datlas 

Wiggle of Fortune?

Really?

Discuss.

smarkinson

This is why videos have play position sliders. So you can skip the boring stuff. Lately I've found it only takes me 5 minutes to watch an episode of the GCN show.

indyfabz

What's a GCN?

qcpmsame 

You Tube channel, some good info, but you have to wade through some crap as well.

Bill

BillyD

What does GCN stand for?

sienarot

Global Cycling Network.

I'm finding they're repeating videos they've done before more recently, ie:

- How to ride 100 miles
- How to clean your bike
- How to ride in the winter

These are all recent videos they've done before. I guess you can only talk about so many things before you run out of ideas.

sdmc530

Agreed. They are using more and more sponsored CRAP in the videos. John does great maintenance videos, I really like and learn from them but the GCN Show has morph into something I don't really care for as much. I watch it in about 10 minutes. I do realize they have to take sponsors to pay the bills but they could at least try to be a bid discrete about it. Example, everybody who has watched a video of there knows Park Tool is a sponsor, but they don't make it obnoxiously obvious. But the "wiggle" thing was really annoying I do completely agree.

They do repeat content and I don't mind that because things do change and they do a good job of making them entertaining but I don't like everything they do.

practical

I have enjoyed a lot of GCN videos, but I agree that it may have run its course. What I like about the videos is that they are very well done, high production values. Multiple camera angles, good audio, and good presenters. (I'm a sucker for an English accent.)

redfooj

bikeradar runs a better channel now

Marcus_Ti

It is why magazines go to pot. There's only so much material to use or recycle.

Hiro11

Agreed. Dustin Klein is my favorite bike-related YouTube channel right now.

GCN is too racing focused, uses too much sponsored content (especially recently, almost every episode is a thinly-veiled ad) and repeats itself too often. GMBN has similarly lost a step with too many silly nonsense videos and useless "reviews". Bikeradar has more inventive content, more engaging hosts, a more irreverent attitude, a wider scope and very complete reviews.

One thing I've noticed is all three suffer from UK riding condition and cycling culture biases to various degrees. For example, GCN doesn't seem to understand gravel bikes as there are no gravel roads in the UK. Similarly, GMBN's idea of what constitutes "winter riding" is alien to me as a Chicagoan. Etc. Bikeradar at least has a US editor. I'd love to see a channel on cycling culture in Japan, personally.

Dirt Farmer

They really need to team up with BikemanforU. That, I'd watch!

Riveting

I feel like I've heard these same complaints about GCN before. I guess you can only complain about GCN so many times before you run out of things to complain about.

maartendc

This is definitely true.

On the other hand, I think they also do it because Youtube doesn't necessarily surface those old videos if they are very old. You would have to search for specific terms to see them. The channel keeps growing, so for newer subscribers, these videos will be brand new, because they have not, and never will, see the old version of it.

I found myself thinking that a while back as well: they have run out of ideas. I think they just put out videos way too frequently, like every day they post a video. I think the Youtube algorithm rewards channels that post a video daily, but that way you burn through ideas very quickly.

That being said, I think the GCN race news show is a good new addition, to get some more regular content out there.

The sponsored content doesn't bother me as much, as long as they are up front about it. But the sponsored content is not the most interesting usually.

MattyMurdah

I think GCN has made big improvements over the last year. Sure, they have incorporated more sponsored content (Wiggle of Fortune being the most blatant) but it doesn't bother me in the least considering they've hired a new (female) presenter and expanded channel offerings (Tech & Racing news). Hell, I spend more time than I'd like to admit perusing bike crap I don't need online simply because thinking about and looking at bike toys is enjoyable for me. Seeing sponsored unboxings or Wiggle giveaways is business as usual.

I'm confused as to why stuff like this bothers so many of you to the point that you take the time to write complaints about it online rather than just find new content to watch. These guys make 5+ high quality videos per week and the new racing news channel and GCN Tech channels have been fantastic.

My guess is the people complaining are the type who patch and reuse old inner tubes 5 times because they're too cheap to just buy a new one. Personally, I'd rather spend my time riding, or watching videos about riding, than patching tubes.

veganbikes

That wiggle of fortune crap is stupid but generally I enjoy their content. They clearly enjoy cycling and want to keep the train rolling and I won't like everything but who does when they watch things. They all have good chemistry between them and have a lot of fun and I like that.

As for repeating videos I think updating things or just creating newer content even if on a subject they have done is actually nice sometimes. Having different presenters give different ideas on doing things or just seeing the quality go up is nice.

datlas 

I still enjoy their content and don't mind subtle endorsements like the Park Tools mentioned earlier and the unboxing stuff.

For some reason the "Wiggle of Fortune" seems like an over-the-top commercial and rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I just need to HTFU.

And yes, I do patch old inner tubes. A properly patched tube is as good as a new one. Better, actually, since it's not going to fail at the valve stem like new ones sometimes.

Thanks for all the comments. I still like GCN, but I wish they would tone down the Wiggle of Fortune segment.

WhyFi

Some of their riders bug the **** out of me but I'm not exactly sure why. It's one or two skinny guys in particular. It's like they look the part of cyclists, physically, but their movement on the bike looks totally awkward, like they're new to riding and they're on bikes that are two sizes too big. Compare that to the GCN presenters who look so comfortable that they come off almost annoyingly casual at speed.

sienarot

I know you're trying to be funny, but I really don't have anything about GCN to complain about other than that and I understand why they have to do it. I like a lot of their content and the hosts are entertaining as well as informative.

sienarot

Yeah their sponsored content doesn't really bother me either. Actually they did a recent one where they compared different sized Continental tires on cobblestone and I thought it was kinda interesting. I had also been meaning to look up the actual tire widths on the GP4000s II, which they happened to do on the video (well, 2 out of 3 tires anyways), so that was an added bonus.

burnthesheep

Need ad revenue to afford Emma Pooley.

floridamtb

Used to get upset when the girlfriend would get all frisky after listening to Simon, but now she's jealous that I get frisky after listening to Emma

canklecat

"Listening to Simon"? Heck, Simon the Rolling Salami could have been the poster boy for Molteni years ago. Especially if they put their logo on shorts instead of jerseys.

GCN is great fun to watch. I rarely watch their "Ask GCN" or longer recap videos. Just the tutorial types. They cover a lot of material in mostly brief, well produced and edited videos. I got a lot from their videos on various types of interval training. Yeah, there are some repeats and rehashings of older video material, but occasionally they're debunking some of their own earlier potentially flawed methodology, so I give 'em credit for that.

Emma is a great addition to the presenters. Pretty solid group between her, Matt, Simon and Daniel. If you watch enough cycling videos and tutorials it quickly becomes apparent that not many athletes combine genuine expertise, charisma and a knack for camera presence. It's hilarious when they have guests and Matt or Simon casually point to wherever a link will be while the guest looks bumfuzzled wondering "Why is he pointing into those bushes or at the sky?"

beermode

Google is making monetizing YouTube videos very difficult recently. I'm not surprised they our doing sponsored content now.

Can't stand Bike Radar, they grate me. The weird slow mo shots repeated for every bike review looks silly.
The only one that doesn't bug me is their American editor.

floridamtb