Is this Forum actually about Trials?

[retromlc]

55

[Andy]

It's an interesting topic. Going by the stats TC hasn't got any quieter over the years in terms of traffic (It is down over the past couple of months due to lack of news, but that will bounce back). Scroll down to the bottom of the forums and you'll always see a large number of "lurkers".

The main reasons TC has become very bike focused is partly down to a very knowledgable and helpful user base (for which I thank all contributors) and the work that the forum software providers have done in search engine optimisation. If you have a problem with your bike, do you go to Facebook? No. You go to Google with your problem and you will always find TC very near the top of the results, and more often than not the top result. It's the gap in the market that TC is filling very well. There is no other resource like it for Trials.

There has been much debate about the place of forums in the world of anti-social media and there is absolutely a place for them. If you want arseholes, self-professed "experts" on every subject under the sun and pictures of people's cats, head for Facebook. If your topic is of a more important nature, use a forum.

Interestingly, I did some research a few months ago as I was working with a charity that had abandoned their website and gone 100% Facebook. Only roughly 65% of people in the UK use Facebook so that was over a third of the potential donating public they were completely ignoring. The core Facebook platform is also in decline. They're clever at hiding that fact as they bundle WhatsApp and Instagram users into their published user counts and both of those Apps are still growing so it hides the decline in Facebook itself. The charity now has a website again and it's brought in a substantial amount of money since relaunch.

[petorius]

I am not on Facebook and have no intention of joining. I know of several people that have left in recent months. I do actually find it frustrating that many clubs choose to update in Facebook and not update their websites. I come on here intermittently and it is an excellent resource. Having ridden badly for a number of years i am not really in a position to comment on techniques and such like but do take in comments more knowledgable members make. I do like to work on my bikes though and the depth of knowedge has been invaluable. (Woody i am especially looking at you).

[johnnyboxer]

2 hours ago, Andy said:

It's an interesting topic. Going by the stats TC hasn't got any quieter over the years in terms of traffic (It is down over the past couple of months due to lack of news, but that will bounce back). Scroll down to the bottom of the forums and you'll always see a large number of "lurkers".

The main reasons TC has become very bike focused is partly down to a very knowledgable and helpful user base (for which I thank all contributors) and the work that the forum software providers have done in search engine optimisation. If you have a problem with your bike, do you go to Facebook? No. You go to Google with your problem and you will always find TC very near the top of the results, and more often than not the top result. It's the gap in the market that TC is filling very well. There is no other resource like it for Trials.

There has been much debate about the place of forums in the world of anti-social media and there is absolutely a place for them. If you want arseholes, self-professed "experts" on every subject under the sun and pictures of people's cats, head for Facebook. If your topic is of a more important nature, use a forum.

Interestingly, I did some research a few months ago as I was working with a charity that had abandoned their website and gone 100% Facebook. Only roughly 65% of people in the UK use Facebook so that was over a third of the potential donating public they were completely ignoring. The core Facebook platform is also in decline. They're clever at hiding that fact as they bundle WhatsApp and Instagram users into their published user counts and both of those Apps are still growing so it hides the decline in Facebook itself. The charity now has a website again and it's brought in a substantial amount of money since relaunch.

Thanks Andy, for your reply and much appreciated

Interesting stats and debate

[retromlc]

Thanks, when I post a question it doesn't usually get answered, but when it does it usually points Menon the right direction ?

[ChrisCH]

13 hours ago, petorius said:

I am not on Facebook and have no intention of joining. I know of several people that have left in recent months. I do actually find it frustrating that many clubs choose to update in Facebook and not update their websites...

It is a growing problem.  I think the facebook addicts fail to understand that other people are not as sad as them.  Andy's view on it is very interesting.  I also don't facebook and never will.  Much better class of person on here ?

[b40rt]

4 hours ago, ChrisCH said:

It is a growing problem.  I think the facebook addicts fail to understand that other people are not as sad as them.  Andy's view on it is very interesting.  I also don't facebook and never will.  Much better class of person on here ?

