An Update on Pinkbike & Beta MTB

 Hear, hear!!

 Haha

To be honest I get Pinkbike needs to stay alive as a business, but lately they're really pushing it. I hope they find a good way to integrate all this without us feeling like "we lost the real Pinkbike along the way". Like boost, you know, hated the change, but in the end, it worked out fine lol.

 @p1nkbike: Considering the recent efforts at monetization since the merger between Beta and Pinkbike, I’ve decided to merge their names...I now refer to this site as Bankbike.

 It's because no one is happy with having 'enough', they always want more. 40 miles of top singletrack just 20 minutes away from me? Nah, needs to be 60 miles worth, and I need an electric motor on my bike because I'm tight on time and I need to ride ALL of it. We're always being marketed to telling us that we need 'to grow the sport of mountain biking', but every single one of us hates crowded or blown out trails. How does one reconcile such blatant paradoxes in the sport? I've heard the argument 'but if there's more riders, there will be more trails'--true, to an extent. But if there's one thing they aren't making any more of, it's land.. and sorry, setting aside 100s of acres to ride around on our pedalmabobs in the woods is low on the list on land uses. Why? It doesn't make money. But don't worry, you'll soon have a crack at the Outside+ Nature Pass, which gets you guaranteed access to the trails nearest you. Sounds crazy, right? Then you realize there is already a lottery for tickets to access some parts of Wilderness in the western US..

Yet here we are, the anointed apostolate, tasked with spreading 'the message' to our friends and neighbors, because hey, gotta grow the sport, right? Just then, the Converted emerge from the workbenches in their garages, pedal wrench in hand, to join in the chant.. "Grow the sport. Grow the sport." they drone as you convince your neighbor he has no better use for the $4800 in his bank account... 'Meh, it's a good starting bike, but you'll have room for u p g r a d e s' you say, barely holding in an evil cackle, knowing what you are about to unleash. And as your neighbor, in a carbon-fiber-induced stupor, agrees to meet you at noon tomorrow at the newly built sales-direct-to-our-bottom-line 'Brand Experience' shop in the suburbs, you think to yourself 'I'm doing my part. I belong.' You pass your pal a cold IPA, and the chant echoing down the street changes.. 'One of us. One of us.'

Hats off to Brian Park for what came across as a very genuine explanation, it was well done and appreciated. However, the truth is it's about making money. Period. BP is tasked with sitting down at the keyboard and convincing the readers that it's 'for us'. (It's about making money. Period.) Oh hey, we are excited to bring you guys all these cool new features, and the merging of the teams is going to be so great for YOU, the reader, absolutely. (It's about making money. Period.) The truth is that Outside didn't buy Pinkbike out of the kindness of their hearts, or just because they love them some mountain biking and snarky comments. Outside bought PB to use it to make money. Sure, we are seeing some new features and content, but that's not done for love of the sport, lol.. those are investments in the brand. Grow the user base, and monitor the most clicked on or popular segments, then slowly migrate those behind the paywall. Nevermind that you already have 15 f*cking subscriptions a month, you don't want to have that FOMO do you? You want to see Levy doing donuts in the mini? It's just $4/mo bro.. and we'll make it automatically come out of your account so you don't even have to think about it. Just.. don't think about it. Their job is to convince us it's a good thing, that we can't afford to *not* be along on this pursuit of profits.

Sometimes things are good enough, and we don't realize it. Pinkbike was just fine before. No one here thought 'If only PB would be bought by a large conglomerate, it would be so much better for the readers!'. Well now PB is on the hook to prove their value as a property under the Outside umbrella, and that's fine, but just don't piss in our faces and tell us it's raining. The moves being made now aren't for the love of the sport or to break even, they are to produce profit for a parent corporation. It's about the money. Period.

 @p1nkbike: 135 for life!

 @WRCDH: yeah, how dare they try to stay solvent in a world where ad dollars are shrinking and people demand free content. I was stoked when Pocket snatched up the BikeMag crew to start Beta, and was happy to subscribe. Then Pocket bought Outside and rebranded, only to become the PinkBike bogey man. I hope they find a way to make it work. If you like something, maybe figure out a way to support it. Now, if I can figure out how to support Red Bull UCI World Cup broadcasts without drinking their product.

 @mikealive: .

 Kill Bike Mag. Now pay to read their articles.

 @mikealive: Damn nice. I’ve wanted to rant something like that for some time but couldn’t but it into words. Agreed, soon it will be trails grid locked with people stairing at Trailforks trying to figure out how to get out of it!

 @Krackity-Jones: They're not trying to stay solvent, they're trying to grow. Big difference.

@mikealive - Absolutely spot on, the desire to grow is inherently unsustainable, often unnecessary, and leads to change towards prioritising profit. Why success is measured in growth I have no idea, there has to be a ceiling at which point enough is enough, otherwise it's not sustainable (that's the critical issue with measuring the success of an economy by growth, which is something totally unsustainable and leads to exponential levels of consumption).

 @VtVolk: You know how hard it was to find a new 26" 12x135 wheel for my Morpheus? Nearly impossible.

 @Maslin02: I feel your pain

 @mikealive: Well written and you’re not wrong at all.

Progress always comes at a cost, and yet progress never stops. I’m sure someone in the 50’s said “that’s it, cars work as well as they should, there is no need for any further development” but we’re human, and we can’t help ourselves from wanting to take things a step further. Have you ever gotten on your bike, and thought “this is as talented and fit as I ever need to be, I’m going to stop riding any new trails or bikes, and ride the exact same loop without changing a thing” No, because you’re human. Love it or hate it, we just aren’t static creatures.

Is it all about money? Yah, but kind of a moot point. You live in a world where currency facilitates the trade of goods and services, so when you receive a good, someone, somewhere, has to put food on the table. Pinkbike has done that through ad revenue, BETA and Outside through subscriptions. No one forces you to buy anything in life, so you don’t have to feel personally attacked. If you’re this upset about it, then maybe they make a product you enjoy and that enhances your existence, so in exchange you can support their staff and expenses.

Most of your rant applies to life in general in a capitalist economy. It’s tough to debate without rewinding the clock to the foundation of modern society. Yes, Pinkbike is growing and asking for money… that’s because they’re growing and creating more content, apps, videos, articles etc. Basics economics. Do you HAVE to buy in? No. That’s the key here. No one is forcing you into anything. Personally, I’m not interested in the subscription at this time, but I’ll never criticize someone for asking to get paid either. If someone’s buying, someone’s selling. There are a few countries I can think of where none of this is an issue, and they aren’t the best, iirc.

Bottom line, I agree with what you’re saying, but your beef is with modern society and capitalism as a whole. I don’t think Brian is to be held accountable for that lol.

 @mikealive: Ok... where do I send a coffee card or $ for a cold one? Mother of god that was the most succinct and timely vent on this wink wink nudge nudge deal. Thank you for articulating so well what a larger segment has been chewing on since this (que echo machine) amaaazing deal started.

 @Krackity-Jones: I know...I like redbull events and entertainment but I wouldn't drink that Sh*t ever.

 @mikealive: yeush

 @scromblet: it's a fallacy that it is "because capitalism"

Capitalism, like any other economic system, is merely a way to structure economic activity. But you don't remove Capitalism and all of a sudden all the negative side effects of economic activity disappear.

