We took a tough decision, locked gallery threads.

[glam2deaf]

RIP TT thread, it was a great source of knowledge and info.

edit: Did something about it and made a general tt thread in cycle chat

[Calnago]

Brand specific threads I can kind of understand, the TT thread closure made me sad tho.

Since the mods don't seem to want to explain further, perhaps you might. What is it about locking a brand specific thread that makes this decision "kind of understandable" to you? I'm genuinely at a loss here to even remotely understand how this may encourage more individual build threads, and at this point that's the only reason mods have given for this decision. It's not a system performance issue. How are brand specific threads different than than a general TT thread? Or a steel bike thread. Or a "Powermeter Rumor" thread? Are those last two still unlocked? If so, why?... what makes them different? And why is the "On The Road Today" thread still up? It is a general thread.
You know what... as I write this asking the only person in this thread who seems to be able to understand this decision even a little bit, another possible scenario for the reason behind this decision pops into my head. I don't know how advertising etc on this site works or where any revenue streams generated may come from, but could it be that the real underlying reason for this decision is coming from outside pressure from manufacturers and advertisers who don't feel this is a forum that is in their best interest to promote? Just as an example, the Colnago thread is one of the best "independent" collections I've seen. I'm sure browsing through it has influenced many to lust after a Colnago, for example. On the other hand, there are brands which don't get a lot of love. Why would those brands want to support internet traffic that may lead to someone actually not choosing their product and instead choosing another based on all the fantastic pics and gushing over them. I truly hope there are none of these "forces" at play here. But again, for the life of me, since I have been a member this is the first time I really cannot at least partially understand how a decision came about even though I may or may not have agreed with it's outcome. And like another poster alluded to, how in the world did this even get on the radar of "tough decisions to be made" in the first place.

[Nefarious86]

To be honest the more I look at it the more I agree with you Cal, my thinking initially was that threads for individual bikes would make sense with Branded sub sections if in fact monetising it was the goal while the TT thread was more of a Bikes/Gear/Technique/Training mash up but even that wouldn't work because people will be making the same thread about the same cookie cutter build over and again rather than just increasing the word pool in the "Allez" thread for instance.

Put me in the confused crowd.

[kulivontot]

So because whining is not effective, you start to accuse the mods of trying to exploit the forums for financial gain? Give me a break.
It's right there in the first post. It's for philosophical reasons. They want to encourage others to participate and shift the focus back to bike builds. There are also other threads complaining about decline of weight weenies for exactly these reasons. It may be heavy handed and you may still disagree, but i don't think a lack of explanation is the problem, you just don't like the outcome.
Personally, I think there more effective strategy would be to ditch the starbike discount and drop the classifieds forum

[Calnago]

So then back to you @kulivontot... how is locking those threads in any way going to create more detailed build threads? Those that create detailed build generally post a pic of those same bikes in the general threads anyway. But for many reasons already stated, those that may be compelled to post a single pic in on of those general threads are not likely to say "geez, I have a nice pic of my bike and I'd like to show people, but now that I can't do that I'm going to disassemble it, weigh every part, come up with commentary etc etc because I have so much time and knowledge to do this... Ah, no thanks... il just go post my pic on Instagram". #EASY

And I never "accused" the mods of anything, but in the absence of any other reasoning, the scenario I described seem as plausible as any.

And please, how would ditching the classifieds and starbike discount encourage more detailed build threads?

[53x12]

So because whining is not effective, you start to accuse the mods of trying to exploit the forums for financial gain? Give me a break.
It's right there in the first post. It's for philosophical reasons. They want to encourage others to participate and shift the focus back to bike builds. There are also other threads complaining about decline of weight weenies for exactly these reasons. It may be heavy handed and you may still disagree, but i don't think a lack of explanation is the problem, you just don't like the outcome.
Personally, I think there more effective strategy would be to ditch the starbike discount and drop the classifieds forum

Verbal stating our opinion on this matter is not "whining." We are voicing our thought on this action. I've been here a long time and really enjoy this place. It isn't like it use to be, but the heavy handed and archaic method of shutting down popular threads does the opposite of trying to make this place more enjoyable and popular. I have run discussion forums and been a moderator at others. This is the kind of action that kills communities and sets them back.

If you want to foster more bike build threads, you don't do that by shutting down other popular threads to artificially try and force people to do something you want them to do with negative consequences. If they want more build threads, they should incentivize members in a way such that members would be more willing to start a build thread. At that point, you wouldn't have to force people to do anything as they would want to for whatever system you put in place.

The vast majority of the posts by many different members on this issue is very negative towards the poor decision by the admin and moderators. Why wouldn't you want members to speak out for an action they didn't agree with? Frankie put "we took a dough decision" in the title, because he knew he would get backlash for this decision. Rightfully so.

[corky]

Why was the community not asked for their opinion before the change was Implemented?

I realise this is not my sandbox and if I disagree with how it is run, I know where the door is..... but it is a forum and would have thought the communities opinions were somewhat important......

[Asteroid]

I think I understand the move. Those threads became multipost monsters and lacked focus. Ultimately, the first post could originate so long ago that equipment changed vastly to present day. Plus, somebody maybe posted their awesome pics on page forty a couple months ago, but now their bit gets buried ten pages ago. Who's got time and patience to flip thru a hundred pages of such a general topic?

