This is the first photo ever uploaded to Pinkbike. The image of Rob Stevens dropping off a bank in Calgary, Alberta is the perfect representation of what this site has always stood for: riding bikes with your friends and sharing that with the community.
Pinkbike founder Radek Burkat had spent his twenties playing other sports, but it wasn’t until he connected with mountain biking that he found his passion. He knew he’d found a sport he really loved because he was still eager to do it solo, but he did want to share it. He cringes now at how cheesy it sounds, but he started Pinkbike in 1998 to help others connect with mountain biking in the same way he had.
Shaped by those glory days of early freeride, Pinkbike was built by a crew who wanted to share the ride with their friends through photos, videos, and stories—long before social media was a twinkle in Myspace Tom’s bionic eye.
A new chapter with Outside.We’re excited to announce today that Pinkbike has been acquired by
Outside, the world’s leading active lifestyle platform. Established in 1977, Outside Magazine was founded by Lawrence Burke, and the publication broke ground on the entire outdoor media industry. Its history is filled with iconic titles, with some of the world’s most talented writers and authentic storytelling.
The new Outside, founded in 2019 by Robin Thurston, acquired Outside Magazine and OutsideTV in February 2021. Headquartered in Boulder, CO, Outside has offices across the US, Canada, in Europe, and now Australia. They own Outside Magazine, OutsideTV, Peloton Magazine, Bicycle Retailer, Beta MTB, GaiaGPS, Roll Massif, BikeReg, Ski Magazine, Warren Miller Films, and many more titles and services. Robin’s vision of bringing all these brands together into one organization is to build a more personalized experience for all active people.
What does this mean for Pinkbike?Pinkbike’s mission to be the pulse of mountain biking and to share the ride with the global mountain bike community doesn’t change, only now we have more resources and capabilities to take on even bigger and better projects.
Our head office remains in Squamish, BC, and we’re about to move into a brand new office space with way more room to grow. We’ll also have access to new equipment and improved test facilities for more scientific, objective product evaluations.
The entire Pinkbike editorial staff is now part of Outside. Karl and Radek are involved in senior leadership positions, I continue to oversee editorial, and Kaz, Levy, Sarah, Christina, Ben, James, Alicia, Jason, Tom, Other Tom, Henry, Seb, Max, Ed, Devan, Matt, Other Matt, Dan, and the rest of our team are all on board. The Outside team has been incredibly welcoming, and we’re fired up to get some of our new projects off the ground.
| I’m thrilled to announce that Outside has acquired three of the strongest brands in the cycling category: Pinkbike, CyclingTips, and Trailforks. Today’s additions to the Outside portfolio represent a giant step toward achieving our mission of becoming the world’s leading creator of active living content, experiences, travel, and services.
There’s obviously a lot of work ahead of us, so I’m excited to welcome Radek, Karl, and their teams to the Outside family. (read more over on Bicycle Retailer)—Robin Thurston, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Outside |
Pinkbike’s content and services have long been paid for with an advertising model, while our new parent company offers some features of their titles in a subscription called
Outside+.
Subscribers get digital access to members-only content, exclusive shows, hundreds of virtual health, fitness, cooking, and outdoor classes, free books, personalized, ad-free experiences at Outside Online, a subscription to Gaia GPS, training plans, and discounts on everything from gear to race-entry fees to event photography.
In the coming months we’ll be digging into how Pinkbike can best support the Outside platform and make their offerings even more compelling. While our long term business model will evolve, a significant portion of our content will remain free. We’re thrilled about the ideas on the table already.
A challenge to our new sister brand - Beta MTB.We’re taking this opportunity to formally challenge our new sister publication Beta MTB to a very serious mountain bike competition. We’ll look at the calendar and figure out the best time and venue, but we’re going to have to throw down for ultimate bike dork supremacy. Hat tip to
@johnski for the idea.
We’ll race the Grim Donut, we’ll do some early freeride video trivia, timed fork rebuilds, longest skid, World Cup quizzes, Impossible Climbs on a tandem, etc… I’ve got the Pinkbike crew training already so it’s time to start doing pushups Palmer!
Thank you to the community.Radek set out 23 years ago to connect riders, and along the way the community here at Pinkbike has taken on a life of its own. All of us here want to say thank you for making this place what it is today. The changes on the horizon are exciting, and we hope you’ll bring your salty, irreverent, priceless selves along for the ride.
| We founded Pinkbike to show the world how amazing mountain biking is, and to inspire others to get out and ride and fall in love with the sport like we had. Joining Outside gives our team an opportunity to tell stories to an even bigger audience and to collaborate with world-class journalists at the other brands and sports in our new family.
We’re also thrilled to bring our Trailforks technology and community into the ecosystem that Outside is building. In partnership with Gaia, we intend to map every trail in America, and eventually the world, so that Outside+ members can ride, hike, run, and ski with greater confidence and safety.—Radek Burkat, Pinkbike Founder |
We’re honoured by the faith the Outside team is putting in us, and we’re eager to start Pinkbike’s next chapter.
Thank you,
Brian Park, Head of Editorial
PS. Full review tomorrow, looks like a Session, etc. etc.
Welp, it's been a good run. Thanks for everything Pinkbike. I fear change and can only assume this is the end as we know it.
Very seldom is this good in the long run.
I did love my 2004 Banshee Scream, but it's a 2021 Stumpjumper Evo world, so I'm excited for that 'next level.'
their articles are some of the best
nothing is ever good enough. nothing.
2 thumbs down.
I'm fine with ads but I won't be paying a monthly suscription, not even for Dan Roberts reviews.
This is simple scalability and hope it works well for the Pinkbike staff with additional benefits, insurance, retirement, pay, ect. Unfortunately being "punk" doesn't have a retirement plan or cover 85%+ of a knee surgery. The staff will need to make more money to afford rising MTB costs. It's not like Sarah, Levy and Kaz are dentists.
Speaking of.... ever notice every dentist office has Outside Magazine in it ? Did Pinkbike just get purchased by a Dental conglomerate ?
Frankly, I can live without Pinkbike. It's Trailforks I'm really going to miss
People will only think of how this effects them personally in a yet to be unknown way instead of thinking of how it helps PB like you mentioned.
Better finally make a vital account, womp womp.
I wish you and the site the best of luck, but more money flowing into things like this rarely result in improvements. It almost always involves appealing to a wider audience.
(The Donut v2 starts fabrication next week)
Congratulations.
BS corporate jargon like this is what is killing too many good things
Sadly it seems like here the PB editors (@brianpark at least) are cheerleading for the takeover. Paywall and auto-play video ads in 3...2...1....
Holy cow, this could be a real conundrum.
Depends on what you do understand by "next level" being owned by a big company means that profit comes above everything else.
I'm afraid that Pinkbike will become another platform for industry adds.
Becoming part of a big group means loosing part of what you are, you're not independent anymore.
Bad news.
Who's going to create Pinkbike 2.0?
I have seen this on some sites - if an article generates enough clicks, the AI gives it the "premium" sticker, so you have to be on the site all your time to catch the interesting news and comments for free - or pay for it.
Much as I have lived on without Trailforks, I suppose I’ll live on without PB. Bummer though.
All Vital needs is a better buy, sell, trade and there’s no reason to miss Pinkbike—at least for most people
Pinkbike won't be the same ever after this move.
Some rich guys making more money no matter what.
I don't think so, it will certainly benefit Outside for a while, until nobody comes here anymore because of paywalls and so.
I sincerely hope the best for the staff.
I hate being told its about "growth", or the "next level" when its really about money.
I would really like to see assurances that PB content as it exists currently will remain the free version, and that any pay wall would only apply for new, additional content. In your article you mentioned training plans, health videos, books etc and that would be a brilliant addition that I would pay a subscription for as it offers new value that you and your competitors don't currently have.
Singletrack, in my opinion, are a great example of what you should NOT do - the only content not behind a pay wall is of far reduced quality to what they did have, and the amount of adverts and pop ups makes the site horrible to use. I've stopped using it completely.