Whether you live in an capitalist society or not, PEOPLE have a desire for growth.

It is only about what people value, and how they value it.

 @scromblet: Well thought reply. I was goofing off a bit and my comment got a bit rant-ish, but let me clarify something: in no way was I saying this falls squarely on Brian's shoulders. I don't envy the position he is in. But I see it like this--he was involved with something for a number of years. That something was then sold, with the purchasers having certain expectations. Brian has a new boss, or his boss has a new boss, and they dictate what their expectations are... and BP is expected to play his part, as per his employment, in seeing that those expectations are met. I don't fault him for that in any way.

What would be refreshing is if BP just said 'Hey, we got bought, and now we gotta make papa some money. So we're going to keep doing what we used to do, and also add some *new* stuff on a paysite that we think you'll dig. Hopefully you dig it enough that you'll want to pay for it, because that's what papa wants from us.' Instead we're treated like cattle being asked to present our udders at the fence for a milking...but not so Brian can pay his mortgage or Alicia can afford some new skis, but so that some dicknose at Pocket Outdoor Media gets a second mansion. We get this greasy car salesman song and dance, and this coconut shell game of no, this will stay public.. but this other thing that used to be free might be moved behind a paywall at some point. No worries, that paywall thing is a whole 'nother group/site... until of course it's not. Guess what, we're one big team now! Hmm, color me surprised. All while being sold "We're doing it for YOU, you should be super stoked! It's going to be so great! We just care about you, the reader, SO MUCH. Making cool new content for YOU ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵉ ᵈᵒ ᵉˣᵖᵉᶜᵗ ʸᵒᵘ ᵗᵒ ᵖᵃʸ ᶠᵒʳ". And you can see this is a marketing point, because it's obvious a memo went around the office for all the employees/affiliates to put on their happy faces and firefighter coats, and 'be present' in the comments of this article. Scroll through and count them up, Sarah, Alicia, Kaz, Chappetta, Eliot, Cathro, and more.. the gang's all here, and not a critical word from any of them. Where am I, Disneyland? Now I'm questioning, did Pinkbike make a racing team, or are they making a show about a racing team? There's nuance there that most gloss over..

To have someone point out 'progress for progress sake' as a human function, but also denounce capitalism in the same comment is odd. Humanity does not need 'progress' to survive, though in many ways the progress we have seen is a direct result of free market capitalism. Capitalism is not evil, and making it the new bogeyman is trendy, though unsubstantiated. I think we are in agreement in our view of society at large, but differ on what to attribute the cause. I say it's greed, not capitalism, but will leave it there because this is already getting long. In my first comment a larger point was for people to understand what it means to be happy with enough. The main point of this reply is to clarify that I respect Brian Park, and all the rad people at Pinkbike, but they should just tell it to us straight or don't say anything at all. Also, for god's sake get someone on staff that understands web 3.0 and it's implications so that you're not standing there bare-assed when this bubble collapses and people turn off all their frivolous recurring subscriptions.

 @crustyoldguy: Heh, I'm sorry man.. I did get off on a bit of a tangent there. Happy to hear it resonates with some Pinkbike users though--I have a feeling some of the older members here see this wink wink stuff all too clearly. No coffee for me man, just hand out smiles on the trail next time you ride. Cheers!

 @mikealive: I see what you mean yeah, and I agree they definitely put a spin on it, maybe I’m more of an optimist, I think this could bring about some cool content. I don’t think/ hope the Pinkbike we know will end up behind a paywall. If it does, you know a new free forum much like it would emerge from the ashes. I’ll be there if it does.

I definitely wasn’t denouncing capitalism, if anything quite the opposite. I was just pointing out that your post called out a single company for following the rules of “the game” so to speak, that everyone else follows too. I’m self employed and in my industry, all to often I have to defend my right to be compensated, so maybe I just got triggered. I just see a lot of people online getting angry with businesses for making money, when in reality everyone does the same. How many people show up to work every morning just for the paycheque? I don’t think that makes them villains, even if around their peers they pretend like they’re there for more righteous reasons.

I don’t believe in progress for progress’ sake, I just think it’s inevitable because society is conditioned to always want more. That’s a topic of its own of course, quelling human desires requires diving into Buddhism and I don’t think anyone here wants that lol. But in short, yes we should all be more grateful and satisfied with what we currently have. The world would be better off for sure, unfortunately that’s not the world we live in at the moment.

I guess I just feel like it’s obvious everyone is in it for more money. Let’s see what they got. I’ll buy in if I think it’s worth it. And if they mess it up, I’ll find somewhere else to hang out, no biggie. Is this article ghost written by Outside executives? A bit of a PR stunt? Probably a bit, but I think enough of it is genuine that it doesn’t upset me. I have a hard time getting upset by what businesses do, because in the end, unlike taxes, I can walk away from them.

 @rbeach: You’re going really big-picture for discussion of niche website, but I more or less agree with you. Perpetual growth is a fallacy that slowly ruins everything.

You can thank Alexander Hamilton for the casino stock market system that drives this.

 @jdendy: Didn’t you have to pay to read Bike Mag before?

 @mikealive: "but they should just tell it to us straight or don't say anything at all"

There was a critical period at the announcement of the buyout (and for a time afterwards), when statements about the Outside transition had to be published. An opportunity to be straight, as you say, about the coming changes. An opportunity to be transparently honest. It's 2022, we all know the game - a buyout by a company like Outside means Profit margin with a capital P. We get it. Just admit it and the good&bad it entails - in a way that's ok with the parent company - if it's not too bad, we will understand, appreciate the integrity and come along. Most of us know this Outside leopard; we can try to live with its spots.

But this has come across as a sales pitch. Positives across the board.. it's all going to better than it was and better for everyone! Everyone's on board and we're all amped!

Articles like this make me feel like I'm being pitched a time-share. Not by BP, but by Outside telling BP he's got to pitch this time-share.

Honesty and transparency garner support, just as omissions eventually engender mistrust. What's the saying?... "a half truth is a whole lie".
At the end of the day, it's just a website. Shame to see it go a direction many people seem unhappy with, but when I logout and go for a ride, it's the last thing I would think about.

 @mikealive: you're not wrong it's just a false dichotomy. Pinkbike likely was trying to make money before the acquisition as well as after. Moreover, every for profit business exists to make a profit AND provide a good product/service. It's not one or the other on both these points.

 @Mannra: You've misconstrued what I've said. I'm sure I'm being clumsy in how I'm describing things, so let me try it like this--Of course they were trying to make money both prior to and after the sale, heh. That's obvious. The difference being *who* they were trying to make that money for. Like I said, pre-sale Pinkbike is making money for the people who started/run the site, not a parent corp. At that time, if PB is successful, that's directly going to pay the staff's salaries (that was the bit I mentioned about BP paying his mortgage).. There's a vested interest by the reader, a community aspect to it. The thinking going something like 'Pinkbike is successful? Good, I like those people and what they do, and I am happy to buy a shirt or pay a small subscription to see that they stay around'. During any of that time, if they come out and say hey, we're going to explore a paid membership option so that we can raise more revenue to try new cool stuff.. I think you hear some groaning here or there, but people could dig it. If at that time they said 'We're doing it for you guys', it still has some teeth. But now? It's like what was the bloody sale to Outside for then if you're going to turn around and ask for a paid subscription model? It looks like profit margin with a capital P, like @g123 said in the comment above. The whole comment sums up the sentiment very well. "Not by BP, but by Outside telling BP he's got to pitch this time-share." Exactly.

