Mission statements are all the rage, it seems. Here at Cranked we’ve never had one, only a (mostly unspoken) sense of what’s right and what works. Still, a couple of years in and a few themes have emerged, so now is as good a time as any to get them out into the open…
Does mountain biking have a self-esteem issue?
You don’t have to follow all that many social media streams for very long to realise that a peculiarly aggressive lexicon has slipped in under the radar. Trails aren’t ridden, they’re shredded.
The tyranny of the special offer
We value all our readers equally, whether they’ve bought a single issue or have subscribed since issue #1. Without our readers there’s no magazine. It’s that simple. We know that, and it drives everything that we do…
Now that we are two (a brief retrospective)
The imminent arrival in early May of Cranked #9 marks an important milestone: Cranked will be two years old. So, by way of a celebration (and because we’re all out of cake), we thought we’d take an irreverent look at some of the best bits of the last two years of Cranked…
Triple D: an ode to winter riding
The alarm on my phone trills insistently. Normally this is a daily event, triggering the weary unbundling of my ageing carcass from the enchanting environs of the bed. Right now, though, it’s flashing up a cheerful if inappropriate ‘time to go riding’ message…
2017: bring it on
Now that the dust’s settled on another holiday period, we’ve had time to have a quick look back at 2016. And, from our perspective, it’s been a great year…
Down: putting something back
In Cranked #6 we did something that few bike mags have done. We published a big feature on mental health and mountain biking: first person accounts from nine riders who’ve struggled with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues…
How not to deliver (or ‘don’t be a dick’)
At Cranked we have what you might call a loosely framed ethical policy. You could sum it up as ‘don’t be a dick’…
An open letter from the editor (spoiler alert: contains discount code)
If you like riding your bike and all that goes with it (and I’m guessing that you do), then you’ve not really experienced Cranked unless you’ve held it in your hands, pulled out a cold one from the fridge (or brewed some coffee) and kicked back for a while…
RIP Stevie Smith – by Ric McLaughlin
In an age when DH racing is becoming ‘pro’ almost to the point of monosyllabism Smith remained an erudite and engaging champion. With Stevie it was personal, and that’s what endeared him to race fans around the globe.