PB is more than a website to many of us, it's a community, in a lot of ways it feels like a tribe or a family. The thought of that sense of togetherness disappearing behind a pay wall, or turning into the free version of Singletrack, feels like I'm being robbed of something which I feel I belong to, and therefore have shared ownership in, even if only emotionally. I hope decisions are made moving forwards which consider us, the readership, as I can see this being a make or break moment for PB and I don't think everyone will stick in it for the full journey.
The podcast is a prime example of how dire the situation has become. Shows about nothing and reaching for words to fill up 90 minutes or less.
It makes sense, however. Gain revenue streams, boost revenue with click bait, sell platform, buy a Tesla. Literally straight out of the play book. The next chapter is where the product sucks because either staff or new owners self destruct the brand
Look at Singletrackworld for example. You have to pay your membership to access their original content. press release articles and their forum remains free but it feels much quieter then before they switched their model.
I honestly hope for the sake of what this site means to the bike community in general that they don't mess with it too much. But the cold reality is companies like this tell you they won't... then they do because they think it will make them more money. You start throwing in paywalls and changing things up too much you'll start to see a significant shift in where people are going.
But I think that is avoidable and not something that's going to happen immediately if it does happen.
Cheers to the old guard.
Problem is yours/pinkbike's/owner's next level may not be USER'S NEXT LEVEL.
Internet is huge, I've seen sites been born, get huge and die. It's life cycle.
So, let's check it out, what will happen
No, I'm not a fan of subscription content, but let's just wait and see which content will remain free. We can still switch to all the other websites once the content section ends up behind the pay wall...
1. Redacted
Unpopular opinion I'm sure, but for me PB content has been slipping for the last year or so. Volume over quality, continuous fluffy/data-mining polls, standout articles becoming fewer and further between. In all honesty, the comment section has always been entertaining but has now become the single biggest reason to hit the PB link in my favourites. Becoming a pay-site, and the affiliation with Outside will probably make me un-favourite, un-click and unsubscribe.
Thanks PB for being my daily page for 20+ yrs... it's not you, it's me.
No wait. It's you.
>> I firmly believe that this was the best possible way to take Pinkbike to the next level
I don't doubt this, but I think it's a valid question: Does PB needed to go to the next level? What do you want to do that you couldn't before?
I clicked over to Ouside, and yep- they have moving banner ads across the bottom (and often side) of the screen. One of my favorite things about Pinkbike is the style of ad integration... they aren't jumping out at you and moving while you try to read the actual content on the site. I really hope this doesn't change- it's one of the many reasons I come here over other sites.
Also, Outside+ is $100/yr ... if they try putting the best content behind THAT wall, I think you'll see a large number of folks jump ship.
You've been warned.
Save the BS...
I agree. Everything is for sale. Your life and everything you see is for sale. Really depressing.
f*ck capitalism.
Right now PB is at the mercy of what the manufacturers want to loan them for evaluation… now they will be able to purchase their own components and bikes. How any times have we complained that they only evaluate $8000-$10000 bikes? Now they can buy the $4000-$6000 builds and when they’re done sell them on Buy/Sell.
That'll only happen with a subscription based model.
www.greenbiz.com/article/patagonia-founder-takes-aim-elephant-room-growth
not anymore...
Pinkbike 1998 - 2021
RIP ?
Most everyone talking about monetization is thinking that means paywall, but it doesn't necessarily. This site has been running ads and therefore "monetized" for a long while now. Paywall is just another revenue stream that may or may not make more $ for the owner and may or may not be implemented. Time will tell.
If the editorial team sticks with the same passion and mission, I'm all in. Keep the faith @brianpark @jamessmurthwaite @mikelevy @sarahmoore @mikekazimer
Tell that to Facebook
These people don't give a shite about you, it's all nonsense, don't fool yourself.
Welcome to Human Capital(ism) We are the most valuable asset here and we are somewhat disgruntled, apparently.
Short version to Pinkbike: You'll get more pay and have more capital to expand the biz! Think of the new opportunities to review more bikes and different components, and to travel to new testing sites across the globe!
And maybe it will work out, but it's unlikely I'll pay to be part of it.
My experience with tech acquisitions, which this feels very much like, is that the new investors/owners are likely going to roll PB and Beta into one, and then GAIA and TF into one, after some time. Wouldn't surprise me if Beta just gets rolled into the PB brand, since it's stronger with the "core" demographic, I'm not too familiar with GAIA, but I'd suspect that Outside is looking at this like "we don't need two mapping applications". Unless Outside is hoping to IPO one day, which I doubt, they're probably hoping to package and sell their portfolio to a bigger player like Conde Nast, Rodale, Bonnier, Time Inc., etc.
Anyone know why they grouped PB and TF under “endurance” on the Outside trophy wall? Seems odd to group along with Running, Cycling, et al. Is this a harbinger for future missteps?
Hoping for the best, for the staff, and especially for the community that's the backbone of what we all hope doesn't get paywalled into oblivion. The comments rolling in today say it all - rest assured VC isn't looking. Oh yea, f*ck Outside.
You should be!
And I'm not at all 100% against subscription services, as I'm actually a BetaMTB subscriber, but mocfrom a free platform to a paid one will always be wrong. It will always alienate your users, it will always feel like your users got cheated.
It's a sad day, and while I get that we all have to eat, this was a bad decision and I'm pretty disappointed.
But ultimately VC funds are not indefinite. The goal is to invest, build a company, and cash in. So the people owning the company just by nature of the business have no interest in holding it long term. The entire goal will be to either sell the company to another larger media company or take it public.
(You drank the Kool-Aid. Though not to the level of Brian)
Me: Dang, XT wireless finally released!
Anyone: What’s that?
Me: Opens mouth to talk, then sighs at the massive amount of explaining needed, just for the person to stop caring half way through it.
You guys can’t all leave or I’ll never be able to talk to someone who doesn’t say dirt ramp or daredevil stunt master without years of explanation.
It’s all about the value proposition and paying for online content is a low value in most people’s minds, that’s why most will use you tube and be quite happy to stomach their ads
But seriously, this could backfire if the core audience is alienated and jumps ship. I think hardcore MTB fans are like American NHL hockey fans - the ones who love it really LOVE it, but for the rest of the punters it's a passing fancy. Not the type to wake and fire up the interweb for bike-related content.
So I'd guess we can expect the same here in the future. So as long as they comments section remains free we'll STILL get to waste hours every day bitching about ebikes!
Actually, even the paywall articles on BETA leave the first paragraph free. So really most PB commenters will still have all the information they need to continue to make the high quality "informed" comments that we are known for!
To read the remainder of this comment, join Outside+!
Serious trust issue right now between this community and that brand.
Absolutely the same for me. This just puts PB to bed for me. Good bye and thanks for all the fish!
Me: Who remembers MUDSLUTS (which predated MTBR.com)?
Y'all: "No one, ya old git!"
going downhill without control, either you win or you crash painfully which is way more likely.
Pinkbike was developed in a great direction during the last years. It has become the number one media for mountainbikers in the whole world. So I am very confident in your decisions as they have proven to be good ones in the past.
However I do have the feeling that going down the paywall rout just because everybody is doing it and PB is now part of everybody is a huge risk and has the potential to ruin the whole thing.
The greater the opportunity the greater the risk.
I guess the pirate days are gone.
I'm gonna go ride my 26" hardcore hardtail now while I mourn for the future
I mean, PB gets me excited to buy new gear. The comments section helps inform me, and the Buy/Sell is usually how it happens. No other media outlet really fires that stoke.
But THEN he mentioned the volume of sales that goes through the Buy & Sell each day "and it's not even monetized yet!". So get ready for that too. He seemed like the scum of the earth type of human who ruins all good things in the name of profit. And not for the hardworking employees who make the actual product great. Was sad to hear and to listen to. To all the staff of PB, I hope you guys are treated well during this.
Now, if you will allow me to set off my soap box.... haha
None of which should be paid for. Riders only provide content because they site does not have a pay wall, we pay by answering surveys and tolerating bike company articles and adverts. It worked well. I can't see anybody paying for PB content, it just isn't at the level of Vital or Enduro-mtb not even close.
