Forum Suggestions & User Assistance - New Sub-forum - Bike Reviews

I see over and over someone who is looking at get a new/nother bike asking for opinions.

Had a thought (and yes it hurt!):(

How about some sub-forums in each of the areas (road, mountin', tandem, hybrid, 'bent, BMX,etc) where we could post our personal reviews of the bikes we have owned/ridden??

There could be an ongoing thread for each bike, that could be added to.

agreed... but aren't there already other sites with tons of reviews already?

Yeah, I agree... adding a review section to each of the sections may help to organize the sections even more than they already are.

Originally posted by ShadowVlican
agreed... but aren't there already other sites with tons of reviews already?

Yes, but I trust the opinion of this group. I agree that this addition would be both welcome and very helpful!!!!:thumbup:

Maybe include a review section for parts, tires and other accessories.

While there are other sites with reviews, thery're often less than useful. Roadbikereview and mtbreview tend (as they inevitably must) to include mostly 5-star reviews ("I love what I bought and I'll never admit I made a mistake, even though it's an entry-level piece of junk and I know nothing about bikes anyway") or 1-star reviews ("This bicycle has no motor. It sucks.")

Actual *threads* discussing particular bike models, such as we see here, are quite useful. It keeps the participants honest (not that that would ever be an issue on the Bike Forums!) and it lets people ask direct questions to the owners.

If there's a way to gather bike review threads or float them to the top or otherwise make them easier to find, I think it would be really useful.

RichC

yes, i like feedback from this forum.

Possibly Joe could make a automatic poll type thread with the poll entries already filled out (sucks, bad, soso, ok, wow) or some such....we add the bike / part name...people vote and comment.

There are plenty of review sites out there and that would be ONE MORE THING to set up and maintain. Besides everytime you turn around somebody (usually a newbie) asks "What do you think of this bike?" or "Which One?" so all the opinions come out at that time. Even if there were a review section we'd STILL get those questions. That said, I personally I see it as redundant.

most of the bike reviews are biased towards favorite manufacturers and who is advertising with whom... it would be nice to hear ppl we kind of know to tell us what they think of bikes..
Also the reviews are OLD!
however it could be made private and only the "regular joes" get to enter. :)

Personally I've never had a problem with mtbr.com's reviews. You just have to watch for highs and lows as they'll clue you into who's just bashing and who has had ral problems.

I think it would be a GREAT IDEA & ADDITION TO THE FORUM! Why? You'll have riders first hand experience with different bikes and they're bound to be Brutally Honest! I believe many bike reviews are based on "BRAND" and "COST" rather than actual RIDE - FIT - QUALITY - SERVICEABILTY - as well as COST! Too often these reviews are based on 2 factors: COST & BRAND -- everything else is placed on the back burner. Riders who TEST & PURCHASE will be NO LESS THAN TRUTHFUL -- I believe some of these reviewers are given a bike to sway their opinion or if not a bike -- a HUGE DISCOUNT! I spoke to several LBS owners here in NYC who indicated that they were often swayed to carry a particular brand due to "FREEBIES" or "ROCK BOTTOM DISCOUNTS" for personal & family purchases. Once I became privy to this information I began researching Bikes on my own as well as accessories. There's truth in the old adage. "ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD" and "TO BE FORWARNED IS TO BE FORETOLD!"

That's excatly what mtbr.com is Road Warrior

As others have pointed out, I also respect the opinions of members of this forum and I know a wide variety of cyclist are represented here which gives a more balanced perspective on issues and problems.

My experience with mtbr.com is that a lot of young people with very little real cycling experience rate products in an inordinately negative fashion after having a bad experience with the product. I do not personally know any of the individuals who regularly respond in this forum but I do read the post and have become famaliar with their perspectives. I am comfortable with information gained from this forum. Or to put it another way, I feel like I know them.

My two cents worth.