[Closed] Bad Advice, Here on STW?!?

Examples??

I've had pretty good recommendations on here, just gotta take a balanced view

Why do you care so much?

Some of the recommendations on here are for [s]poor or inferior products though, [/s] [b]things i personally dont like[/b] it makes me wonder why some people offer their advice when [s]they obviously have no clue[/s] [b]their opinion is different to mine[/b]

That sounds more like what you seem to mean ?

You mean gems like this?

If you listened to most of the advice on here you would never get fitter, it's like half the riders I know who haven't progressed in years but who are going to enter that next event when they lose weight/get fitter etc.

STW is OK for technical advice and avoiding bad products (superstar etc) but recommendations normally go like this:

Q "what such and such for such and such?"

A "use this one. It's really good. I haven't compared it to any others, but it's the one I'm using."

Advice worth what you paid for it on the whole. Unless you're asking about something I use, then it's great.

nealglover - Member

Some of the recommendations on here are for poor or inferior products though, things i personally dont like it makes me wonder why some people offer their advice when they obviously have no clue their opinion is different to mine

That sounds more like what you seem to mean ?

Not at all, I'm open to peoples suggestions. I just don't like it when someone says something is good when it really is not. Bike tyres for example, but that is opening up another can of worms. There are certain products I've tried and wouldn't have given them away to my worst enemy...then I see people recommending the same item on here!

It does seem that some recommendations are simply ingrained memes. As an example, the tick threads always come up with stuff about smothering them in vaseline or vodka, burning them with a match etc. All medical opinion has now moved on and careful removal (preferably with a tick removal tool) is now the way. It does rather frustrate me to see folk churning out the same old advice.

It does rather frustrate me to see folk churning out the same old advice.

Conti Vert Pros? 😉

I find the advice on here pretty good on the whole (for bike bits and for life in general).

Pretty much any (interesting) topic gives you a wide variety of opinions and experiences, which I find more useful than one reviewer's opinion in a magazine.

Examples??

My advice is to take it all with a pinch of salt.

Yes CF - I was thinking Conti Vert Pros at the very start of this thread too 🙂

There is some utter crap talked here.

But mostly it's differences of opinion - which I suspect the OP is confusing with right/wrong - unless he knows EVERYTHING?

What type of salt?

road tyre pressure advice is one example.

But mostly it's differences of opinion - which I suspect the OP is confusing with right/wrong - unless he knows EVERYTHING?

Any amount of observation would surely make it obvious to you that everyone who has ever posted on STW knows EVERYTHING?

What type of salt?

Saxa is brilliant, use that.

I haven't tried any other salt though.

Not at all, I'm open to peoples suggestions. I just don't like it when someone says something is good when it really is not. Bike tyres for example, but that is opening up another can of worms. There are certain products I've tried and wouldn't have given them away to my worst enemy...then I see people recommending the same item on here!

That's pretty much exactly what I said isn't it ?

What makes your opinion any more valid than theirs.

They like it (whatever it is) and you don't.

That doesn't make it good, and it doesn't make it bad.

Just means you don't like, and they do.

(unless you are suggesting they are recommending things they know are shite, just out of spite ?)

It's a public forum. People's bikes, age, riding style, experience, skills, ambitions, ability and location vary, therefore their opinions vary. Just assume nothing you read on here is gospel and you'll be fine.

My particular bugbear is people starting new threads without checking that the subject has already been discussed.

tyres advice is 'interesting' : i think so much of it depends on the mud/roots/etc round your way, (particularly with mud tyres IMHO -trailrakers are rubbish round our way but ace elsewhere in my experience) also the air pressures you put in them, your own weight, use of brakes and suspension settings. What tyre tread you use could be so greatly affected by the all the above: i like to ask people that live/ride locally.

Saxa is rubbish
I put it on a snail last week and it totally melted it, not using it again, never said on the tin beware this product melts snails

Salt and snails, you say?

I had some for dinner the other day. Sea snails, that is.

[img] [/img]

Top nommage.

Were you going to eat the snail, hence your dissapointment?

it makes me wonder why some people offer their advice when they obviously have no clue.

My internet "rule of thumb" is that soundness of advice is inversely proprotional to post count, and OT posts carry an exponential weighting.....

....empty vessels and all that 😆

about 30psi

My particular bugbear is people starting new threads without checking that the subject has already been discussed.

Looking like you have some ishoos capn. You might want to consider winding it back a touch.

Looking like you have some ishoos capn. You might want to consider winding it back a touch.

