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"220 Triathlon?" or "Triathletes World?" those are the questions.

I have been a dedicated follower to 220Triathlon for the past 3 years. However, I have recently noticed a new triathletes companion emerging called "Triathlete's World", a sister magazine to "Runner's World". I don't want to sound like a traitor, but has anyone subscribed to this magazine yet? Can anyone tell me of their advantages or disadvantages over 220Triathlon?
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Comments

  • julesojuleso Posts: 279
    Surely there's not actually enough to say about swim/bike/run to support 24 issues a year.......?



    I got the first issue free with RW but certainly won't be switching to it from 220.
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Saw it on the Runner's World website and was curious. Haven't seen it any shops yet. Might try a copy (if I can find one without subscribing).
  • I got the first issue pre-Xmas (can't really remember too much about it to be honest..) and the next isn't released until April I think. I also believed it's aimed at novices.
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    yeh i think it is aimed pretty squarely at novices, which isn't too much of a bad thing, but i don't think its quite a good as 220. Having said that i think the last few issues of 220 have been pretty pants, i think i finished reading all i wanted to in about a day or 2, normally takes me a week!
  • woodywoody Posts: 52
    and another to add to the list 'Triathlon plus' from future publishing, a sample came with this months copy of cycling plus. I guess triathlon is a growing sport and more mags to cover it, we'll see how the two new ones look in a few months,and what it will do for 220 tri.
  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    But they do have the darn best forum members on 220!!!

    All you need to know about porridge, carbon, waxing, red, very expensive and aero is on it.

    Grab it, it just lies there!!!!!!!!!!!! [;)][8D]
  • Can I just say that I agree with TommiTri. I have been subscribing to 220 for about a year now and I seem to remember the first few issues lasting me a good week or so. Recently, like TommiTri, I seem to have read the whole thing within a day. Should a new subject be started on this in an attempt to try and get the magazine to add some more content??????
  • BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
    I saw the mag on the shelf once in a big WH smiths.

    I had say I picked it up and flicked through. when I put it down I saw a 220 copy just sitting there looking at me like a cheated wife!!!!

    I felt so dirty for even touching it!



    I agree with the 220 not being as good as before. is it because its a bit the same each month??????
  • jon_gjon_g Posts: 318
    think we go through this problem every year over the winter months, 220 just isnt as good until the race season starts. maybe the writers are suffering from SAD?
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    I'm loving 220 but then I've only read 4 issues. There must be a point where reader fatigue kicks in. There are only so many subjects you can put in. I assume for example that every October there is an article(s) about winter training. Unless there's been a radcial step forward in sports science or something the advice one October will be similar to what was said the previous year.
  • MowfMowf Posts: 272
    In terms of content suggestions:



    Their columnist EK Lidbury has recently tuned proffesional. I for one would love to hear more about the transition (pun intended).



    More course profiles would be really helpful. I am a decent swimmer/runner but struggle on the bike. Hence I like to look for flat course where i can unload at the beginning and end without heavy legs from churning up hills in my little chain ring (Blenheim anyone?).



    A test centre on tri bundles. This would have been great for me when i first started. You can look at the deals and they appear great value - but how good are those shoes? Is that bike a decent spec. What little extras seperate good deals.



    Well that's my starter for 10. Anyone else?
  • grant1974grant1974 Posts: 262
    I didn't think much of it, however, Triathlon Plus, first issue released March 10th, I got a preview issue and it is very good. Competition is good, it makes everyone try harder. 220 can be a bit predictable in terms of time of year and articles.
  • deeessdeeess Posts: 150
    the reality is that if you are new to the sport you will devour as much info as you possibly can in a short space of time. after a while though you will start to hear the same info regurgitated - there is only so much that can be written
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    its a really hard thing to put out a magazine in a sport where there can be such a huge gulf between beginner and expert. For example if you are putting in articles on training if you make it too basic then anyone above the beginner stage won't find them useful. However if you work on really advanced performance enhancing stuff then it may not be so good for beginners who are just getting to grips with the basics.

    However Mowf I think your idea about the course profiles would be a good idea, as it would be nice to know a basic idea of what races were like before you entered them.

    Personally I think 220 should be putting more of an effort into the performance section, I especially would like some more stuff on shorter course, increasing running speed endurance, power on the bike etc.
  • BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
    As I understand that it must be a balls ache trying to please all of the people all of thetime (think someone famous might have used that before), I would really like to see more in the mag about types of equipment and explanations on how why and when! I would also like more tests of clothing and and equipment that mat all price ranges from gloves to drinks bottles, not just the big items like bikes and wet suits.



    As this is my first race season I am still looking for kit and find the best info comes from this site as its real reviews not just pie in the sky expensive or new releases.

    I might be rambling abit but it would be nice if they asked us to review some stuff for them like a focus group.
  • It's true that there is only so much that can be written about a subject. And any sport or activity, indeed any subject a magazine is likely to cover, has a cyclical nature – so most titles will cover certain things at certain times of year. It can get a bit repetitive, but show me a mag that doesn't.



