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I dont believe that we are that blinkered that we buy bikes because of reviews in magazines.
It's all more information though, isn't it? I don't have the time or money to go and test ride every bike I would be considering, I have to rely on a combination of word of mouth, reviews and some looking at the specs myself. That gets it to a shortlist which I can then work from.
Similarly, I'm not going to take as gospel what one person thinks, but if several different reviewers all start pointing out something then it's probably worth paying attention to.
Where it gets interesting is once you start to get an idea of what some reviewers like and don't like and how it relates to what you like. Jenn Hill at one point seemed to be consistently giving good ratings to the kit I'd bought and liked, so after that I paid more attention to her reviews. I have a highball primarily off the back of her giving it a good review- not the sole reason, but a significant part of it.
I’ve been doing my job as a ‘professional’ for twenty years too, and I’ve ended up a cynical old basrard with nary a good word to say about anything. Chapeau to Guy for keeping the enthusiasm…and good luck for the future.
Haha. That's a good one.
Best medicine against that: doing stuff together with some pals. Like ... biking! Having fun together, drinking beer together and forget the work (as long as possible).