 @scromblet: Oh I'm *sure* this will bring some stellar content, I agree there. In fact, had they said 'Hey, we are doing this cool new thing with Cathro and a race team, it's all new, and this is going to be on our paid site', that would have been an excellent subscription driver. And, since it was never a thing on PB in the past, hard to feel like they are taking something away from us, yeah? Instead it's like 'Well, that field test round table.. yeah, we might put that behind a paywall' or 'You know how a very minority portion of our users are interested in beta? Yeah, let's just merge the teams, lol'. Ugh.

Can you define the rules of 'the game', precisely? Where does it say you have to sell out to a conglomerate? I take your point though, I understand what you are saying. Could the people that developed Instagram have been successful without selling to Facebook? Of course they could have. But was it awesome to sell to Facebook for $1billion? Sure, for the owners of Instagram--but detrimental to the ecosystem for a whole host of other reasons. But hey, gotta look out for #1 first, right?

You're exactly right about all this, and probably just more accepting of the reality at this point than I am. I wanted to believe that the sale to Outside wouldn't bring about the goofy things that are happening now. But, as expected, these things are always rolled out incrementally, once stone at a time until the entire house looks different. You're right, is what it is. Thanks for the conversation, ScrambledEggs

 @mikealive: fair enough. Perhaps PB ran break even before but had users to monetize and thus the sale. Just making the point that it was also about profit before, and good MTB content and profit can coexist.

I can stand for investing more resources for more diverse quality content. If profits increase, they've earned it. I couldn't stand for buying something great and slashing or monetizing it only to increase the bottom line.

 @scromblet: 'No one forces you to buy anything in life'--you're free to be homeless and hungry. But there are fines for not having health insurance, driving an uninsured vehicle, and illegally disposing of corpses

 @ceecee: can't tell if you're joking or not lol. If not, you're comparing criminal activity to consumer goods. No one is going to fine you for not subscribing to Outside.

 @scromblet: buying food is criminal?

'Protection from Mayhem'--you don't have to buy it? I must be paying for it but not buying it

I'm responding strictly to the quoted assertion, though no one may have forced R. Burkat to sell anything

 @ceecee: legit no idea what you're talking about. Mayhem? Food? What? Who are you quoting?

 @scromblet: the full quotation is 'No one forces you to buy anything in life, so you don’t have to feel personally attacked.' Mayhem is an Allstate gangster. Out

 @mikealive: Man, that's a lot of reading, and my attention span is normally pretty short. While I definitely think BP was tasked with "putting a positive spin" on things, I think we all knew, before we even clicked on the article, that it would be the case. However, all good free things mostly come to an end, and whether or not Outside buying Pinkbike is a good thing for us Pinkers, PB staff, or Outside is yet to be seen. Yet, people are already drawing conclusions and spreading panic before we see what actually happens. In the end, I hope that Levy, Kaz, BP, Sarah Moore, Henry Q, and the rest of them get big fat raises and can continue putting out amazing content that keeps myself and my friends sane, especially in the winter time when we can't ride. I am sure they were maybe doing OK before the buyout, but hopefully they can have a better quality of life and some of my subscription dollars can provide that. I subscribed early on to Outside+, for several reasons, but namely I wanted to support the contributors, IE, Travis Engel, Nicole Formosa, Ryan Palmer, Simon etc... and because I loved Bike Mag content so much, and it seems as though the rug was pulled from under them, and they got a second shot. So far, those subscription dollars have been a good personal spend, as I have print magazines in my rack about bike stuff, and great content coming from the Beta team, so I am optimistic its going to be great over the next 24-48 months on PB, and am stoked things haven't changed much yet in terms of the content they produce.

 @mikealive: well said! To be honest, journalistic integrity never factored an any bike media I have ever read (disclaimer; that’s probably not as much as some of the more hard core members here), as an example; everyone knows sram/avid breaks have always been horse shit. NOBODY has the balls to actually say so. They want to be invited to next years product launch in Tirol or Canada or Mediera so they use words like “modulation” over and over and over and over. There are no “journalists” who have the cojones to say to the public “this product is crap, don’t waste your money on it.”
Cycling media desperately needs a May, Hammond and Clarkson.. not because they are boomer goofballs who make us laugh with their outlandish foolishness, but because they are honest in their review.
All we get as cyclists are “top ten trail bikes for 2022” or “top five gravel trends for the summer” or “what not to do at a trail center”
Yawn.
Meh.
And then they pull an Instagram on us and tell us it’s “content”...

 @mikealive:
Agreed.
The sport of surfing went through the same crap and now is over crowded. There is no need to grow the sport. That's like muttering "go west young man". Well, they did, in search of el dorado, and messed up the beautiful state of California decades ago.
It's simple. You find something cool like MTB, or surfing, keep it to yourself. Lose lips sink ships. People spread the word about cool sports and cool towns, or cool anything for one reason: To boost their ego as the one who found such thing. Social media makes it worse, as the insecure masses post "about to bomb ridgeline" then complain Brevard is blown up.
Their own stupid fault.
Industry folks also love "growing the sport". Crap in their own nest in order to secure a "cool" job where most are underpaid because the corporations know the rank and file will work for pennies in order to have a cool outdoor industry job.
What can you do? Nothing. Enjoy whatever solitude, surf session or singletrack you have because the soccer moms and the wannabe hodads are coming for your fun

 @fiftyshadesofbacon: bollocks.

I have both Sram and Shimano brakes on my bikes and like them both. The differences are subtle and mostly a question of taste.The fan boy brand wars are horseshit.

 @scromblet: Love that take. We just out here tryna make a living too!!!

 @mikealive:

 @mikealive:
Isn't everyone just butthurt because now they have to pay for SOME content, you know, like in the olden days?

 @Ktron: I agree that fanboy brand wars are stupid as.. the point really was about journalists and their reviews so the example was not intended to spark such a conflict.. I’ve tried both too but never been happy with sram brakes, and a lot of the riders I go out with and speak to agree.. the point is, even if they are much better now that years ago, there was a time when their was at least consensus on the fact that avid and sram were not as good as reviewers were letting us believe.. that’s what I have an issue with.

 @SurfNC: Bang on the money here too! Strange the latest Beta article is about unchecked growth in Vermont!

 @fiftyshadesofbacon: please, please, please; no Clarkson in mtb!

 @brook3000: I haven’t read that article (because paywall), but kingdom trails is a great example of how unchecked growth is bad for our sport, and why those who profit from it rarely are the ones to pay the price

 Geesh…it’s called marketing. What they told you is what is going on. Would you like someone to call you and talk it over with you first before they decide how to spend their money? Quit acting like a baby. PB has always been a business that is using ad revenue to MARKET things to you. I don’t know if it’s naiveté or arrogance, but you do realize you are commenting on a message board that is owned by a corporation with the sole intent for it to be analyzed and monetized to market and sell more shit to you? I love Pinkbike and Beta and was already a paying member of Beta. I’ve watched numerous publications i enjoy fail over the years. And as someone who appreciates good journalism, which requires capital, a subscription model also offers a publication independence to have an objective voice not beholden to strictly advertisers. I’m excited for the future of PB. And if someone gets rewarded for growing the PB/Beta brand, hats off to them. Here’s the truth a lot of you have forgotten or don’t know: no one owes you anything. If you want something in this life, YOU have to make it. You are essentially bitching and moaning about a business plan. Grow up! Get some perspective and worry about shit that matters. Don’t tie your existence to a brand. If you are unhappy, go to another site. OR..start your own.

