Bicycling magazine cover

I receive Bicycling magazine in the mail. I think it's because I'm a member of the League of American Bicyclists and the magazine is sent to members. I just know I don't pay for it and if I had to I wouldn't subscribe. I prefer magazines like Momentum and Bicycle Times that cover the full range of bicycle transportation, not just recreational and sport cycling.

I will say that Bicycling magazine has improved over the years, giving more emphasis to transportation cycling, biking to school, and other non-racing topics. However, the cover of the magazine invariably contains a sleek, lycra-clad cyclist on an expensive road bike. I've often thought that I'll know when the magazine has changed when they feature something other than a road bike on the cover.

As you can see from the image on the right, the Jan-Feb 2013 cover that I scanned, since I couldn't find the image online (I was able to obtain a copy from Bicycling), contains a cyclist, actor Patrick Dempsey, with a hybrid bicycle that has a rack on the front and toe clips on the pedals. I think this is a first. 

I later discovered, after reading on p. 3 in the blurb about the cover, that Bicycling hedged their bets and featured two covers for this issue. The other cover contains the same Patrick Dempsey in lycra with an expensive road bike. And looking more closely at the hybrid bike you'll see that it's not just any hybrid but a $1,759 nickel-plated limited edition bike by Globe. The bike featured on the cover also has carbon cranks and deep-rimmed carbon wheels, so the real price is probably closer to $3,000. I guess change comes slowly for Bicycling.

Update: See a review of the bike featured on the cover (once you've skipped the ad that appears).