There are three core audiences with a lot of overlap: articles, forums, and buysell. I can live without articles but if either of the latter two go, I go with them. Monetizing forums and classifieds does not work, its a well worn path that ends up nowhere, but I wouldn't put it past some MBA to try to squeeze blood from a stone at the expense of an established community that's already generating ad revenue.
Not so bad since they’ve been providing the whole bike for free for years.
Is there a way I can delete my Pinkbike-account?
www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/biking/outside-acquires-pinkbike-cyclingtips-and-trailforks
"The Pinkbike acquisition adds considerable readership and revenue in the cycling space, and thus adds momentum to the company’s Outside+ membership program. Outside+, introduced this year, offers enthusiasts various bundles of content, services, discounts, and other offerings for a $99 annual fee. The membership revenues complement Outside’s revenues from advertising, creating a business model for publishing that CEO Robin Thurston said is more sustainable than traditional media models in the long term. Adding Pinkbike, CyclingTips, and Trailforks gives Outside+ more critical mass, making membership purchases more desirable for enthusiasts and providing more readership for advertisers inside and outside the industry, Thurston said.
“This acquisition is a key moment in fulfilling our mission to build a vibrant home where active lifestyle participants will discover a wide range of content and tools to fuel their adventures. We’re very excited and honored to welcome the Burkats and their team to our family,” said Thurston. “As a lifelong cyclist, I’m a huge fan of these brands, which are perfect complements to our own cycling titles—VeloNews, Peloton, Beta, and Bicycle Retailer—and to our recent acquisition of Gaia GPS, the dominant mobile mapping app for hikers, backpackers, and overlanders. The marriage of these businesses creates a truly comprehensive resource for all types of cyclists and outdoor adventurers.”
The ironic truth is I (and I imagine others,) might have actually considered paying an annual subscription fee for Pinkbike and Trailforks AS IS, owned and run by the people that currently run it, rather than some other parent company that will likely alter it in ways I simply won’t like, and definitely won’t pay for. (Look no further than the current, apparently permanent ad on Outside that takes up the bottom section of the page that you can’t even click to go away, for example.)
Pinkbike and Trailforks, (again, as is), are worth at least a few bucks a month to me but it won’t be if it diminishes or morphs into anything like Outside. It’s hard to believe that won’t happen.
The sentence "As a lifelong cyclist, I’m a huge fan of these brands..." just makes me gag. It's just a token gesture to try and say "hey people, us vulture capitalists totally have the same interests as you".
Cheerio PB it’s been a blast and hello Vital.
Now, as a Pinkbike reader and TF contributor, i'm very worried about the future and i'm in the wait & see category.
What will happen with the existing user content (photos, videos, etc..)? Will it be also available for all the other Outside publications? Same with all the future content (TF included). To be honest i'm not sure i would post/share any media on Pinkbike until this question is answered.
The other elephant in the room is how independent Pinkbike will remain. I still remember when Outside Mag declared that snowboarding was dead (with the drama that ensued) and i'm really not looking forward to that kind of editorials.
And I want someone to name a single publication that improved after Outside took over... I'll wait.
It will be a slow death for PB at first. But dead it will be, at least to me when it goes the way of all the others.
"The ironic truth is I (and I imagine others,) might have actually considered paying an annual subscription fee for Pinkbike and Trailforks AS IS, owned and run by the people that currently run it, rather than some other parent company that will likely alter it in ways I simply won’t like, and definitely won’t pay for. (Look no further than the current, apparently permanent ad on Outside that takes up the bottom section of the page that you can’t even click to go away, for example.)"
This.
We could have raised at least $10.00 Canadian.
just kidding but part serious.
.
I hope this story goes the direction of the, infamous Summit Sport of Whistler - Coastal Culture Sports, tale.
See, but they actually kind of do. Because without the traffic and comments and people, those ads are worth dick. They GET ad revenue BECAUSE the commenters and people are here and because what they're putting out is stuff people want to see. Soooo... you can freely push them away, but then ad revenue will drop when they can't justify the cost to reach ratio any more. If the content sucked, well then same difference. Better hope those subs make up the difference in income.
I've been through enough company acquisitions to know the standard spiel that comes across, it sounds like sunshine and roses until the deal is done. The owners get rich, the workers get laid off or beat into submission, and everything goes downhill from there.
But what would posting a survey bring about, aside from hurt feelings?
Just for kicks, look at Outside magazine: take one from the 90‘s and one of today. The old editions were about the outdoors with lots of awesome writers and stories.
Today it is first and foremost about expensive, snobby style crap for rich people that are never outdoors but play pretend.
Outside is, for me, the prime example for a complete and utter sell-out of values and vision for lots of greenbacks. That is the road PB is going down now and your team-sponsoring blahblah for me is nothing but a pipe dream.
Let’s see who of your crew will be employed by Outside three years from now…
Why am I writing this? Experience of several buyouts as an employee - it was never pretty and in the end I was holding the bag. And yes, I have heard your future dreams frim several middle-management types, deluding themselves.
I’m wary of all of this too, but let’s be real.
Every one of us would not think twice about having to pay $5/month for the ability to use our suspension or droppers if it really came to it. I do enjoy ridged bikes, but not enough to render my squishy bikes useless. I’d happily have 1 less beer a month haha.
F
1. how many days until the first paywall?
2. how many days until the first 'ten best MTB mountain towns to retire in that you have never heard of' article.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-cXK0OaeB0
Outside: The Best Places to Mountain-Bike.
www.outsideonline.com/video/ely-nevada-the-new-mountain-bike-boomtown
Bam. Nailed it...
It was annoying that Trailforks played on the community aspect to get the maps and trails built up in their system, and then pulled the rug out from under you. Now they're part of a giant media conglomerate. Why should we continue giving them money?
It’s hard to imagine that a large media conglomerate buying TrailForks won’t somehow mess that up.
Safety is a premium feature. Because of course.
Just needs users on the other side of the pond.
Same thing is going to happen with PN
Someone help m
If organizations are going to continue to put effort into trailforks , the end user should not be paying trailforks with out some option for the trail organization to either spit the user fees or have a way bigger incentive for trail users to donate to clubs. currently we make about $30 a year though trailforks donations.
There were suggestions for having regions open to users via a local tourism boss fee. this was brushed off as too hard to implement. If you want to continue to have clubs spent time and money on the platform these concerns have to be addressed.
You cannot even map out a ride on the Trailforks app - only select uploaded ride logs or single sections of a trail. This should be a top 3 function, and is unacceptable in an app that is $40.
Total BS.
What they did was f*cking slimey.
@cyclebean: I think you’re on the right page here. If I’m paying for content I want the option to see tits! Take not outside!
Pinkbike is O.F. Vital is Pornhub. Long live the Hub!
This is a Varg killed Euronymous moment.
What a genuinely horrible and frightening idea.
That's all folks.
How much is the PB Comment section worth to the users?!?
really makes me almost wonder why I paid for trailforks, or bought merch from PB in the past year. and I will certainly be reevaluating that going forward. The fact that I knew my money was going towards supporting the editors and staff of a website/service I used frequently made me happy...now its just going to be a tiny contribution to the Outside coffers. I grew in Calgary, surrounded by the very people who made this website as idols, and have been a part of this website from the very early days. Looks like its back to scouring NSMB for actual content with some heart.
I'll try to be hopeful. but experience tells me otherwise.
I also don't buy the "we need to make sure our employees are taken care of" stuff. They were obviously doing just fine over the past few years, and I highly doubt this was a decision that most staff was pleased with.
I'd be lying if this whole thing didn't hurt a bit. Over the years we were "promised" by PB they would not sell their soul to some conglomerate....and here we are. Its not that I don't understand why they chose the road they have, and good on Radek for essentially living the dream "make a company so big you get bought out" ....but just sad times.
Anyone know how to remove silk screening from t-shirts? I like some of my shirts images, but I am not about to advertise for Outside to make more money.
"Our testers have spent x days in [insert name of a huge mainstream resort, a smaller and lesser known very good resort and a popular touring zone] testing this ski.(Random midwidth ski) will allow beginners and experienced skiers to slay the slopes and the powder with confidence in and out of the resorts."