I really wouldn't say it's restricted to STW. There really does seem to be a LOT of men of a certain age who come up with false notions, impart their notions on others aggressively, then fail to accept that they maybe wrong. These notions then get passed around somehow without question.

I work in a shop, it happens quite often, a customer asks about a product or how something works, or what something does, you begin explaining to customer, then "know it all" chimes in with really bad advice, there's no stopping them once they've started. You wait for them to finish, then you've got to find a polite way to explain that "know it all" is chatting shite without causing an awkward situation so that the customer gets good info.

Serving these "know it alls" is a joke too, they ask for advice, then proceed to talk over you for half an hour with no intention of listening to a word you have to say.

Out on group rides too, the amount of wives tales you hear is nuts.

I am gob-smacked all too often by the notions based on nonsense parties favour and impart o so passionately.

Can I be the first to say, Skoda Octavia?

Nah mondeos are where its at dont you know nuffink

same could be said for the magazines - there wa a certain FS 650B in a couple of the mags, which i seem to recall gets a 10/10 in one mag (saying it was the best trail bike they had ever ridden) and 5or6/10 in another - i take all recomendations with a pinch of salt, as said previously you can only recomend baised on your own experance, of which some people have good and some have bad (as with any product).

If I see a post to which i dissagree i'll generally give my point of view.

it's like wannabe film critics..

'oh no that's shite/great'

usually based on whether or not Bruce Willis is starring... those twunts need a poke in the eye.. get a proper job FFS

On STW you are asking peoples opinion on things, so funnily enough it differs. If you then take this as advice then thats your issue. If you think you are getting professional advice on STW for things like dealing with ticks then your an idiot. Ring NHS direct!!

Bit negative, examples would be useful. I personally think the opposite, here's a few examples of good recommendations, and I thank you all for your wisdom.

rockshock reverb
mud x
spesh control storms
pedro tyre levers
endless craft ales/pubs
exposure flash/flares
tubeless tips
local routes
books - two wheels on my wagon
films - ride the divide

I generally ignore the Rapha snobs and riding tips, unless it's from professionals 😉

No examples then.
Pointless.

scuzz - My bugbear is people on any forum replying with 'this has already been discussed' or 'use the search function'. But nothing is worse than people who criticise other posters' replies without adding content of their own

I was making making a statement, I couldn't care less if it's been discussed before. I wasn't really looking for any information as whatever anyone says here doesn't change anything that's been said in other threads.
Most new posts I make are on different forums that have the information/specific topics organised better than STW. (MTBR, BearBones Bikepacking, Bike and Bivi et al...).

For technical/wrenching advice it is one of the better sites.

Some of the product recommendations are total nonsense. Quite a few people have no idea what they are talking about, but still offer advice.

Also advice about riding technique is often laughable. Either that or 'go and see jedi, he walks on water' as if it is not possible to improve your riding without seeing a coach.

There is a lot of pap, but sift through the crap and there is some useful stuff here.

DezB - Member

No examples then.
Pointless.

DesB, If I wanted to argue with folk over their recommendations, I would have done it in the original posts. I'm not going to start naming people or pointing to what they've said...I should have commented at the time.

This salt nonsense is all marketing BS. If you really knew anything about tasting, pinching, or chemistry, you'd know it's really all the same stuff. 🙄

:Awaits flaming from Saxa fanbois and welsh rock salt niche-mongers:

I'm not going to start naming people

Is alright, I sometimes poke the internet with a stick when I'm bored at work too... 😉

EDIT: All mass production salt is rubbish, rough crushed sea salt put in natural organic tubes by local natives in the traditional way taught by their ancestors is the only proper salt.

There used to be a great "BS of the week" thread covering this topic, it was barred by the mods...

bought some salt from the salt flats in normandy once, wow.

kudos100 - Member

For technical/wrenching advice it is one of the better sites.

Some of the product recommendations are total nonsense. Quite a few people have no idea what they are talking about, but still offer advice.

Also advice about riding technique is often laughable. Either that or 'go and see jedi, he walks on water' as if it is not possible to improve your riding without seeing a coach.

There is a lot of pap, but sift through the crap and there is some useful stuff here.

Someone who speaks sense.

unklehomered - Member

Is alright, I sometimes poke the internet with a stick when I'm bored at work too...

😆

'I've never ridden XYZ, but...'

'I'm not a doctor, but...'

'I'm not a lawyer, but...'

I'm not an expert on the interweb, but I don't get why people feel the need to chime in on stuff they don't really know about. It just seems odd. 😐

cynic-al - Member
There used to be a great "BS of the week" thread covering this topic, it was barred by the mods.

