LFGSS and Microcosm shutting down 16th March 2025 (the day before the Online Safety Act is enforced)

Thank you Bossperson, you made it all possible and am utterly grateful for the years of service you have put into this place.

Other than a few death metal review sites I barely use the internet other than for work. Lfgss is the only place I’ve ever interacted with others on the internet and, whilst I rarely post, it’s been part of my daily life for many years and I’ll miss it a great deal.

The reasons for shuttering the site make total sense, and I would do exactly the same were it my call or responsibility. Thank you so much for running the site and all the work that has gone on behind the scenes, Velocio. I have appreciated this site so much.

Teenslain warned us that hatbeard would do this, but we didn’t listen, tragedy.

mumsnet

Can we at least take them down with us?

I know he hates this but @fizzy.bleach needs to be informed of this

Seems like the easiest place to transition to?

This is absolutely heartbreaking.

This is obviously terrible news to hear.

A heartfelt and sincere thank you to @Velocio for everything.

I may not be a big player on here, but i have spent enough time to know this is my safe space, even if I am called a cunt on occasion, that just means I am accepted.

Things LFGSS opened my eyes to:
Spending more money than is sensible on watches.
Mechanical Keyboards.
Lots of video games.
Lists.
Forum Book.
Using the (fucking) search function.
News of significant peoples deaths (RIP thread)
News in general (News thread)
More support than I realised existed from strangers on the internet. Some dark times have been shared on here, and I only ever had love and support.

Thanks gang.
Thanks Dee.

ah this is shite. I mainly use the photography and classifieds section, but seemingly like many others spend a lot of time generally browsing the rest of the site. It's easily my most visited website. Going to leave a big hole to fill. Cheers for everything @Velocio

@Velocio
It’s your ball, it’s your pitch, they are your jumpers. Thank you for letting us all play for so long.
I know you won’t have taken this decision lightly and will have looked at every possible option. Sometimes the personal risk isn’t worth it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

Fucking rubbish.

Very sad news. Thank you @Velocio for all your efforts over the years.

Very apt despite every fibre of my being still being in the denial stage.

Discord>>>

https://discord.gg/WgZZRWw

Haven’t been here as long as most (I understand about 1 in 10 jokes) but it is a special place with lovely, helpful people.

If I’m reaching for an example of what the internet should be (and actually used to be), this forum is near the top.

Will be a great loss.

But still understandable.
Thank you for keeping it alive so long!
❤️

Shall we take over Bikeradar?

It's full of the wrong kind of cunts.

Thank you @Velocio for providing a great space for us all. Entirely understandable action, given what you have been through in the past and what would have happened had this been in place. x

Hadn't properly grasped before what a shitty piece of legislation it seems to be becoming.

Thanks also to the rest of you for making on here what it has been.

reddit
discord
mumsnet
Bikeradar

Fucksake...

Yep, very sad news indeed! For 16+ years this place has been a huge part of my life. I remember so distinctly discovering this forum and reading about the sweet flow and feeling of one-ness that comes from riding a fixed gear bike and thinking ... hmm, maybe I could get involved in that. This forum helped me put together my first fixie, and I remember racing across to west London to participate in my first forum ride (to Brick Lane!) where upon arriving I was quickly told (politely) about my lack of foot retention and being a danger to myself and others (I was).

Thanks to The Forum, I discovered bike polo, have been to many compass drinks (never done a GSIAD), ridden to Oxford, Brighton, Cambridge (in December on a brakeless fixie with no lights wearing jeans and vans because that was the thing at the time) and many other places besides, met loads of good friends, gone to forum weddings and a couple of funerals and it has generally made my time here in London so much richer.

Thanks to @Velocio for setting it up and keeping it running for all these years and thanks to the kind, generous, patient, knowledgable, talented and very funny people that have made The Forum what it is.

This is a fairly good breakdown on the issue for those who are not owning/running forums or working in IT.
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2024/12/ofcom-publish-new-online-uk-internet-safety-codes-of-practice.html

There also appears to be ongoing consultation and ‘tools available’ to help website owners.?.

So this is the true apocalypse of our time... Hoe can something so great and wonderful come to an end?
The only positive thing to take out of this, is that it shows what an absolute legend you are and have been for so many years, @Velocio. Keeping this place running has spread a lot of knowledge and love across the globe.

This is fucking sad. Granted, i don't really post much bike related stuff anymore but LFGSS is one of two communities i still engage in and have been active on for almost 15 years. Life would feel emptier without this site and its users. Tumblr is dead. Facebook is dead. Instagram is dead. Discord is purely for chatting.

Long live forums, and LFGSS.

See you all over on Bike Radar! Thanks for the ride!

This is a gutter, I hope @Velocio can find something that makes it work.

This is probs the last forum left that is still active and great, facebook/discord and reddit just dont work well like a forum and that'll be it.

If it is the end thanks for everything @Velocio

Ah FFS man.

This fucking country just gets worse and worse.

Thanks for everything @Velocio