There was disappointment today as a mountain bike forum meet-up turned out to be much less interesting than the forum itself.

‘I was really looking forward to the meet,’ admitted forum member Stenn Preebs, better known as SpeshWarrior25. ‘But for some reason, the amazing banter that’s always on the forum didn’t really happen in a pub just outside Bicester.’

‘I don’t know what went wrong,’ stammered regular forum contributor Kip Gresting, known to other members as SingleSpeedWarrior. ‘I thought things might liven up when MadDogTrek arrived. You know MadDog. Total ledge. The guy who always replies “So SHE said!” He’s the Bantermeister. The madman in chief. The forum loon. He started the infamous Sudocrem thread,’ Gresting noted. ‘But he was actually a pretty quiet guy.’

‘It’s weird. All the people who are interesting and crazy and argumentative on the forum were there. BeerBucket, ShaggerManOrange5, ThrustLaserSantaCruz, that bloke whose user name is just his real name without a space in it. I thought it was going to be epic,’ mumbled forumite Trent Gnur, also known as Chainsaw29er. ‘But in real life it’s almost as if they were just a bunch of socially awkward middle age men or something.’

“Still at least Binners and Hora stayed clear”

Mercilessly stolen and paraphrased from here

Mods, can you please change my username to ThrustLaserSantaCruz with immediate effect?

Not been on a pootle then?

CFH – only if you come out from lurking in the shadows when there’s a meet, unlike last time 😉

😀

TLSC please.

You wouldn’t want to know how I’d rock up to a meet.

that bloke whose user name is just his real name without a space in it

*waves*

^^^^^
and me.

Mr Monddingo, we’ve been expecting you.

Mods, can you please change my username to ThrustLaserSantaCruz with immediate effect?

😆

Maybe try a fake cycling holiday instead?

Maybe try a fake cycling holiday instead?

Maybe try a fake cycling holiday instead as well?

So SHE said!

(actually I posted something that the op had already done, like a socially awkward asshat would)

Funnily I can not see certain people for years then have a pint with them and a laugh like no time had passed.

I also like to drink/chat with people with completely the opposite views to me as I’d be bored/scared/etc if someone held the same beliefs/was just like me. Who wants to sit in the pub just nodding and a conversation ends in a swift agreement?

Years ago we arranged a forum meet in a pub in London. Almost everyone turned up/walked into the pub in full cycling gear (WTF? Its central London/after work). 😆

What’s really weird is when people off here come into the shop and introduce themselves with their forum names.

Those shy, socailly awkward, middle aged forum geeks in full 😉

The first internet meetup I ever went to (it was a majordomo mailing list, them were the days) ended up in a massive pub brawl and some really awkward witness statements where we had to admit we were all nerds and nobody knew anyone’s real names. Somehow meeting STW people has never lived up to that high benchmark.

Not sure this one was really a forum meetup, it was just a bunch of mates that had originally met through sv650.org but most of us weren’t really on the forum any more. Anyway, bunch of us in the pub, it wasn’t really happening… So I got distracted by the group of girls at the next table, and got to talking, it turned out they were also social incompetents from an internet cult! And it turns out, if you combine two groups of internet dweebs of opposite genders, much face sucking occurs. There’s got to be a business opportunity there…

There’s even been *snigger* females 😳 at the forum meets I’ve been to! GIRLS!! 😯

There’s even been *snigger* females at the forum meets I’ve been to! GIRLS!!

That was Hora in a dress. You’ll snog owt after a couple of pints…

We had a forum meetup at Pembrey circuit last weekend. It was epic.

The wife could barely speak through being too drunk, one of the lads slept sitting upright in the van with a pillow over his face to quieten the snoring, we all had masses of beer and BBQ… and rode motorbikes at silly speed.

There’s even been *snigger* females at the forum meets I’ve been to! GIRLS!!

Never! 😯

There’s even been *snigger* females at the forum meets I’ve been to! GIRLS!!

I bet they werent very ladylike though.

I bet they werent very ladylike though.

Oh yeah?

