Apparently there are still things called “magazines” being printed on crushed-up dead trees that you have to pay money to read. Presumably it’s a tough job persuading people to part with their hard-earned, as pretty much every one of these magazines has something else stuck to the front by way of an incentive.

Take, for example, the current issue of top-selling mag Mountain Biking UK. We have a soft spot for MBUK – whatever else you may think of it, it’s definitely got a sense of fun that’s sadly lacking across most MTB media. And perhaps by way of repaying that goodwill, the free “Essential Techniques” DVD tucked inside the plastic bag that stops you leafing through the magazine features a guest appearance by none other than Bikemagic editor Mike Davis (referring to himself here in the third person, always a slightly uncomfortable sensation) on the DVD sleeve.

Obviously, I (no, it’s too uncomfortable, I’m going to have to switch grammatical person…) like to think that I’m there as being someone who knows what I’m doing rather than someone desperately in need of “the complete guide to improving your mountain bike skills”. Don’t get carried away, though, I’m not actually on the DVD itself. Well, the same picture is printed upon the surface of the disc, but play it and it’s all Chris Smith, Oli Beckingsale and Andrew Dodd. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I’m sure that that helmet had big “Bikemagic.com” stickers on when the pic was taken, though…