So now you will read something about the best bike of 2024 (specialized something) that was tested in whistler, and on a some rather secret trail in WA or CA and that performs very well for XC, trail and DH and that is perfectly suitable for beginners and experienced riders.
The point about the money being based on the USA is huge. The last thing these guys want is “controversial “ comments sections. Nice knowing y’all.
Private Equity or Buyout firms are the ones that often really run a company into the ground. These firms buy existing companies, usually struggling ones, and often bleed them dry. These are the ones where you see the extreme cost cutting, excess debt, etc.
Venture Capital on the other hand is growth oriented. These investors are looking to invest in something small and grow it. In this case its a media company that's growing by acquisitions. The general VC model would suggest that there will be alot of investment up front, and not much worry about actual profit for right now as they can just burn through the VC cash. They will almost be exclusively focused on increasing users and page views as that growth is what will drive the increase in company valuation (which is a VC's main focus).
So in the near term I don't see a total disaster in terms of layoffs, restructuring, etc. It will probably be just fine for the employees in the short terms. Its a few years down the road when it comes time for an exit strategy that may be the problem. VC's are not indefinite and they will look to either sell the company or take it public at some point. That's just the way it works. VC investment is temporary and there is always an exit plan, whether it be acquisition, IPO, or just straight pulling the plug if the business sucks.
I get that people have bad experiences with some PE backed businesses. I have to. Ownership screws up and makes poor choices like all of us do from time to time. However, it's not reasonable to say that the dominate capital structure of US companies "really run a company into the ground." On the whole most shops do a good job for the business and provide them capital and expertise to grow which is why they are able to raise trillions of dollars to buy companies. The couldn't raise this amount of money consistently if they "bleed them dry" and generate modest returns... These investors want 4X/5X returns, at a minimum, and that simply doesn't happen if the company isn't successful by a broad number of metrics.
I have plenty of experience with both VC and tradition PE/LBO firms. 4-5x returns at a minimum? Not realistic. Looking at the last 25 years returns in the range of 2-2.5x would get a US PE firm into the top quartile (depending on vintage year). With fees & things like dividend recaps, many firms can easily suck a 2x return out of an investment while running it into the ground.
This generally means as the owners they were given some cushy well paid job for the time being in exchange for some kind of non-compete clause for a few years. Their influence over Pinkbike will slowly fade over the course of a few years after which they will quietly move on.
And for the record I say good for them. If they were able to cash out and can now move on with some big money in the bank I say go for it and thanks for what you built. They don't owe us anything.
also, all the key people (Brian, Kaz, Levy, et. al.) also got a similar, yet smaller deal to stay for a certain amount of time. they tie it to stock grants and their vesting schedule.
good on all those that hit paydirt, but RIP what we know as PB.
This started as a passion project so I am sure they want the want to ensure the transition goes smoothly and PB to be successful longterm...
FWIW most sales are actually successful and work. Sure, we will see what happens here, but I bet it will be good for PB in the long-run.
People wouldn't buy businesses if the process wasn't successful the majority of the time. Sometimes buyers get it wrong, hire the wrong people, make mistakes, etc. but, for the most part, they are able to steer things in the right direction that benefits the businesses customer base (otherwise the business wouldn't be successful). I am not saying Outside couldn't royally screw this up. Pinkbike is highly sensitive with a broad/influential userbase and multiple stakeholders where you need to balance both bike and internet culture... it's definitely higher degree of difficulty than most transactions.
"...a significant portion of our content will remain free."
The worry for me is the selling out to a big conglomerate. These type of things ever seem to end well. When some big brand tries to combine a bunch of unrelated shit under one "umbrella" it usually turns into a disaster. When I come to PB its for mountain bike content, thats it. I don't want "collaborations with other brands and sports" All you end up with is watered down garbage.
- List more than 20 buysell items at any time. Up to 500 items.
- Add more than 50 buysell items to wishlist. Up to 500 items.
- Become a beta tester and see features of pinkbike as they are developed.
- Additional Photo view features like up to 126 photos per page
Trailforks Pro membership $35.99 Details
Get Trailforks PRO membership for free as part of Outside+.
See full list of features Trailforks PRO membership
Also planks and v-sits are how you get those abs you're after. ;-)
HA HA
"Singlespeederbike adventures in Endor"
"Spiderman vs Assegai: Which grips better?"
"The circle of life: 27.5 is back in fashion!"
"Moirnsters Inc"
See? Media homogenisation isn't so bad.
I'm almost purely down to rent, internet, and basic mechanical utilities for monthly bills and it's amazingly convenient. If I get bored, I go outside and ride bikes instead of hopping on Netflix or whatever to rot my brain for $8.
Hope you pleasantly surprise us all...
Good for you hradek. But I have no interest in paying for anything from outside.
If you are still taking free product and promotion from the industry, don't put it behind a paywall. You can't have it both ways.
The baller move here: Tell the industry to stuff it. Buy everything at retail. Throw the shiytt stuff to the wolves and only praise the truly great products. Get your boosted ad revenue from tangential sources (ford, subaru, clif bar, beats, whatever).
I'd pay to see that.
It has to be either FREE or UNFILTERED. It can't be neither.
3 months later, "We could never have anticipated [XYZ]. We'll be consolidating offices into our main location. Good luck in your future endeavors."
Alternate take: No matter how hard I try to avoid the insufferable Wes Siler, he finds me.
I'm calling bullshit on this one. Giant conglomerations have never made more personalized experiences.
But if I'm trying to stay optimistic, if Pinkbike becomes a crappy paid service this would open up the market for a lot more small, cool and independent bike websites to become successful. Right now I think they struggle a lot.
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I can’t help but think of RC’s last podcast with Mike Levy, where he talked about taking a stand for not letting a brand in a product shoot out for not meeting a deadline, which he not only nearly lost his job from, but led to his pieces being edited.
Everyone wants a pay day, I get that. But, I can’t help to think that the end times are now. The glory days of PinkBike are in the past. The flash of money is always so appealing, until we realize how amazing the freedom of an independent publication/ business/ organization is. Who knows, maybe the end of pinkbike was coming anyway, it could of been uncle bezos instead.
I guess I’ll get my news and content from vital and tiktok now.
So long, friend. I’ll miss you.
We probably all should have seen the writing on the wall when trailforks did it, I have little doubt it will turn into standard media platform site, including pay wall.
I stopped using trailforks because of it, and I will end up off pinkbike if it does in fact happen.
The little guy always gets it in major buyout/ups.
plug in, turn on, and consume media. who even wants to ride bikes anymore when you can pretend to do it by paying to read about it on the internet!?
"But the Pinkbike buy adds considerable readership and revenue in the cycling space, and thus adds momentum to the company's Outside+ membership program. Outside+ offers enthusiasts various bundles of content, services, discounts, and other offerings for an annual fee."
www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2021/07/13/outside-acquires-pinkbike-cycling-tips-and-trailforks
"Pinkbike generates more than 700 million annual pageviews, making it by far the largest mountain bike website on the planet; it will be the second-largest traffic source for Outside behind only Outside Online."
Wow O.O I had no idea Pinkbike generated this much traffic ... now I see how lucrative it is to Outside.
Good question though how Pinkbike & Beta as well as Peloton & Cyclingtips co-exist.
A small part of just died. AGIAN
We were all over here minding our own business... Lol
www.eater.com/2014/8/26/6165861/burger-king-acquires-tim-hortons-for-11-4-billion
Believe it or not, the world these days is almost entirely about making money, and Karl and Radek made it (at least I hope so!) Good for them, hope the rest of the staff gets a piece of the buyout. Wish I had the balls to build a good idea, but I don't I barely have the guts for a 3 ft drop, let alone pouring my heart, soul, and cash into a risky business venture. We can bitch and moan all we want, but most of us don't have $20mm to drop on a website (I hope they got at least that much), if we did, we could buy it and keep things exactly the way they are. (also, if anyone has $20mm, I have a great idea for a mountain bike website)
As for the paywall I don't mind paying a price per month to access reviews, features and the video content but I would expect more of it than the site currently dishes out each week. It also needs to be a reasonable price. $100 a year for Outside+ where most of the things offered do not apply outside the US is a joke.
