MTB media is in a tightening phase. Long-running names are adjusting to smaller marketing budgets and higher costs; some are seeking new owners, others are asking readers to invest. In recent months, Singletrack launched a Crowdcube raise, and IMB Magazine invited expressions of interest to acquire its brand and assets.

Earlier shifts set the backdrop: Dirt ended its print run in 2016, and MBR closed its print edition in 2023. Other once-familiar names like BikeMagic and Mpora have long gone, following the collapse of Factory Media in 2019. None of this suggests riders stopped riding — it simply shows how funding models have thinned.

Media income in the sector often mirrors the wider bike economy. Advertising, affiliate, and sponsorship budgets tend to track product sales, so when bike and component demand dips, publishers feel it quickly. After the 2020–21 boom, which was driven by the COVID-19 pandemic surge in cycling participation and bike purchases, global bike sales then declined, leaving brands with high stock and tighter margins. Marketing spend followed the same path downward. For smaller outlets that depend on display ads, product launches, and gear features, that contraction has been significant.

One exception has been e-MTB. Sales of electric mountain bikes have continued to grow, helped by higher average prices and broader appeal beyond traditional riders. That growth has supported new content, partnerships, and ad interest — though the gains are uneven, concentrated among outlets with the scale or expertise to cover the category in depth.

Even so, price sensitivity has grown. Average retail prices remain high — many e-MTBs still sit in the £4–7k range — but discretionary spending has tightened with inflation, interest rates, and energy costs. Retailers have been heavily discounting to clear 2022–23 stock, improving short-term volume but cutting margins. Riders are holding on to bikes longer, buying used, or opting for prior-year models. For publishers, that means gear-driven ad income and affiliate revenue are under pressure, even in segments where unit demand stays healthy.

What’s changed is the balance of income. Print and postage cost more. Programmatic ad yields are lower. Referral traffic from major platforms is less predictable. Many outlets are turning to digital subscriptions and memberships to stabilise revenue, but those models grow slowly and require steady audience trust. The combination pushes smaller, single-title teams to trim plans or seek help, while larger networks can spread costs. Scale is the new safety net: groups with multiple titles and products can share technology, data, sales, and subscription tools. Outside Interactive, Inc. operates Pinkbike and Trailforks within a wider membership and advertising model; Future plc runs BikeRadar and Cyclingnews inside its digital publishing group; and Our Media Ltd (part of Immediate Media / Burda) continues to publish MBUK in print. The model isn’t bulletproof, but the breadth gives them options when one market dips.

Traffic figures highlight the gap clearly (Similarweb, Sept 2025): Pinkbike draws around 5.6 million monthly visits, BikeRadar 2.6 million, MTBR about 1 million, Singletrackworld around 600,000, and MBR roughly 450,000.. Scale underpins resilience—helping the largest platforms maintain teams, infrastructure, and reach even as the wider market cools. 

For trail associations, the practical takeaway is simple: media visibility may become spikier and more centralised. You may see fewer press slots for local stories, slower review cycles, or tighter sponsorship offers from niche outlets. Conversely, the big networks can still shift attention fast—if your project aligns with their formats (clear outcomes, strong visuals, straightforward explanations of community impact). It’s worth packaging updates accordingly: one paragraph on what changed on the ground, one on volunteer numbers or costs saved, one photo that tells the story, and a link to your work-party calendar. Editors can lift that straight into a brief—no chasing.

Independent titles aren’t gone; they’re just running lean. Many now rely on memberships — digital or print — rather than, or alongside, advertising. When a publication like Singletrack asks its readers for community backing, that’s the context: a bridge to keep publishing while it adapts. More asset sales like IMB’s — websites, archives, and mailing lists — are likely, because audiences remain valuable even when legacy structures struggle to cover overhead. Further rationalisation across the sector also seems likely, with some smaller players unable to sustain operations as costs rise and revenues fragment.

More shifts are ahead. As AI platforms begin to shape how audiences search, summarise, and consume content, traditional discovery routes are changing fast. Media brands that once relied on search or social referrals are being redefined inside these new ecosystems, where readers may encounter stories through generated summaries rather than direct visits. For smaller publishers, that raises both opportunity and risk: visibility may increase, but control over reach and revenue could erode further.

Beyond AI, audience behaviour itself is fragmenting — with communities moving from large social platforms into smaller, more private spaces, and brands producing more of their own content. Independent YouTubers and creators now reach audiences once served by magazines, blending entertainment, reviews, and advocacy with direct community support. Trail databases, GPS platforms, and ride analytics tools such as Trailforks and Komoot are becoming the backbone of engagement. Whoever owns or integrates that data holds real leverage — not just over discovery, but over advertising, partnerships, and visibility. The next challenge for MTB media—and specialist publishers more widely—will be finding relevance and sustainability in a world where information moves without clear intermediaries and loyalty, not reach, becomes the most valuable metric.

For context, iBikeRide sits outside some of the models and headwinds above, mostly by design: we’re non-commercial, community-first, and steady in cadence. That limits scale and carries its own risks, but it reduces the pressure to chase high-yield traffic. The aim stays simple — keep trail information accurate and usable — so the work on the ground keeps moving even as the media cycle tightens.

As gear coverage and influencer content saturate, trail and community storytelling is becoming more relevant — and harder for global outlets to cover well. That’s where smaller, factual, ground-level reporting still matters. iBikeRide is already positioned there: a trusted, practical space where riders, builders, and associations connect the dots between people, places, and trails.

Well, that’s what we like to think.

Read: 92 times Published: 25/10/2025