What do you want to see TGR cover in mtn biking?

[waxman]

Whatever you do I fucking dare you to not cover any bike shit from Specialized/Trek/Giant that Mountain Bike Action and other "bike" media seem to concentrate on.

[spook]

slow mo drop off from heli; slo mo walking pushing bikes; shitty music. that should do it. oh yeah and the same tricks from the same fifteen billion angles over and over.

[Name Redacted]

Take that fuckin british (scotish?) guy (Danny McKaskil?) who does all the wheelies and stuff and enter him in the Red Bull Rampage. Documentary. You are welcome.

[tahoermk]

I also like the base model review idea. I will never be able to afford a brand new carbon anything. And I like Woo's make a damn movie idea.

[SB]

And make the movie(s) funneh, do a shaney spoof with saucerboy, or modern counterpart, on a bike and explosions and shit. Attractive wimens in scantily clad ridding attire would not hurt either.

Story board goes, geeky rider dude finds lone trail leading off into wilderness, follows, starts finding jumps and progressively harder shit, then stumbles upon rednecks with a still, chase ensues, hot hillbilly chick is trying to get him into bed all the time, explosions and shit. Back to car for tacos and shots of tekillia, the end.

BTW I know where this can be filmed in realtime.

[Lindahl]

^^^ Texas?

[Mr. Multiglisse]

^^^ Texas?

I'm guessing that scottyb was thinking about his own neck of the woods. Somewhere near here:

[Name Redacted]

Make a full length movie discussing wheelsize, seat droppers, what is enduro(?), flats vs clipless, and trail etiquette complaints. Call it Empty Beer.

[TahoeJ]

Take that fuckin british (scotish?) guy (Danny McKaskil?) who does all the wheelies and stuff and enter him in the Red Bull Rampage. Documentary. You are welcome.

You realize he's already sponsored by Red Bull, right? And they film his movies.

[creaky fossil]

Surprisingly when I've written about the 2500 "cheap" builds vs the 9k bling builds the numbers for readers are about 70% for cheap vs bling builds but the cheaper bikes get read more over time. The gear fappage articles get read a ton initially but don't have staying power.

Bottom line is theres interest in the reasonably priced bikes and like someone else said I suspect TGR might not be as choked with full on gear queers like PB MTBR or whatever other one of the hopelessly other generic sites are out there. So maybe there's appetite. Can't hurt to try to be different

The appetite is there. Every non-comatose human who buys an Ibis thinking it'll make him ride like Lopes, or her ride like Chausson -- they know they're not actually becoming Lopes or Chausson. They know they are average, middling, whatevers. What they don't like is being made to feel like slags. Video shrinks everything so videos have to show people going way faaast or numbnuts huge. Even the freeride kickouts have to be huge! People know there's a disconnect between what gives them stoke and what they experience themselves. The appetite is there. The focus has to change to make it work, though. A big hole exists for using riding footage to show what makes bikes different, or to show a bike or part working poorly vs well.

Also, video has lots of limitations despite its great appeal to people who are pulled into video taking all their attention. Video has a hard time communicating the small, slower paced things. No, slow-mo of something fast is not the same as what I'm saying.

As for what has been produced lately? Bas van Steenbergen's video I saw on Vital this week is in the right direction, but it's still too sound bite-y. Too many micro-clips of little moves, which puts your mind into a hit-hit-hit-hit rather than flow state. It feels too gimmicky.

[chatton18]

I like the riding with shop techs on local trails idea.

I'd also like to see a bike park road trip. Have guys driving around and hitting like 6 or 7 different parks over a two week period. Do some interviews with the park crews, get a feel for the place and don't just hit the big parks, lots of cool little places on the East coast with a ton of sweat equity put in by the local riders. Would be easy to do this in CO/UT/NM and New England.

[Anospa]

I had a trip like that (bike park road trip and a ton of trail riding) planned for this summer, but things aren't lining up to make it happen until next summer.

I think showcasing local trails would be sweet. Some bike blog did a ranking of best cities to live in for biking, Boston came in at #2. I think it'd be cool to do something with showing what everyone enjoys doing: meeting up with friends after work to go on a 2-3 hour ride. I don't know the perfect way to do it, but I'd be interested in seeing what the local lunch trails/after work spots are like for people around the country.

