Who do you trust?

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Ytse
Posts: 287
Joined: Thu May 05, 2022 11:53 am

by Ytse

When it comes to buying a new bike, frame, wheels, groupset or basically anything cycling related, most of us are flying blind, as there is no way to try, test and evaulate them. We have to make an informed decision, but what sources do we find reliable information? I'd like to know your trusted information sources (other than this forum). Is it Hambini? Peak Torque? Luescher Technik? Mapdec? Just Ride Bikes? Bikeradar? GCN? :shock: :twisted:

Can we probably build a list of reliable, road cycling technology related information sources?
2020 Scott Addict RC / 2021 Trek Emonda SLR / 2023 Specialized Tarmac SL8

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Mocs123
Posts: 826
Joined: Tue May 11, 2021 9:19 pm

by Mocs123

I'm a regular GCN viewer, but they are sponsored by a bunch of brands so take what they say with a grain of salt. Most of the others you mention are sponsored or subsidized in some way.

I think bicycle rolling resistance is the best resource for tires, and they are completely independant from what I can tell.
2015 Wilier Zero.7 Rim - 6.37kg
2020 Trek Emonda SLR-7 Disc - 6.86kg
2023 Specialized SL7 - 7.18kg

skom25
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2021 10:35 am
Location: Poland

by skom25

Bike Rolling Resistance is good place to find info about tires, but you have to remember that they show only raw numbers. Impressions from ride could be different.

GCN is probably the worst place to take info. Just Ride Bikes is probably in relation with some producers too.

Hambini and Peak Torque are great, but little different than channels above. I really like Rides of Japan. My favourite bike related channel. GC Performance also looks like good "non sponsored" place.

If you are looking for opinions without $$$ in background, the best place you will find is... Forum. You can read/watch about new products anywhere, but real users are the best source of opinions.

ichobi
Posts: 1793
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:30 pm

by ichobi

Best thing to do is just ignore the usual internet space (youtube, mass cycling media). They are good for information of the product, but not much else. Ask real people, friends, or internet forum. Don't take sole, single advice from an individual - cross reference it. WW is such a great pool of information because we set up thread for a single product. You can read 90+ pages for one popular bike model. By the time you finished reading, you probably have seen all of the goods, bads, issues, people have shared and tried, tested etc.

Given bike price these days are so ridiculous, spending a few days researching a bike is a time well spent.

Youtuber all have their own agenda. You need to understand which channel pursue which.

Steve Curtis
Posts: 1314
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Hampshire UK, Dublin Ireland and Geneva Switzerland.

by Steve Curtis

I try things for myself. Simple as that really.
I've been though a vast amount of frames, components, clothing - everything.
Even the country you live in changes the bias towards different products and brands.

Singular
Posts: 537
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2020 8:59 am

by Singular

I am really, really sad about the collapse of CyclingTips, which was the media entity that I held in the very highest regard when it came to integrity.

Ytse
Posts: 287
Joined: Thu May 05, 2022 11:53 am

by Ytse

Oh, I almost forgot to add In The Know Cycling.
2020 Scott Addict RC / 2021 Trek Emonda SLR / 2023 Specialized Tarmac SL8

Mocs123
Posts: 826
Joined: Tue May 11, 2021 9:19 pm

by Mocs123

We often reference the Tour Magazine tests and I assume they are independant and trustworthy. I generally trust Aerocoach data, as well as Zero Friction Cycling.
2015 Wilier Zero.7 Rim - 6.37kg
2020 Trek Emonda SLR-7 Disc - 6.86kg
2023 Specialized SL7 - 7.18kg

maurice1
Posts: 143
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2022 12:51 pm
Location: Jura

by maurice1

I'm not trusting GCN, road.cc or David Arthur, they're bribable shills. I'd rather trust any other nutjob.

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nickf
Posts: 1427
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 10:34 pm

by nickf

I do most of my research on this forum. Also I go to thepaceline.net forums. They aren't weight weenies but there is a knowledgeable group of riders and industry people on there.

js
Posts: 1003
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:57 pm
Location: Canada

by js

James Huang will always be top of this list for me.

James has been the best for decades and one of the only people who told you when a product wasn't as good as it should be - no matter what publication / site he was working for.

I really appreciated what Ronan McLaughlin was able to offer at CT as well, especially from the performance side of things. I hope he's able to keep delivering content and growing as a reviewer / writer elsewhere.

AndreLM
Posts: 479
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:53 pm

by AndreLM

I agree with most here that big channels such as GCN cannot be trusted for an unbiased review. I use them mostly as a "more entertaining" press-release.... just to see what the features are.

