Jim from Boston

I am a year-round cyclist in Boston, and an enthusiastic subscriber to Bike Forums. We seem to have a lot of Forum members around here. Whenever I'm out on the road and encounter a serious-appearing cyclist, hoping to meet a fellow BF subscriber, I try to inquire if they are on the Forums, and if not, I try to introduce it to them. Often these encounters are brief, and the best I can do beyond a quick explanation, is to give them the URL (“BikeForums [one word, emphasis on plural] dot net” [emphasis on net].)

I was thinking about making a little business type card, 3.5 x 2 inches, to hand out for their further consideration. A first draft of my message is:

I chose the Forums listed to demonstrate and appeal to a wide range of interests, and as self-explanatory by title. Any comments or suggestions?

Nightshade

I can see two types of bicycles not listed in the list from "Back Side".

They are Cruisers and Adult Tricycles.

Looigi

Yes, but those wouldn't be "serious appearing" would they?

CraigB

We don't have subforums for those types of vehicles, do we? I think the OP was only listing established subforums, not just topics of interest.

The other thing I would mention is that inviting a new member to send you a PM is a guaranteed road to frustration for that new member. Don't they have to have a minimum of 50 forum posts or thereabouts before they can PM anyone?

10 Wheels

I have some laminated cards that I hand out.

Believe it is a total waste of time and effort.

Machka 

I'm not at all sure about handing out business cards like that ... they remind me a bit too much of the soliciting that goes on in airports, or around places like the Eiffel Tower in Paris.


However, when I read the title of this thread, my thought was "Bicycle Greeting Cards" ... a topic I've thought about on several occasions. I collect greeting cards with bicycles on them whenever I can find them ... which isn't very often. Because of the recent moves I've made (where my things have been packed away in storage for months or years at a time), they are kind of scattered around but one day I'd like to gather them all together and put them in a frame, or book or something.

But it has got me to thinking ... what about creating a line of "Bicycle Greeting Cards"? Greeting cards with all sorts of bicycles and cycling events from the old step-throughs tucked in a garden with flowers growing out of their baskets, to cyclists with beautiful mountain scenery, to racers tackling a climb or sprinting for a finish.

I have heaps of ideas (these are the sorts of things I think about when doing my long, long rides), but the one thing I'm not sure about is ... would they sell. Would they appeal to a generally sedentary society?


As far as promoting this website when we're out cycling goes ... wasn't there a Bikeforums jersey created and sold at one point? Maybe a new one should be created and people could wear them at their local centuries and charity rides.

Jim from Boston

Thanks for everybody's reply. It's unlikely I would encounter a cyclist on a cruiser or adult trike where and when I ride. I had thought about the 50 post limit when I asked for a PM, but considering that so many members have 3, 4 and 5-figure post counts, that might not take long. I'm not inclined to read the Introductions Forum to look for new members I may have encouraged.

These were cards like the one I described? What did they say?

My intent was not to solicit for BF, but inform about it, like one might hand a business card to a new acquaintance with a similar interest. Just last night I was at a party and met a cyclist who had crossed the US on a bicycle, as I have. As we parted company, I mentioned BF, as described above, though it was less a brief and chance encounter than might occur on the road.

Personally, I'm glad I found out about BF, since I have been a serious cyclist for decades, and I'm surprised at how few cyclists I meet know about it. I found it serendipitously mentioned on a Forum devoted to a syndicated cartoon strip. I'm not planning some fancy laminated business card but hopefully something I can make myself, and I still have to investigate that process.

billyymc

See? Have you ever been approached out of the blue, out in public, by someone like that? I have. It's weird. Especially if they hand you materials to read. Like a laminated card. Or they are having a normal conversation with you then they spring "Jesus loves you" on you out of nowhere.

If someone has interest in reading about cycling online, they will eventually find BF.