Northern California - Advice to newbies

So once in a while we have people who come in here asking for advice. I think one of them should be for them to stay away from Advocacy and "Safety" forum. All they do is constantly bicker about the same ****, threaten cyclists that do not fall under their definition of "normal", post stuff like this (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=308962) and turn this in to us VS them! Them being those damn cagers, JAMs, or whatever other stupid acronym they come up with. What before was just an "innocent" close pass by someone who doesn't realize the size of their vehicle turns in to "damn cagers are out to get us." :rolleyes:

I would also like to add, let's make this regional discussion a place where cyclists, who love to ride their bikes, share common experiences, and enjoy the activity of cycling, whether it be recreational, touring, hill climbing, or racing ... this is a place for us to have fun, and enjoy cycling. I love to share my riding experiences with everyone (as you can probably tell from all my pics). Let's keep it going, moving forward, and be positive! :D

Ron,

I love your posts and your positive personality. You are a pleasure to know and to ride with.

Forums serve as outlets for emotions. We're only human and some of us need to vent sometimes. It's a lot better to do it here than to carry a weapon around and shoot the first a-hole that you come across.

I stopped reading A&S in about weeks or two after I joined BF back in 2004. That section always remainds me of people who are trying to convert others to what they believe no matter what. Usually these attempts fail, but the whole process is too painful to watch.

Ron,

I love your posts and your positive personality. You are a pleasure to know and to ride with.
Thanks, I appreciate the kudos. It just doesn't do any good to gripe here, as it will only add fuel to the fire.

Sorry about that. Post turned out to be more negative then I intended. It's just I think it is more detrimental then helpful. I should stop going to that part of the forum.

Sorry about that. Post turned out to be more negative then I intended. It's just I think it is more detrimental then helpful. I should stop going to that part of the forum.
The helmet discussion in A&S ... now that's detrimental. It's just going down a rat's hole.

i hate the word noob or newbie

i hate the word noob or newbie
As a newbie myself, I don't see a problem. :p

Good morning! From my vaaaast experience (she laughs) on Internet forums and such, there *will be* rabblerousers no matter what. The Internet is a great place for people to remain anonymous, hiding behind a monitor and spouting off whatever comes into their heads without thought or consideration for others. Sad, but true. As with other things in life it becomes a "grin and bear it" situation. My two cents, anyways.

Life is too short to waste on the inconsequential.

See now look what you did, you made me go look and see just how bad the A&S forum was. AAHHH!! scary in there!

Additional newbie advice: (this goes for any forum) don't take everything seriously. Or better yet, have a thick skin. People will make assinine comments or just plain rude comments. Take it with a grain of salt. Sometimes they are being sarcastic or trying to be funny... once you are on here for a bit you'll find out who those people are.

Also, many will say to use the search function first before asking noob questions. Some people tend to forget that they, too, were once newbies. Again, take it with a grain of salt.

Other than that, most people on here are very cool and very knowledgeable and very helpful. Just remember that if someone helps you, be kind enough to help someone else.

Welcome to BF! :)