I user to have a bit more faith in CyclingTips, but I would consider James Huang perspective as a bit more credible than the others. Not that the others were sellouts, but James seemed to better filter out some of the manufacturer's bulls***t.

While I find Hambini funny and like to watch some of his rants, I think trashing big brand manufacturing quality is part of his own business strategy... So not unbiased at all.

Cam Nichols seems to be unbiased and very transparent in his reviews. Same with Peak Torque.

Forums are a great place to find real world info, but even here, I suspect there are "social media" employees from big manufacturers that spend the day populating threads with hype.

In the end, it is all about getting as much info as you can and use your own judgment on what is real and what is just press-release regurgitation.

For electronic stuff, I trust DCR , knowing that some manufacturers (Garmin, Wahoo for example) know their reputation and send tons of stuff for him to test... So you see those brands more than others.

GPLama is probably the one that I trust the most.

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jadedaid
Posts: 185
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2019 7:43 pm

by jadedaid

I like a handful of people on these forums. A few things a few folks have said I've tried and found to be true in my books. So when they say something I tend to listen. I also like ZF. But ultimately I end up spending my own money and testing things myself, and if a bikeshop is friendly I try to demo a bike every now and then.

But otherwise, hard to 'trust' any proper publication out there. It's been a long time since I've read a review of a bike that said it was bad. Either all bikes are amazing now (which to some extent might be true) or people are just too PC to give a bad review. And if you never have a negative opinion, I don't trust your positive opinion.

youngs_modulus
Posts: 668
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 1:03 am
Location: Portland, OR USA

by youngs_modulus

js wrote:
Tue Jan 03, 2023 6:52 pm
James Huang will always be top of this list for me.
Seconded, emphatically.

Huang seems to de-emphasize this, but I'm pretty sure he has an undergrad degree in material science from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. There's a ton of overlap between engineering and material science; an undergrad MatSci degree is an engineering degree in all but name. And globally speaking, Michigan's STEM programs are firmly in the first tier. The guy is smart, yes, but I mention his education because, as far as I'm aware, he's the only English-language bike journalist working today with an engineering¹ degree.

That matters because most bicycle tech writers² don't know enough about first principles to interrogate manufacturers' marketing claims. So you end up with smart, bike-savvy English-major jounalists interviewing smart, bike-savvy marketers about highly technical claims and narratives. With a few exceptions, neither party groks the engineering. To be clear, that's no one's fault: both the journalist and the marketer are bike geeks who are absolutely doing their jobs.

But without a deep understanding of the engineering involved—whether from a university or accumulated experience—you tend to get vague, breathy descriptions like "flies up the hills" and the classic "laterally stiff and vertically compliant." Huang has the technical chops to ask hard questions and to push back on silly claims. it's great!
js wrote:
Tue Jan 03, 2023 6:52 pm
I really appreciated what Ronan McLaughlin was able to offer at CT as well, especially from the performance side of things. I hope he's able to keep delivering content and growing as a reviewer / writer elsewhere.
I fully agree. He brought the perspective of a serious end-user of the products he reported on, as well as substantial technical knowledge. Despite my ramblings above, an engineering background isn't necessary to cover this stuff well—but "the knack" is necessary. I'd include McLaughlin in the handful of bicycle tech writers who have that. If I could wave a wand, Huang would start his own rag/site and hires McLaughlin.

Plus, both Huang and McLaughlin write coherently for a general audience, something engineers are famously terrible at. I hope they both end up somewhere that values their skills.


_______________________________________

¹ I'm aware that Lennard Zinn (at Velonews) has an undergrad physics degree from The Colorado College. I've met Zinn; he's a smart, engaged guy who has helped thousands of people learn to repair their own bikes. That's a bike-culture mitzvah of the first order, IMHO. But Zinn's recollection of his college studies seems fairly fuzzy, and he relies heavily on outside experts. That's fine, but Zinn doesn't do much critical analysis of those experts' claims, and sometimes accepts specious claims at face value (again, very much IMHO). To be fair, none of that is Zinn's brand—he helps people figure out how to solve shifting problems and otherwise understand and fix their bikes. That's an important service; I'm not impugning Zinn's work at all.


² Back in the 1980s, Ted Costantino and Doug Roosa wrote beautifully about bikes—including tech—for Bicycle Guide; I don't believe either of them has a STEM degree. In contemporary terms, I think Patrick Brady (of Red Kite Prayer and The Cycling Independent) writes well about tech issues as well, but it's hardly his main focus.

Ytse
Posts: 287
Joined: Thu May 05, 2022 11:53 am

by Ytse

Also what I find at least interesting to read: Gran Fondo Cycling.
2020 Scott Addict RC / 2021 Trek Emonda SLR / 2023 Specialized Tarmac SL8

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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