Artfahie

When I hit the bike forum I generally see how many folks are logged in to "General Discussion".... and jump ahead to see how many of us are doing the 50+ thing.... generally about 1/3 as many visitors are on the 50+ side of things, remarkable considering how many 50+ may be on the General Cycling side of things at any particular moment. There are a lot of us out there !.... Feeling good !!!!

canklecat

Demographics of forum participation are more indicative of the age range of folks who prefer a particular type of moderated forum, regardless of hobby or niche interest, than a reflection of the overall participation in that hobby or niche.

I was a longtime mod of a couple of hobbyist forums (Don Mod Emeritus, technically, since just when you think you're out they pull you back in), either based on this same phpBB variant, or an older platform that was the precursor to phpBB. While we occasionally got younger participants they didn't stay long. The participants who prefer this type of forum format, with at least some moderator intervention to keep things more or less civil and on topic, tend to be older than 30 (increasingly much older than 30), holding middle class or better jobs that afford leisure time and income, retired folks from those types of jobs, are predominantly white male, and generally communicate pretty much the same way online as they do in real life.

Younger folks tend to gravitate toward more specialized outlets, when they do participate on discussion forums; and toward free-for-all or lightly moderated comment sections attached to static content articles. They tend to be drawn like moths to a cliche when they see headlines like "The 2017 Machismo Bull Testicle Full Floater: Great MTB or Greatest MTB? Are You a Wimp if You Don't Ride One?"

R3dd!t (that site which may not be named but rhymes with "bread spit") and similar outlets that were slightly more civil than image boards like 4chan also tend to attract a younger demographic who enjoy a bit of verbal sparring along with discussing and cussing hobbies and niche interests and issues.

Younger folks I know in real life and via their online personas tend to use very different communication styles. They may seem trollish online but often it's just a bravura performance. Not that it isn't part of them, it's just a greatly enhanced or exaggerated version of their real life selves.

Kindaslow

I believe the moderators and admin work very hard to help keep this place, in my opinion, the best behaved forum I have ever seen. I do agree the older crowd likely makes the job easier. And, that an older crowd might gravitate here, due to the more friendly environment, my guesses. When I was a mod on a sportbike forum it was an intense situation.

I love talking about bikes, I love MTBs, but I am just too old to enjoy the popular MTB forum that I find hostile, even though I can talk more about MTBs. It just was not worth it.

1Coopgt

Just wondering .... Which sportbike forum was it ?

Jim from Boston

Just an observation....
I’m a data wonk, and I’m impressed by the statistical data provided by the site, though seemingly not often the subject of threads (unlike Strava data ). On a personal assessment of my Forum preferences, I replied to a previous thread on the General Cycling Forum, “How do you use this site?,”

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indyspeeddmon

I realized, while cruising the site, that I tend to routinely visit 3 forums in order. 1st I hit the general forum, then the Clydesdales/Athenas forum as I am near that size and their tips and training are motivational to me, last is the road bike forum as I only ride on the road and find a lot of good info from a lot of very focused people.

I sometimes scan through other forums and I do check out the Mechanics forum when looking for a specific issue but it made me wonder how others use this site…

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…I prefer more the experiential discussions on BF rather than the technical/materiel (hardware) Forums, so I daily visit General Discussion, Advocacy & Safety, Commuting, Fifty-Plus, Living Car Free, Road Cycling, Touring, and seasonally,Winter Cycling…

rumrunn6

interesting to read. I usually click the New Posts to see if there's anything interesting to read & if I can contribute something. then I'll hit some favorite sub-forums to dig deeper

Wildwood 

Road Forum and C&V Forum seem to be the most popular (by # of users), and frequently have about equal numbers. According to my casual observation.

peterws

I only use the over 50's; the over 65's is a bit quiet sometimes. there is a lot of vitriol on many other sites where you would least expect it. But it's sometimes fun to observe the verbal pugilistics between intelligent fellas in full swing. Especially when their mothers get dragged into it . . . I do get jealous of their phraseology.

rydabent

Another reason some are here, is the fact we are retired, and can get on the forum any time we feel like it. Retirement is great. It kinda like the summer between the 11th and 12th grade, we are free, we have a car, and no responsibility.

ironknee

And on Friday nights (like tonight), we don't have anywhere else to go and I need to be in the rack by 1030 So checking out the forums is a big night!

Trsnrtr

Speak for yourself. I can't pass 9:30 on most nights.