Cyclist
Cyclist magazine issue 162: on sale now
Cyclist magazine Issue 162, May 2025, is on sale now. Subscribe to Cyclist here or buy issue 162 at the Cyclist Shop
Tradition is a powerful force in the world of sport, but it’s also responsible for some practices that must come across as borderline absurd to the uninitiated.
Take test cricket, for example: would anyone in their right mind be pushing to introduce a version of the game played over five days without any guarantee of a decisive result had we not had upwards of 2,000 such matches already?
Cycling’s equivalent would have to be the cobbled Classics. To the uninitated, the concept of a pro race that not only seeks out the worst possible surfaces you could think to ride a bike on, but claims dragging its participants across those awful surfaces actually makes the racing better, is a ludicrous idea.
Yet to us cycling fans, the cobbles of Belgium and northern France are a feature not a bug, a rite of passage that separates the legends of our sport from the mere participants. So we make no apologies that cobbles feature prominently in our May 2025 issue of Cyclist magazine, available on newsstands now.
Ahead of this weekend’s Tour of Flanders, we go for a ride with Johan Museeuw – a man known as ‘The Lion of Flanders’ for his three Flanders wins and eight podium finishes and who runs a guesthouse near to the Oude Kwaremont, one of the mythical climbs that define the racing action each year.
And with that annual celebration of suffering known as Paris-Roubaix taking place a week later, our Big Ride this issue sees us travel to northern France, ride the last 100km of the Paris-Roubaix route – including most of the toughest cobbled secteurs – and return home all in a single day. None of the pros will be doing that next Sunday, that’s for sure.
There’s a connection to the spring Classics in the latest of our Bike History series too as we shine a deserved light on the Pinarello Dogma, one of the most successful bikes in modern pro cycling history. Aside from a long list of Grand Tour successes, the Dogma was ridden to Paris-Roubaix victory by Ineos’s Dylan van Baarle in 2022 among numerous other one-day victories over the year. We discuss the history and heritage of the Dogma, and how it helped shape the performance end of the race bike market.
Switching gears, our May 2025 issue also takes us to Japan for an insight into one of the most particular cycling cultures on the planet. We go behind the scenes with some of Japan’s most treasured framebuilders and manufacturers to learn more about the celebrated traditions, finely tuned skills and unique artistic perspectives that make them so revered.
Also in the May issue, we run the rule on just what the ideal crank length is, showcase UK bike-maker Pashley’s first drop bar bike, the intriguing Pathfinder, and test new bikes from Basso, Parlee and Haro. Plus our Road Shoes 2025 supplement covers some of the most desirable cycling footwear on the market today.
There’s plenty more to enjoy in the latest issue too, so pick up your copy on newsstands or at the Cyclist Shop or get a Cyclist magazine subscription to have every issue delivered free, straight to your door.
There are three levels of Cyclist subscriptions available. For access to the Cyclist Rides online archive, prices start at £19.95 for six-months. For the Cyclist digital package, which includes the digital version of Cyclist magazine plus Cyclist Rides, prices start at £21.95 for six-months. For the full Cyclist membership, which includes Cyclist print magazine, the digital version of Cyclist, and Cyclist Rides, with prices starting at £37.95 for six-months.
A one-year Cyclist membership comes with a free gift and costs £75.95 if you choose the direct debit option, which will automatically renew, or £87.95 without direct debit.
A Cyclist membership or digital subscription also currently come with 60 days of free Laka bike insurance, plus discounted tickets to Cyclist Track Days and complementary tickets to Cycling Electric Demo Days.
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