    Also remember that publishers are having the same difficult time as everyone else at the moment. The whole industry is laying people off, slashing budgets etc etc. Publishing bosses look at the bottom line, and couldn't give a toss about the quality of content supplied to readers. Editors and writers obviously do care, but if there's no budget to go out there and come up with new ideas or invest in different sections/expert contributors and so on – plus only just enough staff to get a mag out by the skin of their teeth at the end of every month – what can they do?



    Frustrating for readers like you and I, but an economic reality.
  • MGMG Posts: 470
    I stopped buying 220 a while ago, the race reports were dire and poorly written and the reviews were for gear that hardly anyone would use, £5000 bikes??!!



    The mag is very repetative and is used as a forum for the editors uni chums. Nah, all this mag gets is a 5 min scan in WHSmith.

  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    Don't even entertain Tri World then...220 looks positively encyclopedic in comparison.
  • Hi guys, interesting thread as have been thinking 220 has been lacking for a while, but still wait for it to drop thru the letter box each month like a little kid!! Also subscribe to Triathlete mag, from the states(original tri mag) and it, to be honest, is SOOOOOO much better as a general read, they really go in-depth with a more 'journalistic' approach, which, surprisingly for the yanks can be quite sharp and humourous..True, it costs a bit(£60odd) to have it mailed over but may be worth a look for any of you needing a 'new angle fix'

    [;)]

  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    Now this is where this should be......I get Triathlete from Borders..just gone up to £4.95! Ho hum...however altho' it is mostly aimed & about ironmanm some of the science stuff is really good & requires a good bit of concentration to read & understand. This months lactate article is excellent, it must be the 4 or 5th such article I have read on this , but still shed some new light (to me) on this subject.
  • Yeah, ditto the science stuff.. although it can go a bit in depth and focus more on the iron distance, they are really cutting edge and nearly always attention-holding, which is more than i can say for 220-but as said through this thread, it(220) is trying hard to get the 'noobie' attention so quick bites is, i guess inevitable!! I am loathe to not buy it tho(echoes of the cheating wife bit),as it was, after all, my first...lol [8D]
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    I think you may be able to get that one (or another american tri mag) in borders, i was going to get it last time but it was about £4 and i didn't have any money on me!
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    Actually the other american one is a real lightweight, not much detail at all, altho if they do a special one subject issue they are OK....but not great.
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Like one of the previous posters I got a sample of the soon-to-be-launched Triathlon Plus with Cycling Plus this month. It certainly looks pretty good and I'll definitely be getting the first edition next month.
  • I just got a copy of pro cycling as a season preview, and the sample copy came wi that too-must admit I like the look of it, and a possible deal-clincher is the fact that the testers and peeps behind it are from what mountain bike, mbuk, bikeradar etc.....(just remembered a littl gripe i got wi 220 also, that the speshy 2D lid has been referred to numerously as the D-2...anal i know but we triathletes are nothing if sticklers for detail)...i'm hoping that the new mag is as good as it's cycling-specialist siblings, triathlon is a growing sport still here, and competition amongst the writers will no doubt improve the quality of info available...[8|]
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    I do not own a television instead I subscribe to a range of magazines and rad them through the month. If Procycling is anything to go by then 220 may be in trouble. Cycle Sport used to be the No1. cycling mag but both Cycling plus and Procycling may eclipse it. I'll buy both anyway - loadsa kit!!!!!!!!
  • That's my thing too...read as much as poss and hope some rubs off!!!! lol...tho it has certainly helped me source and build up a nice speshy transition and giant tcr from scratch!!! Am really hoping to be honest that 220 pulls it's finger out and becomes more than just noobie-fodder, even at the risk of this making me sound like a poncy triexpert! [:)]
  • GGBGGB Posts: 482
    When looking into Triathlon I purchased 220 mag and Cycling plus and a few others ... I have subscribed to Cycling plus - excellent magazine. 220 tri I am still unsure about - I have purchased a few copies but am not convinced that it is the mag for me.



    I do believe that 220 will improve over the coming months and into Tri season, I hope so anyway and if so I shall subscribe. The new Triathlon plus looks good from the preview I have had and I shall buy the first few editions and see how that goes.



    My main gripe with all these magazines is that the majority of reviews are on expensive products of which most people can only dream about and never actually purchase, with any luck this new mag may well look into reviewing reaonably priced products which more will then be inclined to purchase.



  • Thank-you for all of your responses. I was expecting a one-sided debate but instead I have more questions than answers. I haven't heard of Triathlon Plus until now. Any other tri mags popping up in the near future?



    I agree with GGB's comment on the gears reviewed, which tend to be more on the expensive side. I think these mags have to take into account of our current economic situation and lean more towards tri-gear that can assist with your training and performance at all levels at bargain prices.
  • Ditto to the expensive gear reviews....BUT to be fair they have to be cutting edge on that kinda stuff, really should balance it out with the everyday joe/jane's budget busters tho....review the pro's bikes and give us news from the industry by all means..but in depth reviews MUST bias toward us mortals....Another reason, i'm sure, that the new plus mag will score, as said before the review guys for the bike mags do generally see both ends of the spectrum...fingers crossed for improved publications this season onward eh??? [;)]
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