 @mikealive: That's all true, and good for you for calling them on their sales talk, but we may both be old enough to remember the dark days of MTB - BPB - Before Pink Bike - when rims made from cheese, flimsy tyres flatted every ride and 3x drivetrains and canti brakes were in...Back then we sucked up every ounce of info from print magazines for which we paid good money. Move ahead 30 years and we are swamped with information and media - most of it free. Or as free as anything is, we pay for data to access it and our interests and clicks are used for marketing purposes. That said, a few $$ for a subscription to quality content isn't a lot to ask I don't think. I'm just not sure the content on offer is what I'm after. what i don't like is the potential loss of content that is available without subscription presently.

 @mikealive: spot on

 @mikealive: nailed it. As soon as I was paywalled trying to read a Beta article, I subscribed. Maybe I’m part of the problem? But for me and many others like me, PinkBike and Beta might be the only way I ever really get to experience riding in Chamonix, or Whistler, or wherever. So the couple bucks a month is worth it if I can feel just for a second that immersion that a good long form article with good photography can bring about.

 It's wonderful how very LITTLE internet content I need to consume when I'm asked to provide my credit card #.

 @mikealive: "it's obvious a memo went around the office for all the employees/affiliates to put on their happy faces and firefighter coats, and 'be present' in the comments of this article" Yep, I found that to be off putting, tbh. A year or so ago Park, in a podcast, mentioned the occurrence of a company having their employees and influencers all making positive comments on a press release about some product. And how he had talked to the company to make sure that sort of thing wouldn't happen again... Oh how the turns have tabled.

 @mikealive: I will indeed do that, there are not enough smiles or "w00ts" lately ~ I am older and a little crusty sometimes and do tend to present more gruffly than I really am. Unless there were underlying issues that the masses weren't privy to that would call for their move financially, I don't see how a conglomerate would make them better. I've lived through many buy-outs, takeovers, and rebrandings in the IT world, and in 36 yrs in that industry it's never been a good thing.

 @SurfNC: #Ebikes

 @mikealive: speaking of money ... right on the money. and with such eloquence, too.

 @mikealive: 31 people didn't get your post. 465 upvotes. 31 people who just gotta hate.

 @blowmyfuse:
465 people have bought into @mikealive's overly simplistic model that doesn't take into account:
1. MULTIPLE motivations on Pinkbike's part. Yes it is about money. In part. And what else? Actually surviving in a pretty cut throat environment - notice how many previously free journalistic sites now have subscription elements? Actually growing the sport? Actually doing deeper and longer form journalism. Actually providing more coverage of races? And more?
2. The buy in of consumers (i.e. us) in the whole "we want more" process. In his take, consumers are portrayed by turns, as either victims or brain dead zombies, blindly following the corporate diktat. There's no accountability leveled at the consumer for the "we want more process" .

Also, how many of the 465 genuinely have "15 subscriptions per month"? I would guess that most have 0 per month, and are thus aghast as they've come face to face with having to pay for content for the first time.

I could be wrong in this, but the whole tone struck me as ideological, slightly bitter, and without a reasonable consideration of the broader context.

 @Kurt1980: You're replying to a comment on a story from a week ago, but didn't read any of the conversation that followed where all the points you think you are making have already been clarified and addressed.

Right, no one has a Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Fubo, Podcasts, Substack, Patreon, Twitch, or OnlyFans subscriptions. We all have zero, you are correct. And we all just want stuff for free, definitely the argument being made. Nailed it. Now, in the ultimate act of irony, let's call people simplistic. Cheers.

 @mikealive:
You're correct in that this story is now from a week ago, but I do find people's reactions to situations quite interesting.

I suppose if you look at the initial comment, the main themes were "more is always foisted on us" and "it's about money, period". There was the lack of nuance and lack of personal accountability, and that's the commentary that got 472 up-votes. 472 people agreed with that sentiment, very few followed with up-voting your next paragraphs and clarifications, which do make your position a little clearer.

Also, just to clarify, even though there are multiple arguments against this process, I suspect a lot of it comes down to not wanting to pay for content. Look how many times the word "paywall" features in these comments, let alone all the other comments from all the other articles.

Also, to further clarify, I didn't call people simplistic, I said your model was simplistic.

If this comes across as harsh I apologise.

 @Kurt1980: "...very few followed with up-voting your next paragraphs and clarifications..." my follow up response has the third most upvotes in the remainder of the thread, behind the original comment and my initial response. The fact that you would paint this as 'very few' shows me you are making an ideological argument instead of engaging on the facts present. "Fewer" would be true, "very few", relatively, is absolutely incorrect. This comes on the heels of you guessing most people here would 'have zero subscriptions per month', a wild claim in 2022, that again comes across as disingenuous for the purpose of bolstering your position. In other words, it appears your mind is made up, and you're willing to let that inform your perceptions.

"There was the lack of nuance..." Huh? This entire conversation is about the nuance, nuance you have glossed over with regard to points I have made, obviously. You interpreted my first comment incorrectly as "more is always foisted upon us" instead of 'we are marketed at to grow the sport'. At no point is victimhood claimed or culpability denied. Hilariously, the very first line of my first comment puts blame on us, the riders, who always want more, in this case miles of trail and the means to do it, so I literally open with personal responsibility. The entire second paragraph of that same reply is commentary on *our* willingness to recruit anyone who will listen to us to the sport of mountain biking. That's not 'brain dead zombies', that's a cult chant, *our* cult... but it was a goofy daydream, not the crux of my position. I thought that would be apparent. I close out the post saying, "Sometimes things are good enough, and we don't realize it", which suggests both self reflection and a call to responsibility--that's just a general statement, and it was written as its own sentence on purpose. In context, it was followed up by suggesting that PB was an absolutely fine product before they sold. I would guess a vast majority of us were here then, too.

"...I suspect a lot of it comes down to not wanting to pay for content". Ah yes, your expressly stated bias and thus the foundation for many points you try to argue. You're not the only one who has come along late to the conversation attempting to justify such tone-deaf assertions. Mere existence of the word "paywall" is not evidence to substantiate your claim--context does matter. In this case, it goes way back to the announcement of the sale of PB, and what was told to the community here. The real meat and potatoes at the heart of community sentiment, if you will. Many had concerns, we were assured they were unsubstantiated, for the most part. But slowly, bit by bit, we're seeing them become justified. You can go back to the original news of the sale, or comb through the various comments made since, that inform the intended direction for PB from here; I'm not going to do that work for you in this space. I am also, not now or previously, arguing against a paid membership option, at least not on its face. I'm taking issue with *how* it's coming to fruition. The spin, the marketing, urinating in our faces and telling us it's raining and all that.. that so many here agreed with my original comment serves as a good gauge of sentiment, even if further discussion is warranted. "It's about money. Period." wasn't an indictment of a business that is trying to make money, it was calling out of the marketing bullsh*t. We see through the spin. Pinkbike, the punk brainchild it once was, sold to 'the man' in many of our eyes. We're still here. So don't tell us these changes being made are 'for us', because if they were really 'for us', we wouldn't be asked to pay for them. The changes are *for Outside*, to make them an increased amount of profit. Claiming that something is done in someone's best interest and then asking them to pay for it beckons a level of cognitive dissonance that sets off alarms for most; it seems like a fundamental contradiction, at least in this case.

