Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - My love / hate relationship with the SS/FG forum...

I have a love / hate relationship with the singlespeed & fixed gear forum:

Love: In my basement, I have two fixed gear bikes. A 2004 bianchi pista (all bullhornes, black with red logo, black wheels, black tires, it reminds me of my friends model a rat-rod), and a 1974 gold schwinn I converted myself a last winter. In my front room, I have two singlespeed bikes, a black one for me, a red one for my girlfriend. I love riding on these bikes, 90% of my miles this year, have been on these bikes... If it wasnt for this forum, none of these bikes would be in my house.

Hate: How a lot of the members that hang out here, are ignoring my basic guidelines (http://www.bikeforums.net/faq.php?faq=basic_guidelines).

Things need to change. Does the SS/FG forum need its own Foo subforum? FixedGearFoo? Do I need to start to moderate each post that comes in? Should I just close this whole forum down for a month?

:)

Joe. I am sorry. The FG/SS forum is the gas. But some of us need to cool our fire.

Me included. Im gonna read over those rules and you bet your ass I'll do my best to follow them.

The idea of a FixedFoo is good. I dont go to the foo forum here because when i want to talk about un bike related stuff i want to talk about it with these guys in FG/SS. Dont know why but thats how it is.

I think we all know what the real problem is though. SHANTS. SHANTS is really the only problem. hehe

Oh for the love of all that is good and wholesome make a fixedgearfoo.....I really think it would help. Then those us us that don't care about crap that doesn't mean anything to FG/SS real world would have a home that wouldn't annoy us with a constant barrage of BS posts

BTW. I am guilty of Harrasment, Disruption, and vulgarity x 5 according to the rules

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FOR THOSE WHO DON'T CLICK THE LINK JOE PUT UP..

S/F,
CEYA!

I have a love / hate relationship with the singlespeed & fixed gear forum:

Love: In my basement, I have two fixed gear bikes. A 2004 bianchi pista (all bullhornes, black with red logo, black wheels, black tires, it reminds me of my friends model a rat-rod), and a 1974 gold schwinn I converted myself a last winter. In my front room, I have two singlespeed bikes, a black one for me, a red one for my girlfriend. I love riding on these bikes, 90% of my miles this year, have been on these bikes... If it wasnt for this forum, none of these bikes would be in my house.

Hate: Alot of the members that hang out here, are ignoring my basic guidelines (http://www.bikeforums.net/faq.php?faq=basic_guidelines).

Things need to change. Does the SS/FG forum need its own Foo subforum? FixedGearFoo? Do I need to start to moderate each post that comes in? Should I just close this whole forum down for a month?

cool.

sorry.

yes, fixedgearfoo is a good idea.

thanks for everything!

Joe -

Sorry I don't really know what the solution is. This forum has always been a little off from the others since I've been here (admitedly, not too long) but closing all of it seems a bit much. I don't know about the subforum, really. It was just an idea that I had, thinking that all these kids here want to bash themselves for riding fixies. I don't know why they want to do that. I was just thinking that it might make it easier on the mods (another bagmatching thread - put it in the hipster area.)

I first came here wondering if I should cover my track bike in black electical tape. Since then, it has seriously changed my life, and how I think about my riding. I was really happy to see threads that went into detail on things I needed to know. But I've also been known to start threads that even Merton made fun of....

Slightly of topic, but do you have some pics of that 1974 gold schwinn? I probably missed it in the pics sticky...

Shut it down Joe.

Then, bring it back as a Pay member only forum with a disclaimer like the politics section does.


I'm #1 guilty for violating most of the rules you posted.

And I've been around a while (longer than most) so I should know better.

I do know better. Yet I do it.

Why? Because it's allowed to continue often.

So, shut it down for a month. Bring it back as disclaimer and pay only. It will whittle things down really quick.

Glad you're back too. Missed you much.

I agree with WK, this way I can stop posting and focus on school.

Discipline.lol
S/F,
CEYA!

I often wonder why I post what I do. I started posting on BF when I first started to ride to work on my Cannondale. I met a lot of folks off and on. RainmanP was the reason I was interested in fixed. Since then I've met many people here in person, and riden a strech of miles. I forget often to be nice, and just let things slide. I owe Joe a lot for what he's given me a chance to experience here. With out it, my life would be different.

A Foo would be nice, but I have to admit that I hate really strictly modded forums. I spend much more time in FYAD than GBS... though I'm mostly a D&D tard.

A Foo would be nice, but I have to admit that I hate really strictly modded forums.

Do you think my guidelines are asking for too much?


