alanbikehouston

There are only five BikesDirects threads going on "Page One" of the "Road Cycling" Forum this morning. And of course, the majority of posts in all five threads come from the same eight or ten guys who post in every single "BikesDirect" thread.

But, given that BikesDirect has eight or ten "screen names" busy with posting (and posting, and posting) day after day, my question is this? Why settle for just five threads on a given day? Why not just rename the "Road Cycling" Forum as the "BikesDirect" Forum? Why not make EVERY thread a BikesDirect thread?

A new member or a guest who is browsing through "Road Bikes" threads would never guess that those "members" who spend their days promoting the latest "deal" at BikesDirect represent less than 1% of the "Bike Forum" members.

The 99% of the members who buy and ride Treks, Cannondales, Lemonds, Kleins, and other first quality road bikes purchased from REAL bike stores don't seem to have a compelling need to post every single day to say "My new bike is the bestest bike in the whole world...it has two wheels, just like the bikes from a real bike store, but it was really, really cheap...and it does have two wheels..."

Oh yeah...I know what comes next...when anyone criticizes BikesDirect in any way, no matter how slight, the eight or ten "usual suspects" will pile on with repeated personal attacks, name calling and insults. And, Forum moderators will allow these violations of Forum guidelines forbidding personal attacks, name calling and insults...perhaps because BikesDirect has become a paying "sponsor" of the Forums...money talks...

indygreg

I had been waiting for this rambling rant. Thanks for coming through. Now pick a thread to start on your anti-China rant . . . I need one of those too.

timmhaan

well, to be fair, i see threads on these bikes on the first page as well:

Cervelo R3 vs. Carbon Soloist
Just ordered a new Orbea Opal - I've got the bug bad!!
Lemond or Independent Fabrication
Trek Pilot 5.2
Legality of the kestrel talon??
trek 2100 frame for racing?
Pilot 5.2 versus Pilot 5.9

i think there are some shrills on here, but i think mostly people are buying these BD bikes simply because they are cheap compared to LBS's. and when people buy bikes, they post about them. especially if they got a good price. just human nature to be excited about it.

daytonian

I gotta agree with ABH it does seem like the BD threads have picked up over the holidays. Maybe they wanted the shills to be more aggressive.
What is obvious to me is that Performance Bike, Nashbar, Probikekit, and other retailers drop off page one for days even weeks at a time. BD is always bumped to page one even when a thread is wore out, there's some reason to bump it.

jjmolyet

Maybe Joe can add a function, we could call it the ABH function, in our User Controls we could have a field where you type in a word and no posts with that word would appear, of course you would need a Red Star, only fair.

DLH

There ABH I brought back one of your favorites!

PSIII

Well alan you yourself just made it six threads. I am just a nooby here, but it is disgusting to see grown men fight over BD and LBS. I am brand new to cycling and made my decision to purchase from the information on this website. There is a tremendous amount of knowlege here. Both pro and con to every topic. That is what makes this site so great. So who cares who bought what from where. Ignore it if it bothers you or stop visiting the site. That is your choice just as it is mine to purchase from who I want. At least we still have that choice.

timmhaan

i just don't think the conspiracy is bigger than a few people posting and/or bumping old threads.

hell, i could easily do a search for 'bikes direct' and bump a dozen threads in a few minutes time or make a bunch of posts or new threads. it's not an army of dedicated BD employers doing this.

but anyway, if you have a problem with BD doing this, then you must also have a problem with the creater of cyclistats who posts here (and advertises), sheldon brown (who directs people to his website), or anyone else who offers a service or a product and contributes to BF at the same time. we all know there are thousands of members with links to various things in their sig lines. maybe they should be singled out and censored as well?

Psimet2001 

I like cheap carbon fiber made by Chinese children who have been forced into slave labor. It melts to a much more catastrophic explosion failure than heavy old rusty steel made by fat overpaid American factory workers...

*slowly tuning to run*

...and face-to-face human interaction, support, and education from an LBS pales in comparison to stellar deals from foreign OBSs...








...is there anyone I haven't pissed off yet?

indygreg

Yeah, there are going to be a a group of poeple who post in most BD threads. They are called customers and they usually want to respond to questions or conflicting ideas. just as there is a high probability of a group of people posting in every Trek Pilot thread - as they own a trek pilot. Or L&M HID light owners in HID threads. It sort of makes sense.

