I’m sorry about that, I’ve enjoyed your posts.
Good luck to you both, unfortunately I’m not on any other “socials” so I’ll have to find another way to keep informed.
I'm also sorry to see you go, I've enjoyed reading about your journey! Good luck for the future, hope the housemove goes to plan and is all you hope it to be!
Thats a shame, as above I've always followed this thread.
That's a shame.
Hopefully will catch you at a few races next year.
Good luck with the future endeavours - will have to find another way of seeing how you're getting on.
Bummer... weeksy59 and jamesweeks08 it is then I guess.
Quite the stash you got there.
Shame as I enjoyed reading.
Shame, I enjoyed reading this thread too. Sent you a follow request on Instagram
This seems a bit over the top mods.
I despise being advertised at, every single service I use, if there is an ad-free paid option, I pay for it. As such, I would say I am incredible sensitive to adverts. I have never noticed anything in this thread that I would consider an advert.
Sorry to see you go. 😪 It's been a journey we have enjoyed following.
Good luck to the team for the future 😎
I hope everything goes well for you and your lad. I have enjoyed seeing him progress. His dedication is inspiring.
Soon there will be nothing worth reading on here.
Why are you so keen to name drop the brands that are sponsoring him? Would this story be any less good not knowing, eg, what grips he gets given?
Shame if Weeksy does stop posting things up (I suspect he'll be back as I think he's enjoyed keeping us up to date on the journey), this has been a good thread to follow.
On the name dropping thing there are rules in place, and they are there for us all to abide by. I can understand that STW has to sell advertising, and as a potential advertiser I'd be a bit miffed if other brands were getting free advertising in a popular thread (and it would be cheaper to throw some free stuff at Weeksy Jnr and have it posted up, than pay STW for advert space). The warning on a post on another thread is just an unfortunate consequence of this rather than an intent to treat Weeksy differently (how are STW to know a particular product affiliation has stopped).
I'm with Tom, I don't think that just stating 'We've been lucky enough to receive a new frame and some parts from one of our sponsors' would make the thread any less interesting, than posting up a picture of said products together with a name drop. Most of the followers of the thread know where to go on the socials to find out more if they so wish.
I actually think that the trials and tribulations of the Weeks family would be worthy of a column either on the STW website or in the magazine.
I would find it more engaging than some of the travel articles that are being published and if there’s a problem with advertising then any assistance or parts that are paid for other from the family purse could be declared, as in the very good and open, STW editorial policy.
Bummer... weeksy59 and jamesweeks08 it is then I guess.
Quite the stash you got there.
In case anyone else is having trouble finding him on Insta it's mrweeksy59 😉
I'll echo the things others have said & say that this is one of the threads that I religiously make a point of reading & at no point did I feel there was any advertising going on, just a man showing his gratitude for the recognition & support his son was getting. I shall miss the regular updates.
I completely agree with everything you just said simwit
This is one of the best long running threads on the forum, it would be a shame to lose it.
I've missed the recent photos and subsequent deletion. And I understand STW's desire to not give out free advertising when they also are trying to sell it - and even with Weeksy being entirely innocent, any brand manager with an ounce of common sense and 10 seconds of googling can work out the result of sending WeeksyJr free stuff.
I'm not a fan of the "hey we got free <name> pedals heres a photo of them in a box in my kitchen", its a bit low effort. I dont really want to see it here and I'd be scrolling straight past it on Insta etc - regardless of if its WeeksyJr or Bruni/Schurter/Semenuk/Seth posting it.
However, "we've got a pedal sponsor now, things coming together for next years race bike", those who really care could find out what they are, and next month when we see a muddy photo from a dyfi training day, we see the pedals in use; and early next year when we see the new Atherton built up we see them on there... That I would be pleased to see and is all part of the ongoing story that makes this window into the UK downhill scene (and the efforts around it) so compelling to read.
An update - Weeksy is just taking a little week long enforced break…..
