Gear review section?
- Thread starter wkkie
- Start date
moorey
call me Mia
In theory, yes....but 99% of the time, people talk up stuff they run, because they bought it...and dammit, if they bought it, it must be defended to the death. I have done this before, I didn't consciously do it, but I did it.
I like to think now that I have tried most things, and promote their awesomeness, or lack there of, with honesty.
There's stuff I haven't run, and never will, just because I know it probably sucks, and I'll never try it. Looking at you, most carbon stuff, guide brakes, oval rings and 29" wheels.
Flow-Rider
Burner
Nothing wrong with reviews on parts, helped me out heaps of times. I find if you keep on hearing the same complaint over a few reviews, they are normally right. Sometimes It can be hard to gauge the review on performance of a part if you don't know what discipline of mounting biking the rider is from or how hard they really ride. An XC rider might say a certain type of brake pads are good, a person that rides enduro comps fries them in the first 100 meters.
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EsPeGe
Likes Bikes and Dirt
I reckon it's a good idea. I always take reviews on forums with a grain of salt but that doesn't mean they don't have value. As Flow-Rider said if you see 100 complaints about something it's usually a good indicator that something sucks balls. I do agree with Moorey though. Folks will defend their choices to the death and often can't accept that what's right for them may not be right for others. I do think these "reviewers" stand out pretty quickly though and you learn to ignore them or read between the lines. There is a lot of kit out there and any help working out if it's any good or not must surely be a good thing. I have always had the attitude that I buy at my own risk and I would hope that others would be the same.
Ivan
Eats Squid
I tried to start one.
You can see how successful it was here. http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?262987-The-Mini-Review-Thread
You can see how successful it was here. http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?262987-The-Mini-Review-Thread
wkkie
It's Not Easy Being Green
I was thinking more along the lines of a section with separate threads for individual items.
pink poodle
気が狂っている男
I like the idea Wkkie. I think a template would be important, to ensure the first post has plenty of good/useful info in it before each review ends up filled with shit talking...omitting similar for technical tips would also be good. If an easily searched section was developed it may help reduce the number of people posting "has anyone ridden a giant trance?" or "my dick is stuck in my seat tube, help!" also requires compliance from posters...
Off to contemplate moorey's shimano confession.
Off to contemplate moorey's shimano confession.
fatboyonabike
Captain oblivious
wow, a thread that someone has started WITHOUT Moorey filling it with useless drivel, how did that slip past the keeper?
Great idea though, there is sort of a review thing going on in the parts and stuff page, but a dedicated section like what is on MTBR or similar would be good.
the problem with this site is there is too many dicks that will provide feedback with little interest or knowledge on the subject, and will just end up with lines and lines of keyboard rangers calling each other monsters!
fatboyonabike
Captain oblivious
if there was a dedicated Moderator for these sections, they could just delete all the shit posts when they pop up.
hopefully they would get the msg pretty quickly and fuckoff somewhere else.
mitchy_
Llama calmer
You'd LOVE my new bike then.
link1896
Mr Greenfield
Possibly with a poll on each thread. Sure we'd have some slanted results, e.g Avid, but it would give a new comer the confidence to see a poll showing 87% of us agree Pikes are great.
John U
MTB Precision
Yeah, good idea. Needs to be done as suggested above.
I've reviewed at least one item on here and although people might not have been interested in it, putting it in a non specific location makes it even more pointless.
A review section might help a bit more informed threads starting for 'what tools should I have in my bag'. It may even attract a few more members.
Mooreys concerns are partially justified. Everyone likes to think their research, analysis, and purchasing is correct. But riders also have the ability to be honest.
Quick eg. I have owned a Garmin foretrex 101, edge 305, and edge 800. The maps on the edge 800 are nowhere near as good as they could be. It has navigation ability for suburban streets which is pointless when out in the bush. Their online software could be much better. For the stuff it does over the edge 305 I give it a two out ten. Garmin are the leaders in this field but for the newer versions they need to try much harder. For now, just get a cheap 305.
dunndog
Eats Squid
Ha was thinking the same..carbon, guides, not 29er though..
I bought an Osprey Raptor pack, still got the tags on it, i broke my wrist a week after i bought it so it's still hanging unused in the cupboard. It is by far and away the best pack i have ever seen, owned or used. 5 stars Margaret.
dunndog
Eats Squid
Or a megellan, they are going cheap on Pushys and are better than the garmins.
John U
MTB Precision
I'm reviewing your review. Needs more evidence. Not saying it's wrong though. I haven't even seen the Magellan yet.
pink poodle
気が狂っている男
Some people are pretty recalcitrant. If the first post is kept tidy it will be a good start. Using a good title for subsequent posts is handy as well...those shit talking time waters don't usually bother with that.
I've been thinking of a way we could do this for quite a while now and one thing keeps coming back to me that stalls the process and that is: What's the point? Typically, websites review goods to praise a manufacturer or distributor for giving them the part to use for nothing in exchange for praising words to boost sales, thats no secret. If this were to kick off here then we'd be getting into questions about where the part was purchased and for how much and while that may add some value to a review, it isn't really relevant as I don't see too many folks buying an item that was reviewed well by a user on Rotorburn.
Lets run with some planning though. It could be beneficial to the site. It would require a template and it'd need the right info included. Similar to a trading area post, it's only worthwhile if you add great photos and content, without that info it'd be useless.
Chuck some ideas around for a template eh? Obviously we wouldn't include every item suggested but it's worth the interest. I'll start:
Reviewed item:
Model year:
New / used:
What bike is it fitted to:
What riding discipline:
Price range:
Self installed or shop installed:
Ease of fitting:
Foreseeable Maintenance:
How does it ride:
Pro's:
Cons:
Review summary:
Lets run with some planning though. It could be beneficial to the site. It would require a template and it'd need the right info included. Similar to a trading area post, it's only worthwhile if you add great photos and content, without that info it'd be useless.
Chuck some ideas around for a template eh? Obviously we wouldn't include every item suggested but it's worth the interest. I'll start:
Reviewed item:
Model year:
New / used:
What bike is it fitted to:
What riding discipline:
Price range:
Self installed or shop installed:
Ease of fitting:
Foreseeable Maintenance:
How does it ride:
Pro's:
Cons:
Review summary:
John U
MTB Precision
Dozer, given that for most of us smaller purchases, upgrades and such, are much more common, would it be advisable to have a section for parts, tools, accessories rather than just complete bikes? Maybe a couple of templates are needed?
The review section will only be of value if the feedback is honest and not the sort of stuff that is trotted out to praise the supplier of said test item or to blow up the posters head because of all the wise and solid purchasing decisions they make. I guess reviewing reviewer's form will help the people checking the feedback out know how much weight they can give a review.
The review section will only be of value if the feedback is honest and not the sort of stuff that is trotted out to praise the supplier of said test item or to blow up the posters head because of all the wise and solid purchasing decisions they make. I guess reviewing reviewer's form will help the people checking the feedback out know how much weight they can give a review.
SF Trailboy
Likes Bikes and Dirt
'Length of time' might also be good, at least you will know if someone has ridden without a new equipment high...
Yep, I agree that we need sections that may be laid out similar to the trading area. In fact, I reckon the trading area and the review area could have a lot of things in common.
I can't see that the member review section would be a bad thing. It gives another area for our members to post and discuss things. We can even include an area that is similar to review requests where a person can ask other user's who own a particular part to do a review on it and gather some intel.