As I sit here slurping a glass of Duval (which I’d seen before, but not tried until I read about it on here) I wonder how STW has influenced my buying habits. The following purchases have been made as a result of reading about them here:
Talisker – Thumbs down. Smoke infused TCP.
Dalwhinnie – Thumbs up. Much more to my taste.
Erdinger alcohol free – Thumbs up. Lovely stuff.
Bontrager Mud X – Thumbs up. Superb tyre. I’ll probably use it all year round (Cardiff climate well suited)
Camelbak Mule – Thumbs up. Waited for an offer before buying.
Oakley straightjackets – thumbs up. Not worth the £40 I paid, let alone the £120 list price, but I’m extremely grateful to the chap who posted the PSA. Now Mrs T finds me even more irresistible when I’m wearing them. I think.
Spokelight 900lumen jobbie – Thumbs up. Lasted 6 months of infrequent riding and a good buy. I couldn’t justify spending any more, except…
Exposure Diablo and piggyback battery – Thumbs up. An extravagant departure for a tight wad like me but well worth it.
Icebreaker merino base layer – Definite thumbs up. Can’t stop wearing it. Superb buy.
Merino in general. Thumbs up. It’s true – it stays warm when wet and it’s not all “itchy”.
The good people of STW have also guided me into Bristol at rush hour and I’m sure I fall off less often as a result of some of the good advice given on here. Thanks. I’ve not bought an Octavia yet or an Orange 5, but maybe one day…….
Has it influenced any of your purchases?

I just bought some custard to spite CFH.

Yes. It influenced me to buy a course of therapy with a psychiatrist. Not as a direct result of a recommendation on here but, according to the psychiatrist, directly as a result of the effects of STW… 😯 😆

High Rollers (OK)
Superstar pads (yay!)
Shorter stems (yay!)
Lock on grips (naaaaayy)
Charge Spoon (yay!)
Leffe (yay!)
Innes and Gunn (Yay!)
Maxle forks (yay!)

Specialized bike
Vauxhall Vectra
House in North Manchester

That’ll be a no then.

But I’m not a number. I am a free man.

I was tempted by Inness & Gunn in Tesco this evening, Buzz. Opted for Duval and don’t regret it. Must try I&G next time, though.

I just buy everything Hora doesn’t like. Mainly cos I buy it off him. Its usually just out of the packaging and works very well. Despite his protestations. The fool!

Apart from beer that is. Obviously

I just bought some custard to spite CFH

In your face flashy!!

derp… you’re very quick with the ol’ posty typey thing!

Oh, and if I ever decide to upgrade my Spokelight (and I will, I’m sure because it is a bit cheap and cheerful), it’ll be for a Trout light. Seems like a thoroughly decent chap and I like the look of his lights.

er no

Dear god, no.

no

Don’t think I’d have tried a Soul without the recommendations from here… Bought it because of the test ride but testrode it because of that so.

Absolutely not, I am not swayed in any of my buying decisions by the views of my peers, marketing campaigns or TV advertising. I find the idea quite ridiculous.

Innes and Gunn is absolutely vile. But my Rab Neutrino, recommended here, is ace.

(Laughs loudly)

What, people on STW being in any way cleverer or better informed than my good self???

What a preposterous suggestion…

on the contrary….i mostly laugh at the silly niche following halfwits

When I got banned once, I had to go buy drugs to numb the pain.

Does that count?

Do you do this whilst driving a Transporter van by any chance?

yes. what better way of buying stuff than getting instant reviews from other users ?

shandy- you talking to me ?

nah lol….used to drive 12 car transporters and my birthday falls on the 13th 😉

I now regularly buy the Daily Mail, thanks to STW.

It’s possible that the STW owners have created a goldmine of sorts – it’s like they’ve built a kettling device to keep middle class UK consumers all in one place on the web.

Forget the cycling, that’s worth buttons. It’s all the other stuff – What family estate car? Where to live in Surburban Manchester? Any openings for a MySQL programmer in the West Midlands? The missus has up sticks – What SSRI for a mid-life crisis?
There has to be a way to exploit this trove of data, hasn’t there? Maybe it’s already been long worked out and the site’s been pimped out to a condem focus group.

Apart from a few frames, forks, chainsets, car bits and bobs, whisky, beer, diets, clothing and music? Not much.

Yes. I tend to buy the polar opposite of what is suggested by the STW hive mind because I can guarantee it will (a) work and (b) cost less.

To answer the OP, no, never. But then I don’t want to drive an Audi/Passat/Octavia, ride an overpriced Cotic/Commencal, drink overpriced alcohol just because it’s sat around in jock land for 15 years, install a woefully inefficient woodburning stove or shave my head (but that’s because I have hair).
Most importantly, even after a couple of test purchases just to check, I don’t want to read an uninteresting, badly designed magazine. 🙂

Got a Dialled Bikes Kobe, great buy and still going strong 5 years down the line.

And you’re wrong OP: Talisker is lovely.

I don’t think it has influence.

I have posted many times about the superiority of sandals and SealSkinz for winter use, and still the STW demographic prance around in those clacky shoes that bolt on to their pedals.

Proof positive I say.

Fortunately I can console myself with

overpriced alcohol that’s sat around in jock land for 15 years

🙂

Strange. I usually find there are a hard core ‘herd of sheep’ who like the same thing (whatever we may be discussing except bikes strangely) and shoot down anybody who dares to think differently or has experienced and liked other things.

I generally take the advice on here as one point of reference in the same way as reading some reviews elsewhere.

Care to discuss: Gaggia Classic anyone?

I’ll bet everyone who’s replied ‘no’ actually has been influenced to one degree or another, even if it’s someone putiing up a PSA about a bargain, or a mention of something you didn’t even know existed, but fits the bill perfectly….

8)

STW has influenced me NEVER to buy anything made by On One, VW campervans, Land Rover Defenders, dropper seatposts, Chris King headsets or Oakley shades.