Way back when I was tentatively learning about bikes, there were fewer options. You could hang out at a bike shop and ask a lot of questions, which depended entirely on the personalities of the shop and the person asking. Or you could read bicycling magazines, and those contained quite a bit of new product information. Then there were books that usually focused on introductory maintenance, basics of bike types, gearing, and the like.

I did all three. With a passion. I also had a group of riding friends who were gaining experience about what worked and what didn't. We weren't technical or "inside the industry", but we were observant and learning the rudiments of day-to-day operations on our particular bikes, a great teacher. It was during the boom. There was a lot to see and a ton to know.

Fast forward three generations - and here we are, on a web discussion board. Folks wander in and ask questions. Some folks have been hanging around the bike shop a long time. They/we swap parts, frames, stories and the like. Other folks stay in the shop, too. These folks often repeat themselves. Their take on things is at times askew, maybe influenced by their particular experiences and (to some degree) their mental state. Only the moderators can decide whether to kick them out of the shop or not.