I have no interest in going back through all that has been said here ad nauseum. I understand that you are trying to make the case that fewer upvotes to later replies is a direct correlation that fewer people agree. I can only refer you to any comment thread ever on this site as evidence that you are incorrect--people simply quit following the conversation after a few days, hence fewer votes tend to exist as a whole the further down a thread you get. Should be readily apparent. Every additional comment on this thread sends a notification, and that gets annoying, so people will turn that stuff off in their profile settings. ALSO, for that same reason, this will be my last response on the topic (I can hear the collective 'thank god' being uttered by anyone still reading, and I agree)--I was trying to avoid doing so, but your claims were so off-base that they deserved to be replied to publicly. If you want to continue the conversation, feel free to PM me. I, like you, do also find people's reactions to the situation quite interesting, yours included.

"... to further clarify, I didn't call people simplistic, I said your model was simplistic." An important distinction, and noted. It is important to separate the person from the idea, this keeps emotions to a minimum. So understand me when I say that I am not calling you a moron, but the ideas you have presented are moronic.

 Seems reasonable. I'd love to be sat in a room when needles is telling bike stories.

 Eliot, I don't think I'll ever get around to Beta unfortunately but can you just do a 3min long video of repeated moto scrubs and whips? (gratuitous slowmo encouraged) - I'll pay top dollar straight to yer Onlyferns, Twatters n PayPeoples & then I can leave PB happily.

 How many jobs you got now Eliot? I've lost count.

Racer/Rider
Commentator
Video Presenter
Grow Cycling Foundation Chairman
Computer Programmer
Music Producer
Professional Heartthrob
Now this

You are an unbelievable specimen and it's rad you're on board!

 LOLLLLLZ LETS GOOOOO!

 But would you pay for that autograph? Ha ha

 @ben-cathro: Not available in UK tho

 @ben-cathro: I take pride in being the an amateur heartthrob. One day I hope to be like you, a TRUE professional heartthrob

P.S. I just got a show! You wanna be a guest??

 @cmolina: totally! I’ve offered money, but they are too famous so I’ve had to resort “following them and asking repeatedly even if they try to run” type tactics.

 @ben-cathro: Eliot is on the Board too? Non-executive Chairman of Outside+?

 @EliotJackson: Yo dude, just wanna say you're a steezy ass hero of mine. Thanks for being approachable and rad af!

PS, you're definitely a pro hearththrob.

 @EliotJackson: Sign me up.

 @EliotJackson I think you missed out @mikelevy - his autograph has to be priceless

 Compelling offer, send me an invoice.

 @brianpark: please create an account on bill.com and forward me your info

 If I could collect $.07/day from 100,000 betas

 @brianpark: Maybe you two could reach an agreement in the middle?

 @UtahBrent: meet me Outside to flesh out the details

 If I received pennies for every ad I had to see while browsing the internets on my phone n laptop I wouldn't use adblock. Jus sayin

 @DizzyNinja: you can use brave browser, it's exactly what you described

 @marge88: it's not pennies, it's tokens, which is more like air miles than monies

 ;-P

Puberty must have been rough.

 I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what's it seems weird and scary to me. - A. Simpson

 I think this article was clear and honest. What's the big deal?

 I'm stealing my trail building buddy's line: "Mountain bikers hate two things; Change, and the way things currently are"

 @suspended-flesh: A general lack of trust in media outlets.

 Who else was reading this as Homer J. Simpson ?

 @Yerts: who said Adams been thru puberty?

 I want the old times back! RC on MBA, print only.

 @cxfahrer: I need Zap to tell me what to think while I scheme in the greymarket pages about saving up for a Mountain Cycle San Andreas.

 As long as outside implements the paywall slow enough, I'm sure us frogs won't even notice.

 Lol @poleczechy:

 @brianpark: Just like 'Earthquake' Jake Watson (R.I.P.) rode!

 If we all block beta we'll never no what we missed and nothing will change.

 "But mostly, we want to get weird"

by monetizing our users data. That's so weird. Downright quirky and very unique. Good job Outsi----I mean pinkbike

 Hey, if you don't like seeing content of "the sport’s best writers, photographers, and filmmakers" (Article, 3rd paragraph) you're free to suck it up with the rest of us and stick with the second-rate writers, photographers, and filmmakers featured on Pinkbike.

 @mi-bike, the line says "We’ll be using the Beta membership model to work with more of the sport’s best writers, photographers, and filmmakers." I'd argue that Pinkbike already features some of the sport's best writers, photographers, and filmmakers, and that's not going to change.

 @mikekazimer: Oh but it will wont it Mike...

 @mikekazimer: Hereby requesting edit of my above comment, adding a at the end.

 If only you guys would have explained all this right at the beginning, it would have gone over a lot better.

 @nsteele: You believe this lol?

 @mikekazimer: the original reason I started reading pinkbike was because they had better photography than any other mtb bike site. Often the photography on sites is good but pinkbike was the only one which would fill the whole screen with nice picture rather than a 600 pixel strip down the center of the screen. Don't know if other sites are better at this yet.

The photo epics are really rad on a big screen whereas they're fine on a phone.

 @mikekazimer: thanks for standing up to yourself and the team!
You guys are all doing a great job, the Pinkbike team, the Beta team (and the VeloNews team as well). Enjoying your stuff and paying happily for subscription, being the uncool mid 40's guy who feels good about paying for great content and great services. Cheers

 @nsteele: They did, listen to the Podcast

 @mikekazimer: Exciting to see Mike Rose on the roster. Anyone who was a fan of Dirt Magazine might recognise his name.

 @fektor-b: I wish Jerry Dyer was on the roster. I wonder what he's doing these days, apart from hitting the news big time. Answers on a postcard.

 That's a good idea.

 @brianpark: Most subscription services offer a free trial these days to "try before you buy." Adding one for Beta to see what it is about AND getting magazines shipped to Canada might just get my money.

 That's probably a good idea. I've looked at some of the beta articles from behind the pay wall and, to be completely honest, I did not feel compelled to actually put money down.

 @AndrewMacNaughton I can't help but point out this irony (in good humor): "There writing is pretty much trash"


Your suggestion is solid, though.

 Agreed. When Cyclingtips went to a paywall, they offered a month of free access. I love their content, but their membership perks basically equated to a few discounts, forum access and zwift rides. Making matters much worse, the articles the were highlighting as why I should pay were rather indulgent and not much use.

@brianpark I'm all for weird content and deep dives. I have faith that your staff know the difference between odd but useful stories vs content that serves the writer more than the reader.

FWIW - I'd certainly pay a few beans a month for dedicated XC coverage (which I'm guessing many other pinkers wouldn't), so maybe there's a way to connect your filters, which work well, to the premium structure?

 Great idea! Also many sites have 3,etc. free articles you can read a month, etc.

I wish everyone with paywall content would offer one time fee's for specific content. (I know, the subscription would probably be a better deal and lots of benefits to it) But, that way I'd only be paying for something I want.