PS: Just don't screw it up...
You know it's coming.
"top 5 race bikes and WHY YOU NEED ONE!"
"Why you need one these new bikes"
"Eat healthy or eat like Levy"
"Eat healthier, like Levy"
"Best places to travel and worst places to ride"
"Worst places to ride and places to travel"
Just when I thought print dying would help...
(Then in 20 years time they can also sell to Outside, and retire in style).
BUT, the future is interesting and we're going to be able to make some very cool content. Also, @mikekazimer and I aren't going anywhere
(bookmarking this page to come back and leave an "I told you so" comment at a later date...)
See atheleteReg. Resistance is futile.
#Outside.Borg
Coming to a race near you
Cool. More hikers and idiots to run into on my favorite trails. Awesome idea PB! Piss off.
In a world where content is freely available elsewhere this is a risky move to say the least. Assuming loyalty lasts with a paywall option will be a tough mountain to climb.
In the mtb world there are examples of the same situation where a successful website (and profit making mag) were bought out. The press release looked virtually identical. The mag was shut down (for no sensible business reason as it was making money) and the website is now a shadow of itself.
Outside the mtb world, there are endless examples with similar press releases where successful businesses are brought within a business group and asset stripped to feed profit and other brands.
If the paywall thing doesn't work and people don't visit the site, it will be highly likely that PB will get asset stripped for the wider group benefit.
The initial reaction here doesnt seem to be great and PB seem to have missed what people value which is original (not sponsored) content that is freely available. Without that, the free-to-play crowd will be headed to vital in a flash.
I cant blame the owners for wanting to cash in on years of hard work. But the future will play out in a rather predictable way from here in.
Sad day.
Think of what has happened to all the forums out there gobbled up by big tech, freedom of expression and speech are all now on FB and now all things bicycle are on Outside. Who would have seen that coming?
Get ready folks to pay for content. You pay for Trail Forks the was build by volunteers and some hard working staff, now no more free stuff for you, we got money to make $$$$.
Cheers!
Outside SUUUUUCKs. It’s a magazine that’s specifically targeted at outdoor brand product consumers, not core users of that outdoor gear. The writing is bland and trades in generalities, never doing more than scratching the surface of any given activity/culture.
I hope PB stays free and relevant, but I’m not holding my breath…..
That said, I'm bummed, and probably time to disable auto-renew on trailforks. I don't trust anything Outside produces. I hope PB gets to keep some autonomy, but doubt it will last
I heard he used his payout to hire Waki as his personal valet, LOL.
www.adventure-journal.com/2021/02/pocket-outdoor-buys-outside-magazine-other-brands-in-huge-shakeup
"The plan is to allow subscribers to access all of Outside’s (again, the media group) titles with one sign-on process, and, potentially, subscription rate. In theory, for example, one could log-in to Outside’s web portal, then read articles in Backpacker, Beta, or Outside."
RIP Pinkbike.
It's been a good run, even though for a long time it hasn't been the "pirate ship" from back in the day that RC described in the last podcast. Well, eventually all good things must come to an end I guess. Corporate commercialization - what a sad ending to the story of my favourite sports publication.
I hear you- my shimano clipless shoes (one for summer, one pair for winter) show absolutely no signs of giving up. I bought those around 2006. I use these for gravel and road too, and only stopped using them for Mtb when I swapped back to flats in 2016
I have no interest in paying to read/watch advertising - It has been fun PB.
I think of the usual Mantra when an acquisition happens will apply here
"everything will remain the same" , "nothing is going to change" = We're going to change everything! and sqeeze very cent we can out of this thing!
Step Two: create community around free content and free content off of community
Step Three: Monetize via marketing/ad dollars
Step Four: At peak value, sell to venture capital group as a "Strategic Buy" while they ruin it
Its unfortunately how things grow and die. Sad thing will be when the PB staff gets cut due to declining subscribers and then gets "centralized" etc etc.
STEP TWO: Availability of fun trails fosters vibrant riding community
STEP THREE: Local gov't sees tourism $ and gets grants to "develop" trails
STEP FOUR: Ebike sales and real estate prices skyrocket as trails are sanitized, graveled, and/or linked together with flow trail systems
www.crunchbase.com/organization/pocket-outdoor-media/company_financials
#ridemoretrollless
WAKIbike.com: All opinion pieces. Barely moderated, with a comment section fantasy league.
Award for most upvotes at the end of a year, -Pinkbike subscription and a signed picture of Levy’s feet.
Award for most downvotes, -Outside magazine print subscription and a signed picture of Levy’s feet without airbrushing.
Bye Bye PB. It was good while it lasted. I'm not sticking around for watered down nonsense. So many other magazines have turned this way and for the worst. no thanks.
NSMB, Vital, etc. Here we come.
Media and marketing is all fake AF anyway. The goal is to manipulate the masses to buy the product, good or not. If it has flaws, the goal is to turn those around somehow into strengths. All review articles have always been ads. If you get a trip to a press camp, that's receiving a gift to say nice things about the gear/bike, or you might not get an invite back to the next press camp. Receiving test bikes is the same thing. You get the privilege of riding their top spec test bike in exchange for not saying bad things. Theoretically, it's less biased, but if you don't say enough positives, they'll lose sales, and you'll lose ad revenue from them, and you might not be first in line to receive the next shiny new bike to do a launch day review, which will lose you page views and in turn more as revenue as your page traffic drops.
Subscribers get digital access to members-only content, exclusive shows, hundreds of virtual health, fitness, cooking, and outdoor classes, free books, personalized, ad-free experiences at Outside Online, a subscription to Gaia GPS, training plans, and discounts on everything from gear to race-entry fees to event photography.
Three words:
f*ck
That
Shit
LOL it might be given the popularity of this announcement
recently watched a few bike reviews from the "beta test" - sorry for dissing but they looked like a bunch of middle aged men wanking about mtb - (I have my friends and myself for that
Pinkbike has or had a different flavor! hope some of it would out last the new ownership
www.outsideonline.com/outsideplus
You meant this link right?
m.pinkbike.com/photo/20960692
I'm cautiously optimistic because of Beta - that was a brand new launch, and the team from the former Bike were given a platform to produce a pretty nice looking product. Yep, paywalls are a bit of a bummer, but if the writing and photography are worth it, I'd gladly pay a reasonable amount (full disclosure - we've got a Freehub subscription).
I hope they just leave the platform alone and give you guys raises and free-range to do whatever you want to do.
I can't blame owners for wanting a payday after their hard work in building a business - and not wanting to smash their heads against a wall indefinitely while trying to find a way to build it past some of the inherent limitations of it being Canadian owned.
But god damn is it ever depressing watching everything end up in the hands of Americans.
"It's the end of the world as we know it ... (and i DON´T feel fine !!!!!)"
Not sure how I feel about this though, similar to reading a Vail Resorts acquisition announcement. It's probably good for the business that is being acquired, as they'll likely get an infusion of capitol. But also the change that come can be tough for the loyal customers that were fine with the way things are, and in many cases those loyal customers are right to be wary. I've been involved with a few M&A situations that were painted as rosy, and about 60 days into them there's re-orgs, layoffs, etc. and the reality of the deal sets in that it's a "catch and kill" acquisition after all.
P.S. Where the f#*$ is Levy!?
- I went to Beta MTB to check it out
- Tried to read an article about chainrings
- Article is member exclusive, asks me to join
- Yellow button in navigation says: JOIN FREE
- Clicks button and is taken to some generic Outside+ signup
- Sign up, after my account is taken I land on a Insert credit card> Only 99USD a year.
- I dont add my credit card and exit the page and go back to Beta MTB
- Im now logged in to Beta but I still cant read the article about chainrings
Reading the comments here people are already afraid of this paywall stuff, if you dont solve these essential signup/login/free account stuff you will loose alot of people that has been here for what 5, 10, 15 or more years?
Someone out there is making the next great MTB portal. Must begin a new quest to find it.
Outside was great back in the late 70's and 80's. It was a bit edgy and thought provoking. It was about getting outside. Now it mostly about how to have the fanciest van or SUV to drive to one of the "secret" or best camping sites, with the fanciest camping mattress and the most expensive cooler for you craft beer and gourmet coffee.
