Is this forum going downhill, due to numpty newbies?

I really have no idea. Eastof Aidan?
Aidan Andabettin?

Tim, you're doin' my fuckin' Aidan...

Aidan Sveeld?

Aidan Smezia?

You might have to work on that one a bit Joe.

You've lost me now, Timothy... It's either a case of not enough or maybe too much wine... I'll decide in the morning... ;]

Hallelujah?

Aidan's Messiah?

Probably too much wine... Case closed...

All the stupid threads and posts have got me thinking, with the result being that I think that Velocio should bring back rep, but only for newbies. You'd need five pips before you'd have the ability to start a new thread.

Once you've got them you're out of probation and the functionality becomes meaningless (or something).

I like this idea.

Me too

and me.

Originally Posted by tom.
All the stupid threads and posts have got me thinking, with the result being that I think that Velocio should bring back rep, but only for newbies. You'd need five pips before you'd have the ability to start a new thread.

Once you've got them you're out of probation and the functionality becomes meaningless (or something).

that stops new people from making new relevant and interesting threads, should be the other way round. give someone negative points for making pointless and irritating threads, if they make a certain amount then they have a months ban from thread making or something. like a driving licence. a month should be long enough to learn to use search.

that stops new people from making new relevant and interesting threads, should be the other way round. give someone negative points for making pointless and irritating threads, if they make a certain amount then they have a months ban from thread making or something. like a driving licence. a month should be long enough to learn to use search.

But you still have to put up with all the stupid shit in the first place. The counter arguments would be that

1) if you are going to be starting good threads, then it shouldn't take you much longer than probation to earn your 5 pips.

2) you could end up with established posters getting banned because of people fucking around.

How about ignoring the threads you think are dumb?

A lot of people join a forum like this because they are newly interested in the subject and so they're going to be naive in some way. FFS give people a break.

It's called "London fixed Gear and Single Speed" not "Poseurs who like to think they're cool because they ride bikes without brakes and twat on about it all the time".

Nick if you spend all your time ignoring threads that you think are dumb, if the majority of the threads on the forum are dumb, what are you left with?
Right now you have to wade through a lot of shit to get to what you want, if new members read the "rules" search a lot the duplication of threads and questions can be curtailed leaving you the chance to use this forum to its best, arranging rides, meeting up with other forum members, and having your awkward bike questions answered, before your thread is derailed by a barrage of puns.
Also your poseurs line is just a mean spirited dig and not worthy of you, or this forum. Don't get blinded by the whole hipster thing, people on here are serious about riding, check any of the ventoux, london paris, alps threads. We'll ride wherever, whenever, on whichever bike is suitable for the job...

Nick if you spend all your time ignoring threads that you think are dumb, if the majority of the threads on the forum are dumb, what are you left with?
Right now you have to wade through a lot of shit to get to what you want, if new members read the "rules" search a lot the duplication of threads and questions can be curtailed leaving you the chance to use this forum to its best, arranging rides, meeting up with other forum members, and having your awkward bike questions answered, before your thread is derailed by a barrage of puns.
Also your poseurs line is just a mean spirited dig and not worthy of you, or this forum. Don't get blinded by the whole hipster thing, people on here are serious about riding, check any of the ventoux, london paris, alps threads. We'll ride wherever, whenever, on whichever bike is suitable for the job...

I'm sure there are many serious riders here. OK, I'll take that back, but I also think there's quite a bit of impatience around here.

Bikes are not easy to understand when you first get into them. There is lots of jargon and different terms for the same thing. Searching is not intuitive. A couple of times when I first starting looking in here I tried hard to find a relevant thread that already existed but either couldn't do so, or, because my knowledge wasn't so deep (it's still not at all), I wasn't sure if a thread I found was relevant.

This is a big forum with plenty of members. There are bound to be repeats and duplications. And what difference does it make if the same topic comes up a few months after it has already been raised? Is it so terrible for the discussion to be re-started or for someone to politely point the way to where the previous discussion has taken place. The forum is so big that that the thread is off the FP within a couple of hours anyway so it's not harming anyone.