There are times only one source has a news article and your stuck for a couple days till other sources pick it up. It's not enough for me to subscribe, but I'd have paid for the single article to get that info quicker.

The subscription model is a catch 22. I've totally stopped buying Adobe products because of it and know many others who did the same. Course obviously they still have some really huge accounts so the lose of my small potatoes isn't a thing to them...

 Props for a legitimately creative and constructive suggestion instead of sticking to the poop slinging that usually happens on these threads.

 "There writing is pretty much trash but have some good content here and there. PB seems to be much better."

Irony, thy names is Andrew.

 My wife just brought home a beta mag that was dropped at her place of employment. I wasn’t sold on the membership either until now. Reading some of the articles and having a real magazine in my hands makes me think it’s well worth the money now. Reminds me of the good old days of waiting for the mailman and reading articles 46 times over the course of time in between prints. This has a Surfers Journal feel at half the price.

 I was and am still a subscriber to Bike Mag/BETA and FreeHub Magazine. WTF is a paywall? I like physical magazines. - Gen Xer

 @davidle03: They refunded my digital description when Bike stopped. Did you re up?

 this. I dont know beta magazines content and might consider reading it. for now the brand only appeared as advertisements on the pinkbike front page. what exactly is the difference between the two brands? “beta” does not sound very premium to me.

 @stiingya: I did!

 Thanks @brianpark!

 Amen to that!

 "Brian Park Salvaging PB Editors' Mental Health" for the February Good Month / Bad Month? Thanks @brianpark.

 f**** mobile. I wanted to give an up-vote

 Outlook rule: "move all new emails directly to trash"

 @squarewheel: If you register for Outside+ you will be able to alter your up/downvotes for 3 minutes if you make a mistake!

 Agreed. @brianpark you make a lot of compelling points in your article. Compelling enough that I went from being super annoyed at having Beta shoved down my throat to deciding to sign up for that $2/month membership and give it a try. Good content isn't free!

 @squarewheel: touch the text box icon next to the comment you want to up/down vote to open a reply text box, and you'll find the up/down arrow buttons above said text box.

 @pockets-the-coyote: "Props already given" - you get one shot and no Undo.

 @suspended-flesh: Ah that's frustrating. I wonder if switching to desktop mode would provide a work around..
edit: oh that wouldn't matter either way, but using the desktop mode link at the bottom of the mobile page does give the normal buttons, switching the browser toggle still accesses m.pinkbike.com for some reason.

 As a UK fan of Pinkbike and a subscriber to BIKE Mag, made sense for me to subscribe to Beta. Glad I did, great content across both platforms, why shouldn't I pay for it?

 Exactly. This is a nice article, but actions speak louder than words. Watch out with the negative comments, last time there was an article about Outside I got an account suspension for downvoting two brian park comments.

 This article is plan B after the hail of negative comments last year. It's simply a matter of time that the return on investment has to be realized from plan A and things will slowly migrate to the subscription access area. The frog will slowly be boiled

 Pinkbike's track record on these matters is definitely pretty questionable. If things get rocky with the subscription model, things will go behind the paywall pretty fast. Just watch.

 As someone thats in software, it seems like a great idea to offer free apps with just marketing to generate revenue. Then your mvp needs an overhaul, your team needs growing and your payroll doubles or triples. Someone has to pay for that.

 It will only be paywalled once there's a critical mass of user-generated content that was collected for free to monetize. It's what was done with Trailforks.

 @solarplex: I woulda read the rest of your comment if you had a BMX background, jus sayin

 Pinkbike racing will be the coolest thing Pinkbike has ever done. Have fun and I hope you get gearbox bikes.

 You might just wake up tomorrow and find yourselves renamed as ‘The BETA Testers’ ☝️

 I agree. It’s pretty amazing to see what PB has become, but I’m also excited to see what Beta will be. I’ve loved what they’ve put out this far, and I have a lot of respect for the staff and contributors. I’m personally stoked if the MTB industry can support a business model like Beta, because it should bode well for the rest of the scene.

 PInkbike Racing is the most exciting thing about all of this!

 Pinkbike racing is really cool, don't f$ck it up Ben

 Working on it!

 @brianpark: awesome, thanks for the reply!

 Agreed....I was all set to get a + membership till I noticed all the things we can't get up here. It looks like this will change with some time...fingers crossed. Willing to spend a few bucks on great content, but don't like feeling like others get more for their money just because of where we live.

 @brianpark: Not really a fan of paper- how about you send some money to a charitable organization (e.g .NICA) for everyone who does not order the magazine?

 @brianpark: I agree, but will it still be half price by the time your done working on it? Actual question, not throwing hate because i would consider it at the price if it included the mag (i'm old). Also, wanted to mention that you are right, leave the editors alone. Commend you for that.

 @chrsei: I think that's a great idea.

 Agreed. I just canceled my Beta subscription for that reason. Offer a print subscription to Canadians and I'll consider rejoining again. Thanks

 @brianpark: what about to the UK? I get that this could be expensive and not feasible but it would be really cool if it was?

 @everythingscomingupmilhouse: working on it for the rest of the world as well.

 Both Mikes please... Actually the way this played out with only the BetaMax articles being behind the paywall is a pretty sweet outcome.

 @stiingya: Yeah please tell me it will be the Mikes doing the field tests still and not the betas with their boring chat whilst they awkwardly hold beers

 36 days to Lourdes, can't wait!

 @sarahmoore: It's that soon?!? *Panic intensifies*

 @sarahmoore: Someone needs a miracle...

 @ben-cathro:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB5GmIL0slg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJJAW0iNhUY
www.youtube.com/watch?v=82T0m_uja4g

Oh...watch this one first:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGsNvd9EhvQ

 @ReformedRoadie: Those are some great tips! That guy's a natural, he should probably try his hand at racing.. rekon he'll go top 25 this year with skills like that.

 We've always been able to test them, they just never seem to have one available for us to test. Maybe we can funnel them though Palmer now.

 Gold comment

 @mikekazimer: That's what that girl always said I tried dating for several month.

 I read "Elvis".

 evil dont want to part of the huck to flat, the downtubes cant handle it.

 @noideamtber: ever watched rampage? Seems fine for evil frames.

 @PhilBoss: Everytime but Would they ever let that be public knowledge?

 At first glance I thought the same but then I won't be able to see over time how they increase weekly content on the pay links and decrease the free content. Ignorance isn't bliss

 BETA Blocker!! That's funny right there!

 @DizzyNinja: If you have no interest in BETA why do you feel the need to track the content they put on PB in terms of paywall vs no paywall? Seems like you are actually interested in BETA.

 And sometimes there's a resistance to change for a reason.

 I'd say that's what she said but it's 2022 so I can't.

 I'll mention this to the membership folks. Agree it'd be nice to grandfather in early supporters. We appreciate it!

 @brianpark: I second this... I'd be much more inclined to do the full outside + membership if my early adopter trailforks discount meant something toward it.

 @bonkmasterflex: and I’ll third. Been thinking I would get an offer/perk/something to entice me to go O+ before my Pro renewal in Sept.

 @brianpark: please do mention it as I went to the link to sign up but didn’t want to lose my Trailforks discount to sign up toBeta. I am sure others have as well


Thanks

 Agreed. I looked at getting the membership but I am already in on the early Trailforks and there’s no magazine in Canada. The math just didn’t make sense.

