Ride Issue 104

As I write this, it’s one day after the hottest April on record since records began; May 1st. Technically, it’s one day before this magazine goes to print, and as usual this is the last page to be done – everything else is done and dusted, processed through the pdf channels, and look amazing; actually, the editorial of the mag is being finished a day earlier than schedule. Nice. This new monthly schedule may be swiftly kicking us in the shins with more regularity than the old nine-issues-per-year thing, and our old six-week production period has been sliced to four weeks or less, but from the looks of things around here, it’s not so bad.

The office is slowly becoming a complete shambles, since we are also moving offices to a new suite at the end of the month; so our old warehouse is being thoroughly cleaned out (and yes, it will take a month). Photo libraries are being re-filed, junk being tossed into a massive skip, paperwork and data going back 15 or 17 years is being shredded, the warehouse mini ramp has found a new home, and it’s all clean-slate time come first week in June. It’ll be good!

And so, onto this issue. Earlier this year, when Steve announced that he was going off on his World Tour 07 for a couple of months this Spring, I joked that while he was away I was going to fill the mag with trails and flatland. Well… we’ve come close with this issue. Check the Trails Is Talking article, with a massive round-up of a bunch of UK trails scenes; has the UK trails scene been any better? Well, with a bit more rain (ironically) it could be more ridable, but the scene is tight right now. James Smith is a London flatlander, but he’s coming at ground riding from a slightly different angle, and we like it. If you’ve ever dragged a mouse over style43.com, you’ll know what James is about.
Nevertheless, it’s not all about dirt and flat and banging on about the good ol’ days. Steve is actually working while he’s away – it’s not just surfing and ticking off a list of Dangerous Outback Animals To Poke With A Stick for Mr Bancroft – he sent in the full interview and cover photo with Will Jackson using a massive broadband cable he personally laid behind him while travelling to Will’s new home in Melbourne, Australia. Perfect. Rob Dolecki blasted down to Mexico dragging with him a crew of characters wishing to escape the Northeast USA winters and proceeded to shut down Guadalajara streets. Sandy travelled around a bunch of gnarly spots with Corey Martinez for his photo section, then, with Jed Rogers, proceeded to discover what makes Mutiny Bikes owner Joe Simon tick. All this, alongside more bios, more how-tos, and more other stuff than ever, all shoe-horned into another monthly instalment. So that’s us done for another month; we have a warehouse to clear out, a new office to plug our network into, a photo studio to set up, and a new clean slate to get used to. Oh, and the small matter of the next issue to create. Just you wait…

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