Why are you so keen to name drop the brands that are sponsoring him? Would this story be any less good not knowing, eg, what grips he gets given?
Is it any different to saying what bike he's using or tyres he's running if they're not sponsored? It should be ok to mention sponsored stuff inside this thread, but not elsewhere, as long as it's clear it is sponsored. It's a useful insight into the help that brands give to a young rider in grass roots UK downhill.
Really a shame it's come to this. Especially as we have what to me is a back door advert, disguised as a poll, for an insurance company with their name in the title, as a sticky at the top of the threads.
Nice to see we weren't the only ones to have a bad experience with them and their claims management company
He hasn’t been banned though has he, he seems to have taken umbrage about being reminded (again) of the rules on advertising and decided himself to come off here. That is his call, not the mod’s.
All is not lost if you want to keep up to date, he updates here, without perceived censorship.
https://revtothelimit.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=76&start=2060
disguised as a poll
With (sponsored) in the title.
Is it any different to saying what bike he's using or tyres he's running if they're not sponsored?
Sponsors pay their representatives (in money, parts etc) to promote the brand/product.
Hope to see you back posting again soon Weeksy, as said above, always one of the threads that draws me back to this place.
As I understand it he has a week ban from posting actually.
He hasn’t been banned though has he, he seems to have taken umbrage about being reminded (again) of the rules on advertising and decided himself to come off here. That is his call, not the mod’s.
All is not lost if you want to keep up to date, he updates here, without perceived censorship.
https://revtothelimit.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=76&start=2060
Hmm... was he rude to the mods? This smells of more than just mentioning a sponsor. It's a shame, I've been enjoying following his posts here. I hope his lad's story can continue on here.
As I understand it he has a week ban from posting actually.
He hasn’t been banned though has he, he seems to have taken umbrage about being reminded (again) of the rules on advertising and decided himself to come off here. That is his call, not the mod’s.
All is not lost if you want to keep up to date, he updates here, without perceived censorship.
https://revtothelimit.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=76&start=2060
Thanks, looks like similar post content to here so good place to keep track of the ongoing story.
Hope to see you back here soon Weeksy, like others I really enjoy reading this thread, it'd be a real shame if it wasn't continued.
https://revtothelimit.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=76&start=2060
I’ll keep up to date there too, I’m not posting on here for a week in solidarity, I know I won’t be missed by many but I think Weeksy was a valued and entertaining contributor - STW needs more of those!
As Weeksy has decided to be public on there let’s be a little more open on here.
He has several times posted about the sponsors over the years, on each occasion we have asked him not to. This, including the last time has led to outbursts towards the Mods and STW itself, previously we have let this pass. Unfortunately against our own benefit as the sponsorship posts and outbursts continued. On this occasion we decided a week’s ban was in order after more abuse and it is abuse towards us. The result being he says he won’t post again on STW, which we have heard before.
No matter what he thing putting a picture up and saying “Thanks Ollie for the product” is promoting a sponsor. There are company owners on here, riders and shop owners. All of which stay within the rules.
disguised as a poll
With (sponsored) in the title.
Is it any different to saying what bike he's using or tyres he's running if they're not sponsored?
Sponsors pay their representatives (in money, parts etc) to promote the brand/product.
It was more from a practical point of view. I'll take unsponsored mentions as having a certain value, and sponsored ones as having less. People who are actively looking for sponsorships opinions I'll value far lower. I just want it to be clear. I'll trust your own opinion on parts fairly highly as you appear to pay for your own esoteric parts and your posting history supports that view.
I actually think that the trials and tribulations of the Weeks family would be worthy of a column either on the STW website or in the magazine.
I would find it more engaging than some of the travel articles that are being published and if there’s a problem with advertising then any assistance or parts that are paid for other from the family purse could be declared, as in the very good and open, STW editorial policy.
What? There's a magazine?
If you saw the image that caused the issue you'd laugh your head off...actually I can't see I'm breaking any rules posting here but with the sponsor's name removed.