Got to love a wild generalization ??  I know many people that are on both, the main difference is on facebook, they tend not to hide behind vague names (like mine before you say it) The real beauty about facebook, (sorry Andy) is you can block tedious posters, unlike here !! Manners tend to be of a higher standard amongst my fb friends and acquaintances, too many on tc will not even take the trouble to acknowledge the advice being offered, and disappear until they next get stuck. Rant over.

Edited May 12, 2020 by b40rt

[turbofurball]

I use facebook because it's very useful to me, since I live a long way away from my older friends and family ... that being said, I spent time curating what comes up on my feed, and I have un-followed many of my friends who are great company in person but post complete crap to FB for some reason.

Back in the day I was on it all the time, now it's not unusual for me to check it once a week or so.

I think the reason many clubs use it is simply because it's easy - making a website takes a bit of time, effort, and money, whereas a FB group is quick, free, and easy.  It also allows you to easily hand over running of it to someone else, whereas with a website you need to know how things in the background work, etc.

Edited May 12, 2020 by turbofurball

[Andy]

11 minutes ago, b40rt said:

The real beauty about facebook, (sorry Andy) is you can block tedious posters, unlike here !!

Click on the settings menu, top right then Ignored Users. You can block people there.

[b40rt]

Brilliant ?

[Andy]

Just now, b40rt said:

Brilliant ?

Before you get too excited, you can't block me ?

[ChrisCH]

52 minutes ago, turbofurball said:

...many of my friends who are great company in person but post complete crap to FB for some reason...

I thought that was the whole point of it? ?

[pschrauber]

I have two explanations for the shift in questions and answers in my personal opinion:

1.
Modern trials riding has got more and more acrobatic, so less people can follow the sport.

2.
Still People like trials riding and thus classic trials has grown, as there is not so much acrobatic
involved.

We have more classic trials events and classic trials rider then modern ones and I' am Talking
about North Germany which is not  the area where you can ride trials so easy due to the lack
of ground modulation and stones.

 

With more people riding old machinery there are more questions and answers how to repair
and maintain this and that to old old machinery wehre maintaince books, prts, bla bla bla got
lost.

I personal like that, it's interesting, while instead for me looking expecial at X-Trails this is cool
but getting to my personal taste ridiculous difficult and also dangerous, that was not trials when
I startet trials riding, backthen it was just difficult and challangeing but no so dangerous… that
has changed.

 

Just my 2 Pence ...

 

[Ftwelder]

On 5/10/2020 at 8:50 AM, totty79 said:

I don't think this is a universal problem, for example my personal opinion is very different, I find the bike projects and repairs more interesting than much of the sporting side. Techniques threads are often interesting but results and debates on what score should have been given or which rider people support don't interest me at all.

I am new, is there a place here to post projects?  

Untitled by barnstormerbikes, on Flickr

 

 

[section swept]

For my two pennies worth.....the pace of life (up until Covid-19) has crept up steadily so that few have the time to turn around and travel hither and thither to ride in a trial. This after a working week involving travelling back and forth covering quite substantial distances. Then there’s family time and the commitments that go with everyday living. No wonder then that trials are suffering reduced entrants. As some have already said the difficulty of the sections and chances of injury are increased with level of severity such that riders are selling their bikes and kit, changing to another less stressful hobby. The older competitors closer to retirement or with more sedentary jobs head for the less threatening and more ridable, less acrobatic and less athletic pre-65 and twinshock events. Witness to this is borne out by the seemingly endless increase in older machinery values whilst the modern stuff has a rapid depreciation. Something else that is just as telling, there used to far more trials taking place in the UK during the 60’s and 70’s along with more works or supported riders. With no British bike industry to speak of any more with no trials or competition models manufactured (one off’s excepted) is it any wonder the sport is contracting. I can’t afford to pay the price of a new machine just to risk throwing it and myself at some virtually unridable courses and end paying for replacement parts or injuring myself. You might say the same about a twinshock or pre 65 bike but then the courses are less threatening. There has been too much change to the sport, spectators don’t necessarily want to stand about watching failed attempts at some impossibly hard section, they can go to an indoor trial for that and watch the circus acts. The average rider doesn’t spend 4-5 days training in the gym and on the bike, hold down a daytime job or have the luxury of limitless bike parts/bikes. So thats my take on the current situation, a personal opinion aired.