Do we need a sticky for first time bike buyers?

[Vapin' Joe]

I don't think it is a good idea. The trouble with having a set of stock answers is that there is never any fresh input from people with different viewpoints, and also things go out of date so quickly.

 

[summerdays]

also suggest what not to buy - full sus rubbish, Apollo or mail order bikes etc

That would be definitely worth saying... and that to stay away from buying from "Toy shops".

 

[Andy in Sig]

I don't think it is a good idea. The trouble with having a set of stock answers is that there is never any fresh input from people with different viewpoints, and also things go out of date so quickly.

Couldn't that be got around with a note saying: "This sticky is moderated by X. Please PM any enhancements/suggestions to him her".

 

[PrettyboyTim]

I think it's worth doing. I've seen several people ask how to do things like change gear*, and I'm guessing for each person who asked, there's probably a bunch of other people who wanted to know but felt to embarrassed to ask / didn't want to register just to ask one question etc...

I almost think it might be worth having a CC wiki. There's actually quite a lot of bits of knowledge that it would be useful to get down, like:

o How to change gear
o Methods of chain cleaning (This might require a whole subsection...)
o An explanation of different types of bikes
o Lighting / equipment reviews
o How to build a bike trailer out of a pram and cardboard boxes
o A Glossary. What does 'Roubiax'(sp?) mean?
o Basic riding advice (a summary of 'cyclecraft'?)
o Helmet cam video editing knowledgebase

etc..

(* Changing gear is not as obvious as you might think. Imagine the last time you rode a bike it had three sturmey archer gears and and suddenly you've got something with 21 and, bizarrely, two gear levers, one saying 1-3 and one saying 1-7...)

 

[HelenD123]

(* Changing gear is not as obvious as you might think. Imagine the last time you rode a bike it had three sturmey archer gears and and suddenly you've got something with 21 and, bizarrely, two gear levers, one saying 1-3 and one saying 1-7...)

That was me exactly!! I had no idea about chain cross over

 

[punkypossum]

Yeah, I think an faq section would be a good idea...maybe listing a few different models of bike for different price ranges as well and something listing the different types of equipment and the quality (stuff like is tiagra better than sora, etc...)

 

[bonj2]

there can't be that many different selectors - either purely road, or towpath - multipled out by different price. e.g. £350 road, £350 towpath. £400 road, £400 towpath. From say £200 up to about £600, above that people are probably going to be putting a little bit more thought into it anyway and thus are going to want more tailored advice. Maybe we could do it as a table, with road/towpath being the columns and price points as the rows?

 

[MattLiverpool]

As a recent/current newbie I would have found a general section on where to start really useful. Since joining I've seen the number of newbie posts that go up asking for advice on bikes and there are so many that I'm suprised that they still get informative answers tbh. For me that is a great reflection on the member base here.

So I'm torn really. Anyone else think that the friendly and helpful nature of this forum might be jeopardised by starting to use stickys?

 

[dantheman]

i myself am a newbie (no sh*t eh?) and agree with most of the points above, some sort of basic advise is a bit of a good idea, but its good to be able to get personal advice when you need it. I was lucky in that i work with a couple of guys who advised me a litlle (ie stay away from mtb unless serious offroad, no suspension, spend more than a toy bike costs from tesco's etc), but not everyone can do that, and as any cyclist starting out can only be a good thing (IMO) ni think these people are the ones that need the help more, maybe text at the end of such a thread encouraging these people to ask questions theyre unsure about is a good idea, after all, ive found much good advise here through asking, and i wouldnt want anyone to be put off asking their own questions- this forum is a very kind and helpfull one, and i read many posts and questions, and gaining knowledge, and dont mind at all helping anyone i could advise in the future.. (that was a big waffle for me, so ill stop there)

 

[Andy in Sig]

As a recent/current newbie I would have found a general section on where to start really useful. Since joining I've seen the number of newbie posts that go up asking for advice on bikes and there are so many that I'm suprised that they still get informative answers tbh. For me that is a great reflection on the member base here.

So I'm torn really. Anyone else think that the friendly and helpful nature of this forum might be jeopardised by starting to use stickys?

In starting the thread I did not think for one minute that the possibility of people getting more personal advice would be in any way jeopardised. The idea of the sticky is to have a permanent set of the more universal points with the idea that people can read them, get a basic idea and then ask questions which are more specifically tuned to their own requirements. There is no doubt that these questions would be as well received as is the case at the moment.

 

[lonesome_rider]

Being one of those newbies that asked a question about buying a certain bike..... I have to say out of all the forums I participate in, this is one of the friendliest.

I don't think I have seen the common snotty reply yet, which is DO A SEARCH or similar words.

One forum I am a member of...god help you if you do not search before asking a question.

Yes an easy to read/follow FAQ would be very good BUT it must be kept current. As things change so quickly it would soon be out dated.

BTW I have searched on some things which avoided posting the same question

However no matter how many sticky posts or FAQ's you have, I don't think you will ever get away from the same question being asked time and time again. You see it in most forums and I don't know of one where it does not continue to happen. But I know of many where the MODS soon put you straight for not searching or reading the appropriate sticky, before submitting yet another question that has been answered time after time.

 

[Noodley]

I don't think a "do a search" is is 'snotty' reply, but a hint that the question may have been asked before so one can access the information without waiting for a reply to one's topic.

But I think a 'sticky' is not the way to go.

Let people ask what they want to ask....I do not mind giving crap answers time and time again

 

[lonesome_rider]

Trust me it depends how the 'do a search' is put to you in the first place. I can assure you it can come across very aggressive from certain people in other forums.

Thankfully its not something I have witnessed in these forums as of yet.

 

[Noodley]

Trust me it depends how the 'do a search' is put to you in the first place...

Oh, I know. I was new as well you know

 

[Keith Oates]

I think a lot of newbies use the questions as a way of saying hello and making the effort of doing the first post. A sticky may put them off doing that which would be a shame IMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!