Any one on two wheels is a friend

Sure is.

Were you listening to this?

YouTube - Fleetwood Mac--"Little Lies"

I approve of anything that involves posting Fleetwood Mac.

Lynx, you driving a van = Teenslain pushing his bike everywhere = Bendix being faster than light = me being a tory = Pisti is from Swindon = maxcrowe has never delivered a package in his life = hippy is a fat Kiwi

i was like a bearded henrik larsson

Slightly related, but the amount of spottings of Celtic clad folk has definitely shot up during the past few weeks. Know anything about that dude? Has the Falls Road invaved London?

they are now selling bucky at waxy o'connells?

Any excuse to post a Hael lookalike:

I'm going to ignore the stuff about lynx, and go back to this^.

It's a very salient point, but will countered it with a decent question: Maybe we're like we are for a reason? How can we assume that the atmosphere around here is a bad thing? (I should add that I did ask teenslain if he wanted a pint as a half-joke, a deliberate derail/personal conv that really ought to be in pms. To make a point.)

I think the thing about cliques is that they represent strong bonds. Friendship. But they can lead to mob mentalitiy, as we have seen, and also are susceptible to being trolled, as we have also seen, in this thread.

But this forum is a collection of loosely connected cliques, essentially. And I'm all for it. Would you rather we all just vaguely knew each other in the keyboard warrior mode, but didn't actually have anything to do or say with each other out of the forum? Bikeradar is that way >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Aye, you are probably right. This forum is quite different to most places on the internet as many of the members meet, ride and drink together. A largeish group of my friends use to have an email group and IRC channel that was much like the banter here - endless bad puns, trading 'friendly' insults, planning nights out etc. Sadly we all had to give up on it as our jobs became more serious and children started arriving and shouting at us and the ubiquitous FuckBook took over. I guess having something that is a cross between that, and a useful cycling forum is, in fact, something to be celebrated.

Maybe I'm just a little bipolar on this one.

Anyway - pearl green or gloss biscuit ? Which goes better with stainless steel arrow lugs?

Laughing it off is not at all easy when there are comments that are lies and I find quite offensive. I treat people as I wish to be treated if you do not treat me in that manner you are not a person I want to know or be around, i have not followed anyone from post to post casting aspersions about the poster, I have also only ever replied and never escalated the matter by name calling and casting aspersions about them yet I am the one called a troll.

I asked questions that I hoped I could get help with and know that I have helped a few and have gained help and insight from others to ways I would not have considered.

There are lots of cliques on this forum with there own little pecking orders that are clearly visible. The same people seem to move in unison to the next target, gain satisfaction and then move on to the next, ad infinitum.

They aren't cliques, lynx, they are just groups of people who share a real passion for cycling... Be that polo, track, tricks, long rides in the country or simply meeting at the pub, talking about bikes and having a few laughs... A lot of the people on here have grown to love the shit out of each other...

There are quite a few reasons why you get a hard time on here but you seem to be the only person that doesn't understand why, maybe you just need to take stock and rein things in a bit... Listen to what your friends tell you, I did...

Anyway, good luck mate, it's only the bloody internet anyway... I'm gonna put you back on ignore now...

They aren't cliques....a lot of the people on here have grown to love the shit out of each other...

Hmmmm.

Be that polo, track, tricks, long rides in the country or simply meeting at the pub, talking about bikes and having a few laughs...

Lets see now...

*I don't play polo, or follow it. *
*I don't ride track, but love it on TV. *
*I can't understand people over 8 years old doing tricks. *
*Long rides in the country? No thanks. Think of the midges. *
*Meeting at pubs. Its rare. *
*Talking about bikes. The last time someone did that, he totalled turned me off. He was mental. *
*Having a few laughs. I prefer cerebral discourse on politics actually. *

So, by that summation, there is little place for me here. Except, that I love cycling, and feel hard done by if I have to use any other mode of transport. And that, even though I haven't been able to get along with fixed gear cycling, I find single speed cycling is the perfect expression of what I feel, and in some ways, who I am.

Last night I went out with my house mate and a few of his friends. Good guys and a lot of fun getting pissed with. My house mate pointed out that there was another fixed gear rider in our little group and after a while we got chatting about bikes and bits.

After a few minutes i asked if he was part of the London Fixed Gear Single Speed forum and for the first time I spoke to someone that the blogger and VB were referring to.

He said he was registered and sometimes lurked but he said that he found the forum unfriendly. That if you were not a purest and if you did not conform that you were labelled a hipster and told to fuck off. That we dont like anyone who likes deep sectioned rims and Japanese frames. We dont like to see bikes that mix and match.

He response was, he just likes to ride his bike. He loves the freedom and it makes him feel like the first time he rode his bmx as a kid. He doesnt want someone telling him his bike is wrong when he just wants an answer to a problem.

He said that he loves the injokes and the funny puns and the random pictures in the middle of a thread. It gave him a good laugh.

So i asked him directly, what he thought would make it a better place. His overwelming response more than anything, is that he feels it should be more welcoming to newbies.

just reporting my findings :-)

He sounds like an over sensitive emo-hipster.

Ha!

Not really - i was just very direct and he was lubed up on alcohol:-) Good man that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EY7lYRneHc

Gets better the more you link it. ;)

He response was, he just likes to ride his bike. He loves the freedom and it makes him feel like the first time he rode his bmx as a kid.

Hell yeah!

That if you were not a purest and if you did not conform that you were labelled a hipster and told to fuck off. That we dont like anyone who likes deep sectioned rims and Japanese* frames. We dont like to see bikes that mix and match.

You could show him a picture of my bike?

*\this is not applicable, true

That if you were not a purest and if you did not conform that you were labelled a hipster and told to fuck off.

a purest what?

I didnt want to convince him of anything. I wanted his feelings about the place. I thought that if i gathered information, it would help us to become better. If we all found out what it was that 'strangers' felt, then we could help David. I have also not put my thoughts about his thoughts, simply reporting back.

He is a perfect example i thuoght as he rides fixed, loves riding his bike, knows of the forum, has signed up, but never posts cause he finds it unfriendly.

(If the person i spoke to recognises that this is from our chat, thank you for your help. I hope the information you provided helps us become better.)

he sounds like a bedwetter.

(too soon?)

he sounds like a bedwetter.

(too soon?)
a bit...

i mean. he should just jump in.

i mean. he should just jump in.
Guess we come across as intimidating sometimes. Esp if they think were going to diss their rides.