I spend much more time in FYAD than GBS... though I'm mostly a D&D tard.

I have no idea what you just said... :)

I have no idea what you just said... :)

wow...seconded

Shut it down. Most FG/SS topics can be addressed either in Mechanics, Mtb, or Road forums.

Do you think my guidelines are asking for too much?



No, but we can both agree that there are differences between rules that exist to deter people from being idiots and how they are enforced. I cannot stand it when mods are present in a handful of threads on the main page. Of course this is a matter of the board itself, not just the admins, but a mod who understands proper moderation is highly valuable.

I haven't really noticed much in terms of mod presense around prior; I'd love to see it remain that way.

I too, admit that I do not like how much hipster bs goes on in here. We all bash hipsters because we are all afraid of just how close we are to them ourselves.

fyad and gbs are somethingawful.com forums, fyad is not really moderated as far as content is concerned.

sup bikeforums goons

Things need to change. Does the SS/FG forum need its own Foo subforum? FixedGearFoo? Do I need to start to moderate each post that comes in? Should I just close this whole forum down for a month?

Maybe you should just ease up on the guidelines, as community standards in this forum are obviously a little more freewheeling when it comes to things like changing the subject, verbal jousting, and things that may seem off-topic. I really doubt that the world will end if people are allowed to vent about h*****rs, plan pub crawls, or swap the occasional pie recipe in the forum. This isn't Recreational and Family, obviously; and on the other hand, the odd bit of trash-talking that you see here is nothing like the flaming you see day in and day out in Advocacy and Safety every time somebody mentions V******** C******.

For the same reasons, I vote no on FixedGearFoo. Fixed Gear embraces foo. Cradles it, you might say. Besides, we don't want to offend the differently hubbed.

Shut it down.

Don't read it. Problem solved.

Shut it down

what are you guys crazy? I don't sit at a desk all day long but what the hell will you guys do when this shuts down? careful what you request...

*Reads rules* .. noted.

foo might be a good idea.

i'm as guilty of breaking the rules as anybody else, but i'd be pretty bummed if this got shut down. mixed in with the silliness there is plenty of good information, and a pretty strong community as well.

i'll keep a leash on it.

Wow, I never knew there were rules!!!

Why does there have to be rules? I think that is what makes this forum so interesting. I am able to sift through the BS I do not want and respond to the tidbits that interest me.

I would try total anarchy for a while and if that doesn't work, moderate away!!!

WK, pay only would be a terrible idea. there's a reason i don't have a red star next to my name--cause i can't afford it, and not because all my money is going to beer and bike parts either.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that FG/SS "doesn't work" because the guidelines are overly restrictive.

It's like speed limits. Speed limits (at least round here) aren't just arbitrarily set; for high-use roads, engineering teams look at the median speed of cars passing by. They make the speed limit something near there.

If everyone on ss/fg is cursing (and we all know what's behind those deceptive little stars), and making jabs at each other, maybe it's time to rethink the rules. The problem isn't that there isn't enough "useful information" being exchanged here-- anytime anyone has a question, we point to the search feature (and for good reason).

FG/SS is a place to ask questions and learn things, but it's also a place to extend the FG/SS subculture beyond the geographic limits that might be hindering it otherwise. How many threads mention alcohol, pie, stash pockets, or posers? Why are these things mentioned? Because these are the things that define our little niche; it's what distinguishes us from the roadies, or the BMXers, or the mountain bikers. It's not all we are, but it's part of it.

The bottom line is, I think the restrictions are too idealistic. Maybe FG/SS needs a disclaimer: "WARNING, ROUDY YOUNGIN'S AND BITTER OLD FARTS AHEAD!" and some lax rules. at least then it's not some pissing contest to see who can say the most offensive thing, as if on the internet (the internet of animal porn and furries) ANYTHING can be offensive.

anyway, that's some change right there.

I'd go with an Art Student sub forum. That oughta weed out most of em.

I like that enforcement of the rules here are a bit lax, that I can ask a question about winter tires without it getting moved to the winter riding forum before anyone reading this forum even gets to see it. A lot of the questions here are of a technical nature, and might well be moved to the mechanics forum, but I ask and answer these questions here, because fixed gear riders have a perspective that is often distinct from mechanics. Although I myself am guilty of being a bit obnoxious at times, I see MOST of the trash talking and silliness here more as frienndly banter. It's nice that there is a mix of good solid on topic talk as well as some joking around. It's nice to be able to joke around with the same people I swap riding & wrenching tips with.

Saying the guidelines are overly restrictive is so absurd... that's someone's way of saying they don't need rules. In that event, bikeforums may not be for you.

