Total shill.
*and* totally unwatchable.
Moderator: robbosmans
Spot on. And also, what I'd like to highlight here is a common misconception here or there about product reviews. Now, as a former journalist (tech industry), I have seen this from the inside as well. Large brands are considered large also because they spend on PR, marketing, press relations, media events, send out samples to media outlets to review, have their people available for interviews or just to respond to media inquiries and tech questions, etc. Smaller brands often don't, and this can be a reason why their product is cheaper at the end, because running such an operation costs a ton of money (just imagine the cost of running and maintaining a fleet of high end bike for review purposes and shipping them around the world to media outlets). The choice - whether to spend on media relations and how much to spend - is made by vendors and has many consequences when it comes to brand recognition and consumer trust.angryasian wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 3:44 amIt's not like it's some big process conducted in secrecy.spartan wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 2:32 amwhat cyclingtips and most of the legacy bike journalists need to clarify is what products they choose to review? process they follow. be honest.
why has cyclingtips never reviewed top chinese brands (winspace/lightbicycle/farsports). do you only review products that are advertised on outside media sites?
hottest product we want james to test in 2023 is .. L TWOO RX Hydraulic Groupset.
Bigger brands typically have marketing departments that actively reach out to publications (myself and CT included) when they have something new they're interested in having reviewed, but otherwise, it's us/me doing the soliciting when there's something interesting that seems worth reviewing. In regards to smaller brands, we've asked many of these companies in the past if they'd be willing to send loaner samples for review, and we often don't get responses at all. I don't think it's because they're specifically shunning us, but rather the fact most of these brands either just don't feel they need or want the visibility, or their business model relies more on word of mouth. Another factor is many of these smaller brands simply don't make it obvious who we're even supposed to contact about stuff like this, so oftentimes our inquiries are sent to the general mailbox where they presumably get buried.
This will surely vary a lot based on what country you live in, but being able to try bikes at bike shops is definitely not something universal. I've personally only been able to try before buying with two bikes that were second hand, and I knew the shop owner well, but everything else I have had to buy blind (doing a lot of research on the bike geometry, of course).
Can you give some examples of countires where bike shops don't allow you to test ride a bike?blaugrana wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:52 pmThis will surely vary a lot based on what country you live in, but being able to try bikes at bike shops is definitely not something universal.
In Spain it is definitely not the norm. Maybe you can find some that do, on specific models, but I seriously doubt you will be able to walk in an test ride a 15.000€ Colnago. Most people just order the bike they want on the size they need and hope everything will be OK.tomato wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 5:39 pmCan you give some examples of countires where bike shops don't allow you to test ride a bike?blaugrana wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:52 pmThis will surely vary a lot based on what country you live in, but being able to try bikes at bike shops is definitely not something universal.
It's been shown both for bike and auto sales that the typical 'test drive' is not informative and often leads to a worse decision process. Physically interacting with a bike (or car) both increases the willingness to pay (more) and induces a loss aversion bias. Dealerships love it because it helps close the deal. It leads to more irrational decision-making.tomato wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 5:39 pmCan you give some examples of countires where bike shops don't allow you to test ride a bike?blaugrana wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:52 pmThis will surely vary a lot based on what country you live in, but being able to try bikes at bike shops is definitely not something universal.
You are a lucky person living in a country / area where local bike shops are stuffed with test / demo units and let you try all of them. Unfortunately, where I live (Central Europe), bike shops tend to have limited in-stock availability, especially of the high-end models, which are usually only available on order.tomato wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 8:41 pmI go to a lot of bike shops, depending on what bike I'm interested in.
Just wanted to say that the Low MK review was one of my favorite bike reviews ever. Came across as a judgement on the feel of the bike and its construction--things that it was clear you could evaluate.angryasian wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 1:23 amJust wanted to say thanks for the kind words here. I genuinely do try my best to be as complete, thorough, and fair as I can in my reviews, so it's good to hear that comes across on paper, too. And to be clear, I'm always open to criticism and suggestions for improvement. I may have been doing this for a while now, but I certainly don't assume I can't still get better.