Because nothing screams "personalized experience" like things I'm not interested in getting globbed together with things I am interested in.
VC and "tech" executives have wreaked havoc on publishing and journalism for 20 years and counting.
Why haven't the founders written this article? It would have been a goodbye with style.
At least we now know that @mikelevy is still around.
It's much, much worse. The top two stories listed are "Why I sent myself to vegetarian boot camp" followed by "These 7 dog-training principles work for humans, too." Amazing.
"How to Nail Your Next Adventure"
"Why You Should Camp Like Nobody’s Watching"
"How to Be a Responsible RVer"
"The Case for Swearing Off YouTube Hiking Videos"
- All the mod's comments get hidden...
Read all the comments, what hurts the most is you didn’t even ask us. I could see paying for a PB membership, but would never support the machine that is Outside. They don’t get my money by default.
Best of luck.
I'm really just disappointed about what this will mean for Trailforks, as it's been a relatively public clearinghouse for trail info (all the way down to integration with my Garmin), which means I'm just echoing the above concerns. I can't see financially supporting any aspect that goes into a media conglomerate's pocket.
this does not mean better bikes/content...
Maybe they let a good thing slip away by lack of $$$ to Pinkbike?
web.archive.org/web/20110507012215/outsideonline.com/outside/culture/200912/altruism-all-stars-eric-greitens.html
AKA, very profitable, because that's all that matters in the end. RIP.
It'll be a long time before any significant changes come into place and even if they do...
-----------------------------------------
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Sign up for your Pinkbike+ account here.
Such business decision would have been meaningful and would have reinforced the community that came together around this website.
PINKBIKE YOU MISSED A BIG OPPORTUNITY TO STAND OUT. NOW YOU ARE JUST AN ASSET IN THE PORTFOLIO OF A PROFIT DRIVEN CAPITALIST MACHINE!
While I appreciate the benefits of a business model with limited dependency to advertising revenue (and the uncertainty it may create), let's all be clear that the shareholders who now own Pinkbike, including a greater share of VA firms than before want to see a nice return on investment.
If they can milk pinkbike reader/viewers, they will. Really, it is not a "if", it is a "when", cause it'll happen.
I am not sure what next level means to you in terms of personal and professional fulfillment, but to me and probably many others on the website, today's Pinkbike is already pretty next level, and I do not need or want hours of new content every week.
I understand the personal and business decision of the now previous Pinkbike owners to cash out after building such an amazing business and community and being ambitious about what they could do with someone else money. Nevertheless, it is very disappointed.
Ownership in a business is everything and the entities owning Pinkbike do not love mountain biking as much as you or Karl and Radek Burkat do, they love $$$ more.
www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/bikes-and-biking/best-mountain-bikes-2021
I'd rather buy merch and trailforks, watch adds and swallow some shilling because a company bought some adspace.
This whole outside thing just doesnt fit getting tattoos on PB Trips, driving a clapped out modded mini and destroying Poles and Rockies.
corporatisam is taking over....one company owns to many sites/magazines
which means more censorship,more uniformity and no opposite opinion what so ever
if it picks up good for them if not again good for them because they will destroy/shut down one big community of people.....division is always welcome to powers that be
Well played PB, I guess that was always the goal, huh?
Good bye.
www.outsideonline.com/health/running/juniper-eastwood-transgender-runners
www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/erin-parisi-transgender-mountaineering-pioneer
www.outsideonline.com/culture/essays-culture/pride-month-2021-nonprofit-allies
www.outsideonline.com/culture/opinion/lgbtq-transgender-thru-hike
www.outsideonline.com/culture/active-families/transgender-youth-school-sports-teams-states-bills
I had mailed @jamessmurthwaite my latest 90's inspired fully and never got a reply. Let's hope it just wasn't good enough, and not a sign of things to come. ;-)
Less screens, more dirt.
(obviously joking but like...)
Will Levy also become a Peloton instructor?
Until then, keep up the good work! This is quite the deluge of comments, but it just goes to show just how much people care about PB
Just joking, I think it'll be cool to see where this goes. I really hope that pinkbike doesn't go to a subscription model, I already have a subsription to Beta (for the print magazines).
"...while our new parent company offers some features of their titles in a subscription called Outside+."
Not interested to pay, after seeing the massive company portfolio belonging to them.
so long as its the XC, roadie and ebike stuff that costs. Forum is a bit shit with the comment sections the only reason I come here. Can get news and reviews other places
we then just need some webdevs (there surely must be one or two among us) to scratch together a comment section - and voila there we go! good ole comment action for ever…
Been thinking about it for awhile and would love for others input on the direction of it and all. All would be out of my pocket and not looking to do subscriptions or any of that bull crap. Just a true website that’s not afraid to hit on everything.
Always had ideas that none of the big names will ever touch on etc. such as doing reviews on suspension bits like smash pot, Avy hybrid, etc and comparing it directly to stock, doing unbiased reviews due to the bike being bought and not loaned out to review… and more. Toss me some ideas on here or in messages of what y’all would want to see that’s not being done or could be done better.
Willing to make the financial leap myself but open to any and all help on the development of the website as well as what you are after on it.
Thanks!
PB works because of what it is and its unique in that sense. Also don’t forget that I have zero interest in Trailforks (just a good way to disclose your trails, you get stuff on FB groups and its Americacentric anyway), zero interest in Cycling Tips, zero interest in all that other US based stuff so I don't want some ‘amazing bulk subscription’.
We all hate change, thats life. But I struggle to see how this will work given that this company will want some return and you dont need to advertise bike kit at the mo because it a)sells out anyway and b)no stock!
I guess I have a general concern about what happens when the 'little guy' is bought by the big guy, and I can get grumpy about paid content sometimes, but hey, you made it, you own it, you can do what you want with it! I'll remain optimistic that this will all work out just fine!
That being said, it still gives me the same feeling as clicking on some totally core "must watch" "shreddit" only to watch 2 and a half minutes of some park rat blowing up a shitty duff berm in slow-mo 40 times over.
It has potential to make PB better, but I dont see myself paying for the current content.
I just dont care about how mountain biking makes you feel more "connected to nature", the same story is getting old and honestly, your turning skills look worse in slow-mo.
Give me more no handers, big gaps and death metal.
Vital, this is your chance. PB, dont screw this one up.
Best wishes and good luck to all of the Pinkbike staff.
Time to look out for #1, guys.
Pinkbike servers never had so much traffic, and I do believe for the next weeks, it will be business as usual!
VitalMTB might have a life opportunity in here, until it is sold.
PS: it's funny how coorp. see the world/web/sites.
Pinkbike is a valuable site because of traffic/users
engagement.
Question: Why do previous owners think they own us? Really...
This is like the golden eggs chicken & Killing the chicken
The Pinkbike acquisition adds considerable readership and revenue in the cycling space, and thus adds momentum to the company’s Outside+ membership program. Outside+, introduced this year, offers enthusiasts various bundles of content, services, discounts, and other offerings for a $99 annual fee. The membership revenues complement Outside’s revenues from advertising, creating a business model for publishing that CEO Robin Thurston said is more sustainable than traditional media models in the long term. Adding Pinkbike, CyclingTips, and Trailforks gives Outside+ more critical mass, making membership purchases more desirable for enthusiasts and providing more readership for advertisers inside and outside the industry, Thurston said
I was a long time subscriber to Bike and switched over to Beta, I'm still on the fence if it worth the money. It seems like paywalls (and the subscription model) is here to stay so let's hope Pinkbike will stay the same.
T
F
media.giphy.com/media/wJt98DnjJHbJW46KsA/giphy.gif
We can start with 'Norbs go robbed'....
wtf?!
Fingers crossed things don't veer too far off course or I'll have to find a new way to waste every morning at work.
Hoping this truly means Pinkbike can expand content and maintain the current access levels, though I am doubtful that could happen. Outside will want/need a return on their investment.
"And Oh my god what's this!? It's Vital MTB with a folding chair!"