[WaistDeepGroomers]

Thanks everyone for weighing in. So far the big points I'm hearing are:

-Original content is key
-Reviewing mid-model bikes (not bottom-barrel builds or $10K carbon Ferraris) is something people would like to see
-TGR, being a company that makes movies, should make some movies (both for web & full-length) about biking
-Don't be a pro-ho advertiser-gloating industry douchebag
-Trip reports are key, both well-written pieces about new spots and profiles of trails/trail systems closer to home.

I'll first say that on the "make a bike movie" front, keep your eyes peeled over the next few months. Can't give any details yet but it should be exciting to you guys. Great feedback from people on the "Base Model Bikes" feedback; I think it makes more sense to review those mid models that hardcores on a budget (I assume this is most of us) would be considering. Any further ideas on how to refine that? Like set a price point ceiling, or only review builds with SLX/XT or Sram equivalents? Change the name to something like "Realist Reviews?"

Kevin267, I love where your head is at with the old bike reviews. Mike (managing editor) and I were talking along those lines of having a Top Gear-style column where we have a fixed budget ($400 maybe?) to buy a bike off of the classifieds and pit them against each other. Whether it'd be 10-year old downhill bikes, fully rigid bikes from the 90's, beach cruisers, Mom bikes with stem & seat shocks, I think would all be pretty hilarious. Great idea.

Another idea that I had coming out of your input is a "Lunch Laps" column where we would profile a shop guy/IMBA director/etc. from a major metro area talk about their favorite lunch ride/after work trail and get some good photos of it. Someone made a point about the best cities to be a mtn biker in and I think I'd be interested in seeing what the best trails are within striking distance of places like Boston, Chicago, SF, NYC, Seattle, and Denver.

If you think you'd want/be able to help with any of these columns, always feel free to hit me up. Also creaky gets automatic permission to write whatever he wants...

[shirk]

Re the budget bike.

Do an internet build of Taiwan catalogue parts vs the big guys.

Buy a frame from Astro and outfit it with the less expensive hidden gems. Then hand it off to an honest reviewer to ride and compare to the $10,000 wonder bike.

Stuff like Hygia brakes, SR Suntour suspension, Circus Monkey hubs on hand build wheels, no name ebay bar and stem, and Microshift drivetrain. But don't use their crappiest OEM level parts, all of them make a higher level product that gets passed over by product managers for the name brand recognition.

[Name Redacted]

You realize he's already sponsored by Red Bull, right? And they film his movies.

You do realize that I was being sarcastic/drunk, right? Problem with posting stupid shit in the middle of the night is when sober/serious people read it the next day.

[blunder]

I like both the ideas of the cheap bikes and the internet build.

Didn't Bike use to have a "lunch-loop" feature? I haven't read a copy in ages so not sure if they still do them. I remember not being very impressed by it though. Mostly because i couldn't really relate to what they were saying. Whats the point of doing them? lunch loops are short and easy accessible, what makes them interesting? I have a lunch-loop that i like to ride but there is nothing that makes it particularly interesting other than the proximity to my house.

I like to see what trails are close to metripolitan areas though but im not sure how to spin it and make it worth reading. Maybe show the contrast of the different trails: rocky/rooty vs some smooth trails? Maybe you can interview some articulate locals about their bike choices for their local trails...

[Sutter]

"What's creaking on my bike?" video segment

It would be cool to have terrain profiles for major riding destinations with informed reports on which tire to use, things to know (fees, parking, trail distances and times, and things to be aware of i.e. barbed wire on the trail layed out by the 'necks, etc)

As for the mid-level bike reviews specifically relating to what Lee was saying, it is really frustrating when you go looking for a review on a mid-level bike and there is virtually nothing out there. I definitely read all the bling bike reviews but it's awesome when there is a review on something like the mid-level Norco bikes that Lee has written where you can actually see yourself buying one NEW in reality.