 This is definitely being highly considered and worked on by Outside folks. Sometime in the coming months there will be a compelling upgrade to Outside+ offer for existing Trailforks Pro subscribers, early adopters included.

 @canadaka: I subbed early to Trailforks, then beta a couple months ago. Will the coming news address my existing double Trailforks sub? Thanks for the info!

 A friend signed up for PB before it was owned by a corporate overlord. Is there a way to transfer this " reward" so they don't "lose" out on their MTB lifetime of enjoying PB without filling the pockets of the 1%. Call it -Overlord.

 @canadaka: Please do this, I can't/won't get an Outside membership which includes trailforks since I'm already paying for trailforks. IMO trailforks early subscribers should get an O+ membership with their tf sub.

 Is that really you Waki? Inquiring minds and all that..,

 @Svinyard: I am not the same... things will never be the same

 I don't mind paying for quality magazines. I've been subscribed to Dirt since 2004 until they went out of print, I've been subscribed to to Cranked ever since it's been out, I'm buying pretty much all the Misspent Summers stuff and I paid the 100 dollar for the Eskapee Collective (though they still didn't make it). Misspent Summers stuff often has the Dirt vibe (with James McKnight, Jon Gregory and Mike Rose onboard at this point), Eskapee and Cranked are a bit more mellow maybe. Cranked even dedicated an article to a troll named Wacek, so it shouldn't be that hard to relate to. The description about BETA seems similar to what Cranked is. But I've never read an actual article from BETA, so I can't tell for sure. You knowing the same media that I know (assuming you know Eskapee too), could you give me an indication of where BETA sits on that spectrum? I don't mind investing in another magazine (I love magazines) but they should add something to what I'm reading already.

 @calmWAKI: mushrooms?

 @vinay: well print is not a bad idea and we may all need it. Actually it may be one of the last times we are commenting in a long time in foreseeable future. If Russia attacks Ukraine, Nato will love to take satellite footage of them shooting civilian targets. Putin knowing this may want to shoot down these satellites. This will basically wipe out most of orbital infrastructure in a matter of days, including communication satellites, GPS and so on. Thank you Lockheed Martin, Bae Systems, General Electric, Boeing, Bloomberg, News Corp and many more who pull strings in this mess. Say good bye to Strava

 @calmWAKI: We will still debate the value of subscription models in here in North America using our geostationary satellite matrix while the Baltic states are warring.

This would be a good time to listen to some classic Ukrainian nationalistic BM by Drudkh like Blood in our Wells. If you prefer your Black Metal in a folk vein, try Songs of Grief and Solitude. Their compilation Eastern Frontier in Flames would do......best wishes to my Ukrainian brothers and sisters in these dark days.

 @calmWAKI: Pinkbike goes behind paywall, Putin starts ww3, they run out of Greek letters for COVID varients. Which of these will the top story of 2022?

 @suspended-flesh: It’s hard to bother about what MTB media does considering how close the super power shenneningans are. My thoughts go to people of Ukraine a lot. But also to the general order of peace in Europeand in the world. US and Russia are at each other again and with new supersonic weapons at disposal of both it should be concerning for the whole world. In a perverted way I wonder how Russian public is dealing with this. But then a scary thought comes in… well US and UK public dealt not only fine with war crimes in Iraq, they were proud to top it out.

Whatever. It sucks. I shouldn’t be disappointed as I know whet pieces of crap we can be if misinformed and manipulated. Let’s just hope it will end with dick swinging.

 @calmWAKI: you will find that most U.K. citizens hated the Iraq war and have no idea why we got involved beyond our leaders sucking up to the us President. One day we hope to find out what the benefit of sticking up is because we haven’t seen any yet

 @CM999: they may have hated it but they haven't done anything. Blair is in good health. So is Clinton, Bush and Obbie. We all sat and watched not even knowing what in the whole F we are looking at. I reember very well watching Polish News and some journo ahole asking how many millions will Poland earn in rebuilding of Iraq as return for sending troops. We jut don't care until shots and explosions can be heard with our own ears.

 I personally love how much more corporate things are now -no one ever

 @L0rdTom exactly this.

The whole bait-and-switch with Trailforks a few years ago was the first thing that PB did that made me unhappy. Granted, I should have seen it coming but building a core part of your business on the backs of your users just to turn it around and sell it back to them was sneaky and disingenuous. Ok, good one PB.. you got me this time. The utility of TF is great, and even though the history is a bit tarnished in my eyes, I would have had no trouble recommending it to others previously.

The fact that a decent chunk of the profits from TF subscriptions will now go to Pocket Media brass has changed that view. Pay to directly support the passionate PB staff (in addition to site clicks)? Possibly.. probably.
Pay or recommend Pocket Media products to others to pad the bonuses and golf memberships of execs? Not likely.

 You're right, as a PB reader I definitely didn't get paid enough to read that whole thing!!

 Skipped to the end. Hugs and kisses? Really?

 @OCSunDevil: Usually comments only have that many words when someone is asking whether to upgrade their 6 year old bike.

 @bocomtb: But should I put a factory fox36 on my 69.5 degree head tube 3x drivetrain quick release bike? It worked fine when I bought it 15 years ago sooo

(laughs in 26 inch yeti/santa cruz on BuySell for like 4k)

 That Canyon video really scared me. is that what we are now going to be getting more of on the free site and then the actual reviews on the paywall site?

I went to check it out because I have the 2019 Canyon Spectral and was really looking forward to a goo unbiased review on the two options to see if I would go on one of those (and which one) vs something else. No luck and walked away with nothing. Love Jason and Tom, but that was cringy.

Did Jason leave Pinkbike? Mahalo My Dude are making a big deal about him being "back".

 @cmolina: Jason is no longer on staff, but is confirmed by Kaz to be freelancing with PB for bigger projects (probably filming for field tests and such where you kidna need all hands on deck). Sounds like a good move, hope to see even more from Jason in the future wherever it is.

 I agree that canyon article was just an advert. It told me nothing that reading the spec sheet wouldn’t tell me. Transparency is key and whether an item is an article or an advert needs to be very clearly stated. It’s hard to keep with the line that the tech editors are independent from the advertising team when article / adverts like this are published

 @CM999, all sponsored articles (like the Canyon video) are tagged "Sponsored". You also won't find any performance verdicts in those articles - that's mentioned in the first 40 seconds of the video.

 @mikekazimer: Can you clarify if YouTube has a mandatory paid content categorization? Because that's something I was trying to hone in on is the video/article being tagged sponsored within PB is one thing. But on youtube I didn't see the same "paid content" tag other youtube videos have. Not sure if including titling that says "presented by Canyon" nullifies the necessity for that tag. But I think if YT has a system for it, it would be much more transparent to use that system regardless of a quick titling.

 This is not change, it the beginning of the end of PB being free...

 Tldr

 @mikekazimer: if you are participating in a sponsored advert how do you remain impartial and as Brian days completely disconnected from the sales side of PB?

 That article was from the winter 2021 print issue of Beta magazine.

 @brianpark I hope you understand what I'm getting at. I know you're just in a new world trying to bring clarity to where there's significant overlap. That Beta headline just doesn't mesh with the description of the differences between Pinkbike and Beta.