The recent influx of BD posts has more to do with the Campy record bike than anything. Lets just say that the 3 or so threads that came about from those are from shills (which I do not believe for even a second) - what about the pages and pages of people talking about it. At a minimum there are a ton of people that are at least someone interested in such a deal, or how such a deal can happen. Do you think these pages of replies are shills?

I am responsible for one additional thread today as I put my new stickers on last night. Sorry to add to it, but I wanted to post it. The responses were more negative, so it is not like I am selling a lot of bikes with that.

I am a happy customer, so I talk about them when it comes up. Same with Dinotte lighting or any LED lighting topic. Am I am shill for them too? I must be busy in my secret life. I will post in any thread about garmin 305 - well at least if there are threads on the forerunner 305 (runner's version that will work with the cadance sensor) as I own one. I will try to post in sporttracks software threads (GPS software) as I use it. See a theme? This amounts to trends . . . that people sometimes talk about what they know.

aballas

so you made another thread to tell everyone about it.....bravo...thanks for that....this is without a doubt the most useful thread of the day...

go yuo!


postingandyou.jpg

matanza

I visited Houston in July 2004, and went into a bike shop near the Woodlands, just a small shop one guy working there (read owner). I was looking for some specific tires etc. I listened to this idiot spew stuff about Bikesdirect and watched him run off at least three customers that came in looking for things about which they were not knowlegeable, he actually practically made fun of the customers. He said he was swamped with work but didn't hit a lick the whole time I was there (about an hour). Rotten attitude etc. I guess you must be one of his neighbors... you actually sound like him. You aren't a shop owner are you? Buying online eliminates 100% of that BS. LBS that is. I also use the LBS for labor, parts etc. when I need to. As a matter of fact the last bike I bought came from an LBS. The bike Specialized was on sale $400 off MSRP; my exact size. great service etc. I also have a Motobecane, as you can see, from my signature. It has over 10,000 miles; I am very satisfied with my purchase. Buzz off pal.

55/Rad

I, for one, am quite happy with the thread I contributed on the whole BD/Campy Record topic.

55/Rad

Nachoman

Plus for those of us who like to do a lot of spectating, and less contributing, it is quite fun to watch the skirmish.

ElJamoquio

Me. Funny stuff.

Serpico

exactly

matanza

Great thread! It is possible to do those things, I agree. Creativity etc.

P.S. Don't go shilling after you receive your frame from the paint shop though

-=(8)=-

Dont you guys get it ??

Using a combination of Bush-4th reich create-a-fake-enemy-for-the-masses-to-unite-against propaganda in inventing / calling out BD 'shills', and Paris Hilton style 'Bad Press is good Press' public relations methodologies, AlanBikeHouston has proven concisely he is the ultimate BD shill !! The BD Alpha-shill.


Keep up the great work Alan !! Im 3 posts away from buying a new Fuji...er, I mean, Motobecane TT bike !!


Your bosses should be very happy with your efforts

matanza

+1

the beef

-1

Eatadonut

+100.

If ABH was really against BD, he'd give us some alternatives. Maybe people WANT a campy record almost-group, frame, and wheels (no matter the quality) for barely more than the price of the group. Instead of ABH helping people find ways to build up a bike with real quality parts for cheap, he recommends his Name Brand Bikes, from Real Stores (btw, I've been in a cyclespectrum store, it seemed an awful lot like a real store to me, and the manager was super-nice).

55/Rad provided an alternative that was both beautiful and functional at a high level instead of whining petulantly. ABH should consider that if he ever wants to have credibility with me, or anyone else who feels the way I feel.

voltman

I wonder how much less flak BD would get if they marketed their bikes as "BDR" instead of Motobecane, Mercier, Bottecchia, etc.

indygreg

The other 'big picture' view of this is that in the LBS world there is not a consistent experience. I mean, my LBS had a good deal on Biachi Giro's this fall. If this were a deal that were at every LBS across the country - then there might be a good number of posts on it. If I find a smoking deal at a LBS . . . posting it here does not really make a ton of sense and sure will not get pages of discussion like an internet deal will. That is just a logistical difference.

DrPete 

At least one forum member's worth. Can't speak for everyone else, though.

indygreg

Like my super cool version.