I’ve been on a couple of Cycle Chat forum rides and they were S L O W. Some of the members are real forum warriors but in real life they’re quite, er, sedate.

globalti – Member

I’ve been on a couple of Cycle Chat forum rides and they were S L O W. Some of the members are real forum warriors but in real life they’re quite, er, sedate

The riders I’ve ridden with from here have all been bloody quick actually. Grum wasn’t too bad either… although he’s always 2 seconds from an accident 😉

i remember going on the Glasgow stw meetup at Mugdock a few yrs ago – good laugh and interesting when people were introducing themselves by their forum names 🙂

What’s really weird is when people off here come into the shop and introduce themselves with their forum names.

Its what i would do tbh as it is not like you would know me if i used my real name.

Either that or I will come armed with No posters and claim I am ernie or THM 😉

Rides are slow due to numbers and being pootles rather than because everyone is actually slow.

The best forum meet I went to was at Billing aquadrome and involved fire engines, police, hilariously incompetent site security and our group being told to leave site.

^ I’m sorry but we need a little more detail

I once shared a house with a couple of blokes I worked with who were, like me, active on IRC. One day I came home from a week away and found that not only had they arranged a party and invited everyone from this IRC channel, but that one of the blokes was asleep in my bed having already (the midday before the party) pissed his sleeping bag when having a nap.

I’d like to say that was the start of a real rock and roll weekend but it was as dull as you’d imagine.

What’s really weird is when people off here come into the shop and introduce themselves with their forum names.

Only works for those hiding behind “whacky” names, of course 😉

What’s really weird is when people off here come into the shop and introduce themselves with their forum names.

Everyones called me Binners since I was at school, so it pre-dates the the internet (and possibly electricity), never mind this forum. But I’m still conscious of introducing myself as that then making me look like a complete ****!

At least then we’d know it was definitely you 😉

Fair point! 😀

On every occasion I’ve met up with people off, anywhere in the country, here its always been a right old laugh. And on a couple of occasions Its ended up so drunken, I’ve no recollection of getting home 😯

*Waves to WCA*

that bloke whose user name is just his real name without a space in it

And theres always a few who somehow don’t understand how computers work and so their username ends up being their email address.

More details?……It was all a bit hazy at the time, and about 8 years have since passed. It was just general drink fueled high jinx. The forum had a bit of a repuation for rebels / trouble makers, but mostly just enjoyed a good laugh (and a drink) and didn’t take things too seriously.

Security had us marked from the start this year, due to previous years being in a similar vein. They took a very agressive confrontational stand, which obviously did little to quell the situation as it got peoples backs up. The security patrols guard dog was easily placated with bacon or burger, less so the handler.

The fire engine was due to someone letting off a smoke grenade, which ended up under a Freelander. It kinda looked like it was on fire, and a good samaritan called 999. The police turned up too, but where happy it was a genuine false alarm.

We had a big oil drum BBQ / fire pit and when we ran out of logs more stock was found from the Camel Trophy club display stand (did I mention this was a Land Rover show?) who were camped next to us.

Eventually security got fed up and called the Police, who turned up, but didn’t see any issue with a bit of revelry. Think that was the last night.

In the morning security turned up mob handed with the show organiser and the head of security to eject us from site. Head of security was a (lets be kind and say) frumpy 50 something lady. Who was failing to exert her authority wearing top emblazened with ‘Sexy in Black’. Oh the ironing. While all the ‘discussion’ was going on with security their 4×4 pickup received a forum sticker.

This might have also been the year one of the group streaked on the off road course.

The forum is all but dead now, most people have moved on elsewhere on the interweb, just a few still hanging on till the grim death.

See, I’m sure the abridged version sounded so much more exciting 😕

*waves to binners*

Weirdly, the forum members I’ve met are all reasonably dashing, which was a surprise to say the least.

(However I’ve not met binners, despite a close call) 😉

The only time I have managed to meet up with STW members are those times when I went to collect items I purchased from them.

I am not sure if I am good socially as I prefer to watch the world passes by, so if you are a female member of STW my opening line would be “How often do you come here … ?”

Hmmm … Do you lot have a common topic(s) to talk about at the STW gathering?

😀