[MDJ]

For you old guys, didn't MBA come up with the name URT (Unified Rear Triangle) when everyone else was calling the design an xxxxxxx? Or where they trying to call it an xxxxxxx(?-i forget the other term used) when everyone else was calling it an URT? I seemed to remember that when they first came up with this Black Diamond business.

MBA always seemed to have this attitude that they were the authority on the sport and they could dictate the direction it took. They were the dominant force 20 years ago, but now, well, "Black Diamond RIding" says it all.

Heck, I remember when RC still made Mantis bikes.

 

[SylentK]

I remember one article from MBA where they actually tested if drinking beer would make you faster. They drank Coors light and timed the tester up and down the hill. Don't remember the results, but jeeebus, I look back and wonder why I ever subscribed...oh yeah cuz they had cool pictures and "tested" bikes I drooled over. Now I can get better pictures from Dirt and take every published "test" with a grain of salt. I am now very salty.

Tip of the day: remove all paint from your bike and make it 20 grams lighter. Yay MBA!

 

[UiUiUiUi]

hahaha i remember that, i friend of mine showed me that article and we had a good laugh about it.
if i remember correctly up to 3 beers the rider was faster than sober...

 

[roel_koel]

I have fond memories of MBA from the early 90s, when it was still relevant (very relevant) to the growing sport of mountain biking

it also seemed to contain interesting articles and all kinds of adverts for exotic brands we never saw over here in the UK in our homegrown mags (publications like MBUK who just did stupid (but still fun) articles like scuba diving mountain biking or parachuting with your bike)

getting MBA from a newstand every month was tricky as it was an imported title, but a great find when I could get a copy

good luck RC!

 

[davet]

Exactly. It wasn't that long ago that there wasn't any proper staff at PB and everything was user submitted. That is not a recipe for quality content, no offense to those users. What we were up against, and still are to an extent, is wanting to put up a lot of articles in a day/week, but quality was suffering to do that, especially because most of those were user submitted and needed A LOT of editing before they went up... which wasn't getting done enough. I know full well that most of our articles are not as high quality as in some magazines, but it has improved greatly over the last year and I'm super proud to have played a part in that. Believe me what I say that I was always pushing for less news and more quality. Wanting 6-8 pieces per day can be asking for trouble and you end up putting up the same p/r that you see everywhere else. I don't want to see that or to start using forum posts on our main page - I want quality.

We now have some of the best people in the industry to help us with that goal, be it full timers like Hylands and RC, or our other our contributors. Unfortunately, it will take awhile to shake off the old PB image. That's fuel for the fire though! I'm pumped that people out there can see the change though, that is very rewarding.

This is true and change was needed. The quality of the content has definitely taken a big step up, but part of me (and others) misses the homegrown, grassroots feel it used to have too. No more local race team, less local grassroots event coverage (although the grassroots support is still huge and very much appreciated in the community)

 

[RyanCleek]

That's not true.

I read an article specifically moaning about the term downhill and how Black Diamond should supplant it.

Apparently, several other RMers read the same article :MBA & 'Black Diamond Riding'

Again, incorrect.
RC hasn't been editor of MBA since the end of 2001, or the beginning of 2002. The piece you're referring to was written in 2003, and the link you posted was from 2007.