narrow niche" yet intensely-loyal audience. >You need to keep your base which is your bread and >butter and not try to be all things to all people. >Otherwise you risk "genericizing" yourself.----------- > >Of course CONTENT is, in the long run, more important >than the name, and I don't think Jan is pulling a 180 >in that department.
Bicycle Quarterly, as it is now, exclusively sells through word-of-mouth. People like the content, tell their friends, etc. However, meeting many subscribers in person or through e-mail, I found that many hesitated for a long time to subscribe, thinking the magazine was only for collectors of old bikes. Many others probably still are hesitating.
All the name change does is eliminate that hurdle for potential
readers. The content has been very successful, so it will not change.
Plus, it is my magazine, and as the editor, I can choose what goes in
it... so you'll soon see a full road test of a 1957 Cinelli Supercorsa
to compare it to some of the current "classic" bikes we usually test,
some cool British lightweights, hopefully a history of Mafac brakes
with models and dates of introduction, and many more things of interest
to CR members.
-- Jan Heine
Editor
Vintage Bicycle Press
c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com
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