As opposed to starting a fresh thread - not necessarily a project - that displays a current bike/issue/component/etc. Now the thread becomes "Specialized TT Bike" with photos and the like. It could run its course over a few weeks, soon to get pushed to the back of the line. Unless the OP refreshes it by altering the bike. Or somebody does a search and refreshes it with some questions and such. Etcetera.

Those locked threads still exist. A person can find them and subscribe to refer back. I don't really see the big deal.

[Calnago]

What about the Pro Cycling Thread... it's a continuous array of whatever is currently going on at the moment in the pro cycling world. What about the "On The Road Today" thread... also a multipage historical anthology of great pics. Should everyone just post an individual thread of a couple pics from their ride that day, then start a new thread tomorrow. You are right, those locked threads still exist, but once locked they quickly get relegated to history rarely to be dredged up again because most people don't even know they are there. They get forgotten about. What a treat it was to find a thread when someone posted a pic of their bike, then to find that there were hundreds of other similar pics of bikes that one could browse through. Yes, I hit SUBSCRIBE. They do lack "focus" to the extent that a detailed build thread can provide, but that's the point... they are not intended as detailed build threads... just a catch all of cool pics etc. If you see a bike you really like, chances are there may very well be a build thread associated with it since as has been mentioned people who do the build threads often post a pic or two of their bikes on these threads too. I still don't get it. Perhaps the mods can provide a deeper insight into exactly why this topic floated to the top of the "Tough Decision" category. Who decided it was even something that needed to be decided upon, and why? I know the reason given was that it was to foster more individual build threads. Perhaps the reason there aren't as many individual build threads anymore is that there are so many other internet options to post things to and browse than there were years ago. Short attention spans and instant gratification needs do not help the creation of detailed build threads either. Perhaps the reason for fewer build threads has nothing to do with "catch all" threads, and everything to do with just a change in the times. Also, Weight Weenies can be a harsh place to post your bike. Do you have one spacer too many? Do the colors match? Are my cables too long? God forbid... please don't comment on my cables. Or bar tape. The list is endless... but you can learn a lot as well from those comments which may or may not be valid, to you.

Unlock the catch all threads, please. Then you can lock this one.

[Asteroid]

.......What about the Pro Cycling Thread... it's a continuous array of whatever is currently going on at the moment in the pro cycling world. What about the "On The Road Today" thread... also a multipage historical anthology of great pics......

Ssshhh...don't give 'em any ideas...

[norcimmus]

There's been plenty of user input about reversing the decision, I'll be a +1 with the unlock crowd.

A collection thread of a categorized style or specific brand is much more streamlined for the audience to get a good general consensus. From there, the user can always link to their build thread within the same post.

[GonaSovereign]

The mods here are really good, and I appreciate their work.
This wasn't their best decision.

I advocate for listening to the community, and in this case the community wants those threads to continue to live.

(Personally, I think they're great, and I've enjoyed contributing to them.)

[MiddMan]

Here's my take.

Weight Weenies is an international forum and, I might add, one of the better ones. It was my go to place for lots of info for many years before I officially joined a couple of years ago. Given the diversity of locale there's also, naturally, diversity of interests. Some are racers or ex-racers whose main goal, befitting the website's name, is creating the lightest bike. But in the years I've followed weight weenies, never have I had the impression that that's the sole purpose. A number of people are mechanically inclined, still others are up on the latest tech, and many more are able to give ride impressions.

In my case, to give an example, I would classify myself as quite knowledgeable of the history and heritage of cycling (road), I raced a bit in college, and have always kept up with the tech and developments, even if I haven't always been able to purchase it. That said, I have no mechanical knowledge. I just have no idea how to build a bike, so I'll leave the nitty gritty to a LBS. I hope to one day get into it, maybe in 10 or 15 years, but for now I'm most content just to ride, although I do enjoy reading about it and love a great build thread. I must say Calnago's are some of the best.

But I also enjoy the aesthetics of bikes. I have a soft spot for Italian bikes and trad geometry, and--given the rarity of those two nowadays--also for ride reports of feel and handling. There's not a Colnago dealer (or Cipollini, or Time, or Pinarello, etc) for 200 mile radius of me. Google C60 and the same stock photos will pop up--unless you go to weight weenies where you can find dozens of examples. Lest anyone think I'm 'against' US brands that's simply not the case: Specialized and Trek make excellent bikes. I will probably never get rid of my old Trek.

My point is that locking those threads won't necessarily help people with their own builds, or encourage them to start one. Instead of being able to see hundreds of examples with different stems, bars, pedals, group sets in one thread, which helps one narrow down what's out there and how it might look, we only have sparse examples, many of which are often: 'Here's my my xyz' with a few photos--end of story. The larger threads allow one to sift through and see what looks nice / works well and then search that person's posts for a full build.

[Tinea Pedis]

.......What about the Pro Cycling Thread... it's a continuous array of whatever is currently going on at the moment in the pro cycling world. What about the "On The Road Today" thread... also a multipage historical anthology of great pics......

Ssshhh...don't give 'em any ideas...

Don't worry, that was also locked once upon a time.

Came back after much uproar. This is not the first time decisions have been made without consultation and been totally baffling.

[MattN]

My bikes are not, imo worthy of their own build thread, but I did post them in the brand specific threads, mainly the Colnago one as I own 3 of them.

I've just completed a new build, a CLX, I would've posted it up in the Colnago thread but I won't be making a specific thread for it as I built it up in a day and just wanted to take some photos of it complete, not much point in a specific thread for a couple of completed build pictures is there?

It would've slotted nicely into the brand thread though.