Newbies are newbies. They take a while to get things. So what if they're a bit clumsy from time to time? Before long they'll get to know how to find what they're interested in if it's already on the site.

A sure fire way to guarantee that the forum goes downhill fast is if people feel intimidated about posting. They'll just go away and the place will decline. The key to successful online communities is a constant flow of new people being welcomed and encouraged, not dissed.

but you will lose a lot of older members sick of answering the same questions, over and over

Velocio needs to add a prompt after starting a new thread.. when you hit submit you get a
"are you sure?"..
"no, no.. really sure?"..
"Really is there any point?"
"You 100% certain this is a valid question and you are not just trying to be clever or included?"

Then let them submit it.

I have to admit its harder to find the good threads due to the volumes of people.. but beers and rides are still massive highlights.. so i'll stick to following users and interesting topics to avoid this watered down soup of opinions and jokes.
Alot of riders have asked these questions and made these observations so seeing others go through it can be re-assuring and annoying in equal measures.

This is london my friends

@ Nick G
all of your points are good ones, but right now its not that its too hard for newbies to find information, its that they can't be arsed. Spend time reading, reading, and reading some more. Too often people join up and want the information now, now, now! How many new members have tried to escape the nursery, just so they can post a wanted ad, or ask for a 55cm frame in red for small money.
Part of the joy of getting into bikes, or any other male obsession, is finding out information, about digging around, about searching for the stuff you need, and then hopefully picking it up for a rock bottom price.
New members seem to believe that just by adding their names to our ever growing membership, that entitles them immediately to the immense benefits of this forum without doing anything for it. Without coming to drinks, rides, donating, it just feels like they suck up the information and then bugger off. Now there's nothing inherently wrong with this, but when in doing so, you force away the members who have invested in it, that made the forum attractive to you in the first place then it becomes tedious.

New members need to stop being precious, there are many ways to introduce yourself both in person and online, and if they don't take those opportunities or willfully ignore directions given by our illustrious leader and other members then they deserve to get flamed. And you know what, the flaming now isn't half as hot as it used to be.

Part of the joy of getting into bikes, or any other male obsession, is finding out information, about digging around, about searching

Ahmed brother Cornie.

why do you have to have the hippest bike NOW with all the "must have" parts so you can jump the lights at the foundary?? why not chill out buy a cheap set up teach yourself how it works and how to ride it.

Bike manuals are cheap as

A lot of the seemingly pointless useless repeat threads can turn into comedy goldmines though...

edit - not sure what comes out of a comedy goldmine, its probabaly not gold - edit

Ahmed brother Cornie.

why do you have to have the hippest bike NOW with all the "must have" parts so you can jump the lights at the foundary?? why not chill out buy a cheap set up teach yourself how it works and how to ride it.

Bike manuals are cheap as

but the people who have done just that; by buying a unipack get knocked as well.

@ Nick G

Part of the joy of getting into bikes, or any other **male **obsession, i

I'm amazed, genuinely stunned. While castigating newcomers you've just illustrated why so few of those newcomers are women or why female members don't stick around or stop contributing.

I really have no idea. Eastof Aidan?
Aidan Andabettin?

Tim, you're doin' my fuckin' Aidan...

Aidan Sveeld?

Aidan Smezia?

You might have to work on that one a bit Joe.

You've lost me now, Timothy... It's either a case of not enough or maybe too much wine... I'll decide in the morning... ;]

Excellent. Come on, Tim, Aidan old member.

I have never started a thread.

Fact.

If Andy ever started a thread it would be excellent.

Assertion.

Or possibly just an opinion.

I think this forum is going downhill thanks to whinging miserable gits that have been here a while, not due to newbie numpties, if anything they provide much of the entertainment round here, which helps to numb the brain pain from all the whinging taking place.