New cycling magazine Simpson launches this week

Did you get permission from Tom Simpson's family or estate to use his name? Even if you did, I personally have a problem with people promoting commercial ventures using the names of deceased celebrities (or, with CGI, their faces, as in the new advert in which Audrey Hepburn flogs cheap and nasty chocolate bars from beyond the grave.) For all we know, Tom Simpson might have thought this magazine was a terrible idea.

Best of luck with the venture: nothing but respect for people who give stuff a go.

As others have said I'm not sure that naming it after a cyclist who died in a fug of amphetamines is quite the right way to go, but in fairness it would be difficult to find another cyclist from the pre-Boardman era who the English cycling market have ever heard of.

I really must get to LMNH one day, it's only 10 mins from my office...

First thing which came my mind by the word "Simpson", was that small GDR motorcycle, which by law was allowed to go 50 mph within Germany. So good luck selling your mag to the Germans.

Cycling has become a kind of life style, a part what I consider the Retro style, the non-digital-existence. These days we depend on chips, computers etc. Cycling, analog photography can do without these things. (My bike runs on chocolate, cookies and Kettle chips)

So what we get as result are stylish mags which can take on the better car mags in respect to quality of pictures and text. Nothing wrong with that. Style seems to be connected to pricey, upper market approach. Well, upper market has more budget to run ads, so products featured will be to certain percentage also upper market. Still there is nothing stoping us from buying something different: http://innercitymobility.blogspot.de/2012/06/60-years-queen-elly-ii-kind...

Ok, I shall stop here and wait till I got my Simpson issue (from Condor) on my desk.

Regards,

Dr. Ko

Thanks nostromo & aslongasicycle - online/app version had crossed our minds. If only we didn't have the pesky day jobs...

Sounds spiffing to me. Plus I'm a Nottingham racing lad in my youth, so Simpson's grand. I wish I could come along to LMNH but I'm on way to City Cross.

It's so terribly easy to knock things. And so very very hard to create things and see them to fruition. Even if I didn't like your mag I'd always respect that.

Good luck Martin, launching new magazines is a helluva ride. If you can find your niche and cover your costs, you'll be doing well.

My advice would be too have an online or app version in development as a backup (if you haven't done so already).

I shall buy a copy from the website.

Thanks onlyonediane & Colin. I appreciate the kind wishes.

The best non-BS magazine I've come across is Bicycle Quarterly - http://www.bikequarterly.com/about_BQ.html

Ok, there is some retro/vintage stuff there that may put off some carbon-brainwashed 23mm folks but there are also many tech articles about rolling resistance, effect of bicycle weight on performance etc.

Oh dear,another magazine to read and hopefully not subscribe too, procycling, rouler and cyclist on subscription ! Oh and there is cyling weekly from the news stands. Good grief, is there a clinic I could subscribe to or should that be check into. Also there is the small matter of actually riding the bike from time to time! Anyway, I wish the new magazine well.

I bought the new mag 'Urban Cyclist' first edition, being a fixed week nut I looked forward to the issue two. I paid £4,50 for the first issue but when I found the issue two was £6.00. my interest waned on the spot. The point made about mags being filled with nothing but stuff we can't afford hits the spot, but I love pressing my nose up to the shop window, as I did as a kid wondering what I could afford next with my paper delivery money.

Thanks for the good wishes pwake - I'm sure I've seen Peloton on the newsstands over here...maybe it's a Comag thing? I'll check it out properly the next time I see it.

Re the name: much as I hate to pass the buck on such a fundamental question, you'd need to ask Terry (whose brainchild this is) but I don't think that's primarily what Simpson is remembered for. And hey, if we were to strike from history all the cycling heroes of the 20th century who were lying and cheating because of drug use, who would we be left with?

Alternative answer: we are inveterate liars, cheats and drug-takers. Somehow the legend of Tom Simpson really spoke to us.

Martin Thomas, I wish you luck with this venture and hope there is a niche for your mag. We have a magazine called 'Peloton' here in the States, which sits somewhere between Bicycling and Rouleur, amybe your mag can be the UK equivalent.
One thing though... that name! Why name the magazine after a rider who was a liar and a cheat? (I'm a Brit BTW so this isn't sour grapes from a Yank about LieStrong).

Time to reveal myself as Simpson's deputy editor. Thanks for the article, Simon, and for your comments, everyone. Hicksdesign, you're my new best friend Farrell, you won't find Simpson in supermarkets cos we've funded it ourselves and thus have the smallest print run in the history of publishing. We're working on our distribution network now - think bike shops, cafes clubs etc rather than WH Smith - but the first issue will only be available from the website or by coming along to the really-not-all-that-pretentious LMNH on Friday. (Actually I think it'll also be available in Condor Cycles too). Hope to see some of you there. If you make it, come and say hello. I'll be the tall bald bloke wearing a Simpson T-shirt.

My mid ride conversations generally revolve around uni, how much work we have, how we really shouldn't be out with imminent deadlines etc. But then again, riding with a university club does slightly skew my view on this :-P

...so it'll be like Cyclist mag (which is ace, methinks) but only about the UK. So lots of photos of rides including busy, crap roads and 'climbs' that last about 10 minutes. And no tech stuff. And possibly as impenetrable as Rouler. Possibly printed on nice paper like The Ride, but without the keepsake-ish-ness.

Wait, it's just for the coffee tables at Look Mum No Hands et al? Ah. Gotcha.

(and like the chats I have on my rides? you mean full of politics, finance, teenager-mismanaging, how the LBS recommended the wrong tyres, etc? wow.)

They should put the first issue online for free as a sample. If I cannae flick through it on a newsstand it has no chance.

One for the Rapha boys this one i think.
I think ill stick to reading http://www.spincyclemag.com/ for free.

I'll definitely be buying this.

And by buying it, I mean reading it when I'm in the supermarket and putting it back on the shelf unless there is a decent freebie on the front.

Gosh, awful lot of negativity for something that no one has read yet. I'll get the first issue and see what it's like.…

six quid, 'ang about!

I hope the articles in the mag are a bit more gripping than the one on the website about how t-shirts are made.

Agree with Chris James.

What a load of pretentious crap. It'll only be read by the plonkers in cycling caps that go to Look Mum No Hands.

And £6?! I think I'll stick to "talking to my fellow cyclists while I'm out on a ride".

Quote:

“It was Simpson’s spirit and style, his legendary tenacity and his ability to suffer that endeared him to cycling fans everywhere as much as the trophies he won

while dosed up on amphetamines and alcohol (to finish the sentence).

I'm going to launch a magazine called "Armstrong" with the same description.
It'll be a winner.

@mbrads72 - indeed, but is it about bikes? Or do you get stuck in to the meaning of life...?

It "will be like chatting to your fellow cyclists while you’re out on a ride". I seriously doubt that. Last thing I want to talk about while riding my bike is bikes.