[forty]

more words, less videos
more how the pros ride, less what they are riding
more community projects, less big bike parks rehashed
more hippy diggy, less flippy spinny
more content, less hype
more articles, less comment sections
more giving a shit, less selling us shit
more used bike best buys, less new blingtastic crap
more bonding, less dividing
more kids, less bros
more gramps, less brahs
more In My Back yArd, less IMBA
etc...

dont cater to the users, cater to the content, the users who like it will stick around, the rest can go elsewhere to get their fix, which is exactly the point, to weed out the drama llamas and create a community of stoke biased mtb riders

imo there are more than a few mags who are worthy of writing some words, i wish the peanut gallery would let differing world views stand for themselves instead of turning into a bickering one upping mess of internet ego personas...

its easy to criticize though, and tough to nut up and put out your stoke, does the world need another hack riding blogger spewing their ill conceived ramblings to the interwebz?
should i put up? or just shut up?
idk, ive got a handful of article ideas floating in my head, some thoughts to share, but really, who cares?
who am i to think my world is worthy of sharing?
maybe thats the problem, maybe the normal people are avoiding the drama, and avoiding the sharing, so we end up in this cycle, driven by the internet drama kings, who drive the trends, who drive the industry, who drive the sport, who are driving it right away from its core users, who dont speak up, who sit back and are letting this all happen...
but, shit, idk

[kidwoo]

more giving a shit, less selling us shit

troof!

ive got a handful of article ideas floating in my head, some thoughts to share, but really, who cares?
who am i to think my world is worthy of sharing?

Hire this guy!! He's an anomaly!! (the good kind!)

[spook]

but selling us shit is the whole entire fucking point of their existence

[Hugh Conway]

maybe there aren't any "normal" people left who give a shit to read sports bullshit. course, that'd take the quantum leap that one mans "stoke" might well be another mans poison and vice versa.

[rideit]

Thanks everyone for weighing in. So far the big points I'm hearing are:

-Original content is key
-Reviewing mid-model bikes (not bottom-barrel builds or $10K carbon Ferraris) is something people would like to see
-TGR, being a company that makes movies, should make some movies (both for web & full-length) about biking
-Don't be a pro-ho advertiser-gloating industry douchebag
-Trip reports are key, both well-written pieces about new spots and profiles of trails/trail systems closer to home.

I
Another idea that I had coming out of your input is a "Lunch Laps" column where we would profile a shop guy/IMBA director/etc. from a major metro area talk about their favorite lunch ride/after work trail and get some good photos of it. Someone made a point about the best cities to be a mtn biker in and I think I'd be interested in seeing what the best trails are within striking distance of places like Boston, Chicago, SF, NYC, Seattle, and Denver.

If you think you'd want/be able to help with any of these columns, always feel free to hit me up. Also creaky gets automatic permission to write whatever he wants...

Dont forget just a little...exotic...content! With girls in bikinis. N such.

[gravitylover]

^^^ This. If it helps they can be riding bikes.

[kevin267]

^^^ This. If it helps they can be riding bikes.

Nah just tattoo bike logos like in new world disorder 3

[forty]

troof!


Hire this guy!! He's an anomaly!! (the good kind!)

i like to think im a unique and beautiful clump of dirt, but who the hell knows anymore, ive been told so many conflicting things from the interwebz i dont know how to define myself without using buzz words
what i do know is that i have a "god complex", so says the free university therapist my better half's friend told second hand stories about me too, so theres always that

thus i do intend on spewing forth some purely selfish promotion at you fools in the coming times, so be prepared for the onslaught of poo!

but selling us shit is the whole entire fucking point of their existence

sure, its THEIR entire point, but it doesnt have to be OURS

somewhere along the lines instead of being bike riding enthusiasts we became bike buying enthusiasts, well at least thats what they want us to think, but how accurate is that really?
i would argue not very

maybe there aren't any "normal" people left who give a shit to read sports bullshit. course, that'd take the quantum leap that one mans "stoke" might well be another mans poison and vice versa.

which is why leaving the article alone is half the battle, when comments become the focal point it turns from an opinion piece to change your opinion propaganda

im a-ok not seeing any bikini clad women on the bike forum of my choice, in fact i would rather have some ripper chicks who didnt feel like pieces of meat thrown to the wolves posting stoke than a pink anodized boyfriend built bling machine parking lot queen show off some cleavage...

guess im a rare one, but maybe not