As a consumer of this free content who doesn't contribute or buy things from the ads, I demand to know what kind of cool shit the two guys I had no idea existed that own this thing are buying with their dump truck loads of money!
If Outside changes too much shit and I am driven to self-destructive behaviors ending in death, I blame them.
...But I will die happy knowing my '03 Marz. Monster will survive the 100'+ drop! I love you, PinkBike
..except about the Monster. It would survive anything
And Thank you.
Should I just switch to road full time? Damn PB.
Outside, please do the opposite of what Vail Resorts does. PB prevails because it doesn’t prevail to the masses.
Now think about how many shitty magazines there are online that are purely driven on clickbait and algorithms trying to figure out how they can grab more eyes without having to actually produce compelling content.
Take a brief glance at outside's, and tell me there are some strong elements of that going on with them.
The mods are right - this is the next step in going further with pinkbike - the thing is, they probably don't have the same "further" in mind as the community does.
This is undoubtedly going to give them pay raises, a greater air of legitimacy in their own eyes, a feeling of "we made it to the big world! We got acquired!" It'll be a more professional environment. And honestly, I'm not hating on those goals. The Mountain bike industry has always felt like kind of a bummer career wise - there aren't a lot of high paying jobs and it's long been a "you do it cause you love it, man!" attitude. Which is a pretty manipulative way to get people to work for cheap. And there's a big pool of applicants because there are a ton of applicants who never really found their calling in life and just gravitated towards bikes because they liked them, had worked at bike shops in college, and never really moved on.
So to be able to leverage themselves as a media company and get acquired by a big media company is pretty dope from the jobs side of thing. We complain about how there aren't good jobs in the MTB industry, well, this seems like a pretty cool deal right here, and I'm stoked for the people who currently work at pinkbike. This is rad as f*ck for them career wise, and they made it as a media company. Ultimately, a move like this is going to spur a higher level of competition of MTB jobs on the media side of things, which will hopefully translate to some super rad content.
And you could argue that pinkbike has been corporate for quite some time. Which is probably pretty fair. Virtually every article is a paid press release on the industry side, and I have to expect probably on the race side too although I'm not as familiar with that. They've made this site work by embracing free content which is just a series of press releases and advertisements.
I guess the thing that concerns me is most people f*cking hate the very idea of paid content - it's like an idea that conjures up the devil for tons of people - and then simultaneously hate on shitty clickbait and sponsored content - something that every media company struggles to find balance with. And I haven't seen anything that's really impressed me about the way Outside handles it - nor have I been particularly engaged by their editorial direction.
Free Outside+ lifetime memberships! -Today only!
Click HERE
Second, I almost understand what it's like to sell out...almost. the attraction to money is a big thing and we should all be honest, money would fix a lot of our problems. However if I was a pink bike staffer for X amount of years, I would not want to see all of our hardworking (our baby) get traded off like this.
I'm going to be most bummed out I think when the photos of the year voting and similar go away. The pay wall will increase more and more and more over time until the brand dies. Bike parks, shops, trails will lose any amazing source of traffic and lose a major source of help.
If you are like me I usually check out videos or photos or reviews of trails or parks on PB and YouTube before I waste my time going. This will also cut back finances for local shops as well.
It sucks but no amount of anger from PB readers will change anything.
Also, pinkbike IT, I was the one that scanned your site a while ago using NMAP looking for open ports and vulnerabilities. I was doing it as a test and forgot to initiate my VPN and you blocked my IP lol I'm ethical and won't disclose anything (scanning is not illegal) but yall need some security work for sure.
Good luck.
RIP Pinkbike.
I think everyone should probably think a bit more about this and consider ourselves lucky that they were bought up by a company that actually cares about what they do and not some evil LLC that buys everything up they can and leaves a path of devastation in their wake. It’s telling that the whole staff is still there, and if they seem excited, I’m excited. I’m not stoked on the “most things will stay free” but that just means I’ll expect better content for my money. I’m sure they put a lot of energy into filling ad space, and now they won’t need to do that as much. I’ll just cancel a Netflix or a Hulu and pay for this.
“Comment gold” doesn’t pay the bills and while people don’t want it to change, they also want more reviews, better race coverage, in depth opinion piece. You cannot have the cake and eat it too for free.
It was a great cake though. Let’s give the new bakery a chance.
However, I agree that in most of the cases it is not a good sign when a bigger company acquires a smaller one. We might expect some changes in the content, but let’s hope it is for the better.
On the other hand, it's nice to see that pic of Rob 'Biff/Slick' Stevens again. A good friend and one of the founders of the 'SteepCreeps'. In fact, that spot at North Glenmore was a 'chute tuck' mecca for the adrenaline junkies since the mid-80s and birthed the name SteepCreeps. When it's steep you gotta creep.
Advertisement driven ( as opposed to ridden) reviews will become the norm, as the filthy unwashed readers of today who would prefer to spend their $ on a new crank, as opposed to paying to read content they contributed. migrate elsewhere, before they are faced with articles promoting fractional ownership of MTBs.
Wonder which site will step up as the dumping grounds for shameless mtb product managers peddling their shitty, cheesy, wares?
The only thing pinkbike has going for it, is sheer volume. If the mtb media dumping grounds migrate over to Vital or another competitor, the shithawks (PB users) will soon circle over there
My biggest issue is product reviews. The PB and Cyclingtips sites seemed to me to give the most well rounded reviews on the internet. They give both sides, they will call something ugly, they will call something awesome. They will say something is awesome, but kind of ugly. I liken it to DCrainmaker. Companies don't send them stuff to use it as an advertising engine, they send them stuff because if something does not have a review on one of those 2 sites, people might not buy it.
Velonews is not like that. Any bike review seems to read like a press release from the brand. "It is lighter/stiffer more integrated and better so go buy one!"
Also if you go to Velonews, there is a LOT of articles behind that paywall.
I guess this whole thing will ruin Pinkbike for a whole lot of people.
On the other hand, things are expensive, the staff wants to be paid, servers aren't for free...
I'm torn and I really hope that PB is that much of an affair of the heart for you guys that you won't let it get ruined by a big media corporation.
MTBR instituted a similar pay to play gig, you can pay if you want to skip the advertising. I was "granted" a one year free subscription, but it's not going to be something I pay for when that year ends.
Honestly, most of us spend too much time on the internet, so if instituting a paywall is where PB goes, then maybe it's for the best.
I spent last week riding and traveling in Oregon, rarely had internet access, and it was not a problem, sorta felt liberating
I understand them selling it. Who doesn't want to make a bunch of money after working hard and investing and building a brand. Sadly, that brand changes when board of directors are making decisions based on graphs, there's no way around it. It's been a fun ride Pinkbike. Really it has and I hope that I am wrong and nothing changes. Based on experience, it always does.
Well that's all folks with Pinkbike !
...yeah, like the adverts
Had to be done
For me, my disposable income goes where I feel I get the most bang for my buck; in this regard Pocket has consistently come up short for me as their offering at the pay level has never met that threshold. No worries, I and others will find something else eventually. The shame of that is, of course, that the "amazing leaders" seem to miss that segment of their audience, and therefore, also miss opportunities to improve their product.
I am hoping the same people will be behind a new format similar to this soon, which is normally how selling out a successful idea to hedge fund companies turns out.
Outside Adds Pinkbike, TrailForks, CyclingTips: Why?
The Pinkbike buy considerably increases Outside’s readership and revenue in the cycling space. In turn, the brand hopes to add momentum to its Outside+ membership program.
Outside+ launched in May as part of a corporate strategy to reduce ad revenue dependency. The program offers various bundles of content, services, discounts, and other perks for an annual fee.
www.adweek.com/media/outside-media-bets-on-bundles-for-subscriber-retention-with-its-latest-acquisition
"Outside currently reaches about 200 million unique visitors a year, the publisher said, and it hopes to convert between a sizable 5%-10% of its readers into subscribers. It also hopes to shift its funding from about 70% ad-supported to 70% subscription-supported in the coming years."
The 1st page of All Mountain alone is about $78K worth of bikes. If they can turn 20% of these every 30 days at a 2% commission it could be $3,800 annually X 300 pages of bikes is $1.14M+.
