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Rouleur Magazine

leicaman

Maximum Pace
Sep 20, 2012
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I was in Crown Gear this evening, just browsing through all the cool stuff they have there and I noticed a cycling magazine called "Rouleur". I had a quick flick through it and thought I looked really cool. The design and photography was very slick. I was going to get a copy until I noticed the price.....3000 yen. "Hmm", I thought. "I'll see if it is much cheaper online". When I got home I went online and found the magazine with an annual subscription for 160USD (For 8 issues). It's still not cheap but a little lighter on the wallet.

I was just wondering if anyone has a subscription to it and if so, do you think it is worth the money? (Obviously a very subjective question). I didn't have time to get a good look at the magazine so I would like to hear from anyone who has read a few issues or has a subscription.

Thanks
 
Judging by the format/design, it's more of a coffee table photography book than a magazine. Approaching it from that viewpoint and taking into consideration that you're buying something to be kept and looked at for much longer than a regular mag, the price is less difficult to stomach; a Phaidon-published "art" book normally runs around $100-150.

Content-wise, it depends whether you're a sucker for beautiful design/typefaces/photography, as that's where the money goes. The core content of interviews etc can be found in numerous places for far less or even free, I'm sure. In fact, Bicycle Quarterly seems to occupy similar territory for a lower price. It doesn't look as nice though, which is what it essentially boils down to.
 
It's for people that would rather sit and drink coffee than get out and ride their bikes :D

Fantastic shots in it though but a lot cheaper to go to Cycling tips and print out some of the photos they post daily.
 
I haven't bought a copy but know that it was originally a Rapha venture, hence the slick design and photography. If you've got an iPad you can download digital copies for £5.49 each or subscribe for £30. That might be the best option unless you really want it on paper.

Alternatively, wait until the Rapha shop opens in Harajuku. They'll probably have a few issues strewn about the cafe for general perusing.
 
No magazine is worth $30. A magazine's content is by definition something they have to pump out once a month. Now, if it was a paperback book with all-gloss pages and the contained the A-Z of modern cycling in one volume, sure.
 
What @FarEast says is totally true. If you are out on your bike the whole time you'll never have time to sit and enjoy the articles in Rouleur. But I find its good for after rides or plane trips and am subscriber. I enjoy it for the journalism which is excellent and especially refreshing if you are used to reading any other kind of cycle magazine. The things you learn about cycling are at the obscure eccentric end of things (detailed reports an a cycle race in Rawanda, visits to various factories, and interviews with characters from the folklore of cycling etc) but all written in what I find a totally absorbing and interesting. Talking of Rawanda, if you are a cycling literature nut, which is very different from being crazy about cycling, Land of Second Chances, The Impossible Rise of Rawanda's Cycling team is a great read.
 
Cheers for the info guys. I think I might get one copy from Crown Gear and see what it is like. I guess 3000 yen won't hurt me once. If I like it I could always get a subscription.

@Andy in Tokyo good idea about the iPad edition. I do have an iPad but it is a mini. I use it for reading cycling magazines (Cycling Plus and Procycling) but I think the Rouleur would be much nicer having in paper, like one person said, it is more of a coffee table book kinda thing.
 
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