I think Weeksy posted this to show he was proud of another achievement but the logo of the team he's on was unacceptable.
I've dipped in and out of this thread for a while, and it was the first thing that came to mind when my son asked if he could try racing.
Got in touch and Weeksy has been really generous with his time, offering lots of advice.
Met up with them in the FOD on Saturday ahead of our first race on Sunday. My son spent the whole day chasing Weeksy Jnr down the trails, lots of tips, a huge confidence boost, and helped calm the nerves.
Ended up 15 out of 35 in his category, well and truly hooked. Even my wife, who was a bag of nerves, loved it.
Fully understand the rules etc..would be a shame if it stopped and disappeared though. It'll hopefully help to inspire others.
Yeah - this has been a very quiet thread this week ...
But, I always enjoy this thread, it's one of the most engaging ones on the forum.
@weeksy - hope you feel able to return after the ban, there's a lot of people here who enjoy the updates from you / about James.
I know I wasn’t posting for a week but some rules are worth breaking!
Some of the contributions on STW inspire, some inform, some do both.
I have followed this thread from the start and search it out amongst the cries for help for technical advice and mental health assistance. I read the coffee, bread making, electric car and watch collecting threads, I’m fascinated by the insights into other people’s lives as regards their holidays and even into the activities that their children do - harp playing exam was a high! (I’m not ridiculing any of these activities, just different to my experiences).
However, this thread, enthuses and entertains me and is also about mountain biking and dedication to the sport. I have no real interest in any competitive sport, the involvement of big business, dodgy regimes and companies attempting to “sportswash” their image leaves me cold.
However (again) this thread has re-lit my fire.
I appreciate that abuse cannot be tolerated towards the moderators, some of whom are volunteers but perhaps looking at the greater picture:
- Do the moderators have training? In particular, as they are also members of this community and will have interaction with other members, can they be impartial?
- Are the advertising rules clear or are the lines blurred?
- Do products sent for test at STW get sent back after test?
- Are the products promoted as staffers favourites or staff bikes paid for themselves or are they gifts or at a discount from promotors?
- Heavy promotion of Red Bull?
- Some threads that have been locked recently I believe would have been self regulated by members and perhaps that should be allowed to happen?
- Will the recent share launch bring in even tighter rules?
There is product placement everywhere these days and a bit of low key information as part of this thread would be informative and build a better picture.
Most of it I would probably not even notice as advertising, I would probably comment that I might keep Stans lubes (formerly Whistler Performance Products) but give the ball producing latex sealant away!
As for a picture from a proud parent having success after years of effort, so what if it had DMR on it, with a bit of imagination it could have had STW on it!
If you think that this is an anti Mod/STW post, it isn’t. I was mortified to receive a warning once and apologised to all concerned.
I was also annoyed once when a thread was stopped where I’d been trying to organise practical and financial support for a member who was struggling.
@weeksy08 was one of the members who offered a monthly financial contribution, we need more members like that on here, not less.
Honestly those questions come across as a load of what-if-ery. I guess the question you should be asking is how much stealth advertising can you tolerate?
And yes , I very much appreciate that this gets very tricky when people start getting sponsored, and the thread is very, very equipment heavy
I want to know what he done with himself in the week off. He must have so much spare time now, I bet the bikes are fixed, the house move sorted and he has even wrapped the christmas presents ready
No, he’s been busy!
Anyone who thinks that the posts in question are not advertising, clearly doesn't know how advertising works 🤣
@tenacious_doug - you allude to some knowledge, perhaps you can share with the class?
@wbo your whatifery phrase is about as dismissive as whataboutery, phrases used usually on forums which are used to divert attention from actually answering questions.
There aren’t any “what if’s” there, just questions about events that have happened and procedures/rules, how they are followed and whether training is given to the administrators of the rules.
Out of seven questions I thought that someone might have considered attempting to answer at least one!
