Since 2015 we’ve published a lot of features (around 240, in fact). These, in no particular order, are some of the ones that we particularly like. Do feel free to tell us we got it horribly wrong, and let us know your favourites… Ukraine This was a surreal and slightly scary experience (although less scary for us than for our Kyiv-based writer). In early 2022 we were put in touch with a Ukrainian rider, and it made us realise that we knew nothing, absolutely zilch, about mountain bikers in that part of the world. So we asked him to interview some of the riders in the local scene, and write ab ..read more

You’re looking at Cranked’s shiny, all-new website. After nearly 7 years, we figured it was due an update. Here’s what’s new: more and bigger images, so we can show off what’s in each issue better more information: full contents list for each issue, and lots more info all around the site easy, one-stop EU and worldwide shopping: EU taxes and shipping all included, so there are no nasty surprises at your end UK shipping has gone up slightly too. Sorry. It won’t be news to anyone that costs are increasing everywhere, and we’re not immune. However, Cranked’s cover price remains at £10 and we’ll ..read more

There’s probably an ideal ride length. Someone cleverer than me could doubtless concoct a formula that builds in all the variables. Available time before next domestic appointment. Trail conditions. Weather. Availability of riding buddies. Mood. Time since last ride. Calorific value of nourishment to be found rattling around in the bottom of the Camelbak. And so on. However, despite having given it little thought, I reckon I’ve set nothing less than a new world record: ten minutes. Yes, really. A ten minute ride: just perfect. Not too short, not too long, and crammed full of trail loveliness ..read more

The other day I took stock of my riding wardrobe. Or rather, finding myself ready to go earlier than my still-faffing ride companions (for a change), I stared at my feet and did some sums. Goretex boots: £150. Thermal bib tights: £60. Waterproof shorts: £70. Base layer: £30. Micro-fleece: £40. Goretex jacket: £150. Gloves: £30. Helmet: £100. Eyewear: £150. Camelbak: £80. Tools and get-you-home stuff: £120. I’ll spare you the mental arithmetic: that’s nearly £1000. Oh, and I’ve got spares of most of this stuff at home – in some cases, quite a few spares. Because, you know, sometimes you can’t d ..read more

As I write this, the latest Covid strain is quietly infecting more unsuspecting folk and politicians and health officials everywhere are wishing they could hide under the duvet. You already know this, but I’d like to give a little insight into what we’ve been doing at Cranked to keep publishing inspirational stories about mountain bike people, places, and culture over the last 18 months… and some of the challenges that we’re likely to continue to face for the foreseeable future. It’s been harder to source stories than it used to be. Lockdowns and travel restrictions have reduced the number of ..read more

We have some good news and some bad news. First, the good news: we can sell and ship magazines and subscriptions to the EU again. Yay! Now, the not-so-good-news: this only applies to magazines. Unfortunately, we don’t have a way to sell and ship any of our merchandise (mugs, hoodies, t-shirts and so on) to the EU. This doesn’t look likely to change anytime soon. We’ve also currently had to pause shipping merchandise beyond the EU, although we hope to have a solution to this hiccup in the new year. The reasons for the EU shipping difficulties are entirely brexit-related. There are ways around t ..read more

Since Cranked #26 hit the newsstands a bit over a month ago, we’ve noticed a (small) uptick in subscription cancellations. It could just be a blip, but then again we also received a (very polite) email from one of the cancellers which suggests that there might be a bit more to it than that. Here’s the relevant paragraph: “There were a good few pages in the latest issue dedicated to ‘Trans’. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, and I didn’t read [it] … but I just didn’t feel comfortable effectively sponsoring such an article.” We sent him a polite reply back, pointing out that we ..read more

On 1st July 2021 the EU introduces new VAT and customs rules. We’ve known about these for some time and have been working with our warehouse team at newsstand.co.uk to find a way to ensure our EU readers continue to receive Cranked. It’s turning out to be more difficult than any of us expected. The crux of the problem is that, for a small business with a relatively small number of EU customers, the cost of registering for VAT with the EU is prohibitively high. We’ve identified a way round this for single magazine sales, which we’ll be implementing as soon as possible. There may be a short peri ..read more

If you’ve only just discovered Cranked, here’s (most of what) you need to know about us: We’re print only. Yep, no 24/7 online updates, clickbait, sick edits or badly reworded press releases. Because… well, you don’t need any more of that stuff. Right? We publish quarterly. Before the internet, a monthly mag was pretty much the only way to keep up with stuff like new kit releases. Now? Not so much. We invite you to slow down, crack open a cold one (or make a brew) and kick back with some immersive story-telling. We don’t do reviews. At all. Or route guides, for that matter. Why? Well, the sam ..read more

Here in the UK we’ve been in a third national lockdown for a few weeks. The message (and the law) is simple: stay at home. There are, of course, exceptions. One of them is that we’re allowed to travel for work, if we can’t work at home. Obviously, when your business involves publishing images of people riding bikes, and writing stories about them, it’s pretty tricky to facilitate the bike riding part of the equation sat on the sofa with a laptop. And so there are plenty of mountain bike media outlets who’ve been invoking the WFH exemption to keep publishing. And that’s fine, in legal terms. Bu ..read more