A Call from the Edge: No Funds means No Journalism.
Hello Everyone
Kind of a long read, and not something I really wished to post, but I wanted to give you an update with full transparency on what’s happening right now, here at SSS.
After some recent realizations, it became painfully clear to me that Slow Spin Society, in its current form, had very little future. So I did countless versions of this open letter, and bare with me as I’ll try to go as straight to the point as possible.
I love writing. I love watching this community grow. Furthermore, I love the incredible people it brings together. But more than anything, I love meeting you, the readers, whenever and wherever the road allows it. From day one, SSS has always been about authenticity. And when I meet readers, I know I’ve been speaking to the right people all along.
If you follow me on social media, it’s easy to assume that I’m living a romantic, freewheeling life, the remote worker in a van, sipping matcha and working for Google. The truth? I sleep in my car, occasionally stay with my parents, or crash wherever people will let me. I take freelance photography gigs whenever I can to make ends meet.
I’ve been in a near-constant state of financial struggle. Most of my income goes toward film and travel to cover the stories I believe in. The rest of the time, I’m just trying to go by. It’s been like this for years. Still! I’m not unhappy. I get to travel, meet inspiring people, ride my bike around., tell stories that matter to me., and when it gets too heavy, I hop on my bike and ride until the noise fades away. It’s a weird life but it’s the one I chose, and I’m ok with that.
Slow Spin Society was my way of combining my love for photography and cycling, to build a platform for quality bike content, and to archive the kind of cycling culture that deserves to be passed on, not forgotten. Even if I knew I wouldn’t make a living from it right away, I took the risk, and I’m glad I did.
Fast-forward to today: SSS has a strong base of loyal readers. Some brands even reach out, and when I contact people, they often already know what I do. I’d say Slow Spin has carved out a small but real place in cycling culture. And that space was earned through thousands of unpaid hours of journalism, driven by love, not money. I always had the hope that someday, this work would pay off. That SSS would become something people would trust to build bridges between the cycling industry and its ever-growing community.
But the adrenaline rush of seeing brands reply to my emails, saying they love my work and want to collaborate, is now often followed by a gut-punch. Almost every time, it ends the same way: no budget, just products. A jersey, a bike part, maybe a shoutout. And after digging deeper, I realized that for someone doing what I do, trying to produce thoughtful, independent, community-centered media, being paid fairly feels almost impossible. I understand the industry is struggling. And yes, while the global cycling market is projected to hit $126 billion USD by the end of 2025, the niche I focus on, that is “alt-cycling”, a human-first corner of the culture, isn’t where most of that money flows.
And again, this isn’t just my problem. It’s a bigger one. People don’t want to pay for journalism anymore, and If you’re a brand reading this: I know I don’t make viral TikToks, I’m not a YouTube influencer. But what I do matters. Independent journalism matters.
And if we want thoughtful, independent cycling media to exist, we have to start treating it like real work, because it is.
Yet, I’ve met so many amazing people in this industry. Folks who genuinely care. Who’ve encouraged me to keep going, explore new paths, and reminded me why I started all this. And you, the readers, the supporters, you’ve backed me in so many ways, and I’ll never stop being grateful for that. But even with all this support, I don’t know if I can keep going. I love what I do. I love sharing it. But I can’t keep working for free forever. I’m bitter that five years of tireless effort hasn’t turned into something I can survive on. And while I don’t want to stop, I might not have a choice, I can’t just endlessly ask for financial help from my readers.
I’m very much at my limit. I’m tired of being constantly on the edge of my seat pretending that everything is fine, when I’ve in fact been almost living day to day for what feels like way too long. I’ve worked endlessly, only to be met with empty promises. So many brands say they want to collaborate, only to ghost me the next day, or worse, tell me they believe “all work deserves fair pay,” and then offer me exposure… or bike parts. (Unfortunately, I still don’t digest aluminum nor steel.) I’m not saying I’ve given up. But I’m close. Closer than I’ve ever been.
Here is a very real example: As of today (June 2025), I don’t have enough money to develop the film containing the pictures for the articles coming after July.
I know I’m rambling, but I want to end on this: the past few years have helped me grow. I’ve developed real skills: writing, media creation, consulting, and a good technical understanding of the cycling world down to its very core. I’ve also learned patience, resilience, and how to see beauty in the smallest things. All I want is a simple life, using what I’ve learned to celebrate what brings us together.
So this is a call. Whether you take it as a plea for help, a pitch for work, or simply a truth that needs to be heard, know this:
No funds means no journalism.
— Paul
PS: Thank you for reading until here if you did.