@tenacious_doug - you allude to some knowledge, perhaps you can share with the class?
19 years of professional marketing experience, knowing a piece of advertising when I see it.
Weeksy might not realise what he's doing, but the brands supporting him certainly do.
Whether folk agree or disagree with the forum rules is another matter, but you can't argue that the deleted posts weren't advertising.
Thank you, perhaps you can cast your expert eye over some of the other content alluded to in my questions?
I have only seen one of the deleted posts but I do question that if handled differently there could be a way through to keep everyone happy? It’s a popular thread and unusually for here, about mountain bikes!
If I had to answer those questions a blanket statement of their website/forum, their rules, should cover it
Thank you, perhaps you can cast your expert eye over some of the other content alluded to in my questions?
None of those are questions for a marketing professional, it's debate over the rules of a private forum who are well within their rights to set and enforce rules as they please.
MOD] For clarity, we don’t allow brands to advertise within forum posts, at all. Be that the CEO of a company, their sponsored riders, or their parents, it’s the same for everyone, we can’t play favourites.
How does this work with certain forum users who seem to try and shoehorn some shameless self-promotion for their instagram/YouTube/podcast/website into loads of posts on here? [MOD] if you see something you feel is advertising, please report it.
Is it acceptable if you’re a friend of those at STW towers?
It’s a shame to see that Weeksy’s thread has finally been killed off, it’s one of the few regular posts on here with anything remotely MTB related and that’s coming from someone with absolutely no interest in DH or Enduro racing. It’s not a good look for this place when things like this are effectively killed off due to the forum rules but the politics threads thrive with the same old names arguing between themselves day in, day out
Someone that's a member of that other forum needs to point out that he should consider a move to road cycling - 1700W is more than Cavendish ever put out. Or the Wattbike was broken...
How does this work with certain forum users who seem to try and shoehorn some shameless self-promotion for their instagram/YouTube/podcast/website into loads of posts on here?
This whole thread is that, IMO.
This whole thread is that, IMO
So if that the case, how does all of Rocketdog’s self promotion go unnoticed?
Is it just because it’s in multiple threads rather than all in one place?
is it a different type of advertising when you’re advertising your own sites/pages?
A missed opportunity by STW here IMHO. Rather than do what they did they could have taken the story of Weeksy and made it a feature. It is more interesting to me as a paying customer than a lot of the stuff I read. Are the Mods actually part of STW as a business or are they just volunteers? If the latter, do they collaborate with the owners when making calls like this that could make the forum a less interesting place?
@johnjn2000 That was my initial point, I think that it was a missed opportunity and perhaps could have been utilised financially by having links to products that could earn STW money. A structured weekly (Weeksy’s Week!) diary would hold a lot of interest for me.
Another of my points was the training and impartiality of the (voluntary) moderators that can have an effect (real or perceived) on decisions made and, also importantly, how they are communicated.
Polls are very popular at the moment - perhaps listening to the mood would be more appropriate?
If the latter, do they collaborate with the owners when making calls like this that could make the forum a less interesting place?
Yes we do, we are also aware of the rules.
Well there's a LOT I want to say here and a lot i won't actually say. One important thing though is that in no world was his 'team' pic ever posted as an advertisement, i still can't actually see how it was seen as that. The 2nd pic of 'products' that was posted over on the motorbike forum was NEVER posted on here, so lets move on from that. It was posted purely as a proud parent of a young racer, that's it...
I'm not getting involved too much in forum politics, but yes there's plenty of double standards.
The most important thing i want to add though is Thank You to a lot here for the thoughts, messages and posts of support.. This thread along with say the Menopause thread has shown me that it's massively important (not in the grand scheme of things of course) to some/plenty on here... and of course it's important to me.
Where i REALLY struggle though is how this thread continues, because like it or not the sponsorship is intrinisically linked to this journey, it's a massive part of it, both in terms of products recieved but in terms of the boys place in the world. Now he's a qualified coach, that line becomes even more blurred on here as far as i can see.