I'm no big fan of this forum either. But if it gets demolished, I would probably lose my mind. Can you imagine these threads showing up in Road Cycling? :eek:

Folks, if Joe is weighing in here, it's probably a good sign that if you play nice in the sandbox, he won't have to do anything. But if it continues in this manner, don't be surprised at what happens next. I rarely see Joe pwn3d-ing a full forum... actually, never. It's kind of chilling really. See it as a wake up call and just take to mind Joe's thoughts when you post, and I'm sure it'll be all good.

Koffee B.

Mod

It is true that this forum is sometimes wack. I often go for a long time without reading or posting because there is a lot of uninteresting, poorly thought-out crap all over the place. I'm of the opinion that this happens because, as previously stated, the FG/SS forum is very casual in nature. People here seem very free to say what they like, which in my oppinion is also the greatest strength. It is because of this that I have learned many interesting things about various forum users and became freinds with a lot of great people. Is it possible to have all of the friendly, relationship building discourse without feelings getting hurt every once and a while? Answer that yourself, but for me it's worth it. I don't think the mods are paticularly heavy handed, although it does bother me when some certain threads get moved. Slightly off topic is fine in my book, I think intervention should be reserved for flaming troll threads. I vote for leaving things as they are, letting certain people chill out(Tim ;)), as I don't see how this is any more a crisis than usual.

As a P.S., we can have every post await moderation before being released into the thread. That option exists, but we've never had to use it. Let's never get to that point... ever. If Joe's throwing it out there, that's definitely something you want to move AWAY from... running from... screaming and running like a little girl kind of running.

Koffee

apologies for last night. i blame the franzia. i appreciate the mod's doing what they do... most of the time.

i think part of what's going on here is that we're friends - we're a community. and sometimes we have fun, get off topic, poke fun at eachother... and that's just part of what friends do. i don't think it's bad. and as long as folks are respectful of eachother, i think this forum does pretty well for itself.

As a P.S., we can have every post await moderation before being released into the thread. That option exists, but we've never had to use it. Let's never get to that point... ever. If Joe's throwing it out there, that's definitely something you want to move AWAY from... running from... screaming and running like a little girl kind of running.

Koffee

Koffee, it amazes me that you are a mod. Based on your posts you appear to savor drama.

I get so much more info from this forum than any other.
seriously, I go over to roadies and I feel like it's an old man frat party.

Koffee, it amazes me that you are a mod. Based on your posts you appear to savor drama.

Actually, I don't. But I think people here don't know that when Joe asks if he has to moderate every post before it gets released that they understand he is serious- because the option exists. And I don't like to think our work will have to increase threefold because we have to babysit every post that comes from here.

I'd prefer no drama in this forum (or any other)... but that's like asking for peace in the middle east most days.

Koffee

I get so much more info from this forum than any other.
seriously, I go over to roadies and I feel like it's an old man frat party.
Second that. If it was not for this forum and sheldon I would have never been able to have my steed run the way I want it to. I like the SS/FG foo idea.

I'm personally a fan of unmoderated forums. I belong to another forum where the owner of it refuses to moderate. Yes, it is a free for all. Yes, extremely offensive stuff is posted. But the people on it are friends and use the forum as a way to communicate with each other on a daily basis. I think this forum, especially after the BF/FG MG, is a place for friends. Yes, it is a place for people who ride FG/SS, but I think it's going beyond that now.

I'd go with an Art Student sub forum. That oughta weed out most of em.
So how do we get rid of you?

I don't have much to add, except to express my desire that it doesn't become pay-to-play, because no one new would ever come aboard. If I didn't know what BFFGSS was like, I probably wouldn't be inclined to pay just to check it out. And if I hadn't checked it out, I would know (1) a lot less about bikes and (2) far fewer people.

Joe's rules are consummately fair. Don't provoke, don't sell, don't troll. I know the mods would probably prefer otherwise, but (as far as I can tell) it's still going to be tolerated if you start the 107th thread about Sugino 75s, or if you post a ride announcement outside of the "Upcoming" sticky, which is kind of the neatest thing about BFFGSS.

I'm just going to make a concerted effort to check myself before posting.

The board *has* gotten out of hand as of late. Or at least become a caricature of itself. If that makes sense. A FixedFoo would be nice, but in a way it seems strange that our unruly (relative to the other forums) behavior would earn us a subforum...

But then again, maybe not. Call it hipsterism or whatever, but there does appear to be a weird community built up around the ss/fg forum that I don't see elsewhere. Can anyone imagine a touring MNG, or a road bike one? Not trying to be snarky, but it seems the older (again, relatively) demographic there uses forums as a place for information exchange while us younger'uns use it for pretty much every thought that pops into our heads. (Something like this was brought up a few times in the unnecessarily good language thread.)

