I agree, it seems unlikely PB would miss the executioner’s axe. You’d not burn any remaining goodwill if they’re trying to cut costs drastically and leave one site totally alone.
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In the next step of Outside’s comedy of errors (as shared by someone in the CT forum):
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They almost got me on this a week ago. Ironic that it was Caley who was selling it.
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I think the new girl you’re thinking of is Alicia Leggett. She is out with a serious injury.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/alicia-and-her-family-with-medical-costs
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Henry Quinney was still posting as of last week (I remember because the Imagine Dragons thing made me giggle):
Not sure if it’s who you’re thinking of, but Christina Chappetta also still appears to be employed at PB. I think the individual contributors have been less visible recently due to the group efforts of the field test and the new season of Pinkbike Academy.
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Yeah, I got on my soapbox the minute Wade sold them, so this is just the inevitable to me. Lance and his crowd of investors don’t buy things to make them better, they buy them to milk the profits. They killed Peloton (the photo journal, lifestyle, and reviews mag) almost immediately. Shortly thereafter, all their properties started churning out the same cheap product as CyclingNews or Bicycling (Yes, there was still some good in there, but suddenly we started getting the standard READ ABOUT OUR TOP 75 SADDLES NOW!! crap). Instead of saving cycling journalism, they put the nail in the coffin. It was very clear when Wade retired. It makes me sad, but I got all my anger over it out a year ago.
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FYI - I cancelled my CT sub last night, and got confirmation that my membership would end June 2023. Today, I went in and deleted the payment method, and see that my membership is no longer cancelled and will bill again in June 2023.
so cancelled again, and it gives me the confirmation message that it’s cancelled, but then still says next charge is June 2023.
removed payment method, so hopefully that stops them
haven’t deleted account, just because I want to be able to check in to make sure they don’t bill me again.
If you have removed your CC info, it really doesn’t matter if they say when the next payment is due, because they have no way to charge you.
FYI…my account says the same thing. You need to reactivate your account to delete the CC info.
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Looking at the CT Forum, it looks like there’s a mass exodus happening. I’m sorry to folks like James, Shoddy, and Abby who are still there, but I think the exodus is the only way to get the message across to Outside. I’m holding out hope that Wade is planning something amazing.
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I’m sure they won’t be there for long. They’re probably on the next wave of firings.
Dan Cavallari is trying to raise funds to start something new…pretty ambitious project, so we’ll see where it goes.
I put my money where my mouth is and made a small contribution. If he gets traction and things look promising, I’ll donate more.
Reshape Cycling Media, organized by Dan Cavallari
Dear readers: It’s time to take power back. In every difficult moment, there is opportunity. … Dan Cavallari needs your support for Reshape Cycling Media
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Something similar happened at Transworld Motocross a few years ago. Donn Maeda was the Editor and I remember how devastated he was when his baby of 20+ years was yanked from under him. He didn’t waste time crying in his beer and started Swap Moto Live (Swap is his nickname) as an online-only publication and they’ve since become one of the main media outlets for the sport. I know Swap is happier and many would argue that the content is far better now that he doesn’t have to answer to anyone.
It’s never been easier to start a media company, so hopefully, some of these talented journalists will follow a similar path as Swap.
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I’m wondering what (if any) kind of non-complete clause he has? Multiple former writers of his are available and he and they have a strong following.
I wouldn’t mind a new podcast with Dane, Casey, Dave Rome, etc to take the place of the Cyclingtips one I just unsubscribed to
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I’ll continue to subscribe and listen to Nerd Alert if they keep it going with James and Ronan. As of now there’s no ads so listening to it “supports” their work while keeping money out of Outside’s pockets.
CT podcast, online account and web site bookmark are all gone from my life now though.
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I kept hoping for a return of Nerd Alert to the basement, eating Shapes. Ahh, the good old days.
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CT rose to what, IMHO, was the pinnacle of cycling journalism. Caley, Dave and others were instrumental in that rise. This techbro/VC/private equity penchant to buy, consolidate and run bargain basement editorial staffs has gotta stop. It is bullshit. Moreover it just destroys excellent product and journalism. Velonews has already turned into garbage…CT is going to get wrecked too it looks like. I cancelled my subscription and reached out to both Dave and Caley offering my support and condolences. I really hope they all make Outside Inc. regret their decisions.
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John Bradley made a long post on twitter (former VN EIC) about all this. Personally I disagree with his take and his claims. CT’s didn’t need Outside to survive AFAIK. They were in a brand space grab. VN would have failed w/o their involvement, yes. But so goes the media industry. The arguments assume that the consolidation moves had to happen, that thriving segments of the space should be treated the same way as flagging ones. I disagree wholesale at his premise. You can find it if you want, but I think its garbage so I’m not going to link to it. I was a 4+ year CT subscriber. Not any more.
this is slightly deviating from the topic but somewhat germane to this, as it involves Outside taking over crap, but last year for fun I developed a club-focused group ride webapp (basically, club members can post proposed rides on a calendar, including route, and people can RSVP). It wouldn’t be too much more of a leap to also do event reg like Bikereg does, which is basically ubiquitous where I am. I guess if I really wanted to stick it to Outside I’d try and develop it further to do that lol
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