Take for example last weekend, as said by @hoff the boy was out showing his lad lines, technique, skills and how to race. Now this wasn't part of his 'coaching' for the coach, it wasn't paid for in any way, we both paid for our own uplifts etc, however again, it's very much linked to his job as a coach. (indirectly of course), so how do we approach things like that on here ? I have no clue in truth. But for us both it was a massive case of 'giving back', at the start of all of this he was coached by Katy and she saw something in him that she liked and gave us the chance to get to where he is today, so we both wanted to pay that back and give the 2 lads their chance, their shot, their fun and whatever part we can play in that, well how could we refuse. We both had a brilliant day out, me riding with the dads and him riding with the boys. The next day we were over at Cwmcarn all day with Hattie and Katy and there were messages from both parents with updates and thank yous... Which was honestly BRILLIANT... It made my weekend that both lads got down and were happy with what the boy had given them in terms of knowledge. I have no doubt they'd have both got down without me and him, but hopefully we added a little to their weekend 🙂
So we get onto the complications here, as i say, the direct link between where we are and sponsors is impossible to ignore. In the next month or so we're getting a new frame for 2026 as you've seen, paid for by me, but it will be covered in parts from sponsors, so where do we end up with me posting pics of the build process? HEck i don't know. They boy is getting a new kit for 2026 which is semi-sponsored, but if i'm then posting pics of him and his bike, am i not therefore breaking these golden rules by default.. But it's also the fact that anyone reading this who's not old (like most of us) the sponsorship is a HUGE part of it, it's what the whole paddock at races aspire to, it's what they dream off these kids, the chance to get loads of parts, components, riding kit, spares etc, this is why they're doing it. Most of them know they're unlikely to reach WCDH levels, but the chance of a sponsor sending them something, well that's a WIN in itself.
Yeah there's been updates in the last week, the Session has been stripped, fettled and rebuilt, the boy has new forks on his trail bike, he's been off testing his fitness with his fittness coach (sponsored lol) and we've been riding lots. There's been 8 sets of pads bought by me and a new dropper post fitted on his Fuel ex8.
Where does all this leave us... I honestly don't know. I was perfectly happy to not post here again and i'm sure there'll be some 'I told you so' thoughts going on.. but people are enjoying this thread it seems, so it's unfair all round to skip it.
I'll leave this as the last little bit which is the now heat-treated components for his frame. (Which if the cycle2work post here is proven correct, is now going to cost me £5000 hahahahahaa)
@weeksy Good to see you back, hopefully some sort of middle ground can be reached and perhaps you can be paid for your contributions!
Much as I love this forum and have gained a lot from interactions (plus winning the Megasack, a lot of which I gave away), I have taken my subscription off “auto-renew”, I’m observing which way this goes.
In the interest of balance, after sticking up for weeksy and this thread, I'm going to have call out that buying £5,000 of frame for your kid to go racing on via Cycle2Work is 100% a Dick Move IMHO.
In the interest of balance, after sticking up for weeksy and this thread, I'm going to have call out that buying £5,000 of frame for your kid to go racing on via Cycle2Work is 100% a Dick Move IMHO.
is it better or worse than doing it to Eeb in Surrey Hills?
But if it’s correct, I won’t be doing it anyway it seems
Your lad will actually be cycling at work Weeksy so if the cycle to work scheme fails the bike could be a tax deductible expense!
Advertising tax dodging is probably not wise. 😉
is it better or worse than doing it to Eeb in Surrey Hills?
No different. It's always been 'abused' by people who have no intention of riding the bike to work.
But is it an issue in the grand scheme of tax avoidance? Not IMO.
Everyone will justify their own rule / law breaking whilst criticising others for doing so.