And I like this aspect of it. But, I can see why it can be a weird path to take as a moderator, to allow such a thing freely, because we really do put people off, which is NOT what bf.net is here for in general.


Would it make life easier or more difficult for the mods/webmaster types to make a almost wholly unregulated FixedFoo? Or it could just *say* FixedFoo and then link to hipinion.com. Tee hee.

I think this forum, especially after the BF/FG MG, is a place for friends. Yes, it is a place for people who ride FG/SS, but I think it's going beyond that now.


Cheers to that. I think that puts us in the position of requiring some self-moderation. As in, please, everyone chill out. It also underscores the fact that excessive policing is only going to disrupt the flow and upset people.

The tricky situation is that not everyone knows each other, it's very much like a city neighborhood where 90% of people are decent and get along and the other 10% are trolls.

Well, the way it stands now, at least I get to know who the real buttholes are.

If a FG/SS foo were constructed, nothing would get posted in the actual FG/SS forum!

If there was a FixedFoo, the rules of bikeforums would still apply. It would just free up ss/Fixed Forum "proper" to be what it should be- a place to post about bike and bike related stuff.

Foo doesn't mean unmoderated. It just means "doesn't relate to cycling".

Koffee

I get so much more info from this forum than any other.
seriously, I go over to roadies and I feel like it's an old man frat party.


Absolutely. And that's because we all know eachother & know how to treat eachother in this forum. I got SO MUCH MORE good advice on a ride across jersey in this forum than the touring forum. And that was because (for one reason) I'm close friends with msngr, and he used to live somewhere on my route, and he advised me how to get around this mountain. He isn't on any of the other forums, as far as I know.

Granted, sometimes stuff gets way out of hand here, but it's only a forum....it would've disappeared after last night anyway. Maybe it was a full moon or something. But knowing that Joe is lurking here, watching us....probably should give rise to caution in our speech.

I'm just not used to this level of moderation and censorship. I have been posting on the other forum I mentioned for 5 years now. Through 3 different incarnations. People have come and gone, new annoying people have showed up, and through it all I have managed to make some really awesome friends all around the country. I'd like to expect the same from this place, but if I can't have a little friendly banter with 'super rookie' about hockey, or make plans to get a steaktaco with 'steaktaco' then what's the point? Where's the community??

I'm just not used to this level of moderation and censorship. I have been posting on the other forum I mentioned for 5 years now. Through 3 different incarnations. People have come and gone, new annoying people have showed up, and through it all I have managed to make some really awesome friends all around the country. I'd like to expect the same from this place, but if I can't have a little friendly banter with 'super rookie' about hockey, or make plans to get a steaktaco with 'steaktaco' then what's the point? Where's the community??

I'm with you...but I don't think it was this that prompted Joe's post, but the seven different brakeless/hipster threads going when I got home from work last night. Correct me if I'm wrong, mods, but you're not going to move a thread about a ride into Foo as soon as someone mentions hockey, right?

And, like Ira said, we shouldn't be friendly to the point of exclusivity. I have a friend who checked out BFFGSS for a week at my prompting, and just gave up, because there were so many in-jokes and "clever" threads. If people are walking away in disgust, then we're obviously failing the intention.

Just to clarify - I am not proposing that this forum allow a free for all. I don't want this place to get completely off topic. I just don't see a reason for MOST of the moderation. I don't see a reason for any censorship.

The thing I'm starting to not like about this forum is that this can be nothing but one big inside joke sometimes, and new people, or even folks who don't live in the 'cool cities' can feel 'left out.'

I also observe that the proportion of SSers to FG/Trackers is getting smaller here too, sadly.

And, like Ira said, we shouldn't be friendly to the point of exclusivity. I have a friend who checked out BFFGSS for a week at my prompting, and just gave up, because there were so many in-jokes and "clever" threads. If people are walking away in disgust, then we're obviously failing the intention.

Exactly. You just hit the Enter key first. :)

If there was a FixedFoo, the rules of bikeforums would still apply. It would just free up ss/Fixed Forum "proper" to be what it should be- a place to post about bike and bike related stuff.

Foo doesn't mean unmoderated. It just means "doesn't relate to cycling".

Koffee

This would be amazing. I'll point out that language/grammar one again, because I do enjoy threads such those. They have exactly squat to do with the shiftless machines, but very much to do with those of us who ride those shiftless machines. It would be nice for such things to have a home.