They could also charge $25 a post X current 40K items posted for a quick million. Turn this over every 90 days and it's $4M annually. Even if Buy/Sell postings cut in half it could be $2M annually which is enough to offset 40K subscriptions at $49.
www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/biking/lachlan-morton-tour-de-france-route-solo-alt-tour
"Read more: Outside has unveiled its new membership platform, a one-stop shop for active lifestyle participants
The Pinkbike acquisition adds considerable readership and revenue in the cycling space, and thus adds momentum to the company’s Outside+ membership program. Outside+, introduced this year, offers enthusiasts various bundles of content, services, discounts, and other offerings for a $99 annual fee."
Personally, not very impressed with Outside Magazine anymore. I essentially got a free 1 yr paper magazine subscription and honestly, don't even read it. Paying $99/yr, personally I'm passing.
But in the meantime (which I hope is a long time) I’m very appreciative of (and committed to supporting) their daily efforts to inform and entertain.
Comment numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 under article. Please don't change, PB.
Anyway, you never, ever sell out to a huge corporation and think things will stay the same. But to quote a line from that Marvel Movie... " *-----* is not a place, it's a people"
But who would have thought back then it would come to this? Glad to meet you anyway!
And p.s.? I did cry.
...and I am sure there will be another gathering place not quite like it that will pop up that we will also love.
I won't leave right away though... not yet.
Good night!
#radekrainingmoney
I picked up mountain biking a few years ago and fell in love with it. Pinkbike has played such a huge impact in those years, fanning the stoke and helping me understand bikes and the industry so much more than when I first started. As long as y'all are still in, I'm still in. Let the good times keep rolling!
"The Pinkbike acquisition adds considerable readership and revenue in the cycling space, and thus adds momentum to the company’s Outside+ membership program. Outside+, introduced this year, offers enthusiasts various bundles of content, services, discounts, and other offerings for a $99 annual fee. The membership revenues complement Outside’s revenues from advertising, creating a business model for publishing that CEO Robin Thurston said is more sustainable than traditional media models in the long term. Adding Pinkbike, CyclingTips, and Trailforks gives Outside+ more critical mass, making membership purchases more desirable for enthusiasts and providing more readership for advertisers inside and outside the industry, Thurston said."
tldr; Paywall and Advertising.
So much for my lifetime Trailforks early adopter membership that stated "we will NEVER ask you for more money". I'll eat my words if you honour that.
Best of luck PB, but I'm pretty disappointed.
RIP
That all said I hope you are right and that PB improves and doesn't just become the beige Outside+ site that many outdoors media sources they purchased have become.
PB sold out
SC stopped being color blind. (new Tallboy and Hightower colors are hot)
But if you think for a second a brand like Outside is going to tolerate the toxic bro culture of the comments section, you’ll find yourself mistaken. That’s the one silver lining to this, as the comments section contributes precisely ZERO to the culture of mountain biking.
You can’t knock a guy like Radek for wanting to cash out. He prob got a nice fat check. But you also can’t deny that crap like the gaslighting e-bike coverage, and giving the site a partial paywall, is just part and parcel to the decline of what USED TO BE a fairly independent source of reviews.
The integrity that some of the staff have is inevitably gonna be chipped away by the pursuit of profit.
I know Kazimer and Levy are either happy that their gonna paid what they’re worth, or sad that they’re gonna get muzzled by cow towing to brands. Or maybe both… again, you can’t knock it as a guy has to eat. That doesn’t change the fact that this sucks.
Will I continue to read pinkbike? Maybe, but I sure as hell ain’t gonna pay a penny for it. Not when the reviews will have lost their teeth, and the ebike garbage will propagate exponentially.
Question is… who’s the next guy who’s gonna launch the next Pinkbike?
Whoever that is, please give it a less odd name.
This comment wall is over 1k deep! I love it! Is what everybody has been doing all day???
I think Brian is earning the big bucks today from the amount of mentions. His notifications must be pinging enough to sound like a sonar.
Look after yourself after dealing with everyone’s vicarious trauma.
We'll see what plays out.
Going to miss the youtubes if they get walled.
The staff of PB obviously works very hard to put out excellent content, and I hope this change is a way for them to get some deserved recognition. Besides, even if they do go with some subscription based content they aren't going to force you to pay, just go somewhere else. It's just bikes
I think this change will probably be bad for users, but as the owner of several thousand shares in an internet media startup I was part of that has gone 10+ years without an exit, I don't really blame the PB folks for cashing in when they had a chance. That opportunity isn't guaranteed to come (and it usually doesn't).
we want to raise awareness about this atrocity
www.instagram.com/boycott_pinkbike
It will be very difficult to not support Outside in some form.
How much have you paid for pinkbike?? I really would like to know.
Use this for the future paywalls
Exciting news & optimistic this will only make the content that much higher quality and create more opportunities for mountain biking! Good luck with the transition!!
Congratulations @brianpark and Co.!
Can I get a free subscription?
I'm already a Pressreader user, I won't pay another dime
No….puns….anywhere….
(Leaves to get a life)
#Outside.Borg
Now: OMG! $15 for an annual subscription to read ALL the site content and videos?!?! WHAT A RIP!!!
I also love how everyone is acting like the people behind PB owe them something. They provided free content to everyone since 1998 and now that they are changing stuff up, we all revolt? I click on PB every day because of the people who work there, and the content they provide, not because they were "Independent". If the staff is still there, then I'm still there.
This is more like moving from MTB to Moto (not even an Ebike), a structural change, different players, different setup and totally different riding areas....IMO
I don't think they OWE it to us....but it certainly co-existed well enough as it was and we 100% gave back to them...we provided &$(*#loads of feedback in all those polls (I assume you took part in those), they had ads we all clicked on, we read the articles paid for by the bike manuf, we bought all the stuff they told us was cool....they got paid for all that, it was a two way road, don't forget that...
I've been lurking since early 2000's but only been a member for last few years but have seen the slow growth of people.....there is a secret sauce here that adding another ingredient too won't make it better.
time to reboot
All I can say, and take it the way you will, is that Robin has been an Amazing leader and understands better than most the Very fine line of helping a media outlet both improve their coverage/content while at the same time making an amazing atmosphere to work and support a family. I think the two shouldn't be separated as much as they are. You want a great platform and hopefully want your fellow enthousiasts to be able to support themselves without shaking a cup on the corner, right? Look at VeloNews or Beta if you want an idea of how things will look in the future. @brianpark is not lying that Most content will be free. It's the really deep dives, editorials, and "Superfan" like content that gets the paywall, but also the content that takes far and away the most resources. I bet much of what's coming down the line would even be possible without the backing of the parent company and it will only get better from here. So those of you who aren't willing to pay, what, $99 a year? Shit. You pay that for a bloody tire. Half that for a 1-day ski pass. You know it's also one fee for all 40+ brands under Outside, right?
Basically, @brianpark @jamessmurthwaite @mikelevy @mikekazimer @sarahmoore I'm super stoked for you and your team. Looking forward to some of the really awesome new features and content coming from you all. Count me in!
I'm sure that Robin is doing some great stuff and inevitably things will change (global warming - but the reality is that it's concerning to think that all outdoor media is going to become one bland voice across countless sources. Part of what makes the internet and media great is diversity, and sure they're retaining staff, but you also have to see logic that all products of a company are still guided by the over arching mission of the leaders.
It's great that the owners are able to sell and get rewarded for the work they've put in, but it's also equally disappointing for many fans to see a site that they loved potentially reduced to another beige WP site with a PB logo slapped across the top.
You'd be a fool to think the board of directors at Pocket Media bought Pinkbike to provide better content, we are being bought because we are a potential cash cow.
$10,000 MTB
$5.99 subscription
Not sure why average Pinkers would hate you; we love buying your carefully ridden bikes for a third of the price in 8 months time.
Will I need to pay for the podcasts now?
Her articles and writing are fine, her videos on the sunshine coast field trip and such were fine too. It's just off script on the podcast there's a lot of frying filler sounds that bother me.
So I guess they just need to coach her on having complete thoughts ready to go on the podcast.