Advertising tax dodging is probably not wise. 😉
fortunately this isn’t Minority Report and you’re not Tom Cruise so thinking about something isn’t actually illegal. But it’s always nice to know where we all stand in the world on here.
once again you’ve exceeded my expectations, congratulations
There are those who are funny, and those who think they are funny…
@wheelsonfire - my impression of your questions was they were asking if the owners/writers/testers were whiter than white and adhered to what you consider acceptable, and near perfect levels of behaviour before they decide how contributors to THEIR forum ? No , I didn't see the relevance to the situation.
There are those who are funny, and those who think they are funny…
And regardless there are those who couldn’t see it wasn’t serious.
@Drac, and as we are all very aware, rules are flexible. Especially when nobody is getting hurt and nobody is benefitting. If you genuinely believe that what the author of this thread is doing has any kind of impact on a brands bottom line, then you need to ban or delete every 'NBD' or 'What Bike/Component do you recommend' topic as they all contain people promoting a brand.If the latter, do they collaborate with the owners when making calls like this that could make the forum a less interesting place?
Yes we do, we are also aware of the rules.
I am not going to buy an Atherton bike because of this forum topic content, or a DMR component. But i might support a local rider now i know the 'trials and tribulations' associated with the sport. And I am also rethinking my auto-renew subscription that has been in place for years due to this moderator intervention.
then you need to ban or delete every 'NBD' or 'What Bike/Component do you recommend' topic as they all contain people promoting a brand.
Those brands aren’t paying those people to promote the brands they’ve bought.
eg I imagine the sports car you or I would recommend would be different to the one Lewis Hamilton or Lando Norris, or their dads, would recommend.
Like I said we know the rules.
Those brands aren’t paying those people to promote the brands they’ve bought.
what he’s a professional athlete?
I’ve followed this thread for a long time and love how it shows progression and hard work from father and son to get somewhere in the sport that in theory this forum is about
I really can’t see the logic of wanting to close a thread like this, but then STW do appear keen to kill the forum off
It’s incredibly tough to take it to the top of any sport and I find it crackers that an organisation that should understand that is acting as it is.
im assuming STW has an affiliation with a company in competition with something Weeksy has mentioned and they have had a strop?
Anyhow hopefully one day Weeksy can post a pic of James getting a pro contract , covered in sponsorship sipping a can of RedBull
im assuming STW has an affiliation with a company in competition with something Weeksy has mentioned and they have had a strop?
or the companies in question have declined to advertise with STW
or STW have just made some bad choices
My Question number one is perhaps the most pertinent to the problems with this thread?
The rules, and that one post from you have lost STW a subscription for next year. Well done, slow hand clap. Good job STW is in a strong position and can afford to lose subscriptions.
Me too.
All seems a bit heavy handed as pointed out above, is not NBD etc just as bad (or good)? Any forum is not a one way street. No contributors = No views = No replies = No income.
One of the best threads on here BTW.
what he’s a professional athlete?
They give him free stuff, so he/his dad will promote the brand. Be that in results, via social media, or just telling his mates what legends they are, either way, it’s advertising.
Maybe his sponsors would chuck a few quid STWs way to give weeksy a platform to promote their clobber, but on the other hand, look at the backlash Pinkbike get when specialized win (another) ‘best (category) bike award
I’ve loved this thread and I’m sad it’s come to this. It’s being closed at the request of Weeksy. In fact he asked for it to be deleted but I see no reason to do that. A lot of us would miss it.
As for the conspiracy theories. I’m going to disappoint some by saying they are just that. There’s no financial pressure put on our volunteer mods from me or anyone on the payroll here at Singletrack. I do know that weeksy has had a lot of communication with the mods over the years this thread has been sailing close to the wind around the self promotion rule. At times there’s been leeway given and at others he’s been pulled up. It’s been a rather unfortunate ‘battle’ considering the popularity of the thread. He’s been given latitude and when he’s gone too far he’s been pulled up. As with most sad thread endings the final choice and often where I have to step in, is a result of a culmination of factors. That’s the case here. I’m sad. Weeksy is sad (I assume) and the mods are sad.