Much like my ill judged attempt at humour earlier. Apologies, no offence meant.

(I should really have put a 🙂 on it, I suppose!)

My bugbear is people on any forum replying with 'this has already been discussed' or 'use the search function'. But nothing is worse than people who criticise other posters' replies without adding content of their own

Hmmm so you snipped my 'added content' yet added nothing of your own. 🙂

I'm not going to start naming people or pointing to what they've said...

[CITATION NEEDED]

paaah..

all your salts scream of sports direct..

unless you are evaporating the sweat of grammy award winning singer/songwriters to collect your condiment I suggest that you keep your opinion to yourself..

Ben Harper's salt is quite dry, with a tang of Rocket and is pleasant in a pesto.. whereas Estelle is fruity and rich with pesto undertones and is very nice on a Rocket salad..

I'm really after a sample of Joanne Shenandoah's excretions at the moment.. I imagine the salt to conjour up memories of fresh spring flower meadows and peach schnapps

My salt is made by drying Jens Voigt's tears of despair.

very nice for suicide slammers I imagine.. I wouldn't use his tears of joy to clear the ice off our back step though..

[img] ?214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b[/img]

[i] If I wanted to argue with folk over their recommendations, I would have done it in the original posts. I'm not going to start naming people or pointing to what they've said...I should have commented at the time.[/i]

I bloody would, if I'd had the gall to start this!

(particularly with mud tyres IMHO -trailrakers are rubbish round our way but ace elsewhere in my experience)

As for salt:

1) Place delectable (preferably pure) young lady in sauna for 25 minutes on high heat.
2) Remove and allow to cool
3) Wipe dried salt from brow and sprinkle on home cooked chips.

I was eating this last week, but I didn't use it to make a home made isotonic/electrolyte energy drink as I didn't sweat enough last week in France.

[img] [/img]

I haven't seen any mention of i thingy for a few days either... whats going on?

I bought some salt in a box marked 250 grams but when I weighed it at home it was 253 grams. Can I raise a dispute with the shop?

And there's a bloke down the pub whose uncle knew Ghandi, so he knows a lot about salt.

This thread is pointless without atleast 1 clear example

Its does sort of depend on whether you see the world in black and white or shades of grey

In a thread on a photo forum. I totaly contradicted some one on the best way to shoot a panorama.

Thats doesn't mean that I'm right and he's wrong its just 2 different opinions

thats whats good about a thread. You get to see the range of opinions. Which is more valuable than 1 single answer, there isn't 1 single answer

Except on salt.

I always look for high Potassium low sodium, with plenty of iodide. Can't belive no one has mentioned composition yet. If you don't know anything anout salt don't bother posting!!!!!!!!

Personal experience is always gonna be contradictive, "what tyres.." is soooo subjective and while "use this, it's what I bought" isn't very helpful pick any product and there will be people on here who have had great experiences and plenty others who had a terrible time and will slate the product. (all my superstar pads have been fine)

try to take a consensus

It's advice based on experiences. And people have different experiences. So advice varies. This is not a surprise, is it? Do you believe newspapers as well?

Engage brain filter when reading anything and everything.

Black salt is the niche of choice now.

Spidey humour senses aren't working today!

[img] https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSNX9LHtvipIHlWopIceKgQJrc_b4iY38hEIXxKc_BS8WDHStgiLA [/img]

The main issues I have(with STW) is when someone asks for an A) or B). Straight choice between 2 things they can't decide between and someone comes up with C)! And usually D) E)...,

Or adding to threads that have been definitively resolved. Ie when the OP says 'thanks that's what I was after!' and then someone else comes along with 'what about...?' irritating.

And emoticons....

And when recommendations on here start a frenzy over particular components I'm after!!!

There is a lot of good advice and information on STW - they tricky bit is sorting it from the crap

this is the forum that hailed the vert pro as perfect u.k. tyre for a decade 😯

occasionally if you ask a specific question in a niche area outside of cycling you may be able to tap into some good advice.

the nutritional/training advice/theory is generally from the dark ages. just because you have a dusty copy of the joe friel book doesn't mean you are an expert.

i forgot bike sizing by anecdotal evidence.
oh and joint/biomechanical/muscular issues.

There is a lot of good advice and information on STW - they tricky bit is sorting it from the crap

I find ignoring everything that TJ says, helps with this.*

*I would have put an emotion here to demonstrate I wasn't being serious, but didn't want to upset MussEd.

You can't say that, Jamie. You'll get a warning.....Emoticon or no....

🙂 first and last time I will ever use one...

650b is where everything is heading

654b is where it's going

Pfft. 649c, FFS!