Whatever happened to the laid-back days of old?

Saw an auction for these magazines on eBay. It feels so stereotypically 1980s and even 1970s, when bicycling (and especially Bicycling magazine) wasn't all about performance and competition. How did we get to that cutthroat, weight weenie, aero-everything world of today? I look at these covers and can almost imagine myself cruising at a relaxed pace on back roads, enjoying stunning vistas of natural beauty.

Considered bidding on them since the price isn't bad, but I bought a couple of issues of Bicycle Rider back then and frankly was not all that impressed with it. Nice photography, I seem to remember, just like these covers, but the articles were short. Also seem to remember I was turned off because they didn't use standard terminology, like the reviews saying a bike had "forks" instead of a fork. Basically, seemed like the magazine was mostly style, not substance, and the staff was neither serious cyclists nor professional writers. That would explain why it didn't last as long as Bicycling, Bicycle Guide or Cyclist (US, not UK magazine). But even still, I miss the magazines of past decades, when the page layouts weren't so busy, busy, busy that I have a hard time telling which are the articles and which are ads.