If I could have paid seven cents for that article, I would have. I know subscriptions are where it's at, especially as I've worked in SaaS for a decade+. But as a consumer, I have too many subscriptions. Somehow Trailforks is a no-brainer for me, but an Outside+ subscription to read why Saint brakes haven't been updated in a decade isn't subscription worthy for me.

I also don't have a Beta print subscription, but buy them individually as I have time and desire.

 I'll suggest that. I think it's just on the profile pages. In the meantime if you don't want it you can just sign up with a different email.

 @brianpark: Needs to be a way to hide that your a outside+ member so you don't get bullied on the forum.

 @Herb1234: mostly people, at least myself, would prefer not to be tagged as OUTSIDE+ because it’s lame and not even a platform I like or want to support per se.

I would, however, consider paying the sub if the content ends up being stuff I want to read / watch. But, having to advertise I support this shit is a turn off…even though I largely couldn’t care less what anyone here thinks of me. Hard to explain, but I’m sure others are the same.

 Underrated comment. Needs investigation/resolution.

 well said, sir.

 Jason's gone freelance but Christina, Tom, other Tom, Max, Ben, Stefan, etc. are all on board (and we brought Ben Cathro in from contract to staff as well). Jason is still part of the crew and we'll be looking to do some projects with him this year!

 No fear!!! I am here!!! haha not going anywhere but thanks for your support ❤️

 @brianpark: Real question is which one is Tom and which one is designated as other Tom.

 @christinachappetta: Thank God! More skinnies please.

 @brianpark: is there going to be another round of Pinkbike Academy? Guilty pleasure viewing for sure on my part...

 @bonkmasterflex: Yep!

 @brianpark: but who’s hosting!?

 @VZ134: Protour

 @adrennan: we’ll never know!

 Oh how awesome, lets just accept that it's a natural progression that everything has to turn maximum profit, that's always benefitted everyone equally hasn't it...

 I think, and I could be wrong, people believe there will be a sliding scale where what's free gets less and less over time.

 @jaame: I've already noticed it, so yes, it's happening. Far less interesting articles since Outside took over, largely being replaced by re-shares of youtube content.

 @mammal, to be fair, there aren't that many new products or events to cover in the dead of winter. Despite all the conspiracy theories, nothing has changed as far as content output goes since the Outside acquisition. We've got a bunch of cool projects in the works, and racing will be starting soon, so there should be plenty of interesting stuff on the way.

 @FMHUM: yeah you're absolutely right. Vote with your feet at the end of the day. As one door closes, another door opens. Or we could focus on riding our bikes more and reading aboit bikes less.

 @mikekazimer: OK, I appreciate the direct feedback. If it's just my inherent skepticism at work, I look forward to a similar type/volume of original content that I've been used to for the past several years (more like 22 years actually).

 But it wont will it, more and more of the best content will be moved behind the paywall, the short sightedness here is sickening...

 @mammal: This feels pretty similar to other winters for me. Checking Pinkbike for distractions and coming up pretty empty.

 @mikekazimer: Tech articles, skills/how to, manufacturer tours.. How about a user-engaged winter design project chosen by poll? Could be components, shoe or helmet collab, a frame.. it would take all winter to argue about the details. Maybe it isn’t feasible, just a suggestion.

 Just because you won't pay for it doesn't mean other people won't. You agree that they are amazing, why do you expect them to not get paid for it?? I know you're being a troll but come on.

 @OCSunDevil: should be interesting to see how profitable it is. People have limited attention spans and after looking at social media, comments, and regular free pb stuff, you they really have the motivation left to open their wallets to pay for extra content? Not against it, but I'd be surprised if it succeeds

 @OCSunDevil: is there any evidence that pb staff have received pay rises? I'd expect much of that money will be funnelled towards Pocket Media's shareholders.

 Doubtful

 Buy & Sell isn't under the editorial side so I don't know the specifics, but I believe they want to keep the standard version free. There's been a paid version of the Buy & Sell for years, and AFAIK the plan is to just make that version better.

 @brianpark: Oof. A firm "Buy-Sell isn't changing" would have been what I'd expect to hear if it in fact wasn't changing. Guess it wasn't an accident that it was left out of this article. Great.

 @brianpark: Oof, what a big bummer. Kind of feels like when businesses make cuts to long term employees who helped build the business. Would highly suggest leaving it as-is and making Beta about journalistic content.

 You can turn off the beta adds in the content filter on your PB dash.

 I think it's fair to say he's not planning on leaving the basement any time soon.

 Hah we're working on adding a comments section, just for your terrible puns.

 Working on it. Definitely something we want to get implemented this year.

 @brianpark: while you're updating the beta website, any plans to move pinkbike off php 5.6 and into the modern world? Maybe even put it on a hosted server?

 @hamncheez: a man can dream.

 @brianpark: In tandem to the technical work I would consider running the Beta Comments Academy to toughen the team up for when the floodgates open.

 Hmmm.. but now upon reflection I see that I’m being critical about something that is providing a livelihood for some stellar peoples. So maybe former me was wrong and PB is on the right path.. The barely lunch has shown me the way!

 Remember that it's Pocket Media's board directing the greed, not Brian et al. NSMB do excellent long form reads.

 If you like the long articles then you probably should pay for Beta. The more I look over there the more its clear that Beta is more like PB for adults. Longer, well written articles that don't dwell on things I don't care about like which pro I've never heard of signed where (seriously, this was 50% of the content for a couple weeks) or a video on this chainless 26"/24" monstrosity some dude in whistler is riding. Plus there's no comments so you don't have to deal with idiots like WAKI and you don't have to hear the term grim donut any more and then read 17 reply's by 16 year olds who just cannot get over the term grim donut and think its the funniest shit ever. I love pinkbike for certain things but you can't deny the massive increase in video's vs writing.

 Pinkbike academy will eventually be behind the paywall and eventually more series will be developed and beta will be the Netflix of mountain biking. Mark my words this will turn into the cash cow they allll promised it wouldn’t…

 I recommend not buying 3k wheels or 10k bikes, watching less TV, and riding more. That's just me, though.

 Outside magazine isn’t our parent company. They got bought last year by our parent company (then called Pocket Outdoor Media), which rebranded everything as Outside. It’s a bit confusing.

 You'll be able to see Palmer riding soon - he's joining us at the next Field Test.

 I rode with Palmer earlier this week. Can confirm, the dude knows how to ride a bike! Also, in my experience, the most stylish looking riders are not always the best testers. Being able to pick up nuances in suspension, wheels, brakes, bars, etc., in back to back testing is an art. Hats off to Palmer and the entire test crew for their ability to pick apart bikes and gear and help us mortals understand how that may translate to us on the trails.

 I agree, it always made the reviews seem a little disconnected given they were in an audio visual format. I've always really liked bikes/betas Bible of bike test stuff and have no doubt they are far better riders than myself but, it would feel a little more genuine if they actually held the handle bars rather than a craft beer on camera occasionally.

 @mikekazimer:

I am so looking forward to you and Mike at the table reviewing bikes with Ryan. Talk about the dream team!

 I put paragraphs in that thing as well and my formatting got lunched, And I forgot about Elliot and a bunch of other people. sorry.

 Nvm, it's probably just a preview of the text anyway. Down vote to oblivion please. Teach me to try and be sassy, best left to the pros.

 Agreed.

 Doesnt meta how you call it. Content metas.

 I would like a longform article complaining about Maxxis quality control issues.